Tight-lipped Lynton

The Steerpike column will appear in tomorrow’s new issue of the Spectator magazine. Here is a taste of what is inside:

Is George Osborne about to be replaced as the Tories’ re-election chief? Lynton Crosby, the  Australian spin-meister who helped steer Boris to two mayoral victories in London, has recently moved to the capital from his native Oz. Our paths crossed, at the launch party for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s new flick, and I asked him bluntly if he’d been approached to become Dave’s new head of strategy. ‘Business is good,’ he smiled obliquely. Fair enough. So we chatted about Boris’s long-term plans regarding Number 10. ‘I’m not sure I like the idea of Boris’s finger on the nuclear button,’ said Crosby with a rich laugh. At this point Arnie — a keen Boris-watcher — joined in our guffaws. Perhaps he was imagining the start of a hilarious new disaster movie.

To subscribe to the Spectator from as little as a £1 an issue, click here.