Steerpike

Steerpike

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

Jeremy Corbyn downgrades his election forecast

Oh dear. Given that Jeremy Corbyn is reported to have told Glastonbury organiser Michael Eavis this summer that he would be in Downing Street by Christmas, time is running out for the Labour leader. Perhaps that’s why he has downgraded his prediction to a definitely maybe. Grazia – the weekly glossy – has snagged the

Mhairi Black rejects Alex Salmond’s sartorial advances

Since arriving in Parliament in 2015, Mhairi Black has caused a stir in Westminster. The 23-year-old SNP MP rarely misses the chance to criticise the place – whether it’s the ‘old and defunct’ systems and procedures or the ‘sociopaths’ that inhabit it. Now it seems that not even her own party is beyond criticism. In

Another day, another Labour MP who won’t befriend Tories

Here we go again. Earlier this year, Laura Pidcock caused a stir when the newly-elected Labour MP announced that she could never be friends with a Tory MP. The reason? ‘I feel disgusted at the way they’re running this country, it’s visceral – I’m not interested in being cosy.’ Although Pidcock has since come under

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Jacob Rees-Mogg wins a celebrity backer

Although Theresa May looks safe in No 10 for the time being, chatter continues behind closed doors over who her eventual successor could be. While Gavin Williamson and Boris Johnson are both seen to have difficulty hiding their own leadership ambitions, it’s Jacob Rees-Mogg who most regularly tops the polls when it comes to Tory

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Diane Abbott’s selective memory

Oh dear. This morning Diane Abbott appeared on the Andrew Marr show to discuss – among other things – Labour’s Brexit position. Given that the party’s official EU stance appears to change on a daily basis, viewers were intrigued to hear the shadow home secretary claim that the Labour Party ‘doesn’t support a second referendum’:

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Chief Whip’s save the date

After the government suffered its first defeat in the Commons on Wednesday, questions are being asked over what and who was to blame. Aside from the 11 Brexit rebels who chose to back an amendment calling for a ‘meaningful’ vote on the final deal, some are pointing the finger of blame at the new Chief

War of words: Tory MP vs Tory MP – ‘get over yourself Nadine!’

Although the 11 Tory rebels who led the government to defeat last night night on Dominic Grieve’s amendment calling for a meaningful vote have been lauded as heroes by Remain groups, they are receiving a different reception within their own party. While some Conservatives – such as Nick Boles – say they respect the decision

Boris Johnson’s hostile reception

Ever since the EU referendum, Boris Johnson has found his local neighbourhood in Islington turn a little bit frosty. Residents in the Remain-voting borough have taken on occasion to heckling him over his pro-Brexit stance. Happily, the Foreign Secretary has since managed to find a safe space – even if it is a little far

Sajid Javid’s strong and stable jibe

With two new polls putting the Conservatives ahead of Labour for the first time since the snap election, there’s reason for Christmas cheer in No 10. However, despite this, the result of the disastrous election remains a sore point in government. So, Steerpike was curious to see Sajid Javid make a joke at the expense

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Gavin Williamson’s Christmas cheer

It’s party season in Westminster and last night saw the Women’s Lobby drinks reception, Jeffrey Archer’s festive drinks – or, if you were lucky enough to receive the invitation, Gavin Williamson’s Christmas drinks. The newly-installed Defence Secretary invited a select group of MPs to the vaults of the Ministry of Defence, where he gave a

Watch: Labour’s Brexit single market muddle

Working out Labour’s position on the single market is no easy task. Jeremy Corbyn has said Brexit will mean Britain leaves it. So far, so simple. But not everyone in the party – including Corbyn himself, who has since guaranteed access to the single market – appears to agree. Diane Abbott, the shadow home secretary,

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David Davis’s curious turn on LBC

After David Davis caused a mini-furore over the weekend by claiming that the government’s Brexit compromise on the Irish border was a ‘statement of intent… much more than legally enforceable’, the Brexit Secretary was sent back onto the airwaves this morning to attempt a second time lucky. With the Irish government concerned over Davis’s comments

Boris diverges from the party line

As Theresa May attempts to keep her party on side over the terms agreed in stage one of the government’s Brexit negotiations, leading Brexiteers have been sent out to praise the deal so far. Michael Gove began the day on the Today programme – praising the Prime Minister – and Steve Baker has been tweeting

George Osborne’s freezer lesson

With Jeremy Corbyn too anti-establishment to speak to the Parliamentary Press Gallery over lunch, George Osborne was hauled before lobby hacks today as the alternative opposition. The former Chancellor didn’t disappoint with his address. The former Conservative politician – and now Evening Standard editor – accused the Tories of ignoring the 48pc Remain voters in

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Gavin Williamson and Philip Hammond’s awkward outing

It’s fair to say that (not for the first time in recent months) things are a little bit awkward around the Cabinet table at the moment. The latest bust-up is between Philip Hammond and Gavin Williamson, with the pair falling out after an ally of the Chancellor compared the new defence secretary to Private Pike

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David Davis’s Irish problem

It’s safe to say this hasn’t been a good week for the government with Brexit talks unexpectedly stalling on Monday. But if there were to be one Cabinet minister said to be having the worst time, it would be David Davis. At a select committee appearance on Tuesday, the Brexit secretary came unstuck over the

Jacob Rees-Mogg: May’s Brexit red lines look ‘a little bit pink’

Theresa May’s Brexit red lines were intended to keep her backbenchers happy, reassuring them that there would be no backsliding on Brexit. The approach worked. But at PMQs today there were signs that some Brexiteer Tory MPs are starting to worry. Jacob Rees-Mogg told the Prime Minister he was concerned her red lines were ‘beginning

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Cambridge News headline fail

Oh dear. It turns out it’s not just the British government having a bad week. The latest issue of Cambridge News is out and the splash is… a ‘100-T SPLASH HEADING HERE’. It turns out the paper went to print before anyone had a chance to write a headline on the first page… Wow. It’s

Battle of the Maybots

Unfortunately for Theresa May, her working lunch on Monday with Jean-Claude Juncker didn’t work when it came to agreeing ‘sufficient progress’ with Brussels. However, as the Prime Minister works to solve the negotiations deadlock with the DUP – and subsequently the EU, she can at least find some light relief in the abundance of Maybot