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
Is there something in the water at BBC broadcasting house? First Theresa May appears on Marr where she refuses to answer a question on Trident four times, then Diane Abbott comes up blank four times on Sunday Politics when asked about Labour’s Brexit position. The shadow home secretary struggled as Andrew Neil asked her a
Although Donald Trump has suggested that he is unhappy with the BBC’s coverage of him, it’s the corporation’s reporting of Michelle Obama at today’s inauguration ceremony that has landed the BBC in trouble. As Katty Kay, the BBC reporter, led the coverage on the news channel, she offered a running commentary of the movements of various
As Donald Trump is sworn in today as the 45th US president, not everyone at the ceremony appears thrilled to be there. In fact, both Hillary Clinton and the departing first lady — Michelle Obama — look as though they would like to be anywhere but the White House: Mr S welcomes your caption suggestions on this
On Thursday, Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet found themselves in disarray after the Labour leader suggested he would issue a three-line whip for MPs to vote to trigger Article 50. This upset many in his party as they had hoped he would make Labour’s consent — at the very least — conditional upon certain details being revealed or caveats
After Labour party members in Copeland rejected Jeremy Corbyn’s preferred choice as candidate for the upcoming by-election in favour of former doctor Gillian Troughton, the hunt is on to find a suitable candidate for the upcoming Stoke-on-Trent Central by-election — to be held on the same day. With Tristram Hunt quitting to take a job with
When Seumas Milne first announced that he was joining Labour as Jeremy Corbyn’s director of communications in 2015, it was made clear that he would not be exiting the Guardian for good. Instead — in an arrangement that raised eyebrows in Westminster — Milne would merely work for Corbyn while taking leave from his role as the
On Wednesday, No 10 was forced to clarify that the Foreign Secretary had not compared the French President to a Nazi after Boris Johnson warned Francois Hollande against trying to ‘administer punishment beatings’ in the manner of some ‘world war two movie’. Alas not everyone in Johnson’s party has proved so helpful in coming to his defence. An ill-timed press
Although Theresa May used her Brexit speech on Tuesday to emphasise to European leaders that she hoped for a close and mutually beneficial relationship between the UK and the EU, not everyone appears to have got the memo. Today Boris Johnson found himself in hot water after he warned Francois Hollande against trying to ‘administer punishment beatings’ in the
Although Theresa May’s speech revealing her plan for a global Britain was well-received by her party and much of the media yesterday, the SNP found much cause for concern. While Nicola Sturgeon has said May’s announcement that the UK will leave the single market makes a second independence referendum more likely, Paul Monaghan has a
Today Theresa May revealed her plan for ‘a global Britain’ in a speech at Lancaster House. While her words were well-received by her party and the media, not everyone is so convinced. Step forward Lily Allen. Yes, the pop singer — who last year apologised ‘on behalf of my country’ on a visit to the Calais
As Michael Gove does his bit for US-UK relations in The Times today with a Donald Trump interview on the positives of a quick trade deal, his former staff, too, are on manoeuvres to boost post-Brexit business. Mr S understands that Gove’s former SpAd — and Vote Leave adviser — Henry Cook has joined Portland Communications as the
After rail strikes caused havoc over the Christmas period, Sean Hoyle — president of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers — was reported as saying that the industrial action had been coordinated to ‘bring down this bloody working-class-hating Tory government’. While union leaders have since insisted that the strikes are not politically
With the deadline for the government’s public consultation on press regulation now passed, Karen Bradley must decide whether or not to trigger Leveson 2. Should section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act be activated, any publication not signed up to Impress — the press regulator largely funded by Max Mosley — would have to pay all
When Heidi Allen announced that she would stand to be the new mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough — while continuing her work as an MP — the decision was reported to have gone down like a cup of cold sick with local Tories. The backbench rebel’s decision to seek the Tory nomination ruffled feathers, with
With Tristram Hunt stepping down as Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central, Jeremy Corbyn has issued a statement wishing his old foe the best. Alas, not every comrade is on the same page. Paul Flynn — a former member of Corbyn’s shadow cabinet — has had to delete a tweet in which he suggests Hunt quit as
As David Dimbleby decamped to Solihull for the first Question Time of the year, it was Donald Trump’s washing habits that were top of the BBC news agenda. With an ‘unverified and potentially unverifiable’ document suggesting Russian spies have compromising information on the President-elect, Dimbleby began by asking the panel — comprised of David Lidington, Gisela Stuart,
This week John Bercow suggested a Labour MP was in need of an ASBO after she jeered Theresa May a little too enthusiastically during PMQs. Now, the Speaker has encountered another issue with unruly Labour MPs in the Chamber. Today Chris Bryant left the Speaker lost for words when he wished Bercow a ‘happy kiss a
Oh dear. As Theresa May prepares for a charm offensive on her upcoming trip to meet the President-elect, there is once again reason to suggest that Nigel Farage’s help could be required in forging good UK-US relations. Mr S has been passed a snap of Farage meeting this morning with Trump’s soon-to-be man in Brussels,
Last week the nation was dealt some devastating news when Jamie Oliver announced that he was closing not one but six branches of his restaurant chain Jamie’s Italian. While the chef-turned-campaigner put the decision down to the ‘tough market’ after the Brexit vote, other theories have since materialised — from the restaurant’s banality to Tanya Gold’s scathing
Given that Donald Trump’s day got off to a bad start thanks to Buzzfeed‘s decision to publish an ‘unverified and potentially unverifiable’ document suggesting Russian spies have compromising information on the President-elect, many had expected him to call off today’s press conference. However, the Donald did no such thing and instead was on fighting form as he
