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
Mr S was a guest at last night’s Grazia ‘News at 10’ panel discussion, where Christina Lamb, Jayne Secker, Sue Turton, Emily Maitlis and Mishal Husain discussed their experiences as female newsreaders. For Maitlis, however, talk turned away from journalism and onto her first choice of career: ‘I never envisaged myself being a journalist – I
Thanks to the internet, it has become increasingly difficult for politicians to hide any past indiscretions. However, this hasn’t put some MPs off from trying. Mr S has noticed some edits have recently been made to Tory MP Craig Whittaker’s Wikipedia profile. The page has had some interesting amendments, with two negative references to the MP for
Jeffrey Archer is none too impressed with the Bollywood film industry. In an interview with India’s DNA Newspaper, he said that several Bollywood films have ripped off his books without his permission. The comments came after the convicted perjurer was asked whether his novels have the potential to translate into Hollywood films: ‘Well, forget Hollywood, just look at your Bollywood!
Angry Conservative Party officials have hit back at attacks from the left on the education of the Prime Minister’s children. On Monday the PM’s spokesman claimed: ‘Like tens of thousands of other parents, the prime minister and Mrs Cameron expect to hear which secondary schools have offered a place to their daughter Nancy. If she gets
Rufus Sewell’s turn in Josie Rourke’s production of Patrick Marber’s Closer at the Donmar Warehouse has won rave reviews. Still, the A Knight’s Tale actor confides to Mr S that not everyone has been so enamoured by the play, which examines the cruelty of modern relationships. ‘We had a performance on Valentine’s Day which probably wasn’t the most romantic thing for an audience
With Richard Desmond’s Express Newspapers currently considering another round of redundancies in order to hit a £14m cost savings target, his remaining staff are making sure they are prepared for the worst. Mr S hears word of a chapel meeting scheduled for this week which will feature a very special guest. Desmond’s nemesis Tom Bower is set to appear before the troops at
Tonight Norman Baker leads the Commons adjournment debate on international endangered species. Speaking ahead of the event, the Liberal Democrat MP explained to Politics Home why the subject is so close to his heart: ‘I normally try to keep my day job, my role as MP, separate from my music, but this week I made an exception. I
Nothing like a bit of Argie-bargie to get the Tory backbenchers going. Mr S has been passed a letter and booklet sent by the Argentine Embassy in London to all MPs concerning the ‘Malvinas’. According to the ambassador Alicia Castro: ‘The book provides and overview of the actions that we have been carrying out with regard
The Ukip spring conference was somewhat overshadowed by a publicity stunt from a local theatre group in Margate, which saw dancers dressed as Nazis high-kick their way through Springtime for Hitler to publicise their production of The Producers. Unsurprisingly, Nigel Farage’s party were none too thrilled by the manoeuvre given the racism allegations that continue to haunt the
This week Sol Campbell was named as a bookies’ favourite to be the next Tory candidate for Kensington after Sir Malcolm Rifkind stepped down following a cash for access scandal. While Rifkind’s resignation has sparked a debate over whether MPs should be allowed to have second jobs, the former Arsenal footballer thinks there is a simple solution. When
While the Tories scrabble around for a candidate for the 2016 London Mayoral election, Mr S hears one millionaire is already eyeballing the 2020 race. Barely an edition of the Evening Standard fails to feature either an interview by (or with) their proprietor Evgeny Lebedev. His face is regularly found across the pages of both his publications the Standard and the
Nigel Farage’s gallivanting around in America has resulted in a casualty. Mr Steerpike hears that Raheem Kassam, senior adviser to Farage, missed the flight back home last night. Farage’s right-hand man therefore won’t make it back in time for the leader’s big speech in Margate this afternoon. As the founding editor of Brietbart London, Kassam was key in arranging the
As the devoted Ukip followers arrive at this weekend’s party spring conference in Margate, they can now show their support in a variety of ways. Rather than a basic rosette, Ukip HQ are also selling branded jewellery. Surely the perfect gift for that special lady in your life?
It’s probably not the news everyone wanted to hear, but Mr S feels a duty to let readers know that Alastair Campbell is considering a return to politics. Furthermore, this could involve the former Labour spinner standing as an MP. Speaking to India Knight for the April issue of Red magazine, he comments that a friend recently
Since finishing filming Harry Potter, Rupert Grint has struggled to match the success of his former co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson in the acting world. The actor received mixed reviews for his recent turn on Broadway in It’s Only a Play, with the Washington Post claiming his performance exhausted ‘the comic possibilities’. However, Mr S is happy to reveal that while his acting
Oh dear. The Chancellor of the Exchequer is not going to be pleased. Natalie Rowe, the former dominatrix who enjoyed a friendship with George Osborne in the early nineties, is planning a book to follow her autobiography. Further still, judging by the fact she is toying with the idea of calling it ‘Budge it’ –
Yesterday the four internal candidates vying to succeed Alan Rusbridger as the Guardian editor-in-chief took part in hustings for the role ahead of a staff ballot, which will see one of them guaranteed a final interview. Mr S’s mole says it could only be described as a ‘good day for external candidates’ as all four
Following news that the Tories are apparently hoping telegenic posho historian Dan Snow will stand in Kensington, class war looks to be coming to the streets of the Royal Borough. Ian Bone, the publisher of revolutionary tabloid Class War, will stand against Snow if he’s selected for the Tories. A source close to Bone tells Mr S: ‘The remaining members of The Clash
After Inside the Commons drew to a close last night, a new row involving the House of Commons documentary developed. Reports have emerged claiming that in unused footage an MP was recorded calling Ed Miliband a ‘sanctimonious c-nt’. Anna Soubry has taken the hard line approach of denying she said any such thing, threatening legal action on anyone who
Boris Johnson was on best behaviour during a recent trade trip to the USA. But the minute his top aides left his side, out came the Mayor’s famous charm. While waiting for a flight back to London in the private lounge of JFK airport, Mr S’s spy reports that Boris wined and dined a rather beautiful businesswoman. Mrs Johnson can’t have been too far from