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.

Tories publicly clash over Chinese takeaway

28 June 2021 8:00 pm

Efforts to rid Huawei from Britain’s 5G mobile network were a constant feature of Tory politics last year. The question…

Can Javid beat the blob at the Department of Health?

28 June 2021 6:54 pm

One man’s loss is another man’s gain. Matt Hancock’s downfall has meant the return of Sajid Javid, restored to Cabinet…

SNP MSP in racist bus row apologises (again)

26 June 2021 6:59 pm

Regular readers may recall the tale of James Dornan, SNP MSP and amateur Hate-Finder General. Earlier this month, he gave…

Mumford & Sons banjoist quits in cancel culture row

25 June 2021 1:51 am

Oh dear. Back in March, Mumford & Sons banjoist Winston Marshall landed himself in hot water after praising a book by conservative…

Listen: Department for Education's new patriotic anthem

23 June 2021 3:36 am

After last year’s A-level results day debacle and the ongoing saga about catch-up funding, Gavin Williamson is one of the…

Remainers declare war on Fox's biscuits

21 June 2021 3:51 pm

Next Thursday is election day in the Batley and Spen by-election and with polls showing a six point Tory lead,…

Pope puts EU founder on the road to sainthood

21 June 2021 8:26 am

To many in Brussels, the French statesman is already a saint. But now Pope Francis has decided to put Robert Schuman…

Naz Shah’s new community cohesion effort

19 June 2021 8:30 pm

Oh dear. It was just two weeks ago that Labour’s Naz Shah found herself in trouble for attending a pro-Palestinian…

Greenslade pours oil on Troubles waters

15 June 2021 3:44 pm

After resigning as a visiting professor at City University in March after admitting to supporting IRA terrorists in the 1970s, Roy Greenslade has…

Andrew Neil's opening GB News manifesto

14 June 2021 5:24 am

At long last GB News is here. After months of speculation and excitement, the first national TV channel to launch…

Labour's summer of hubristic books

9 June 2021 10:34 pm

Tomorrow Gordon Brown is set to release his latest messianic tome. Grandly titled Seven Ways to Change the World: How to…

Revealed: what Boris and Carrie hang on their walls

9 June 2021 4:56 pm

Much has been written about the reported £88,000 Downing Street flat makeover masterminded by A-list interior designer Lulu Lytle. We’re…

Will beefy Botham hit the hacks for six?

9 June 2021 2:29 am

The end of lockdown and the dawn of summer has seen Westminster’s finest emerge once more in their best cricket…

Is Ireland cosying up to China?

3 June 2021 8:30 pm

In 2019, the then-deputy prime minister of Ireland Simon Coveney spoke at the UN Human Rights Council, where he underlined Ireland’s…

Anglican bishop: 'Never trust a Tory'

3 June 2021 4:10 pm

It would almost be funny if it wasn’t so mind-numbingly tedious. The Bishop of St Davids, the Right Reverend Dr Joanna…

Watch: Keir Starmer refuses to deny taking drugs at university

2 June 2021 7:17 am

Keir Starmer’s appearance on Piers Morgan’s ‘Life Stories’ is a sign of desperation. The Labour leader knows he must do…

Boris marries Carrie

30 May 2021 5:57 am

After Dominic Cummings’s seven-hour evidence session slating Boris Johnson and his ministers, it’s been a difficult few days of press…

All is rosy in the Downing Street garden

29 May 2021 7:29 pm

After Dominic Cummings’s explosive testimony on Wednesday, you might have thought special advisers in Downing Street would be spending the…

Read: Carrie Symonds's barking mad letter

28 May 2021 8:08 pm

It has been a ruff time in No. 10 for poor old Dilyn the dog. Adopted in September 2019, the…

New poll reveals public anger at China over Covid

27 May 2021 10:28 pm

This week’s Spectator cover article examines China’s role in the origins of the Covid virus. With many of the early decisions about the…

Domageddon previewed: what Cummings will say

26 May 2021 4:07 pm

D-Day is finally here. Like the rest of SW1, Mr S will be tuning into Dominic Cummings’ appearance at a…

Watch: Macron's bizarre Élysée heavy metal gig

25 May 2021 9:29 pm

It has been a tough few years for Emmanuel Macron. Elected on a tidal wave of optimism in 2017, the…

BBC journalist: 'Hitler was right'

23 May 2021 11:11 pm

It has not been a happy week for the BBC. The corporation has spent the last four days grappling with…

Prince Harry criticises his family (again)

21 May 2021 5:35 pm

Just days after appearing on a podcast in which he called America’s first amendment ‘bonkers‘ Prince Harry has now popped…

Hacked Off's curious silence on Martin Bashir

21 May 2021 12:43 am

It has not been a happy day for those in Broadcasting House. An inquiry into Martin Bashir’s 1995 Panorama interview with Princess…