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.

Jon Sopel’s Twitter U-turn

21 November 2024 5:04 am

Dear oh dear. The left-wing Twitter scourge hasn’t gone quite as well as users may have hoped. Following Donald Trump’s…

Why is the BBC staying silent on Reeves’s CV claims?

20 November 2024 10:13 pm

Rachel Reeves remains in the spotlight after weeks of scrutiny over her rather curious CV claims. Mr S documented the…

Watch: Clarkson blasts BBC in farmers’ protest interview

20 November 2024 3:31 am

Thousands of farmers descended on Westminster this morning to protest the Labour government’s new inheritance tax plans. As protesters brandished…

Watch: Mandelson urges PM to end ‘feud’ with Musk

20 November 2024 2:41 am

Well, well, well. Picking a fight with Elon Musk is hardly the wisest decision Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour lot have…

Full timeline: Rachel Reeves’s CV claims

20 November 2024 12:48 am

Dear oh dear. Rachel Reeves has ended up in something of a pickle over her employment history, with the Chancellor…

British Sikhs blast Starmer’s ‘incompetence’

18 November 2024 11:18 pm

Another day, another Downing Street drama. This time No. 10 is in trouble with the British Sikh community after it…

Parliament shells out £900k on cobblestones

15 November 2024 2:02 am

Whether it’s falling masonry or rats, staff in the Houses of Parliament have to put up with a lot in…

Watch: Haka protest disrupts New Zealand’s parliament

15 November 2024 12:15 am

To New Zealand, where parliamentary proceedings have become rather, er, heated during discussions on the Treaty Principles Bill. During a…

Clifton Suspension Bridge quits Musk’s Twitter

14 November 2024 11:30 pm

First they came for the Guardian, and then they came for the Clifton Suspension Bridge. In a move that will…

Will Justin Welby lose his Lords seat?

14 November 2024 10:06 pm

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby this week announced he will resign from the top job after the pressure piled…

Farage rated most favourable of Britain’s politicians

14 November 2024 12:17 am

As Sir Keir Starmer’s fortunes go from bad to worse, things only seem to be improving for Nigel Farage. While…

The Guardian announces it’s leaving Twitter – on Twitter

13 November 2024 11:06 pm

The absurdity of the Guardian never fails to amuse. Now the lefty newspaper has decided it is too good for…

How many parliamentary police are failing fitness tests?

13 November 2024 4:33 am

They’re the redoubtable men and women who keep our legislature safe. But is the thin blue line around the Commons…

Who will be the next Archbishop of Canterbury?

13 November 2024 1:56 am

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has this afternoon announced he will resign from the role after days of pressure…

Sue Gray rejects Starmer’s non-job

13 November 2024 12:27 am

Goodbye Sue Gray. A mere 32 days after taking a ‘short break’ from No. 10, Keir Starmer’s ex-chief of staff…

Watch: Ex-Blair aide takes a pop at Britain’s farmers

13 November 2024 12:07 am

Farmers across the country have been in uproar since Rachel Reeves’s Budget. Just weeks ago the Chancellor announced that agricultural…

Tories overtake Labour in first poll since Badenoch victory

12 November 2024 11:20 pm

When it rains, it pours for Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour lot. The polls have gone downhill since Starmer’s army got…

Coutinho blasts Miliband’s energy claims as ‘total nonsense’

12 November 2024 9:37 pm

While Sir Keir Starmer faces the world’s media today at Cop29 in Baku, his Energy Secretary Ed Miliband is on…

Gary Lineker to leave Match of the Day

12 November 2024 6:54 am

After years of tweaking the tail of BBC bosses, it seems that Gary Lineker has finally had enough. The left-wing…

May backs Hague for Oxford Chancellor bid

12 November 2024 3:08 am

In a year of elections, none are bigger than that for Oxford Chancellor. Just five candidates remain in the race…

SNP health secretary under fire over football

12 November 2024 12:23 am

What is it with separatist health secretaries claiming from the public purse for the footie? First there was the £11,000…

JK Rowling blasts Alastair Campbell over women’s rights remarks

11 November 2024 9:58 pm

Has The Rest is Politics podcast peaked? Its hosts have certainly had a rather rocky ride of late – with…

Labour minister obfuscates over defence spend target

11 November 2024 8:15 pm

While Sir Keir Starmer is in France this Armistice Day to place wreaths at the Arc de Triomphe, the Prime…

Could Streeting’s smoking ban breach Brexit terms?

10 November 2024 9:11 pm

Labour ministers are very keen to be good Europeans. But could the cause of closer continental ties come at the…

BBC under fire over Amsterdam attack coverage

9 November 2024 12:22 am

Football fans are known to get a little rowdy after a game, but the horror that broke out after the…