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.

Gaza documentary report finds BBC misled viewers

15 July 2025 12:22 am

Back to the BBC, which is better at making the news than breaking it these days. This afternoon a report…

Who are working people? All Labour’s definitions

14 July 2025 10:15 pm

The Labour party has long been dubbed the party of working people – but despite the term being integral to…

Wallace’s BBC return ‘untenable’ after complaints upheld

14 July 2025 8:48 pm

Another week, another bit of bad news for ex-Beeb star Gregg Wallace. A report into the former MasterChef presenter has…

Thatcher hit job piece backfires

13 July 2025 4:47 pm

It is a century this year since the Iron Lady’s birth – and conservatives are determined to mark it in…

Rupert Lowe cleared by standards watchdog

12 July 2025 3:37 am

Well, well, well. It transpires that Independent MP Rupert Lowe – formerly of Reform UK – has now been cleared…

Rachel Reeves’s GDP hypocrisy

11 July 2025 10:35 pm

Well, well, well. Today the Office for National Statistics released its estimate for May’s GDP. It showed a contraction of…

Unite suspends Rayner over Birmingham bin strikes

11 July 2025 10:15 pm

Uh oh. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has been suspended by Unite the Union over the Birmingham bin strike –…

Lammy appoints campaign donor to Foreign Office board

10 July 2025 10:53 pm

Well, well, well. There has been a rather interesting appointment made to the Foreign Office board by David Lammy, as…

Watch: Nigel Farage’s bizarre fishing interview

10 July 2025 9:03 pm

As Sir Keir Starmer’s migration talks with French president Emmanuel Macron drag on, the TV segments on the subject are…

Poll: The Spectator is decision-makers’ favoured read

10 July 2025 8:50 pm

Like Forrest Gump, The Spectator has an amusing habit of turning up at the right moments in history. Boris during…

Nearly half of Brits think Starmer should step down

9 July 2025 11:59 pm

When it rains for Sir Keir Starmer, it pours. The Prime Minister faced the biggest rebellion of his premiership last…

Watch: Is Starmer set to extend the stealth tax?

9 July 2025 11:29 pm

Today’s Prime Minister’s Questions was a rather illuminating session. Tory party leader Kemi Badenoch will be rather pleased at the…

Gregg Wallace takes aim at ‘clickbait’ BBC

9 July 2025 7:11 pm

Gregg Wallace’s 20-year career with the BBC is finished – and so is any admiration he had for the broadcaster,…

Musk’s AI chatbot praises Hitler

9 July 2025 6:51 pm

Uh oh. Elon Musk’s AI chatbot is in the doghouse – after Grok shocked Twitter users when it began praising,…

Reform MP to sit as an independent

8 July 2025 11:29 pm

Oh dear. It appears that after the Sunday Times story last weekend, there is no way back for James McMurdock.…

Brighton council leader reports Rod Liddle to the police

7 July 2025 7:06 pm

It seems that some people really can’t take a joke… In the magazine this week, Rod Liddle wistfully contemplated the…

Kemi: Farage is a ‘bullshitter’

7 July 2025 7:43 am

What a week it has been in British politics. After the welfare rebellion on Tuesday and then the shambles of…

James McMurdock loses Reform whip

5 July 2025 11:33 pm

Oh dear. Reform UK has made much of its recent progress. Having lost Rupert Lowe at the beginning of this…

Watch: Steve Coogan’s accidental Partridge moment

4 July 2025 10:26 pm

Mr Steerpike is a fan of Accidental Partridge moments, and this one was back of the net. Lefty actor Steve Coogan…

Reform catches Vance’s eye

4 July 2025 9:19 pm

Support for Nigel Farage’s Reform party is surging in the UK, and it appears the group is making waves across…

Taxpayer to fund legal bills of ex-SNP chief

2 July 2025 10:47 pm

Just when the SNP thought Operation Branchform had disappeared, the curious case into the party’s funds and finances has reared…

Watch: Reeves in tears after Labour’s welfare U-turn

2 July 2025 10:41 pm

All is not well on the Labour front benches. As Sir Keir Starmer defends his welfare U-turn in the Commons…

Watch: McFadden refuses to rule out tax rises after welfare U-turn

2 July 2025 9:23 pm

Uh oh. After Sir Keir Starmer’s embarrassing U-turn on his government’s welfare bill last night – where changes to Personal…

CPS considers further Letby charges

2 July 2025 8:33 pm

To the Lucy Letby case, where it transpires that the Crown Prosecution Service is considering further criminal charges against the…

Boris donors come back to Kemi

1 July 2025 11:49 pm

Well, well, well. It appears that Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has managed to secure yet another notable donation – and…