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.

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…

Las Vegas resident urges Scots to vote SNP

5 May 2021 5:16 pm

Sunday’s anti-climactic finale looked set to be the biggest Line of Duty let-down for fans of the hit BBC series.…

Watch: Hillary Clinton blames the Russians for Brexit

5 May 2021 2:43 am

Ever since the Brexit vote in 2016, there has been a committed group of activists and politicians convinced that only…

BBC makes a cameo in SNP election campaign

4 May 2021 4:35 am

The SNP’s latest election graphic will make for uncomfortable viewing at BBC Scotland. As tweeted by Nicola Sturgeon today, the…

Zac Goldsmith, No. 10’s rapid rebuttal service

1 May 2021 8:12 pm

It’s a tough gig defending this government. So tough in fact that the Prime Minister’s official spokesperson Allegra Stratton left…

A politician’s guide to non-denial denials

28 April 2021 4:50 pm

Michael Gove was deployed to the Commons on Monday afternoon to answers questions on the ministerial code, an hour-long appearance…

Merkel’s vaccine nationalism threatens India

23 April 2021 9:56 pm

You might have thought that Europe’s leaders would be wary of handing Brussels greater powers, given the various mishaps of the…

Pollster consistently overstated Scottish independence support

22 April 2021 4:24 pm

Few events are as eagerly anticipated in Scotland as the release of a bombshell new poll. Unionists and nationalists eagerly…

Has the shine come off Saint Jacinda?

20 April 2021 7:47 pm

For a short time it seemed as if Jacinda Ardern, the popular premier of New Zealand, could do no wrong…

Now even Richard Dawkins is cancelled by the humanists

20 April 2021 7:29 pm

For years, the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins enjoyed the acclaim and approval heaped upon him by universities and institutes across the…

China’s belt and road to nowhere

20 April 2021 1:26 am

Sinoscepticism is on the rise in Parliament, with China’s controversial ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ increasingly being the subject of attention…

Trudeau’s Canada hit by Covid third wave

16 April 2021 2:39 am

It was just two days ago that Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau was claiming in his country’s parliament that Britain was ‘facing a…

Labour’s union trouble

15 April 2021 11:40 pm

It’s arguably been a good week for Labour, as the Tory party becomes more and more implicated in the Greensill…

Trudeau claims Britain faces ‘very serious third wave’

14 April 2021 8:21 pm

Steerpike was surprised to learn this morning that the UK is facing a ‘very serious third wave’ – not from…

Now even Nick Clegg turns on Brussels

13 April 2021 6:44 pm

The last four months have not been a happy time for those in power in Brussels. The unedifying squabbles over…

Simon McCoy’s warning shot to the Beeb

12 April 2021 3:55 pm

It was just a fortnight ago that the BBC’s grumpiest new presenter Simon McCoy announced he was off to join…

Prince Philip’s best public encounters

12 April 2021 3:13 am

Prince Philip’s death on Friday has led to an outpouring of tributes over the weekend, often prompted by personal recollections…

The Lib Dems’ campaigning loophole

12 April 2021 12:16 am

Following the sad news on Friday of the Duke of Edinburgh’s death, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey tweeted out his condolences writing…

The wit and wisdom of Prince Philip

9 April 2021 11:15 pm

After 74 years of marriage to the Queen, Prince Philip has today died at the age of 99. During his…

Prince Philip: a round up of tributes

9 April 2021 9:21 pm

After a long life of public service, Prince Philip has died at the age of 99. Below is Steerpike’s rolling…

The Northern Independence Party’s Hartlepool woes

9 April 2021 5:20 pm

Oh dear, it all seemed to be going so well for the ‘Northern Independence Party’, a Corbynite breakaway outfit standing…

Keir Starmer’s church trip backfires

3 April 2021 9:18 pm

Monday will officially mark a ‘Year of Keir’ as Starmer celebrates the first anniversary of his election as Labour leader.…

Stacey Abrams tells London: yes we Khan

1 April 2021 6:09 am

Sadiq Khan is all set to win by a landslide in London, so why not allow a failed election candidate…

Will Lindsay get his chariot back?

31 March 2021 1:00 am

As Speaker, John Bercow could never be accused of underselling his position. During his tenure the diminutive parliamentarian attracted criticism…