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.

Watch: Remaining defence minister admonishes Starmer

16 June 2026 2:08 am

Luke Pollard tells MPs he is only still in the job because John Healey asked him to stay. In a…

Reform pledges new migrant worker levy

15 June 2026 10:09 pm

British workers will come first every time under a Reform UK government. ✅ pic.twitter.com/ko8cEAPdW6 — Reform UK (@reformparty_uk) June 15,…

Starmer bans social media for under-16s

15 June 2026 6:47 pm

BREAKING: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced a social media ban for under-16s. Live updates: https://t.co/Jxi67uC5Qk pic.twitter.com/VnIFMyjAhs — Sky…

Starmer vows to fight on (again)

12 June 2026 11:58 pm

Not even the resignation of a respected defence secretary will stop one Sir Keir Starmer from ploughing ahead with his…

Watch: Emma Thompson backs Labour’s ‘summer of sex’

11 June 2026 8:46 pm

It’s not every day you get to spend the day with a living legend. And she is just as lovely…

Watch: Hilary Benn’s Belfast evasion

10 June 2026 6:57 pm

Jim Allister: “What will be done to stop the importation of an alien culture that thinks it’s appropriate to try…

Reform demands answers on grooming gangs

10 June 2026 6:07 pm

The public is rightly focused on the violent attack that unfolded in Belfast on Monday. But today, Reform is keen…

Zia Yusuf to address MAGAworld

10 June 2026 6:34 am

With the weather improving, small boat arrivals look set to increase in the coming weeks. So what better time for…

Sudanese knife attack suspect ‘had leave to remain’

10 June 2026 4:07 am

The Sudanese man arrested over a horrific knife attack in Belfast yesterday was granted leave to remain for five years…

Kemi Badenoch: James Bond must not be woke

9 June 2026 10:32 pm

Kemi Badenoch today threw her weight behind Idris Elba’s call for casting directors to avoid a ‘woke’ choice for the…

Watch: Labour MPs squabble over Makerfield

9 June 2026 5:48 pm

“Have you been [to Makerfield], Clive?” “I’m going up tomorrow” “Come up, I’ll happily take you for a pint” Culture…

Parliament’s artificial scrutiny

9 June 2026 2:49 am

AI has taken the world by storm, and few workplaces have been immune to its impact. In the House of…

Polanski pushes price hikes

9 June 2026 2:37 am

When he’s not ranting about Gaza, Zack Polanski is mostly to be found despairing about the cost of living. And…

Cabinet Office loses the spin count

9 June 2026 1:11 am

You’d be hard pressed to find a member of the public who thinks the Labour government is doing a sterling…

Reform Scotland poach GB News man

7 June 2026 3:42 am

With Rachel Reeves in the Treasury, many employers are having to make cut backs. But in the case of Reform…

Andy Burnham’s manifesto: A full list

6 June 2026 2:42 am

People will say almost anything to win power. Sir Keir Starmer’s rise is a case in point. In 2020, he…

Lord Hermer: ECHR critics want migrants to drown

6 June 2026 1:27 am

Everyone’s favourite human rights aficionado is back at it again. Clearly not content with comparing critics of the ECHR to…

David Lammy’s leadership challenge denial

5 June 2026 6:49 pm

There is not a leadership contest to enter “at this stage”, says deputy prime minister David Lammy as he offers…

Darren Jones’ Mandy memory failure

5 June 2026 3:23 am

If you’re not a fan of any of the current contenders for Labour leader, then why not try Darren Jones?…

Labour’s growing pains

4 June 2026 10:22 pm

Almost every MP in Westminster will claim that tackling the cost-of-living crisis is their number one priority. It is the…

Who’s winning the donations battle?

4 June 2026 8:50 pm

Reform has triumphed in the donations league table for the first quarter of 2026, raking in an eye-watering £9.4 million.…

BBC apologises to Farage (again)

4 June 2026 4:36 am

Another day, another BBC apology. This time, the corporation has said sorry to Nigel Farage after presenter Matt Chorley misquoted…

Named: The MPs gunning to overturn trans guidance

4 June 2026 1:15 am

If you thought the long-awaited publication of trans guidance had finally put an end to years of madness over toilets…

MP assisted dying hopes on life support

3 June 2026 12:45 am

A co-sponsor of Kim Leadbeater’s failed assisted suicide Bill has privately admitted to constituents that MPs trying to ram through…

Watch: Labour MP slams party’s trans obsession

2 June 2026 9:56 pm

Totally fascinating clip. The ? that @Jonathan_Hinder gives Derbyshire, as she actively works to get him to describe ‘trans rights’…