Steerpike is The Spectator's gossip columnist, serving up the latest tittle tattle from Westminster and beyond. Email tips to steerpike@spectator.co.uk or message @MrSteerpike
Andy Burnham is back. After his humiliation at Labour conference, the Mayor of Greater Manchester has returned, hawking his conscience around once more. At last night’s London launch of his new book, Head North: A Rallying Cry for a More Equal Britain, co-written with Liverpool Mayor Steve Rotheram, Burnham attacked Starmer again. He criticised the ‘narrow
When it rains for the Labour lot, it pours. Today’s YouGov poll for the Times shows Nigel Farage’s Reform UK with a ten point lead on the current party of government, with Labour tied with the Tories. More than that, the survey of 2,400 adults found that half of all those who supported Sir Keir
There’s less than a month until Chancellor Rachel Reeves unveils her autumn budget and speculation is abounding about what taxes will make the cut. This morning, Housing Secretary Steve Reed came under pressure on LBC, as interviewer Nick Ferrari grilled him on the introduction of a possible mansion tax. Anxious homeowners will not be reassured
This month, a Sunday Times headline dubbed the 34-year-old MP for Weald of Kent, Katie Lam, the ‘Tories’ new hope’. The piece described the new parliamentarian as a ‘shiny presence’ that, in some circles, is already being touted as ‘ potential leader-in-waiting and saviour of conservatism’. But Lam is more than a politician: as the
Well, well, well. It seems Kamala Harris has finished licking her wounds after her defeat in last year’s presidential race and she, er, wants to do it all over again. Speaking to the BBC, the Democrat told Laura Kuenssberg that she might run again for the White House: ‘I am not done.’ Whether the polls
Oh dear. NHS Fife has come under fire yet again after it emerged that the health board shared details of nurse Sandie Peggie with the Scottish government. Peggie was suspended in January 2024 after complaining about sharing a changing room with transgender medic Dr Beth Upton. The nurse then lodged a harassment complaint under the
Well, well, well. TfL Commissioner Andy Lord has been accused of lying about graffiti on the underground, after he made comments following a clean-up operation by Looking For Growth (LFG). After footage of volunteers wiping graffiti from tube carriage walls was published, Lord claimed at a Greater London Assembly meeting earlier this year, without mentioning
The grooming gang inquiry is becoming more chaotic by the day as people continue to step away from the process. Now pressure is mounting on safeguarding minister Jess Phillips, who has faced calls to resign over the whole palaver. Four child sex abuse survivors have dropped out of the victims’ advisory panel while the two
There is a spring in the step of some Tories these days. After the recent downfall of Angela Rayner and Peter Mandelson, the Conservative attack team seemingly has the bit between their teeth. So, it is perhaps no surprise then that Robert Jenrick – the XL Bully of Tory attack dogs – is playing his
To the Commons, where Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) has just wrapped up. The focus on Prince Andrew continues – and today Sir Keir Starmer agreed with Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey that the royal should be probed by MPs over the revelations about his Royal Lodge rent. Uh oh… Davey addressed the fact that
It’s been a funny old time for Nigel Farage in parliament. Elected to the House of Commons at his eighth attempt, the Reform leader has had to adapt to the weird and world of Westminster’s traditions. But in a parliament where you’re just five of the 650 MPs overall, getting barracked on all sides isn’t
Tomorrow marks a fortnight since Kemi Badenoch’s conference speech. After a difficult first year when the Conservatives have sometimes struggled to make much of an impact, party spinners were left delighted by the press reaction to her surprise stamp duty announcement. Tory MPs have been publicly boasting about a membership surge – though no figures
Well, well, well. Kim Leadbeater’s assisted suicide bill has made it to the House of Lords, where the legislation will be scrutinised by peers before receiving Royal Assent. The bill wracked up intense criticism as it made its way through the Commons – and it seems things will be no different in the Lords. Steerpike
The government is facing a rather strange dilemma: what to do about Prince Andrew. Last week the royal voluntarily gave up his titles after speaking with King Charles, following increasing scrutiny on his links to US paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir – published today – has brought her accusations of sexual assault against
Whisper it, but it appears Zack Polanski’s eco-populism strategy is working. After his election as the new leader of the Green party, support for the environmentalists has surged. The party’s membership has seen an 80 per cent increase since Polanski took the reins last month, according to the group, which claims it now has over
To veteran BBC documentary-maker, Louis Theroux. On The Louis Theroux Podcast, the longtime interviewer spoke to Bobby Vylan – one half of the punk-rap band Bob Vylan which led a chant of ‘death to the IDF’ at Glastonbury – in his first interview since the summer music festival. But it seems listeners have not been
Rishi Sunak was expected to set sail for the US after leaving No. 10, but it turns out his post-prime ministerial life is less Silicon Valley and more Sunday Times. The former Conservative party leader – who remains an MP for Richmond and Northallerton – will become a regular fixture in the august weekend paper,
Well, well, well. While the issue of drug decriminalisation has reared its head in recent months thanks to an intervention by London mayor Sadiq Khan, there aren’t all that many politicians who have advocated for the legalisation of illicit substances. That hasn’t put off the Economist which, in a leader titled ‘Brute force is no
Uh oh. There’s trouble in paradise as Reform UK has suspended four councillors on Kent county council after a leaked video revealed a rather lot of infighting in their ranks. Councillors were captured complaining about ‘backbiting’ and being ignored by leader Linden Kemkaran – formerly of this parish – who fumed that they should ‘f***ing
It’s a difficult time for Tory members. Down to barely 123,000 at the last count, the annual conference passed off well, given the circumstances. But while Kemi Badenoch’s speech received a thumbs up from the commentariat, those running local groups continue to complain of problems. For a leaked recording has revealed what senior members and
