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
Ken Clarke is back on his feet talking about Brexit in the Commons again – but his speech has not gone down well with all of his colleagues. Sitting behind him, his fellow Tory MP Sir Desmond Swayne struggled to stay awake as Clarke talked about the rights of EU citizens. Swayne even appeared to
Whether it’s authentic or not, the Conservative party is going green. Following Michael Gove’s reinvention as resident eco-warrior, the party has been pushing green policies – from extending plastic bag charges to saving trees in Sheffield – in a bid to prove they care. Today Gove’s Cabinet colleagues were brought into the fold – each
It’s been an awkward week or so for John Humphrys. The Today programme presenter – who is thought to earn over £600,000 per annum – found himself in the naughty corner when an audio surfaced of Humphrys appearing to make light of his colleague Carrie Gracie’s decision to stand down as China editor over ‘pay discrimination’.
Ever since Gavin Williamson was appointed Defence Secretary, there has been a briefing war between the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury over defence spending. Keen to prove his defence credentials, Williamson – or Private Pike as the Chancellor’s allies prefer to refer to him – has hardly discouraged backbench MPs from kicking up a
Here we go again. The results of the latest election for Labour’s National Executive Committee are in and it’s a clear run for Momentum. The three members selected are all Momentum candidates: Jon Lansman, Yasmine Dar and Rachel Garnham. Alas, not everyone is a winner. Or more precisely, Eddie Izzard is not a winner. The comedian-turned-aspiring-politician
When you pay £8 for fish and chips, where does the money go? That’s the question one restaurant has been busy answering after a customer left a two-star review on Facebook. It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with the food – in fact it was ‘lovely’ and the staff were ‘amazing’. But Debbie Davies still
The return of Esther McVey to the Cabinet is bad news for John McDonnell and Labour’s claim of a kinder, gentler politics. It has led many hacks and broadcasters to return to remarks he made about ‘lynching’ McVey, at a Remembrance Sunday event back in 2014. But when they do so, Labour complain. The shadow
Here we go. As of Monday, the Guardian is a tabloid – in the physical sense anyway. The paper’s editor Katharine Viner has revealed the new look paper online – complete with masthead: https://twitter.com/KathViner/status/952647642517049344 RIP Berliner…
Since joining Parliament in the snap election, the Labour MP created a media-storm last year when she declared that she would not be friends with a Tory. Happily, Jeremy Corbyn sees no issues with such a stance and has just promoted Pidcock – appointing her Shadow Minister for Labour. Only it’s a bit complicated. Just a
This week’s Cabinet reshuffle proved underwhelming on the whole but for one man, it marked a great change in fortune. Philip Hammond remained in post as Chancellor – something that seemed rather unlikely during the snap election campaign when Theresa May was plotting to sack him in a revenge reshuffle. So, it’s little wonder that
This week Question Time moved to Islington. David Dimbleby chaired a panel comprised of Dominic Raab, Labour’s Dawn Butler, Gina Miller, comedian Nish Kumar and Piers Morgan. However much of time was spent discussing Toby Young, who resigned from the Office for Students this week. With various derogatory comments made about Young, it fell to an
The news that Chris Williamson has resigned from the Labour front bench has been met with dismay by Conservative MPs who quite enjoyed his calls to double council tax on some of the highest-value properties. However, fear not, Williamson will continue to play a pivotal role in Corbyn’s Labour. In an interview with Corbynista site Skwawkbox
Breaking news in today’s Evening Standard. George Osborne has splashed on the revelation that Peter Stringfellow – the nightclub owner – has ditched the Conservatives in protest over its stance on Brexit. Stringfellow – who often attends the Tories’ black and white ball – says he is quitting the Tories ‘unless they change their direction
This week, Theresa May’s Cabinet reshuffle proved rather underwhelming. In some quarters, the Prime Minister’s decision to not promote or move any of the big beasts in her Cabinet has been seen as a tactical move so as not to fuel speculation over her eventual successor. That plan may have backfired. Mr S was curious to
This week, Toby Young stepped down from the Office for Students over concerns his appointment had ‘become a distraction’ from the ‘vital work’ needed. His decision came following a series of historic tweets that were described as sexist. Since then, Labour have been quick to go on the attack – asking why he was ever appointed
The times they are a’changing. Just last month a row broke out within the Conservative party over the winner of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here. It wasn’t so much a difference of view over who should have won but over what the party should do about the winner. The winner – Georgia
Although Theresa May’s reshuffle of junior ministers was less gaffe-prone than the main event on Monday, there’s a feeling in the party that overall it has been an underwhelming event. With little change in the top ranks of May’s Cabinet, critics have been quick to suggest that she is too weak to carry out a
It’s the morning after the night before and Theresa May’s newly reshuffled Cabinet has just held its first meeting. Only there might not be much of a need for introductions given that the Cabinet hasn’t changed all that much. Despite a brief game of musical chairs, the big beasts remain when it comes to the
Oh dear. The new Conservative party chairman has a job on their hands transforming CCHQ into a digitally-savvy campaign machine. So, it’s safe to say, that things haven’t got off to the best start for the new chairman. The CCHQ Twitter feed announced Chris Grayling as the new chairman: However, just moments later the tweet
Theresa May’s reshuffle is imminent. Although Cabinet’s big beasts are thought to be safe, Justine Greening and Greg Clark are among those in the hot seat. As for promotion, Jeremy Hunt is tipped to be appointed First Secretary of State. If this were to happen, a new Health Secretary would be needed. There has been