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

Steerpike

Watch: John Kerry bangs his head on No.10 front door

When David Cameron hummed a bizarre tune last week as he walked through the door of No.10, there was much mystery about what the tune meant. Thankfully, his former communications director later cleared things up — revealing Cameron hummed because he was worried no one would open the door. Whilst everyone laughed at Dave at the

Steerpike

David Cameron’s Mr Darcy moment

It’s been a difficult month for David Cameron, who has gone from holding the most powerful office in the country to being a backbench MP. Happily Mr S understands that he is now able to look back fondly on his greatest achievements so far from his time in politics. One of which involves being a Conservative heart-throb. Speaking

Steerpike

Did Melania Trump just out herself as a Democrat?

There’s no love lost between Donald Trump and Barack Obama. And yet for Melania Trump, the President’s wife Michelle appears to be a source of great inspiration. That much seemed clear from the Trump’s wife’s speech to the Republican Convention last night when she channeled Michelle Obama’s address from 2008. Here’s what Trump said: ‘From a young

Owen Smith: I’m normal… I have a wife and children

Oh dear. With nominations for the next Labour leader set to open in a matter of hours, now is not the best time for either leadership hopeful to suffer a PR disaster. Alas, this is exactly what has happened to Owen Smith thanks to an interview he gave to Sky News. In the interview, Smith appears to claim

Steerpike

Power or revolution? Revolution, says Jeremy Corbyn

As Jeremy Corbyn is forced to fight for the Labour leadership, one of the main criticisms from his opponents is that he is more interested in turning Labour into a protest group, than a party that can win an election. This sentiment has not been helped by his Momentum comrade Jon Lansman recently claiming that ‘winning’ was for

Coffee Shots: Seumas Milne gets in Corbyn’s way

With Labour in turmoil, Owen Smith and Angela Eagle have both spent their Sunday explaining why they should be the one to challenge Jeremy Corbyn for the leadership.  So with a leadership contest looming, how has Corbyn spent the weekend? Catching Pokémon, it turns out. In a short film for the BBC, the beleaguered Labour leader

Theresa May’s purge of the posh

It’s not a great day to be an ambitious Tory who attended a private school — let alone Eton. After Theresa May promised to work to build a society with a focus on helping the working class rather than the rich, she has started by implementing this approach in her Cabinet. George Osborne, Nicky Morgan, Theresa Villiers

Steerpike

Liam Fox celebrates his new job

While today’s political climate might not be great for the country, the watering holes of Westminster are certainly doing okay out of the tumult. Mr S hears that Liam Fox was in a celebratory mood on Wednesday night after being appointed Secretary of State for International Trade. Steerpike is informed that the MP stayed close to

Steerpike

Lily Cole’s £200,000 government grant fails to pay off

What will be David Cameron’s legacy? The former Prime Minister is keen to be remembered for his social justice reform, but it’s more likely he’ll be remembered for taking Britain out of the EU. However, it’s some of his financial decisions that continue to trouble Mr S. Take, for example, the £200,000 of taxpayers’ money

Steerpike

Place your bets! Bookies reveal favourites for Theresa May’s Cabinet

As Theresa May prepares to move into No.10 today, Britain’s next Prime Minister has a united party behind her. Since Andrea Leadsom dropped out on Monday, Conservative MPs have done their best to put any differences behind them and rally behind their new leader. However with a Cabinet reshuffle looming, that could all change very quickly

Steerpike

Champagne socialists celebrate Corbyn’s NEC victory

After Tuesday’s vote of Labour’s National Executive Committee, Jeremy Corbyn is automatically on the ballot in any leadership contest. So, with the prospect of a Corbyn-led Labour for the rest of eternity (or until he retires) now looking likely, it’s little wonder his team were in the mood to celebrate last night. In fact there was only one

Is Theresa May the Daily Mail’s Manchurian candidate?

News of Theresa May’s coronation as the next Prime Minister is – as you’d expect – emblazoned on the front page of every newspaper today. However, the Daily Mail has gone one step further than its rivals — claiming, pretty much, that it enstooled May itself. And  judging by its jubilations, if seems that Paul

Watch: Angela Eagle abandoned by hacks at leadership launch

Today the Eagle has landed. After touring television studios yesterday with talk that she would run to be the next Labour leader, Angela Eagle officially launched her campaign this morning. Alas there was a problem. As the launch neared its end, Andrea Leadsom managed to upstage her by putting on a rival press conference to announce

Steerpike

March against democracy, part II: the Brexiteers strike back

At the march against democracy last weekend, tens of thousands of people wandered the streets of London, desperately trying to work out what democracy meant as they tried to call for the result of the referendum to be overturned. Now the Brexiteers are fighting back. However, instead of marching for democracy, the 20 or so