Politics

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

Saturday

Nigel Jones

Just how low can our political class sink?

Observe, this dark weekend, a contrast. On Whitehall, the centre of British government, the Royal Family and leaders of our political class gather to pay solemn tribute at the Cenotaph to those who gave their lives for their country in the two world wars and other conflicts since. In a year that has witnessed the death of our beloved longest reigning monarch and political turbulence involving the rapid turnover of three prime ministers, the annual ceremony is especially poignant and shows Britain at its best. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, in Australia’s Springbrook National Park, a party of ‘celebrities’ gathered to watch as Matt Hancock, the former

Natasha Feroze

Was Lord Wolfson right?

26 min listen

Natasha Feroze hosts as Fraser Nelson and Kate Andrews debate Lord Wolfson’s recent BBC interview in which he called for the UK to import more low skilled workers in order to fill the country’s job vacancies.

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Isabel Hardman, Matthew Parris, Graeme Thomson and Caroline Moore

21 min listen

This week: Isabel Hardman asks how Ed Miliband is the power behind Kier Starmer’s Labour (00:57), Matthew Parris says we’ve lost interest in our dependencies (05:03), Graeme Thomson mourns the loss of the B-side (11:57), and Caroline Moore reads her Notes on... war memorials (16:51).  Produced and presented by Oscar Edmondson.

Colin Freeman

Meet the British soldiers fighting in Ukraine

At his base near the frontlines outside of Kherson, an ex-British soldier named JK shows me a video of what looks like a scene from the world war one film 1917. It shows him and two other volunteer fighters walking through a burning, smoking treeline, having spent two hours pinned down by artillery and sniper fire that killed three Ukrainian comrades. It was a grim, exhausting day – and, as soldiering experiences go, far more rewarding than life in the British army.  ‘When I first signed up for the British army, there was drill and discipline, and if you were punished, your instructor would make you do press ups – that

Steerpike Steerpike

Dominic Raab’s unhappy Whitehall return

Dominic Raab likes to refer his six-week spell away from the Ministry of Justice as a ‘sabbatical’ but for many of his staff it was more of a respite. The Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary (as he likes to be called) was restored to the MoJ last month by Rishi Sunak, after he was unceremoniously booted out of the department by Liz Truss at the beginning of September. But it seems that civil servants aren’t too pleased at Raab’s return, judging by the smorgasbord of stories that appear in today’s newspapers. The Guardian details how senior staff were offered a ‘route out’ of the ministry when he

Justin Bronk

Don’t write off the Russian air force

The Russian air force’s  failure to establish air superiority over Ukraine – and the consequent inability of its fighter and bomber aircraft to meaningfully affect the course of the war – has been one of the defining features of the invasion so far.    It has even become almost a given in policy and public discussion that Russian airpower is a busted flush. But recent research conducted by RUSI in Ukraine shows that in fact Russia conducted hundreds of strike sorties and fighter patrols deep inside Ukrainian airspace during the first three days of the invasion – which suggests it would be a dangerous mistake to underestimate Russian airpower as the war continues.   In air-to-air

Patrick O’Flynn Patrick O'Flynn

The threat to Rishi from the right

Most dads will have been on a beach holiday where they helped their children build a sandcastle near the water’s edge and then waited for the tide to overrun it.  Sometimes there are false alarms, when a rogue wave comes in a bit further than expected but then its successors return to the holding pattern and the castle stands proud and safe a while longer.  Up until now this has also been true of the threat posed to Tory fortunes by Reform UK, the successor to the Brexit party, currently led by the property developer and broadcaster Richard Tice.  Has a Reform tide started lapping up against the walls of

Friday

Lloyd Evans Lloyd Evans

Matt Hancock: Star of the ‘I’m a Celeb’ jungle

Has Matt Hancock gone mad? Maybe not. His appearance in ‘I’m A Celebrity – Get Me Out of Here’ is part of a career move that could work well. Converting notoriety into fame pays dividends. Look at Ed Balls and Michael Portillo. Political failures, but they discovered gold on TV. A lot of observers loathe Hancock precisely because his plan may prosper.  The balding Tarzan arrived in the jungle later than most of the celebs. And he was welcomed with a show of warmth and friendliness by his fellow castaways. Smiles and happy greetings all round. Someone called out ‘next slide please!’ and Hancock duly repeated his famous slogan. He

Freddy Gray Freddy Gray

Could Georgia decide the midterms?

30 min listen

This week Freddy is joined by Matt McDonald, US managing editor of The Spectator, who is covering the midterms from Georgia. What will the result of the run-off be there and could this decide who takes control of the Senate? 

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Is the UK on the brink of recession?

11 min listen

The ONS forecasts reveal that UK output fell by 0.2 per cent between July-September. Whilst not a recession yet, it is increasingly likely the next quarter will see another dip following a surge in interest rates. Will the government’s messaging change ahead of the Autumn Statement next week? Also on the podcast, Kate and James discuss Kwasi Kwarteng’s interview in The Times as he reflects on his short time as Chancellor.  Isabel Hardman is joined by Kate Andrews and James Forsyth. Produced by Natasha Feroze. 

James Forsyth James Forsyth

Was Kwasi Kwarteng to blame for the mini-Budget fallout?

