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
Oh dear. Anyone who harbours serious hopes of becoming the next Conservative Prime Minister – or perhaps Opposition leader at this rate – knows that the first thing they must do is not make their ambitions known. This is why the main contenders are at pains to seem loyal to Theresa May. So, spare a
When the EU Withdrawal Bill returns to the House tomorrow, Theresa May is hoping Tory MPs – and some Labour rebels – will be persuaded to play ball. However, an appearance on the Daily Politics by Labour’s Frank Field and Nicky Morgan offered an insight into the difficulties ahead. "I certainly think he should be
It’s safe to say that Alex Salmond’s decision to host a talk show on Russia Today has not gone down well. The former first minister has been widely condemned for taking the controversial gig on the Russian-funded channel. Nicola Sturgeon has also now joined in, saying that she would have advised her predecessor ‘against RT
Priti Patel’s working holiday to Israel – in which she held secret meetings with Israeli politicians, including the country’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu – has landed her in hot water. Despite the backlash to Patel’s foreign escapade, however, it seems her jet set lifestyle shows no sign of stopping. In Parliament this afternoon, Patel had a
The big story that British journos are now desperate to break is ‘How Russia hacked Brexit’. Once that rolls out, Britain can be like America, where nobody knows if Vladimir Putin is their true master or just the bogeyman of a paranoid elite. But newspapers should be wary: Russia collusion stories can make the press
John McDonnell is no fan of the Royal Family. The shadow Chancellor once joked about ‘looking forward’ to seeing papier-mâché models of the Royals guillotined. Yet with Labour now on the brink of snatching power from the Tories, McDonnell appears to have reined in his republicanism somewhat. Not too long ago, today’s story that the
If you ever needed a sign that politics is unpredictable then tonight’s Spectator Parliamentarian of the Year awards offered it. Theresa May had to pull out at the last minute after the unfolding Westminster sleaze scandal claimed a member of her Cabinet, Michael Fallon. Happily another Michael was on hand to step in at the
The most regular attack-line used against leading Brexiteers is that they misled the public over how much money could be used to fund the NHS if Britain left the EU. Throughout the referendum campaign, Vote Leave said that we send £350 million a week to Brussels – a gross figure, applied before a rebate etc.
Oh dear. Earlier this month there was a furore when it was revealed that a tights advert featuring a picture of a dancer’s bare back had been banned from the Tube. As part of Sadiq Khan’s promise to ban adverts on TfL which could cause body confidence issues, the firm were told by TfL’s contractor to add a
As Parliament sleaze dominated Commons business today, John Bercow told MPs ‘there is a need for change’ – describing allegations of a ‘culture of sexual harassment’ at Westminster as ‘disturbing’. Although the Speaker placed the responsibility on political leaders to clean up Parliament, Mr S hopes that Bercow can also play an important role in helping
After the Conservative MP Chris Heaton-Harris was outed last week for writing to universities requesting details of their Brexit syllabus, the debate on academic Brexit bias is in full swing. Happily Labour’s Barry Sheerman was on hand to clear the matter up with an appearance on Yorkshire Sunday Politics. Sheerman said any anti-Brexit sentiment at
With the Sunday papers filled with tales of male politicians behaving badly, it’s a report in the Mail on Sunday involving a Brexit minister which is provoking the most outrage. The paper alleges that in 2010, Tory MP Mark Garnier – who now serves as an International Trade Minister – called a former aide ‘sugar t-ts’
Michael Gove has a good line in risqué jokes, not all of which ought to be broadcast – as he demonstrated this morning when he used an appearance on the Today programme to compare being interviewed by John Humphrys to being in Harvey Weinstein’s bedroom: ‘Sometimes I think going into the studio with you John
If proof was needed that deference is dead in Parliament, look no further than the interview Tom Tugendhat has given to The House magazine. The new chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee uses his first interview since winning the coveted position to make clear he’s ready and willing to be Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary
It’s been a tough week for Jared O’Mara. The MP for Sheffield Hallam had the Labour whip removed after a series of sexist and homophobic comments were unearthed online. Since then, allegations have been made regarding his behaviour towards women in his home of Sheffield. So, the news that he decided not to hold a
Oh dear. Since Labour’s surprisingly good defeat in the snap election, the hard left has managed to tighten its grip on the party. As last month’s conference proved, Jeremy Corbyn’s party is intent on socialism for the 21st century. But behind the scenes there are still battles being fought between the moderates and the Corbynistas.
It’s fair to say Jared O’Mara has not done wonders for Labour’s fight for gender equality. The MP for Sheffield Hallam was finally suspended by the party yesterday for referring to teenage music fans as ‘sexy slags’. Yet while Jeremy Corbyn was apparently slow to act in bringing O’Mara to task, it seems that the
As concerns continue to be rise over Jared O’Mara’s conduct towards women, his Labour comrade John Mann has suggested such behaviour isn’t just limited to one MP in the party. With Mann threatening to expose a colleague who was sent home from a foreign delegation for inappropriate behaviour, the conversation has turned to who knew
Oh dear. When a Tory MP missed last week’s Opposition Day debate on universal credit to referee at a Barcelona match, both the SNP and Labour were quick to go on the offensive – accusing Douglas Ross of failing his constituents. Now it seems that one of Labour’s most vocal justice warriors has also fallen foul
After an unflattering account of Theresa May’s dinner last week with Jean-Claude Jucker wound up in the German broadsheet FAZ, tensions between Brussels and Westminster have heightened. The briefing claimed that May ‘begged’ for help and appeared ‘tormented’ with ‘deep rings’ under her eyes. Keen to prove that he was not behind the leak, Juncker