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: 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…

Jacinda Ardern's immigration clampdown

20 May 2021 4:30 pm

For several years now New Zealand Jacinda Ardern has enjoyed the status of being one of the world’s leading liberal icons.…

London Labour youth wing calls for the abolition of Israel

19 May 2021 9:52 pm

Pro-Palestine rallies were held across the country at the weekend amid the deteriorating situation in the Middle East. Onetime Labour leader…

Neil Ferguson's Indian variant optimism: 'the curves are flattening'

19 May 2021 5:37 pm

Amid much gloom in Westminster over the threat posed by the new Covid Indian variant, Mr S was intrigued to…

Through the Keirhole: Starmer plots TV drama

18 May 2021 9:31 pm

Pitch: a struggling politician eager to make his mark. He’s 10 points behind in the polls, leading a fractitious party and struggling…

Greens team up with Tories to kill the 'progressive alliance'

18 May 2021 6:00 pm

There has been much talk in recent years about the prospect of a so-called ‘progressive alliance’ coming together to lock…

The world's unluckiest anti-racist: Corbyn's greatest hits

18 May 2021 3:05 am

Rallies for Palestine were held across the country this weekend which meant of course a starring role for one Jeremy…

Prince Harry: America’s free speech protection is 'bonkers'

15 May 2021 7:00 pm

Much has been written here in the UK about Prince Harry’s Thursday appearance on Hollywood actor Dax Shepard’s ‘Armchair Expert’ podcast.…

Americans baffled by monarch's role in Queen's Speech

13 May 2021 5:22 pm

Her Majesty the Queen might have thought any concerns about the State Opening of Parliament were behind her on Tuesday,…

Tories unveil anti-woke manifesto

12 May 2021 7:52 pm

TheQueen’s Speech yesterday may have seen the government’s fairly dry visionfor modern Britain but a group of Conservative backbench MPs…

Build Le Wall: Barnier backs a French migration ban

11 May 2021 6:51 pm

Since the conclusion of Brexit, former EU negotiator Michel Barnier has been keeping himself busy, releasing his own ‘secret journal’…

Jon Lansman finally gets a left victory

10 May 2021 6:13 pm

While the Conservatives in Cornwall may celebrate winning control of the council in last week’s election, they had one notable…

Diane Abbott calls for Labour to embrace free movement

10 May 2021 5:58 pm

Left-wing figures are picking over the carcass of the Labour party this morning, after the party performed poorly in Hartlepool…

Defeated Labour councillor: ‘The voters have let us down’

9 May 2021 11:02 pm

With dozens of Labour councillors defeated across the country, the recriminations and inquests have already begun. Various reasons have been…

Laurence Fox loses his deposit

9 May 2021 7:49 pm

The London election results have finally been declared and it turns out the poll were not lying: Laurence Fox is…

Hartlepool meltdown: best of the left round-up

7 May 2021 9:51 pm

Oh dear. Labour’s loss of Hartlepool on a 16 point swing to the Tories has not gone down well with…