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
Is Labour’s state of confusion about sex and gender going global? Labour leader Keir Starmer was widely mocked this weekend when he was asked by the Sunday Times to define a woman, and claimed that 99.9 per cent of women don’t have a penis – which if nothing else, rather contradicted his previous assertion that
There’s no shortage of problems in Humza Yousaf’s in-tray as he gets his feet under the desk at Bute House. Striking workers, anaemic growth, a crumbling NHS: there’s plenty to occupy Yousaf and his new cabinet of old faces. So Mr S was therefore surprised that one minister clearly has enough time to moonlight as
It’s less than a week since Humza Yousaf triumphed in the SNP leadership election by less than 2,500 votes and already his tactical wizardry is bearing fruit. Yousaf’s first decision on taking at Bute House was to humiliate Kate Forbes, the woman who took on and almost defeated the entire party machine, by offering her
The Yousaf terror has begun and already the new regime isn’t off to a great start. Day one saw his calls for another referendum brushed aside by No. 10. Day two brought the refusals of Kate Forbes and Ivan McKee to serve in his government. And now on day three, the Privileges Committee have handed
It’s a hard life in No. 10 – so it’s no surprise that Prime Ministers need to relax. Margaret Thatcher had her whiskies; Harold Macmillan went ‘to bed with a Trollope’. But for Rishi Sunak, it seems his trusty Peloton is how he takes his mind off the job. He likes to get up at
Imagine the scene: you’re sat in the First Minister’s office in Cardiff Bay. Your desk groans under the weight of the great issues of state: a crumbling health service, a botched roads review, mismanaged millions and conditions so bad even your own staff are going on strike. So, what do you do to win the
Dear oh dear. It seems the newly-elected gaffe-prone First Minister of Scotland has blundered once again. Shortly after announcing that former social justice secretary – and Sturgeon’s old chum – Shona Robison would be his deputy, Humza Yousaf spoke to Kate Forbes about her place in his new cabinet. Widely expected to give her a
The good news just keeps coming for Gary Lineker. The Match of the Day host has won his appeal against HMRC over a £4.9 million tax bill. The taxman claimed Lineker was an employee of both the BBC and BT Sport – and that, as a result, he owed them money. But a judge ruled that Lineker
The world’s wokest newspaper is at it again. Few voices were more vocal about race and reparations in that statue-toppling summer of 2020 than the Guardian: the newspaper of choice for the self-loathing left. So it is some irony then that the paper’s owner has today had to issue an apology for the role that
Et tu Keir? Starmer might have (twice) campaigned for Jeremy Corbyn to become Prime Minister, but that hasn’t stopped the current Labour leader from brutally turning on his onetime ‘friend’ in his relentless quest to reach No. 10. Starmer announced yesterday that he would be submitting a motion to Labour’s ruling body to bar Corbyn
The magic grandpa is back in the headlines. Keir Starmer’s decision to move against his predecessor means an unwelcome return to the spotlight for Jeremy Corbyn, who has never been a great fan of the fourth estate. Starmer has proposed a motion to Labour’s ruling body to bar Jezza for standing for the party again,
How touching. Several weeks after Gary Lineker’s sporting colleagues boycotted the BBC in solidarity during a row over his tweets, the Match of the Day presenter has revealed the whole affair moved him to tears. Lineker, who is, he says ‘still bewildered’ by the scandal, revealed his reaction in a cosy chat with former Labour spin doctor
Sir Keir Starmer was determined to upset Rishi Sunak’s big speech this morning, exhibiting the cynicism which secured him the Labour leadership. Starmer announced midway through Sunak’s speech that he was submitting a motion to the party’s ruling body to confirm that Corbyn will not be the official Labour candidate in Islington North at the
The renegade royal is back. Having spent the past few years endlessly invading the privacy of others for financial gain, Prince Harry has turned up in London to complain about newspapers, er, doing just that. The dilettante Duke of Sussex arrived at the High Court this morning as legal proceedings begin in the phone-tapping and
To Buckingham, where a tribe of true believers met on Saturday to attend the Margaret Thatcher Freedom Festival. Suella Braverman was the star turn in the evening, with Sir Iain Duncan Smith amusing attendees with his tales of Eurocrat meetings. But it was Steve Baker – the onetime arch-rebel turned Northern Ireland minister – who
Even out of office, she’s still causing chaos. Details of Liz Truss’s resignation honours list have been leaked to the Sun this afternoon, with the newspaper reporting that the former Tory leader is considering awarding at least four peerages to mark her 49-day premiership. The names in the frame for Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister are
Oh dear. It seems that Emmanuel Macron has done it again. The preening French president was in the middle of a television interview last night, discussing his unpopular attempt to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, when he realised that his, er, €2,400 (£2,100) watch might be causing him difficulties. Hardly the best
Boris Johnson was all probity and contrition on Wednesday when it came to the small matter of the Privilege Committee’s integrity. He oozed praise on the ‘distinguished’ panel of MPs and assured them, in his most sincere tones, of his believe that it isn’t a ‘kangaroo court.’ But it seems that not all of his
Whether it was No. 10 parties or Chris Pincher’s misconduct claims, Tory MPs grew used to having defend Boris Johnson in various scrapes and scandals in office. Now though he’s gone but even six months on, some Conservatives seem unable (or unwilling) to kick the habit. A case in point is provided by Scott Benton,
‘Too clever by half’ was the verdict of many pundits when it was revealed that Sir Keir had been tapping up Sue Gray as his chief of staff. And it seems that the Labour leader is at it again, holding a big press conference today to talk about his ‘mission’ to tackle crime – less