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.

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’…

Flashback: Polanski attacks rent controls

2 June 2026 9:33 pm

Zack Polanski in April 2016 citing San Francisco as a prime example of why rent controls don’t work and stifle…

Nigel Farage: Enough of anti-white prejudice

2 June 2026 7:06 pm

The fear of being called racist was greater than dealing with Henry Nowak’s murder. We should respond to this with…

Five highlights of the Mandelson files

2 June 2026 1:38 am

Happy Mandelson files’ release day, one and all. After months of speculation, the Cabinet Office has today finally released all…

New Health Secretary: I’ve changed my mind on trans

1 June 2026 8:13 pm

“You’ve said in the past ‘trans women are women’. Have you changed your mind?”@JustinOnWeb asks new Health Secretary James Murray…

Zia Yusuf doesn’t hold back

30 May 2026 2:36 am

The tragic murder of Henry Nowak has sparked fury across Britain. The 18-year-old was disgracefully arrested and handcuffed by police…

Whitehall’s missing list

29 May 2026 10:26 pm

Standards in Whitehall have not exactly been high for quite some time. Whether it is working from the sofa, demanding…

Andy Burnham demands more state control

29 May 2026 4:22 am

After being warned by Sir Tony Blair in a 5,600-word essay not to drag the country back to the 1970s,…

Which party leader really rules social media?

28 May 2026 10:42 pm

Much has been made of which politicians dominate social media. A sizeable following on platforms such as X, Facebook and…

George Osborne under fire over postponed Jewish event

28 May 2026 9:26 pm

Furious MPs have hit out at George Osborne after the British Museum postponed a lecture on the kingdoms of ancient…

Wes Streeting wants to win over farmers

28 May 2026 3:59 am

This week I’m on the road to hear directly from people who have lost faith in Labour, why and what…

Reform hits back after Labour MPs urge ‘Islamophobia’ probe

27 May 2026 10:57 pm

Reform today hit out at ‘pathetic’ Labour MPs for ‘kowtowing to Islamists’ after they reported the party to the Equality…

Sir Tony Blair rounds on the left

27 May 2026 8:32 pm

Number one bogeyman of the left, Sir Tony Blair, trained his guns on Labour this morning, launching a glorious attack.…

Holyrood votes for second independence referendum

27 May 2026 4:08 am

As if Scotland hasn’t suffered enough at the hands of the SNP, the luxury campervan party and its Green accomplices…