Politics

Read about the latest UK political news, views and analysis.

Friday

Sam Olsen

Does Britain need China?

As Rachel Reeves, flies to Beijing , she will have plenty of support from those who claim that the UK needs China for its economic wellbeing. The country ‘needs more engagement with China’, said Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds in October last year at the International Investment Summit put on soon after Labour’s election victory. The facts, however, say otherwise.  For a start, China is not that an important economic partner for the UK in terms of trade or foreign direct investment (FDI).  The People’s Republic is only the UK’s fifth biggest trade partner, accounting for 5.1 per cent of trade. Ireland alone received £24 billion more of British exports than China in 2023. Despite the

Catherine Lafferty

Catherine Lafferty, Michael Simmons, Paul Wood, Philip Hensher, Isabel Hardman and Damian Thompson

39 min listen

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Catherine Lafferty argues that the drive to reduce teenage pregnancies enabled grooming gangs (1:27); following Luke Littler’s world championship victory, Michael Simmons says that Gen Z is ruining darts (6:32); Paul Wood looks at the return of Isis, and America’s unlikely ally in its fight against the terrorist group (10:35); Philip Hensher reviews a new biography of the Brothers Grimm by Ann Schmiesing, and looks at how words can be as dangerous as war (17:57); Isabel Hardman highlights the new garden now open at the Natural History Museum (26:57); and, Damian Thompson reveals he watched videos of plane crashes to distract himself from the US

James Heale James Heale

Why Labour is cosying up to China

It used to be said that parties were Eurosceptic in opposition but Europhile in government. The same might be true of China too. Under Keir Starmer’s leadership, Labour initially adopted a Sinosceptic stance, strongly condemning the Hong Kong crackdown and promising to recognise China’s treatment of the Uyghurs as genocide. Yet in office, they have abandoned such postures and instead sent various ministers out East. The latest to go and tout for trade is Rachel Reeves, in her never-ending quest for growth. For the first time in five years, the Chancellor will hold an Economic and Financial Dialogue between China and the UK tomorrow in Beijing. Accompanied by Andrew Bailey, the Governor

Katja Hoyer Katja Hoyer

Why German politicians fear Musk’s AfD interview

Over 200,000 listeners tuned into Elon Musk’s online conversation with Alice Weidel, the co-leader of Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), on the social media platform X yesterday. Musk has endorsed the anti-immigration party as ‘the last spark of hope’ for Germany. Reactions were expectedly tetchy in Weidel’s home country where the AfD is polling in second place ahead of snap elections in February. For about 75 minutes, Musk and Weidel chatted about everything from energy and immigration policy to God, Hitler and life on Mars. I’d never seen Weidel act so casually. She actually giggled when Musk jokingly said ‘yes’ to her suggestion that nobody wants to be surrounded by yes men. ‘This is

Cindy Yu Cindy Yu

Can Musk oust Starmer?

11 min listen

The war between Labour and Elon Musk continues to rage. Today the Financial Times reports that the tech tycoon has had discussions about ousting Keir Starmer before the next election, while the Mirror holds a report that the Home Office has been assessing Elon Musk’s tweets as a part of their efforts to tackle online extremism. Cindy Yu talks to Katy Balls and James Heale about whether Musk can really threaten Starmer’s position. Produced by Cindy Yu.

Yuan Yi Zhu

The Chagos Islands deal is uniquely terrible

Last year, a Mauritian politician raised eyebrows in Britain when he told a political rally that ‘England has agreed to pay us a compensation’ to the tune of ‘many billions of rupees’ as part of the deal to hand over the Chagos islands to Mauritius. Still, a billion Mauritian rupees only converts to around £17 million, so observers were none the wiser about the financial provisions of the still-secret agreement between the two countries. If the deal goes through, Britain will be paying a king’s ransom to give away sovereign territory to a foreign power with no rightful claim to it Now we know that ‘many billions of rupees’ also means ‘many

James Kirkup James Kirkup

Starmer’s grooming gang stance might not last the weekend

From the start of Elon Musk’s onslaught, Sir Keir Starmer’s position in refusing a new national inquiry into the grooming and rape of girls across England has looked fragile. This weekend that position – and Labour’s parliamentary discipline – will be tested further. That’s because Labour are now away from the Commons, back among their voters. Labour MPs who find themselves being harangued by angry voters might not be keen to stand up for the PM One of the defining features of the new intake of Labour MPs is their localism. Most were selected by constituency Labour parties demanding total commitment to the local area and, where possible, a personal connection to the

Steerpike Steerpike

Does the UK have more mandarins than communist China?

