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
Heartfelt tributes were paid to the late Alex Salmond in the Commons today. A number of politicians from across the house shared memories of the former first minister of Scotland in a series of points of order, with the SNP’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn first to speak on the ‘most talented, formidable and consequential politician
It’s investment summit day for Sir Keir’s Labour government and, like much else about Starmer’s reign, it hasn’t got off to the greatest start. Despite drafting in the King to win over big business, the Starmer army has still managed to rather make a mess of proceedings. From reckless cabinet minister comments to embarrassing email
These days, it seems the Beeb is better at being the news than making it. Now the co-host of BBC MasterChef, Greg Wallace, is on the Sun’s front page, after it emerged that broadcasting bosses had investigated the TV star over alleged inappropriate sexual comments made to a female member of staff. It transpires that
To Luxembourg, where David Lammy is making headlines yet again. The Foreign Secretary has today bragged about his attendance at an EU summit on the conflict in the Middle East and the Ukraine war – with the meet set to include discussion over Russian interference across Europe and the threat posed by Iran. But Mr
Happy summit day, one and all. Today is the new Labour government’s first big business bash, as proceedings kick off at the Guildhall. Ministers are insisting that Britain is open for investment (honest, guv) ahead of Rachel Reeves’ Budget on 30 October. Yet while there were some early positive signs for the Prime Minister –
We are now just three weeks away from Labour’s first Budget and the mood music out of the Treasury is all rather ominous. On 30 October we find out the answer to the great question of British politics: can Rachel Reeves square her spending plans with her past promises on tax? With Labour desperate to
Happy 100 days of Labour being in power! To mark this auspicious occasion, the British electorate have decided to give Keir Starmer a present that he really did not want – the end of Labour’s lead in the polls after a whopping 934 days. Yes, that’s right: the Starmer army have led in every single
Oh dear. Keir Starmer today marks his first 100 days in 10 Downing Street, but he has little cause for celebration amid tanking poll ratings and reports of staff unease over his grip on the government. When Starmer first entered 10 Downing Street, there were predictions across the commentariat that his arrival would herald a
Back to Labourland, where there’s more trouble afoot. It emerged today that some rather careless comments made by a Cabinet Minister have cost the government an, er, one billion-pound investment deal. Ouch. Transport Secretary Louise Haigh delivered some stinging remarks this week about P&O Ferries, after it emerged that the company had let go hundreds
All is not well with the Labour lot just now – and the party’s supporters are rather unimpressed. Polling from YouGov conducted between 4-6 October has found that almost half of those who backed Sir Keir Starmer’s crowd at the July election had been disappointed by the performance of the party. Oo er. It’s hardly
Well, well, well. In his new job as president of global affairs at Meta, former leader of the Liberal Democrats and staunch Remainer Nick Clegg has announced a widespread roll-out of Meta AI across countries including Brazil and the UK. Yet, rather interestingly, the Brexit-opposed businessman noted that the software was unable to be rolled
Uh oh. To the Grauniad, where trouble is afoot. It transpires that the paper’s review of One Day in October, a harrowing Channel 4 documentary about the tragedy of the 7 October terror attack on Israel by Hamas, has caused quite a stir. So much so that it has, in fact, been deleted and wiped
It’s tough times at the Treasury for poor Rachel Reeves. With three weeks to go until Labour’s first Budget, every mandarin on Horse Guards Road has been rummaging down the back of the proverbial sofa, looking for any extra cash to spend. The fiscal rules look set for a rejig; taxes are likely to be
Welcome to the land of the unfree – otherwise known as Scotland. John Swinney’s SNP government have laid out its rules for anti-abortionists north of the border, and the measures are even worse than many campaigners first imagined. Buffer zones – in which pro-life activists cannot protest – were introduced at the end of September
Dear oh dear. It transpires that the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper received a free concert ticket to Taylor Swift’s shows in the summer – like many of her Labour colleagues. The revelation comes a day after the now-ousted Tory leadership candidate James Cleverly attacked Cooper over claims that the police had been pressed to provide
While Sir Keir Starmer and outgoing Tory leader Rishi Sunak went tête-à-tête in today’s Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr S is rather more intrigued by the Prime Minister’s response to a question from the Lib Dems. Sir Ed Davey quizzed Starmer today on the British overseas territories – asking the PM whether he could ‘ensure that
The countdown for the two Tory leadership finalists is on – and in just over an hour the Conservative party membership will know who their ultimate choice will be between. Tuesday’s knock-out round saw Tom Tugendhat drop back to a distant fourth place, with a ten-point gap separating him from his competitors. Staggeringly James Cleverly
It’s the first Prime Minister’s Questions since conference season and Labour’s recent woes have given the leader of the opposition a rather lot of material. An energetic Rishi Sunak was fast to mock Sir Keir Starmer over tensions in his top team – in a dig at Starmer’s swapping out of chief of staff Sue
Well, well well. The Labour lot are under the spotlight once again. It transpires, after the Sun newspaper’s splash this morning, that Home Secretary Yvette Cooper personally intervened to ensure that Taylor Swift received a police convoy to her Wembley shows. Priorities, priorities… Cooper has come under fire after reporting revealed that London’s Metropolitan police
Today’s the day that the nation finds out who the final two Conservative leadership candidates will be – after a vote by MPs this afternoon. On Tuesday, former security minister Tom Tugendhat was knocked out after receiving the backing of just 20 MPs, coming fourth place to Kemi Badenoch on 30 votes, Robert Jenrick on