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.

Did the Johnsons breach lockdown rules?

19 October 2021 2:06 am

Did the Johnson clan breach lockdown rules last December? That’s the question being asked in Westminster today after a profile…

Stalking, harassment and abuse: the threats facing MPs and staff

17 October 2021 10:12 pm

Following the murder of Sir David Amess on Friday, there has been much discussion about the level of security for…

Harry and Meghan become ethical bankers

13 October 2021 8:35 am

Broadcasting, writing, life-coaching and speech-making: there seems to be no end to the talents of Harry and Meghan. But now…

Parliament hit by food shortages

12 October 2021 8:30 pm

What with an energy crisis, a fuel crisis and a food crisis, you would think MPs have enough on their plates.…

Nick Clegg's Facebook nightmare

11 October 2021 5:45 pm

There have been many ironic fates for the lead actors in the Coalition government. For David Cameron, the premier who…

What is wrong with Kamala Harris?

10 October 2021 9:12 pm

The concerns about Joe Biden’s age and cognitive faculties are well established. And if Biden has to step down, we…

Trudeau's troubles with LGBT+ acronyms

8 October 2021 7:40 am

Justin Trudeau likes to present him as the wokest leader in all the west. The Canadian PM has suffered numerous…

WhatsApp collapse throws Tory plots into chaos

5 October 2021 2:33 pm

The world’s oldest democratic party has had a few problems with technology in recent years. Famously it was the 2018…

Will Starmer move against the Socialist Campaign Group?

3 October 2021 2:25 pm

The Conservative party conference begins tomorrow in Manchester. Coming at a time of fuel shortages, tax rises and post-Covid drift,…

Six of the worst Scottish minister Humza Yousaf scandals

2 October 2021 3:10 am

It can be a difficult task picking out the most incompetent minister in the Scottish government. There’s Sturgeon’s deputy John…

Keir Starmer's Bond blunder

1 October 2021 11:57 pm

Oh dear. Less than 24 hours after David Lammy (of all people) claimed Labour should not get involved in identity politics,…

Labour in terf war as Rayner slaps down Duffield

29 September 2021 12:20 am

Whether it’s scum-gate, party democracy, membership expulsions or the minimum wage you’d think Labour had had enough splits this conference.…

Comrade Bercow hails his new leader

28 September 2021 2:46 pm

It’s been a tough few days for Keir Starmer. Unloved by his party’s activists and outmaneuvered by his union barons,…

Fact check: how popular are Extinction Rebellion's friends?

27 September 2021 6:39 pm

Long-suffering commuters have had further misery this month, thanks to the shenanigans of eco-warriors Insulate Britain. The group are an…

The Lancet and the problem with women

26 September 2021 8:37 am

Quite soon, the word ‘women’ could be considered so dangerous as to be unutterable. That may seem hyperbolic, but Steerpike…

Keir Starmer loses his fizz

25 September 2021 7:30 am

Well, the reviews from the critics are in. Keir Starmer’s 11,500 word essay dropped late on Wednesday night and two…

Fresh criticism for Rusbridger over Greenslade IRA article

25 September 2021 3:29 am

Few journalists have been more celebrated by the liberal elite than Alan Rusbridger. The longtime editor of the Guardian for…

Boris pressgangs Biden at White House love-in

22 September 2021 12:05 pm

You can take the boy out of journalism but you can’t the journalism out of the boy. That’s the rule…

Four of the worst responses to the Aukus deal

20 September 2021 8:39 am

It is four days since the US, UK and Australia announced their historic security pact in the Asia-Pacific but there are few…

Steady Eddie gets his Far East readies

18 September 2021 7:54 pm

The Tory party has had a difficult relationship with China in recent years. David Cameron and George Osborne’s ‘Golden era’…

Sir Humphrey's spirit survives in Whitehall

18 September 2021 8:53 am

Fear has been the watchword of Westminster this week, as nervy ministers check to see whether they have survived the cull.…

Harry and Meghan named world's most influential icons

16 September 2021 8:49 am

It’s still some months until awards season gears up but Mr S is happy to announce this year’s winner of the…

Rosie Duffield to miss Labour conference due to security concerns

12 September 2021 3:32 am

Labour conferences have been fractious affairs in recent years. Tensions between various factions have often spilled over onto the conference…

Michel Barnier's Brexity manifesto

9 September 2021 11:20 pm

It seems Michel Barnier has undergone something of a transformation in recent months. Gone is the starry-eyed Eurocrat who decried…

Terf war reignites at Guardian HQ

9 September 2021 8:14 pm

Few issues divide the Guardian’s right-on journalists more than transgender rights. Back in November its longtime columnist Suzanne Moore was purged after…