Mr Steerpike was interested to read over the Christmas break that young people are currently flocking to join China’s civil service, attracted by the job stability it offers compared to the volatile private sector, and seeking to escape the country’s relatively high youth unemployment.  According to the Reuters piece, the civil service is still seen by young people as an ‘iron rice bowl’, or job for life. Readers may be reminded of our own ‘Rolls-Royce’ civil service, where even the most incompetent bureaucrats are shuffled between departments rather than ever fired – the ‘iron hot desk’, perhaps. But Mr S was struck by one part of the Reuters piece in

Steerpike Steerpike

China hawks could cause a fresh headache for Labour

It used to be said that parties were Eurosceptic in opposition but Europhile in government. The same might be true of China too. Under Keir Starmer’s leadership, Labour initially adopted a Sinosceptic stance, calling out the Hong Kong crackdown and backing calls to formally recognise China’s treatment of the Uyghurs as genocide. Yet in office, they have abandoned such postures and instead sent various ministers out to East to tout for trade and promises of friendship. How’s that working out eh? The latest to go cap in hand is Rachel Reeves, in her never-ending quest for growth. But at home, China hawks are not prepared to make life easy for

Andrew Tettenborn

In defence of prejudice

There’s always something that seems clinically compelling about a claim that we need yet more equality laws. Mary Prior KC, chair of the Criminal Bar Association and a proud working-class Potteries girl, has demanded that regional accents and social deprivation should be legally protected characteristics. At first sight it’s difficult to argue with the icy logic. If it’s unfair to do someone down because they’re female, or Catholic, or black, it can’t be all right for a lah-di-dah appointments committee in SW1 to prefer Serena to Sharon, or Simon from Surbiton over Steve from Sunderland. Or can it? Some will gravitate to certain jobs, some to others. So what? It’s actually much less

Katy Balls Katy Balls

Could Elon Musk really oust Keir Starmer?

Another day, another story that risks further exacerbating tensions between the world’s richest man and the prime minister. The Mirror reports that Elon Musk’s posts on X (the platform he owns) are being monitored by the Home Office’s counter-extremism unit as part of an increased effort to assess the risk posed to Britain by tweets sent from those with large followings. The news will go down like a cup of cold sick with Musk who has long railed against the UK government over censorship. It’s just another indicator of how the strained relationship between Keir Starmer and Musk is unlikely to improve anytime soon. But are things so bad that

Katy Balls Katy Balls

Will Rachel Reeves have to go back on her word?

Elon Musk may have moved political focus in the UK to the grooming gangs scandal, but there is another issue causing alarm in the upper echelons of government this week: the economy. With every day that passes, Britain’s financial situation appears to be deteriorating. On Tuesday, a £2 billion auction of 30-year UK government debt sold at an interest rate of 5.198 per cent, which outpaced increases for other governments’ bonds. Ten-year borrowing costs have since surged to their highest level since the 2008 financial crisis, and as of today the pound continues to fall. On Wednesday, the Treasury put out a quote which has been seen as an attempt

Mark Solomons

Why we should admire Mick Lynch

Rail union leader Mick Lynch has announced his retirement. No doubt there will be plenty who will breathe a sigh of relief, be it the politicians and hapless interviewers he has skewered on live television, to the passengers whose commutes were disrupted by the RMT’s strikes. Pugnacious in both appearance and attitude, he is a stereotypical leftie from the days of I’m All Right Jack. He once told an interviewer that ‘all I want from life is a bit of socialism’. His views range from the predictable pro-Palestinian stance to strongly supporting Brexit. Yet, to his members, his firebrand speeches and no-nonsense approach to those who opposed him was seen

Gavin Mortimer Gavin Mortimer

When will Britain wake up to the Islamist threat?

