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
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
Young Labour members have made headlines today after calling for a ban on alcohol at CLP meetings to ensure the party can ‘become truly inclusive of women and other minorities’. Now it seems the Liberal Democrats could be next in the battle against patriarchy-fuelled booze. Speaking at a Grassroots Women panel this week at the
It’s safe to say that Boris Johnson is not having a good day. As well as finding himself in a row over whether or not he suggested England could withdraw from the World Cup in Russia, the Foreign Secretary has received a ticking off from John Bercow. The Speaker took issue with Johnson after he arrived
With one obvious exception, former Ukip leaders have a habit of disappearing into obscurity, but it seems Henry Bolton is determined not to go quietly. The party’s ousted leader has now set up his own political outfit: ‘OneNation’. Bolton says he decided to act because of the ‘urgent requirement for a 100% ‘leave’ party’. OneNation’s website
Here we go. Last night Gary Oldman came away victorious at the Oscars – picking up the best actor gong for his depiction of Winston Churchill in the Darkest Hour. The film follows the attempts within government in 1940 to make a peace treaty with Hitler and Churchill’s refusal to do so. Only not everyone
John McDonnell’s business credentials took another hit on Friday when the shadow chancellor struggled to name a single one of his ‘business heroes’ in an interview with the Financial Times. The pause was so long that McDonnell’s press adviser eventually came up with a suggestion for him – ‘Vince Dale’, the renewable energy entrepreneur: Only
When Robert Peston left the BBC to join the ITV as political editor, his former BBC colleagues placed a sign outside their press room at Tory conference making it clear that he was no longer welcome. But is Peston looking for a way back? At Theresa May’s speech today on Brexit, Peston asked a question –
Oh dear. After Labour’s better-than-expected snap election result, the prospect of Prime Minister Corbyn has never looked more real. With John McDonnell tipped to be Chancellor should Corbyn triumph at the next election, businesses are having to pay the socialist close attention. Alas, it’s not clear this effort has been reciprocated. When asked ‘who are
What says ‘Theresa May’ more than a comic speech at a boozy dinner for a room full of journalists? That was the question the Prime Minister found herself asking a room of well hydrated hacks at last night’s Westminster Correspondents Dinner. May took a break from the Irish border to regale journalists with a speech
With the Irish border problem rearing its head once again this week, Sir John Major has popped up with an intervention Theresa May could probably have done without. In a speech today, the former prime minister urged May to keep Britain in ‘a’ customs union for the sake of the peace process. He went on
Oh dear. This week the Daily Mail published the findings of an investigation into the ‘racist and thuggish’ past of ex-Formula One boss Max Mosley. The paper asked whether Mosley – who donated more than £500,000 to Tom Watson, lied at his orgy privacy trial. Under oath at the High Court, Mosley denied a leaflet allegedly published
