Spectator awards

The Spectator’s 31st Parliamentarian of the Year awards took place at the Rosewood Hotel this evening. Here are the winners. The awards were presented by Michael Gove, who stepped in for the Prime Minister at the last minute as she dealt with an issue within her Cabinet. Speech of the Year – Kemi Badenoch Backbencher of the Year – Stella Creasy Comeback of the Year – Sir Vince Cable Peer of the Year – Lord Adonis Minister to watch – Boris Johnson Rising Star – Angela Rayner Insurgent of the Year – Jacob Rees-Mogg Negotiator of the Year – Nigel Dodds Politician of the Year – Jeremy Corbyn Parliamentarian of

This year’s Spectator Parliamentarian of the Year awards, sponsored by Benenden, saw Theresa May reunited with her former Cabinet colleague George Osborne — and Boris Johnson declare that Brexit will be a Titanic success. Here are a selection of photos from the event, courtesy of Alan Davidson:  

After a year of surprises across the board from the Tory majority to Labour’s new leader, Westminster’s rebels and insurgents descended on the Savoy Hotel to celebrate The Spectator‘s Parliamentarian of the Year awards. With the awards presented by Alex Salmond — last year’s winner of Politician of the Year, the former First Minister of Scotland made sure to put Scottish independence firmly on the menu, namechecking his country’s struggle several times in his speech. With Jeremy Corbyn unable to be there in person to collect his gong for Campaigner of the Year, it fell on his fellow comrade Diane Abbott to do the honours. The Labour frontbencher found time in her

William Hague told the Spectator’s Parliamentarian of the Year awards last week that he was standing down from the Commons ‘to do some other things I’ve always wanted to do’. So far that seems to consist of expensive after dinner speeches. Accepting his lifetime achievement award at the Savoy, the one time Tory leader finally revealed the secret to how he used to get the better of Tony Blair every week at PMQs. Hague recalled how Tony had two big folders ‘that went from Aardvark at top of the first folder, to Zoology at the bottom of the second, so he could find anything to show how terrible 18 years

Tory MP Penny Mourdant has caused a stir in Sunday’s papers over her confession at our Parliamentarian of the Year awards that she said ‘cock’ in Parliament as a bet with her colleagues in the Royal Navy, where she serves as a reservist. As winner of our Speech of the Year award, Mourdant clearly has a way with words. Here are her top five gags (so far): 1. Caring for your kit in the field One of the highlights of her award-winning Loyal Speech earlier this year was a gag about her Royal Navy training: ‘I have benefited from some excellent training by the Royal Navy but on one occasion I felt it was not as

The great, the good and not so good of the establishment turned up at the Savoy Hotel today for this year’s Parliamentarian of the Year awards. The awards were presented by the Home Secretary Theresa May:

We’ve now finished the  Spectator’s Parliamentarian of the Year awards, and have moved up to the bar. There were two big surprises this afternoon. The first was the quality of Theresa May’s jokes (below). listen to ‘Theresa May cracking jokes at The Spectator’s Parliamentarian of the Year Awards’ on Audioboo

Oh dear. On Wednesday night, we at The Spectator saw David Cameron handing Lord Young his Spectator/Threadneedle Parliamentarian of the Year in the category of Peer of the Year. “Over the decades,” said yours truly, “Prime Ministers have come to value his advice. As Thatcher put it: ‘other people bring me problems, David brings me solutions.’” Not any more – David has brought him a problem, followed by a resignation. Less than 48 hours after picking-up our award, his political career appears to be at an end.   It is true that there are some people who have had a “good recession”. That is: faced no danger of losing their

David Cameron was on sparkling form last night, at our Parliamentarian of the Year awards. He joked about his photographer – saying he didn’t arrive for dinner because he saw fish was on the menu and didn’t want to pay for his own snapper. His remarks about the magazine were thoughtful, and well-researched. But what did he mean by the below? It certainly had the guests talking afterwards: some regarded it as the verbal equivalent of a horse’s head thrown into the bed of the Mayor of London. Me: I offer no opinion. But this is what he had to say: “I think the great thing about the Spectator is