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
So farewell, Nick and Fi. As Theresa May’s once formidable co-chiefs of staff walk out of No 10 for good following the disastrous election result, the Prime Minister has appointed Gavin Barwell as their replacement. If Barwell sounds familiar, that’s because he is the former housing minister who lost his seat in Croydon Central on Thursday.
When the Prime Minister called the general election, Katie Perrior stood down as No. 10 communications chief. An odd decision: why walk away from such a prestigious job after only nine months? She has never really explained: until now. Writing in the Times, she reveals that her ‘painful’ time in No. 10 was made all the
There’s not a cabinet minister in sight to fight Theresa May’s corner following a disastrous election result. However, Tory backbenchers are proving more forthcoming. The only issue is they don’t seem to have much nice to say about their leader. After Anna Soubry called on May to consider her position, Heidi Allen has gone one
Theresa May has suffered a humiliating election result tonight after her big gamble backfired spectacularly. The Prime Minister is now in the midst of trying to form a minority government, with the help of the DUP. So, with Labour all over the airwaves calling on May to step down, surely the Conservatives are busy defending
The BBC’s footage of Jeremy Corbyn’s arrival at Labour HQ stops at the revolving door. Fear not: Steerpike brings you this exclusive footage of the hero’s welcome he received inside – it’s all a bit May 1997. The Tories are the largest party in Parliament, but Labour has massively exceeded very low expectations. And Corbyn’s
According to the exit poll, the Conservatives are on not on course for a majority, instead a hung Parliament is predicted. Given that Theresa May called this election to strengthen her hand and increase the Tory majority, her gamble looks to have backfired spectacularly. Now the polls could be wrong but this doesn’t mean May’s
With just one day left until Britain goes to the polls, it’s safe to say this snap election campaign can hardly be described as feel-good. So, Mr S pays tribute to Greg Knight. The Conservative MP is seeking re-election in East Yorkshire – and is not taking any chances. Knight has commissioned a custom jingle: ‘You get
Last night, Diane Abbott used an appearance on Sky News to insist that she had not been sidelined by the Leader’s Office in light of her recent interview performances. However, in that same interview she went on to generate more negative headlines when the shadow home secretary appeared to have little to no knowledge of
With Theresa May on the back foot today over Tory cuts to police numbers, CCHQ can count their lucky stars that Diane Abbott has been doing the media rounds this evening. The shadow home secretary was interviewed by Dermot Murnaghan this evening on Labour’s position on terrorism measures following Saturday’s attack. However, Abbott soon hit a
Although it’s Theresa May who has earned a reputation for performing U-turns, today Jeremy Corbyn has given the Prime Minister a run for her money. The Labour leader kicked off the day by boldly claiming that May ought to resign over cuts to police numbers, in light of recent terror attacks. Given that there’s an
It seems to be a British tradition that Steve Hilton, David Cameron’s close friend and former director of strategy, intervenes in a general election. During the EU referendum, he came out for Brexit. Now, it’s Theresa May’s turn to have Hilton turn on her. The former No 10 aide, who now lives in California, has once more made
Theresa May is under pressure over cuts to armed police in the wake of the London attack. This morning, Culture Secretary Karen Bradley popped up on Good Morning Britain to try and defend the Prime Minister. The only problem? Bradley refused to answer any questions. Here’s her awkward exchange with Piers Morgan: Piers Morgan: Do
Given that Theresa May hasn’t performed one of her customary ‘strong and steady’ U-turns for over a week, it was about time she changed her mind on something. So, Mr S was relieved to read her interview with City AM editor Christian May. While the Prime Minister promises to defend the City in EU negotiations, it was the
This week, David Dimbleby set the cat among the pigeons when he used an interview with the Radio Times to complain of right-wing media bias against Jeremy Corbyn: ‘I don’t think anyone could say that Corbyn has had a fair deal at the hands of the press, in a way that the Labour party did when
Today Westminster has been abuzz with speculation over the general election result after YouGov analysis suggested the Conservatives are on course for an electoral upset which could see them lose their majority. The YouGov team have been busy defending the numbers behind the headline, with Joe Twyman appearing on today’s Spectator’s Coffee House Shots podcast.
Back in the 2015 general election, Owen Jones became the subject of much mockery thanks to a column he wrote suggesting that Tories had reason to worry after Russell Brand endorsed Labour in the election. Given that Brand went on to claimed he had actually ‘f–ked up the election’ by inviting Ed Miliband to his house, Jones’s claim failed
Oh dear. Although a YouGov poll out today suggests a hung Parliament is a very real possibility in this election, Mr S suspects that some Corbynites are still getting slightly ahead of themselves. With Jeremy Corbyn making a last-minute decision to take part in tonight’s debates, Paul Mason has taken to social media to praise
With Theresa May currently experiencing a rough patch in her election campaign, the Prime Minister is discovering fast who her friends really are. Unfortunately for May, her old Cabinet colleague George Osborne doesn’t appear to be on that list. Now that the former Chancellor is the editor of the London Evening Standard, the paper’s editorials have
Oh dear. Jeremy Corbyn put in his best media performance of the campaign last night. But things have taken a turn for the worse this morning. Jez popped up on Woman’s Hour to unveil the party’s plans to give free childcare to parents. The only problem? Corbyn had no idea how much it would cost.
Although Theresa May has refused to go head-to-head with Jeremy Corbyn in a debate ahead of the election, Boris Johnson and Andrew Gwynne have at least obliged. Ahead of tonight’s Sky News/Channel 4 leaders interviews, the two came close to coming to fisticuffs as they went blow-to-blow over the election. While Labour’s joint national elections
