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.

SNP health secretary slammed over Oasis ticket fiasco

5 September 2024 12:59 am

To Scotland, where the SNP’s newest health secretary has found himself in a rather large, Oasis-sized mess. At the weekend,…

Watch: Starmer defers to ‘prime minister’ Sunak at PMQs

4 September 2024 10:35 pm

They say old habits die hard, and Sir Keir Starmer is finding that out for himself today. It’s the first…

SNP government finally accepts Cass review findings

4 September 2024 9:26 pm

Well, well, well. After all of the SNP’s sniping at Dr Hilary Cass’s review into UK gender clinics, it transpires…

MPs hail benefits of ‘Swiftonomics’

4 September 2024 3:30 am

Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras’ tour took the country by storm and it seems Swiftmania has also taken a firm hold of…

Lib Dem MP’s bizarre motion on the Wiggles

3 September 2024 10:08 pm

One might expect politics to showcase quality over quantity but this isn’t always necessarily the case. Take the curious example…

Boris blasts Lammy for ‘abandoning’ Israel

3 September 2024 8:42 pm

It’s certainly not been a quiet return to parliament. On Monday afternoon, Labour’s David Lammy announced that Britain would be…

Starmer faces more backlash over winter fuel payment cuts

3 September 2024 2:29 am

It’s the first day back in parliament after recess and already Labour splits are starting to emerge. Now it transpires…

What does Starmer hang on his wall?

3 September 2024 12:19 am

Political artwork has rather dominated the headlines of late. After Sir Keir’s peculiar opposition to the ‘unsettling’ painting of his…

Starmer rehomes ‘unsettling’ Thatcher painting

2 September 2024 7:03 pm

To Downing Street, where a painting of a former prime minister has been causing quite a stir lately. Sir Keir…

Police probe senior civil servant over Salmond inquiry

31 August 2024 2:34 am

As the SNP conference weekend kicks off, another Scottish story is starting to take shape. It has emerged that detectives…

Jess Phillips: I got better NHS treatment because of my Gaza stance

30 August 2024 9:30 pm

To the new Labour government, where the spotlight is on Jess Phillips and her rather extraordinary revelation. It transpires that…

Sue Gray at centre of yet another civil service job row

30 August 2024 7:21 pm

Another day, another Sue Gray-related drama. Now Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff has come under fire over yet another…

Starmer’s ratings hit record low as cronyism row continues

29 August 2024 10:06 pm

To Downing Street, where it appears the new Prime Minister isn’t having the most pleasant of premierships. Sir Keir Starmer…

Starmer snubs No. 10 Thatcher painting

29 August 2024 7:34 pm

Well, well, well. It seems Sir Keir Starmer wasn’t exaggerating about his ‘change’ agenda. It now transpires that the new…

Labour mulls outdoor smoking ban

29 August 2024 5:20 pm

It looks like there could be bad news again for smokers ahead of the return of parliament in September. Already…

Tories fire starting gun on voluntary chair race

28 August 2024 2:11 am

It’s the Tory race on everyone’s lips. No, not the battle to be the next party leader but rather the…

Watch: Labour minister squirms on ‘passes for glasses’

27 August 2024 6:40 pm

At long last, it’s finally here. After five days of media trails, Keir Starmer’s equivalent of the Gettysburg Address will…

Lorraine Kelly’s Brexit holiday shame

25 August 2024 8:23 pm

Congratulations to the artist formerly known as Lorraine Kelly, for taking the gong for this weekend’s most tasteless media appearance.…

Labour U-turns on No. 10 donor pass

25 August 2024 7:52 pm

It’s just 50 days since Keir Starmer took office – so it’s impressive he’s already embroiled in a sleaze row.…

Tugendhat’s non-existent Scottish backer

24 August 2024 4:10 am

Oh dear. Tory leadership candidate Tom Tugendhat has been rather excited about all the support he’s received from his counterparts…

Pro-indy paper clashes with BBC over ‘propaganda’ claims

24 August 2024 2:15 am

The Beeb is no stranger to controversy, and now pro-independence Scottish newspaper the National is on the warpath. The editor…

Greens face yet more climate hypocrisy charges

23 August 2024 11:09 pm

The eco-zealots never do manage to stay quiet for long. After Levelling-Up Secretary Angela Rayner approved the expansion of operations…

Now animal activists call for ‘vegan friendly’ paint names

23 August 2024 9:44 pm

If it’s not Just Stop Oil eco-zealots causing havoc, it’s the animal rights activists creating a fuss. Now it transpires…

Andrea Jenkyns hits out at ‘classless’ Labour successor

23 August 2024 3:56 am

Oh dear. It seems that all is not well in Leeds. Former Tory MP for Leeds South West and Morley,…

Award Taylor Swift for boosting London economy, insist Lib Dems

23 August 2024 2:05 am

Just when you think the stunts pulled by Sir Ed Davey’s liberal lot can’t get any stranger, they do. Now…