Kwasi Kwarteng is clearly right about one thing in his interview with Talk TV: his departure hastened the end of Liz Truss’s premiership. Sacking a Chancellor is a dramatic, and risky, move for a Prime Minister at the best of times. But when the Prime Minister and the Chancellor are known to have been in lockstep, it is particularly risky. Truss could never answer the question of why, if Kwarteng had to go over the mini-Budget, she did not.   What is also right is that Kwarteng was more prepared to talk about spending cuts than Truss was. If the mini-Budget had just been his, it would almost certainly have

Lucy Dunn

Scotland’s avoidable death rate is on the rise

Scotland is witnessing a concerning uptick in ‘avoidable’ deaths. With an increase of 4 per cent on the previous year, there were almost 18,000 preventable deaths in Scotland in 2021. As the rising pressures on the NHS continue to expose cracks, this week’s report on avoidable mortality from the National Records of Scotland does little to diffuse concerns. Things don’t look much rosier when Scotland is compared to the rest of the UK. Although no British data for avoidable deaths in 2021 has been made available yet, historically Scotland has seen the highest rates of avoidable mortality in the UK over the last 20 years. Using the latest comparable data

Svitlana Morenets Svitlana Morenets

The last hours of the Russian occupation of Kherson

The only large Ukrainian city Russia has been able to capture since February’s invasion – Kherson – has now been liberated. But something else extraordinary happened: Russian reports emerged of thousands of troops being left on the right bank of the Dnipro river after the occupiers blew up the mile-long Antonivsky bridge. Moscow flatly denies this, saying: ‘Not a single unit of soldiers, military equipment and weapons was left on the right bank of the Dnipro.’ But pro-Kremlin military blogs are full of reports to the contrary, some saying that thousands of Russians have been left on the wrong side of the river. If even some are captured, they could be exchanged

Julie Burchill Julie Burchill

In praise of Just Stop Oil

As a child in the 1960s, all I wanted to do was get to London: to be rich and famous, yes, but also to go on demos. As I watched the attractive young adults having seven bells knocked out of them by the boys in blue for protesting outside the American embassy against the Vietnam War, I yearned to join the struggle. But as I was eight years old, this seemed highly unlikely at any time in the immediate future. Instead I sought out and found images of the American civil rights marches: men in suits, nuns and priests, dignified black and white students. Then the suffragettes: delicate Edwardian women

Steerpike Steerpike

Watch: Matt Hancock grilled about affair

Westminster tuned in last night for another episode of I’m a Celebrity. There’s no winner yet but one obvious loser, as this year’s subplot appears to be Matt Hancock versus everyone else. Having been mocked on the first night for his Covid record, attention has now moved on to the reason why Hancock had to quit as Health Secretary: the rule-breaking, extra-marital affair, captured on CCTV footage in his own office. It was left to fellow contestant Babatúndé Aléshé to broach the subject, which he did with all the tact and sympathy of a runaway rhinoceros. Responding to Hancock’s wistful protestations, the comedian retorted: ‘You didn’t just ‘fell in love’

Ross Clark Ross Clark

Are there signs inflation has peaked?

Is the inflationary spike past its peak? That is the obvious reaction to the news that US inflation fell to 7.7 per cent in October, down from 8.2 per cent in September and significantly lower than the 8.0 per cent that markets had been expecting. Clearly, inflation remains high, but US inflation is now lower than at any stage since January. A further couple of months of falls would seem to indicate that, for now, inflation has been tamed. It ought to come as no surprise. The US Federal Reserve has been fighting inflation aggressively all year with interest rates. It is some way ahead of the curve being followed

Thursday

Svitlana Morenets Svitlana Morenets

How Russia is surrendering Kherson

The Russian evacuation of Kherson is now well underway, leaving an expected trail of destruction in its wake. Russian soldiers are publishing bitter videos as they retreat, with one saying that ‘defending the city with these supplies would be complete madness’ and another adding ‘I hope we will return’. Local reports say fleeing Russians are destroying infrastructure in the area – the region’s energy supplier and TV centre were reportedly blown up today. Russian troops are also placing mines on roads and settlements, in preparation for the Ukrainian army. Meanwhile the Ukrainian advance continues, with dozens of settlements west and north of Kherson liberated today. The Ukrainian flag has been raised

Steerpike Steerpike

Foreign Office rocked by Brussels art theft

Relations between London and Brussels haven’t always been cordial in recent years. But red-faced staff in Whitehall’s Foreign Office will be grateful for local police in the Belgian capital after they recovered a collection of stolen historic paintings that were stolen from the British Ambassador to Nato’s official residence. Four pieces of art that belong to the state collection went missing earlier this year, prompting the intervention of local law enforcement to solve the theft. The paintings in question were produced by a quartet of twentieth century British artists: Henry Marvell Carr’s San Vittore, Derek Clarke’s Runner Beans, Frederick Gore’s Puig Mayor from Fornalutx and Claude Maurice Rogers’ Harvest Cornfield.

Natasha Feroze

Nurses on strike: how can the NHS cope?

18 min listen

For the first time in history, nurses have voted to go on strike. As the NHS grapples with record wait lists and excess deaths, how will it cope this winter? Also on the podcast, James and Isabel discuss the ongoing situation in Northern Ireland. And how will Matt Hancock fare in the jungle? Natasha Feroze is joined by Isabel Hardman and James Forysth. Produced by Natasha Feroze

William Moore William Moore

Midterm madness

37 min listen

On the podcast: In his cover piece for the magazine, The Spectator’s deputy editor Freddy Gray says the only clear winner from the US midterms is paranoia. He is joined by The Spectator’s economics editor Kate Andrews to discuss whether the American political system is broken (00:52). Also this week: Isabel Hardman writes that Ed Miliband is the power behind Kier Starmer’s Labour. She is joined by former Labour advisor Lord Stewart Wood of Anfield, to consider whether Starmer is wise to lend his ear to the former Leader of the Opposition (12:48). And finally: King Charles III is known for his love of classical music, and Damian Thompson writes in this week’s arts