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

Why Brexit has the X Factor

Since the British people voted for Brexit in June, there has been a sense of disbelief among luvvies. While Charlotte Church has demanded her ‘f—ing European Union back’, Mr S’s colleague Lloyd Evans reports that the comedy at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe harboured a ‘pleb-hating mood’ when it came to the referendum result. So, Mr S was

Paul Mason lifts the lid on Labour’s guardians of elite power

After the nation voted in favour of Brexit in the EU referendum, Jeremy Corbyn faced a coup from Labour MPs left unsatisfied with his efforts for Remain. Leading the charge, Hilary Benn sparked a round of mass frontbench resignations after he said there was ‘no confidence’ in Corbyn’s ability to win the next election. However, could it all

Andy Coulson’s PR exercise

When Andy Coulson stepped down as David Cameron’s director of communications in 2011 over phone hacking allegations, it made front page news. In the subsequent trial, Coulson was sentenced to 18 months for conspiracy to hack phones. So as Coulson embarks on a new chapter in his life, Mr S was intrigued to read an interview

Steerpike

Is Hillary Clinton the new Bob Geldof?

So far in the course of the presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton has been labelled ‘crooked’ and had her political rival Donald Trump suggest that she ought to be in jail. However, has the worst insult only just arrived? Following Nigel Farage’s speech in support of Trump, Clinton took the unusual step of speaking out to discredit

Labour’s security shambles takes a turn for the worse

It’s exactly one month until Labour conference and the party’s security shambles just got a whole lot worse. After the NEC voted to boycott G4S, the only firm willing to do the job were Showsec, a non-unionised security firm. This option was deemed unsatisfactory and so the party have had to go ‘cap in hand’ to

Steerpike

Jeremy Corbyn gets a seat on Virgin (again)

After a difficult few days for Jeremy Corbyn following ‘traingate’, the Labour leader has reason to smile again. Today, Corbyn has put his Virgin drama behind him and boarded one of the company’s trains to get to Glasgow for tonight’s debate. What’s more, he has a seat! My kids just got on @VirginTrains from Euston

Steerpike

Jeremy Corbyn’s jammy escape

On Wednesday, Jeremy Corbyn appeared rather rattled when a Sky News reporter asked him about ‘traingate‘ at a campaign event on the NHS. The Labour leader huffed and puffed before explaining that while there were a few empty seats on the train he had wanted to sit next to his wife. Unfortunately, this remark contradicted

Steerpike

Nigel Farage tells Trump rally to take heart from Brexit

As everyone in Britain knows, Brexit became a real possibility only once Nigel Farage was elbowed out of the leadership by Michael Gove and Boris Johnson. But you can forgive Farage for pretending otherwise in his six-minute speech to the Trump rally as he tried to make out that Brexit and Trumpism are the same kind

Mr Brexit meets… Mr Brexit

Last week Donald Trump managed to leave hacks and commentariats confused when he took to Twitter to declare that he would soon be referred to as ‘MR BREXIT!’. While many interpreted this to mean that he would win an election against the odds — just as the Leave vote did in the referendum — Mr S was curious to

Steerpike

It’s been a year, Nicola Sturgeon. Where are your refugees?

This time last year, as images of refugees fleeing Syria dominated the news, a host of charitable figures offered to do their bit and take refugees into their home. Exasperated that David Cameron was not allowing enough refugees into Britain, Sir Bob Geldof, Yvette Cooper and Nicola Sturgeon were among those who publicly vowed to lead by example.

Jeremy Corbyn’s CCTV concerns are put to bed

As the internet goes into meltdown over the news that Jeremy Corbyn may have had a seat after all when he filmed a video claiming he did not, it appears that the Labour leader hasn’t done much to help his cause. While his campaign team claim that Virgin Train’s CCTV footage is a ‘lie’, Corbyn can at least

Steerpike

Virgin accuses Corbyn of telling porkies in train video

Last week, a video of Jeremy Corbyn sitting in the hallway of a crowded train on the his way to a leadership debate went viral. The footage appeared to show the Labour leader sat on the floor for an entire three-hour train journey after he valiantly declared that it would be unfair for him to

Steerpike

David Cameron’s larynx comes to his defence on childhood obesity

Theresa May was once seen as the continuity candidate to succeed David Cameron. However, since becoming Prime Minister she has gone on to sideline or backtrack many of Cameron and George Osborne’s pet projects. As well as delaying Hinkley Point and leaving the Northern Powerhouse’s future up in the air, she has provoked anger this week over

Jeremy Clarkson’s half-hearted apology to Gordon Brown

Although Jeremy Clarkson had to leave the Beeb last year following a ‘fracas’ with a producer over a cold meat platter, in his time there he had already developed a reputation for getting himself into tight scrapes. In one such incident, the former Top Gear presenter caused a furore after he called the then prime minister Gordon

Steerpike

Listen: Liam Fox boasts of Foreign Office land grab

For weeks there have been reports of simmering tensions between Theresa May’s three Brexiteers. After the Prime Minister appointed David Davis as the Brexit Secretary, Boris Johnson as Foreign Secretary and Liam Fox as the International Trade Secretary, the group have developed a rivalry over who does what. In particular, Fox is thought to be

Steerpike

Sadiq Khan booed by Corbynistas at rally

After Sadiq Khan declared that he would not get involved in the Labour leadership contest, the Mayor of London had a change of heart over the weekend and penned a piece for the Observer endorsing Owen Smith. Corbyn’s supporters have not taken this well — even re-circulating Mr S’s story about Khan attending Rupert Murdoch’s summer drinks party

Watch: Jack Dromey’s U-turn over Corbyn

It’s tough being a part of the Labour coup. Even though you’ve plotted behind the party leader’s back and are now supporting a challenger, it’s important to remain on civil terms. That must be why Jack Dromey cut an interview short about the need to replace Jeremy Corbyn to… greet Jeremy Corbyn. I'm interviewing @JackDromeyMP

Jeremy Corbyn’s PMQs conundrum

With Labour’s list of all-male mayoral candidates announced last week, there has been some speculation that the potential loss of Andy Burnham to Manchester and Steve Rotheram to Liverpool will spell disaster for the Commons football team. While this of course hinges on both MPs being successful in their efforts, Mr S understands that should victory