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
As one of the oldest Conservative think tanks, the Bow Group has a prestigious roll call of former chairmen who include Michael Howard, Norman Lamont and Peter Lilley. Now, Mr S hears that times are a-changing at the organisation, with the group’s president Sir John Major stepping down. His departure comes after an eventful few years for the think tank and its colourful
Mr S is inclined to believe this is a piss-take, lest it be clear the Guardian completely disappeared up its own bottom. Apparently enjoying HP Sauce basically makes you some sort of quasi-racist, Ukip-voting, little-England philistine: ‘Created in the late 1800s, brown sauce reads, tastes and smells like the idle creation of some Phileas Fogg-type,
If social media is going to play a deciding role in the general election, the brains at Conservative HQ ought to take a closer look at who they promote on their Twitter account. The official Conservative Twitter feed has a Tweetminster list of Tory MPs on it which allows their 131,000 followers to catch up with the ramblings
Things are getting heated in Rochester after Conservative HQ announced that the lacklustre Kelly Tolhurst will return as their candidate for the general election. The businesswoman put on a dismal display when she represented the Tories in the recent by-election against Mark Reckless. Reckless won then, and judging by his recent retweets, the Ukip MP is confident he
As Westminster clatters back to life after the Christmas break, so the steady stream of invitations land on Steerpike’s mat. Don’t all rush at once, but David Laws will be giving a speech this month at the Institute of Government on ‘effective government in 2015 and beyond’. While this will no doubt be riveting feast
As an environmentally-minded model who’s not shy of a student protest, Lily Cole would appear to be an ideal recruit for Russell Brand’s revolution. Alas, Cole, who has a double first from Cambridge, has taken issue with the ‘pound-shop Ben Elton’s’ choice of wording. ‘He scares me when he uses the word revolution. I’m not
David Miliband has refused to rule out a return to British politics in an interview with Vogue. Ed’s departed brother has not had much of an impact in New York, and is coy about his future: ‘I don’t know, is the answer.’ Intriguingly he also refuses to praise his brother’s performance as Labour leader: ‘I
How will Prince Andrew proceed with his official duties, given that he is named in court papers in which he is accused of abusing an under-age ‘sex slave’? The Daily Mail reports today that the Duke of York is expected to host a reception on behalf of the British government for foreign ministers at the
Since Ian Katz took over as editor of Newsnight, an illustrious roll call of staff have left the flagging current affairs show, including presenters Jeremy Paxman and Gavin Esler. Now, one of Katz’s newest recruits has jumped ship. Mr S hears that Newsnight deputy editor Rob Burley has handed in his notice. Burley is leaving
At last, an actual dividing line. Ed has used his first proper speech of the 2015 campaign to declare that his party would never, ever leave the EU: ‘We must demand reform from Europe—a European Union that works better for Britain. But make no mistake: exit from the EU would be a dramatic mistake for our
As the General Election limbers up, today saw the first day of proper campaigning with the Tories unveiling their first election poster and George Osborne hitting the road. The Chancellor did not have far to travel though, popping up to Twickenham, some 11 miles from the Treasury. His Twitter feed was in overdrive: It says
According to a recent YouGov poll, Nick Clegg has an overall rating of minus 54, making him more popular than the hapless Ed Miliband by just one point. While that wouldn’t appear to be much to celebrate, the Deputy Prime Minister seems to actually be in denial about his own standing amongst the British public. In
It could be a bleak Christmas party for Arsenal Football Club on the 22 December, as Steerpike hears their planned festive bash booked in at Brocket Hall in Berkshire may be a little austere thanks to a lack of the hall’s usual furniture. Since Lord Brocket’s spell at Her Majesty’s Pleasure, the artistic accountant has been forced
Ukip’s commonwealth spokesperson Winston McKenzie – he of Carnival of Colour fame – is never far from controversy. It was only a matter of time before a devout Ukipper compared their hero Nigel Farage to a deity and we should have all guessed it would be Winston: ‘Jesus was one man. We are his army. Nigel
Ukip has confirmed this morning that Nigel Farage’s wife is still in receipt of public money — despite an on air denial from her husband. The party could not have paid for better PR on Channel 4 last night, with Farage meeting Gogglebox poshos Steph and Dom for a special one off programme. One exchange caught
I have been passed a snap of the Christmas tree inside Brighton and Hove’s Green Party run council building. Or more accurately, I have been passed a snap of some bits of old shit collected from Brighton beach and put on a shelf under the title ‘One Planet’. After a year where rubbish has gone
Stuck with gift ideas for that slightly xenophobic, older family member this Christmas? Then look no further than the Ukip website. They are currently auctioning off a painting of their dear leader. Donate a fiver for the chance to win this horrific oil on canvas of Nigel Farage. No one mention Mr Toad…
Ukip are cock-a-hoop this afternoon with news that controversial proprietor Richard Desmond is to donate £300,000 to Farage’s party ahead of the 2015 election. Express sources confirm that Dirty Desmond gave the Ukip leader the full treatment on 2 December, with the Nigel personally given a full tour of his Northern and Shell Thames-side complex.
Mr S strolled to Westminster this lunchtime to see what all the fuss was about some porn protest. He wasn’t alone. Hacks significantly outnumbered the protestors, who were upset about the recent changes to UK pornography regulations. Despite the abundance of dictaphones, notepads and cameras, Mr S strongly suspects that many of the hacks were simply there to ogle – not that
Things seem to be getting tricky for the Russian Embassy in London. A much hyped mini-conference organised with Russia Today and set to be headlined on Friday by former Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov has been canned at the last minute. Mr S understands that the attendee numbers were down in light of recent developments near
