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
David Cameron’s trip to fast food chain Nando’s last night has caused a stir, with countless ‘selfies’ of the peri-peri PM appearing online before anyone could even whisper ‘cynical PR stunt’. He’s not the only politician who’s a fan of the Portuguese chicken chain. It’s practically a second office for the Tory party chairman, who
Mr S would like to share this video with readers. It is the latest campaign ad from the Labour Party. As spoofs go, it’s leaden: puerile personal attacks mixed with divisive class war. It says nothing positive about Labour; it’s aimed squarely at people who would vote Labour in any circumstances. All in all, it’s
The new Shangri-La hotel opened its doors to Mr S last night. Located on floor 35 of The Shard, the luxurious establishment was only, in fact, semi-open, since three ‘signature suites’ and an infinity pool are yet to be unveiled. The exhibited areas were abundant in opulence and splendour. The great and the good of
Sarah Vine is famed for using her column in the Daily Mail to share embarrassing personal anecdotes about Michael Gove (often involving his underpants) and to offer deeply unhelpful advice to the Tory government. Today’s article is a case in point; it says that David Cameron’s women problem is ‘the biggest hurdle the Tories face’.
Whispers reach Mr Steerpike that disgraced journalist Johann Hari has been tasked with ghost-writing Russell Brand’s next book, the much-dreaded revolutionary manifesto to ‘establish a personal and global utopia’. Mr S asked Brand’s publishers Random House for clarification. At first they wouldn’t comment; but then a publicist said that was the first she’d heard of it,
Was William Shakespeare just a nom de plume? The question is usually dismissed as boring, only of interest to snobs and cranks. Clever people, like the Shakespeare scholar Jonathan Bate, know better. But the old authorship debate has been given new life of late, thanks to the energetic writer Alexander Waugh, who is adamant that
Nigel Farage has been ‘egged’ while on the campaign trail. He was pelted by a protestor as he left his car. The protestor was dragged away by police. Mr S can’t help but notice that Farage has joined a list of political greats, including such lights as John Prescott and Ed Miliband, who have been
Mr Steerpike was last night invited to the launch of Esme Kerr’s debut novel at Daunt’s in Holland Park. The author herself was nowhere to be seen. The organisers of the launch, journalists Emily Bearn and Claudia Fitzherbert, were as uncertain as Mr S as to Kerr’s whereabouts. ‘She’s definitely here somewhere. Look there she
After 25 years in the hot seat, Jeremy Paxman is finally stepping down from Newsnight. Following months years of will-he-won’t-he speculation, Newsnight’s star draw has finally had enough. According to the BBC press release: ‘He informed Tony Hall, the Director General, and James Harding, the Director of News and Current Affairs, of his decision last summer, but
All aboard Ukip’s Common Sense battle bus! Today Nigel Farage’s party took the fight to Portsmouth – or more precisely, Portsmouth and Southsea Station. It’s not entirely clear what the station did to offend Ukip, but the party’s battle bus accidentally collided with it while trying to execute a U-turn. Hopefully it’s not an omen
Utter the word ‘retirement’ in 4 Millbank at your peril. The bods at Sky News are waiting for the arrival of their new political editor, Faisal Islam, who is working out his notice period at Channel 4. Mr S hears that Adam Boulton, the outgoing political editor, is snapping at anyone in the office who
Osborne protégé Matt Hancock has climbed rapidly up the government ranks; leaving plenty of enemies in his wake. The ruthlessly ambitious Education and BIS minister is always in a hurry; but that does not look like it has done him much good for an actual race: ‘When Haverhill decided to host its first ever half
More trouble for Ukip this morning: it seems that yet another party official has some colourful views about ‘people of color’. David Challice, who is understood to work at Ukip HQ, once suggested that ‘cash-strapped Moslems’ should have multiple wives. In a bizarre newspaper advert placed in the Exeter Express and Echo in 2009, Challice said that he
Ukip have suspended a member and Merton council candidate who appeared in their party political broadest, Andre Lampitt, for a series of ‘repellent’ tweets. Here are those offensive tweets, which have now been deleted, in full: Nigel Farage has said he is ‘deeply shocked’ by the tweets and has pledged to root out ‘real extremism
Mr and Mrs Clegg attended the launch yesterday evening of Cityfathers, a group designed for fathers working in the Square Mile. With the kind of spontaneity that smacks of an organised PR stunt, they set about finishing each other’s sentences. The double act hit its stride when the deputy prime minister was taking questions from
Mr S was saddened to hear of the untimely death of Mark Shand, the Duchess of Cornwall’s brother. He was a kind and witty man: a natural bon viveur. Parties for his charity, Elephant Family, which campaigned to protect the habitats of the endangered Asian elephant, were always splendid affairs. Shand’s vivacity and generosity came
Russell Brand won’t let go of his row with the BBC. He popped up as the mystery guest at Letters Live (a spin off from the wonderful Twitter account @LettersOfNote, where assorted luvvies read great letters from the past). Inevitably, Brand screwed up his reading. He tried to rescue the situation by quipping: ‘Is this
If the French are flocking to Britain, it’s not just down to a 75 per cent tax hike on the super-rich. Multi-millionaire designer, Jean Paul Gaultier comes to the UK for a different reason. “The British have a lot of connection with the sexual, which is something that I appreciate. None of this ‘No sex-
Fun times for our country cousins over at Country Life: they have compiled a list, drawn up with the help of Jeremy Paxman and Jilly Cooper, of dos-and-don’ts to guide the modern gentleman. Mr S has chosen not to comment on their unprovoked attack on coloured trousers, or the usual jazz about pre-tied bowties and
Ukip is the Common Sense party that listens to ordinary people. So says Lizzy Vaid, who appears on the party’s European elections manifesto as someone thrilled that Nigel Farage’s party is ‘listening to what people want’. She should know: although Vaid looks like she’s an ordinary voter on the street, she is in fact Nigel
