Steerpike

Steerpike is The Spectator's gossip columnist, serving up the latest tittle tattle from London and beyond. Email tips to steerpike@spectator.co.uk.

Labour admits it wants children to vote

3 April 2026 1:37 am

When is an adult not an adult? It’s a question that the Labour party does not seem to be able…

Anas Sarwar stands by his call for Starmer to go

1 April 2026 6:44 pm

As we head towards the Scottish parliamentary elections in May, one party leader has a particularly unenviable job: step forward…

Reform toast success of ‘Ipswich-gate’

27 March 2026 2:16 am

An own goal or back-of-the-net? The pundit class are divided on Reform’s latest stunt, with Nigel Farage rocking up to…

The mystery of Morgan McSweeney’s missing phone

25 March 2026 8:54 pm

Morgan McSweeney may be out of office – but he is certainly not out of the headlines. A mystery concerns…

Tim Montgomerie turns on Matt Goodwin’s book

25 March 2026 4:06 am

Ding, ding, ding! In the teal corner, it’s Tim Montgomerie, longtime Tory sage turned Reform defector. And, in the, er,…

Nandy backs Burnham over Starmer

25 March 2026 12:40 am

Oh dear. It seems that we have already reached that stage of the government where ambitious ministers believe that it…

Watch: Tory MP calls out Starmer

19 March 2026 1:56 am

Was that the worst PMQs of the year? Amid Kemi Badenoch’s constant questioning about Peter Mandelson, Keir Starmer turned into…

Labour blunder on ethics (again)

16 March 2026 9:26 pm

In opposition, Keir Starmer was at pains to emphasise how different he would be to those wicked old corrupt Tories.…

Trail hunting battle looms for rural lobby

11 March 2026 11:24 pm

Tally ho! That sound you can hear is Keir Starmer’s barmy army charging into the fray once more. Having waged…

Labour MPs prepare for trigger ballots

10 March 2026 12:50 am

It is a difficult time to be a Labour MP. With the Greens on the left and Reform on the…

Parliament rocked by another China spy scandal

5 March 2026 3:44 am

Oh dear. It seems that the spectre of the Chinese dragon is rearing its head over Westminster again. After three…

Greens hit second place in polls

3 March 2026 5:20 pm

Happy spring statement day one and all. As Rachel Reeves valiantly tries to wrestle the public narrative back from her…

Minister quits after ‘smeargate’ row

1 March 2026 6:00 am

So. Farewell then Josh Simons. The Macclesfield MP has quit his job at the Cabinet Office following the revelations about…

Starmer: I am going nowhere

27 February 2026 11:23 pm

Poor old Sir Keir. It turns out that there was indeed a large anti-Reform tactical vote in Gorton – it…

Hoyle: I tipped off the Met about Mandy

25 February 2026 11:08 pm

Peter Mandelson is in a right old funk. Having been ignominiously hauled in by the Met for questioning on Monday,…

Ed Davey’s Andrew stunt backfires

25 February 2026 8:49 am

Oh dear. It seems that Ed Davey – the most righteous man in all of parliament – has got it…

Watch: Labour MP’s ‘dark shit’ jibe

24 February 2026 4:10 am

If you didn’t laugh at this Labour government, you would cry. The Anti-Corruption Minister has resigned over corruption; the Homelessness…

Watch: Martin Lewis confronts Kemi Badenoch

23 February 2026 9:38 pm

Oh dear. It seems that Martin Lewis, the self-styled ‘Money Saving Expert’, has come a bit of a cropper in…

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is arrested

19 February 2026 9:14 pm

Happy birthday to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. He has this morning been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, after photos…

Antonia Romeo is the new cabinet secretary

19 February 2026 8:55 pm

We have a new cabinet secretary! After a shambolic week in which Downing Street were forced to admit to the…

Trump slaps down State Department on Chagos

19 February 2026 7:05 am

Just what is happening in Washington? It was only yesterday that the State Department was trying to merrily wave through…

Reform U-turns on two-child benefit cap

18 February 2026 10:35 pm

It is Robert Jenrick’s big day out today. The newly-minted Reform ‘Shadow Chancellor’ is making his first speech since his…

Chagossians storm their islands

17 February 2026 8:30 pm

The Chagos deal is set to return to the House of Lords after recess. But a group of islanders are…

Rupert Lowe launches his own party

16 February 2026 8:45 pm

You wait years for a right-wing party – and then a veritable fleet comes along at once. After Advance UK,…

Labour Together in turmoil over smear campaign

16 February 2026 6:39 pm

It was the think tank which made Keir Starmer leader – but now Labour Together is struggling. The Sunday Times…