A poll this week in France found that 78 per cent of respondents are in favour of proscribing the wearing of Muslim headscarves at universities and also for classroom helpers on school outings. The poll was conducted after comments by the Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau, in a newspaper interview. ‘Helpers [on school trips] don’t have to wear headscarves,’ he said. ‘The headscarf is not just a piece of cloth: it’s a banner for Islamism, and a statement of women’s inferiority in relation to men.’ In the same interview, Retailleau promised to stem immigration into France because it ‘is partly linked to Islamism’. Retailleau’s remarks underline the huge gulf that separates the governments of

Martin Narey

How I was punished for breaking the conspiracy of silence on grooming gangs

The renewed interest in the disproportionate involvement of men of Pakistani origin in historic group child sexual abuse has led to trenchant criticism of the Police and the Crown Prosecution Service. What has been less acknowledged is the failure of the children’s sector to acknowledge the horror of what was happening. They were part of a consensus which betrayed some of the most vulnerable and innocent children in the UK.  Deeply disadvantaged children being repeatedly raped deserved better I worked with offenders for 23 years and led the Prison Service for seven, resigning in 2005 to lead Barnardo’s. A couple of years into the job, I heard the first tentative

Thursday

Steerpike Steerpike

Mick Lynch’s top five lowlights

Well, well, well. Mick Lynch, RMT’s infamous general secretary, has today announced he will be stepping down from the top job after four years in post. In a statement, the trade unionist remarked: It has been a privilege to serve this union for over 30 years in all capacities, but now it is time for change… RMT will always need a new generation of workers to take up the fight for its members and for a fairer society for all, and I am immensely proud to have been part of that struggle. Lynch has led RMT members through a number of pay battles in recent years and found himself at

Steerpike Steerpike

Andy Burnham demands grooming gangs inquiry

Following the defeat of the Tory amendment in parliament last night, No. 10 might have hoped that calls for a public inquiry into grooming gangs are now dying down. But the impetus for such a move has been given fresh life today by another helpful intervention from that well-known Starmer ally, Andy Burnham. Yes, that’s right – the Mayor of Greater Manchester has decided that today of all days is the perfect time to add his voice to the chorus of demands. The self-identified ‘King in the North’ told BBC Radio Manchester today that while he rejected the Tories’ ‘opportunism’: I do think there is the case for a limited

Ian Williams Ian Williams

What is the point of Rachel Reeves’s visit to Beijing?

The Chinese communist party claims to know a thing or two about humiliation – the ‘century of humiliation’ at the hands of rapacious foreigners is a founding myth of the CCP, which presents itself as a redemptive power. It will no doubt derive some satisfaction in making Rachel Reeves look foolish, as she heads to China today with a selection of City grandees. In reality though, the damage will be largely self-inflicted. Starmer’s China strategy seems even more incoherent than that of his predecessors For multiple reasons, the timing of a visit designed to build closer economic links with Beijing is awful. It comes just weeks after the UK confirmed

Lara Prendergast Lara Prendergast

The truth about grooming gangs, ‘why I’m voting for the AfD’ & exploring YouTube rabbit holes

47 min listen

This week: what does justice look like for the victims of the grooming gangs?In the cover piece for the magazine, Douglas Murray writes about the conspiracy of silence on the grooming gangs and offers his view on what justice should look like for the perpetrators. He also encourages the government to take a step back and consider its own failings. He writes: ‘If any government or political party wants to do something about the scandal, they will need to stop reviewing and start acting. Where to begin? One good starting point would be to work out why Pakistani rapists in Britain seem to have more rights than their victims.’ To

Steerpike Steerpike

BBC presenter loses job after releasing anti-Starmer song

Back to the Beeb, which continues to get better at being the focus of news headlines rather than, er, producing them. Now a freelance weekend newsreader is on the warpath, with the ex-BBC presenter claiming he was let go from the public service broadcaster after it emerged he made an anti-Keir Starmer charity Christmas single. Good heavens… Chris Middleton worked at BBC Radio Newcastle for six years before producing the ‘Freezing This Christmas’ hit. The tongue-in-cheek tune intended to make a serious point about the winter fuel payment cuts introduced by Starmer’s army, with the rather creative lyrics including: And she told me that she doesn’t get out of bed