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
It’s not looking like a good week for Sir Keir Starmer’s lot and it’s only Monday. This morning, Health Secretary Wes Streeting launched the ‘biggest consultation in NHS history’ in a bid to get public input into how to save the UK’s flailing health service. Posting on Twitter today, the Health Secretary wrote that ‘all
To Australia’s Parliament House, where King Charles gave his landmark address today. But it wasn’t all plain sailing for the British monarch who, just before he came to the end of his keynote speech, was rather rudely interrupted by a protestor. The heckler — an indigenous senator — began to approach the stage, shouting at
Well, well, well. On Thursday it emerged that Israeli forces had killed Hamas’s leader Yahya Sinwar in a ‘chance’ hit, according to Israel’s Kan Radio, after the IDF opened fire on a group of men running into a building. The leader was behind the horrific 7 October attack last year, in which over 1000 people
Another day, another drama. Nigel Farage has lashed out at the Labour lot today after it transpired that a number of activists from Sir Keir Starmer’s party are jetting off to the US to canvas for Kamala Harris. The Reform UK leader has blasted Starmer’s army over the revelation – even accusing Labour of ‘direct
The Scottish National party has had a high turnover of leaders lately – and it appears to be facing the same problem with its chief executives. Now Murray Foote has resigned from the post after just 14 months in the role, taking to Twitter/X today to announce his departure. The former Daily Record editor who
The wife of a Tory councillor has been jailed for 31 months over a social media post during the riots. Lucy Connolly, married to Raymond Connolly on the West Northamptonshire Council, took to social media in July with some rather controversial words in the wake of the killing of three children in Southport. In her
As the two finalists for the Tory leadership race are preparing to go head-to-head in tonight’s GB News special, more Tory MPs are speaking up for their favoured candidates. In an interesting interview, veteran politician Sir Christopher Chope has revealed who he is backing – and for rather curious reasons. The Christchurch MP told ITV
The Tory leadership contest is heating up and, from today, members can vote for their favoured candidate. Just hours before her appearance on tonight’s GB News leadership show, Kemi Badenoch has sparked discussion by declaring that she would give renowned writer and women’s rights campaigner JK Rowling a peerage. Praising the Harry Potter author, Badenoch
Dear oh dear. Science Secretary Peter Kyle has certainly had better days in office. Despite Kyle insisting in the Commons today that his party ‘raises standards in public life’, it has now emerged that the Science Secretary, er, failed to declare his own gifted Taylor Swift tickets in time. Talk about hypocrisy… Members of parliament
If it’s not the freebie fiasco dogging Sir Keir’s Labour party, it’s the cronyism row. Back in August, the curious case of Ian Corfield hit the news after it transpired that the banker had donated more than £20,000 to Labour before bagging a job as a director of investment at the Treasury. Politico revealed the
To the Tory leadership race, which is picking up pace with only three weeks to go. The two finalists are set to take part in a GB News TV debate on Thursday, and have today been busy prepping viewers with their visions for the party. Kemi Badenoch featured in today’s Telegraph while Robert Jenrick hosted
Labour’s cronyism row has reared its head once again. It now transpires that Sir Keir Starmer’s government failed to disclose an official’s links with the Labour lot when trying to nab her a civil service job – omitting to add the rather significant detail on important transparency forms. As Mr S wrote in August, the
The Tory leadership contest is gathering pace with voting due to open up to the membership in less than 24 hours. Kemi Badenoch was quick to secure a top slot in Wednesday’s Telegraph, while rival Robert Jenrick gathered supporters together in the heart of Westminster for yet another campaign event today. The ex-housing secretary went
Dear oh dear. The Home Secretary, the London mayor and even Sir Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff have all been in the firing line over the Taylor Swift security row – and now the Prime Minister is under the microscope. It transpires that after Labour figures pushed police to give special protection to the
Sir Keir Starmer’s investment summit may have concluded, but the row over its invite list certainly has not. Now Nigel Farage has taken to Twitter to lambast the Labour lot for not inviting US tech billionaire Elon Musk to its big business bash. In a video post on the platform, the Reform leader questioned: ‘Why
Despite all the free concert tickets the Labour lot received to her gigs, Taylor Swift seems to be causing Sir Keir Starmer’s top team rather a lot of trouble. The US singer’s mother demanded special security measures for her daughter while she performed in London – and Starmer’s crowd capitulated. Today it has emerged in
Back to the Grauniad, the bastion of journalistic integrity. Last week Mr S spotted that the newspaper had first uploaded and then quickly deleted a rather controversial 7 October review – about Channel 4 documentary One Day in October. Today the Guardian has issued an apology over the ‘unacceptable’ way in which the article blasted
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