Steerpike is The Spectator's gossip columnist, serving up the latest tittle tattle from Westminster and beyond. Email tips to steerpike@spectator.co.uk or message @MrSteerpike
It’s been a rough few months for the Conservatives so last night’s launch of Freer made a welcome change. Cabinet ministers and MPs gathered to celebrate the new initiative intended to promote a freer society and a freer economy. Or, Liz Truss’s leadership ambitions, depending which way you look at it. The Chief Secretary to the
Martin Selmayr’s brilliantly engineered coup earned him a lofty promotion in Brussels, but ahead of his rise to Secretary-General of the European Commission it seems Selmayr was busy boosting his credentials for the top job. Between Christmas and New Year, when most people were taking time out to enjoy the festivities, Selmayr dabbled in a spot of
Jeremy Corbyn’s reaction this week to the poisoning of a former Russian double agent on British soil has re-opened old wounds within the Labour party. The Labour leader’s apparent refusal to condemn Moscow involvement was made worse when his spokesman Seumas Milne appeared to cast doubt on the analysis by British intelligence agencies – suggesting that ‘there’s
Today the Conservatives gather for the party’s Spring Forum. The annual two-day event is intended to rally the party as they prepare for the year ahead. However, with troublesome local elections around the corner, it won’t be all cheer. Happily, the Conservatives’ No 1 celebrity supporter has found the time to join them… at least
Although Theresa May has earned a reputation for being robotic and predictable, today she did something that took almost everyone by surprise. On a visit to Salisbury in the wake of the poisoning of a Russian double agent, May met with locals. When one put out their fist to greet her, May went in for
Oh dear. A number of Labour MPs are calling for Jeremy Corbyn to sack Seumas Milne after the Labour leader’s communications director reportedly questioned the reliability of information on Russia from Britain’s intelligence agencies. In a lobby briefing, the Press Association quote Milne as saying: ‘I think obviously the government has access to information and
During the EU referendum, there was a fierce rivalry not just between Leave and Remain but between the two groups campaigning for Brexit. It’s safe to say there was little love lost between Vote Leave – fronted by Boris Johnson and Michael Gove – and Leave.EU which relied heavily on Nigel Farage. So, which side
Jeremy Corbyn has been criticised once again for failing to condemn Russia over the Salisbury spy attack. But while some Labour MPs have turned on their leader, Corbyn can still count on the support of one old friend. Ken Livingstone has just popped up on Russia Today – where else? – taking Corbyn’s line that
Oh dear. Although the Labour party has tried to put on a united front since the snap election, the party remains divided when it comes to Jeremy Corbyn. So, Mr S was intrigued to hear Kerry McCarthy – the Labour MP and former shadow cabinet member – speak frankly about her preference on Labour leaders.
Forget secret dining societies, last night the inhabitants of SW1 descended on the Westminster Park Plaza for the British Kebab Awards. The annual event saw the likes of Angela Rayner and outgoing Labour General-Secretary Iain McNicol join forces with Tory MPs Paul Scully and Rehman Chishti to take a break from Russian espionage in order to chow
Martin Selmayr’s appointment as Secretary General of the European Commission – an ‘astonishing power grab’ as Jean Quatremer put it – has been the talk of Brussels for the past month. Selmayr, who was previously Jean Claude Juncker’s chief of staff, has vowed to act as the ‘heart and soul’ of the Commission since taking up his powerful
It’s safe to say that Jeremy Corbyn’s response to Theresa May’s statement on Russia has divided opinion this afternoon. The Prime Minister confirmed to the House that a military-grade nerve agent of a type developed by Russia was used to poison Sergei Skirpal, the former Russian double agent. She concluded that this meant it was either a direct
Martin Selmayr’s power grab, elevating him to the post of Secretary-General and putting him in charge of 33,000 staff, was a brilliantly-executed Brussels coup. As Jean Quatremer reveals in The Spectator, the double promotion of Juncker’s chief of staff was over in nine minutes flat, and was described by one of those present as an ‘impeccably prepared
There was much excitement last week when Susan Michie told Communist Party members – at a meeting at the Marx Memorial Library in Clerkenwell – that they should work ‘full tilt’ to propel Jeremy Corbyn into No 10. Her claim that such a stance could act as ‘a potential springboard for strengthening organic ties with Labour’
Theresa May came under fire last year when she appeared to dodge a question on whether – if there was a referendum tomorrow – she would now back Brexit. Since then, the Prime Minister managed to set tongues-wagging once again when asked in a Q&A after her big Brexit speech whether Brexit was worth it.
Although the BBC has earned a reputation for leaning towards Remain, tonight’s Question Time shed light on the various political allegiances at the BBC. Prue Leith – the Great British Bake Off judge and Spectator writer – told the audience that she had backed Brexit in the EU referendum: ‘There was a life before we
To mark International Women’s Day, Liz Truss took over the Treasury for one night only. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury kicked off the celebrations at No 11 with a speech praising Destiny’s Child, the American girl group: ‘I can’t put it better than Destiny’s Child when they sang “all the honeys making money”‘ While
Happy International Women’s Day. To mark the occasion, there are several events taking place across Westminster this evening – with Liz Truss opening up the Treasury to leading businesswomen. So, how would the Prime Minister like to mark the occasion? That’s the question that left Theresa May flummoxed today in an interview with ITV. The Maybot
The SNP are a quieter force in Westminster since the snap election. Along with a reduction in size, they now have to face down the equally rowdy Scottish Conservatives each week at PMQs. Alas, it seems the new challenge is proving too great for the party’s digital operation. At PMQs, the SNP’s Mhairi Black criticised
The crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, is in town today for a three-day state visit with a charm offensive from the British government and royal family. Proving that he is a very modern prince, Mohammed bin Salman has also managed a media PR blitz with pro-Saudi Arabia adverts in a host of
