Coffee House Shots

Coffee House Shots

Will the ‘whack-a-mole’ approach of local lockdowns work?

Leicester is set to lock down locally. It’s an approach that the Prime Minister has dubbed ‘whack-a-mole’, referring to clampdowns on local clusters that will inevitably arise in the coming months. All eyes are on Leicester’s experience now as it signals whether or not the national lockdown is a thing of the past. Katy Balls

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What Sedwill’s departure means for No 10’s civil service reform

The Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill has announced that he will be stepping down in September, though his resignation letter suggests that it wasn’t necessarily his decision. This move comes as Michael Gove makes a wide-ranging speech on reform of the civil service. The government looks to be gearing up its Whitehall reform, and on the

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Has Keir Starmer upset Labour’s fragile unity?

Throughout the leadership contest, Keir Starmer was careful not to upset the delicate balance between the hard left and the moderates in the party. But with the sacking of Rebecca Long Bailey, he has risked the wrath of the Corbynites and unambiguously moved the party on from the era of Corbyn. Has he triggered a

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The government’s dilemma on reopening

The government wants the country to head back out and boost the economy, but scenes at Bournemouth beach and elsewhere reflect the government’s dilemma – how much reopening is enough to keep the economy afloat, but without triggering a second wave of infections? John Connolly speaks to Katy Balls and James Forsyth.

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Will Long Bailey’s sacking trigger a Corbynite backlash?

After retweeting an interview with Maxine Peake in which the actress voiced an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory, Rebecca Long Bailey has been sacked as the shadow education secretary. On the podcast, Cindy Yu talks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls about whether or not this will trigger a Corbynite backlash.

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Can Keir Starmer get under Boris’s skin?

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The new common sense phase of lockdown

Boris Johnson has announced further measures to ease the lockdown, and from the 4th July, more venues will be open than not, including restaurants, pubs, and galleries. It also marks a new phase in the lockdown, when social distancing will be guidelines, not law. But does the public actually want the lockdown to be eased?

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What’s behind the brewing Sunday trading Tory rebellion?

There’s a rebellion brewing on the backbenches – MPs claim that there are over 50 backbenchers who oppose the government’s proposal to loosen Sunday trading laws. On the podcast, Katy Balls talks to James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson about whether there might be more to this rebellion than initially meets the eye.

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Is the Foreign Office DfiD merger a mistake?

The plans for a merger between the two departments has united three former prime ministers in their criticism. Andrew Mitchell, Tory MP and former International Development Secretary, certainly thinks it’s a disastrous idea, and claims that Boris Johnson promised to his face that this would not happen. Andrew joins Katy Balls and Jame Forsyth on

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What the new alert level means for lockdown easing

The government has downgraded the coronavirus alert level from 4 to 3, with the support of its scientific advisers. So is it about time to ease lockdown even further? Katy Balls talks to James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson about this and the discovery of the magic money tree, as debt is now worth more than

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Why did the government persist with its doomed app?

The government is today announcing a switch from its NHS-built contact tracing app in favour of one built by Apple and Google. On the podcast, Katy Balls asks James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson – why has it taken them so long to admit defeat?

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Is Boris Johnson’s week starting to look up?

At Prime Minister’s Questions, Boris Johnson cornered Keir Starmer on the Labour party’s ambivalent position on schools reopening. After a bumpy start to the week, is the Prime Minister’s luck turning? Katy Balls talks to James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson about this, the 1922 committee meeting, and Westminster reopening.

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Was the government’s free meals U-turn inevitable?

After the highly publicised campaign by the footballer Marcus Rashford, the government has U-turned on the question of free school meals in the summer. Was it inevitable, and what does this move mean for public spending? Katy Balls talks to James Forsyth and Kate Andrews about this as well as the Foreign Office merger and

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Will the government’s lockdown easing work?

As the government tries to encourage more spending with the opening of non-essential shops today, is the public still too cautious about Covid?

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Is toppling a statue an act of performance art?

Has the statue of Churchill been improved by being enclosed in a protective casing? Was Colston’s toppling one of the greatest acts of performance art? Or is this all a sad indictment of the state of British politics? Fraser Nelson talks to The Spectator’s arts editor Igor Toronyi-Lalic and Coffee House contributor and writer Claire

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The Tory fightback against identity politics

Late last night, the statue of Winston Churchill on Parliament Square was boarded up over fears the monument could again be targeted by Black Lives Matter protestors. This morning, Boris Johnson intervened saying that it is ‘shameful that this national monument should today be at risk of attack’. Katy Balls talks to Fraser Nelson and

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How long can the two-metre rule last?

Tory MPs are increasingly concerned about the impact of the two-metre rule, with No. 10 facing pressure to relax the policy to help save businesses. Gus Carter talks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls.

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PMQs: Johnson and Starmer clash on schools

Prime Minister’s Questions is becoming an increasingly heated affair. This week, Keir Starmer and Boris Johnson clashed over school closures, as well as the government’s response to the Black Lives Matter protests. John Connolly talks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls.

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Why aren’t schools reopening?

The government has shelved its aim of reopening primary schools before the end of term amid growing pressure from parents and unions. But how will that affect the poorest students? Katy Balls talks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth.

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The politics of toppling a statue

Thousands of protesters took to the streets this weekend as part of the Black Lives Matter movement. In Bristol, a statue of the slaver Edward Colston was toppled and thrown into the city’s docks. But are we now seeing a change in the government’s response? Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth.

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How the government is preparing for the inevitable Covid inquiry

Some decision-makers have already made timelines of their actions since the start of the pandemic, James Forsyth reveals in his political column for this week’s Spectator. How does the knowledge that an inquiry is coming change the way the pandemic is dealt with?

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Is it time for the government to admit its mistakes?

With an NHS tracing app not fully up and running until autumn, contact tracing seems like the latest in a series of events where the government has over-promised and under-delivered. Is it time for the government to admit the mistakes it has made in dealing with the pandemic?

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Why has the government U-turned on face masks?

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced that face masks will be compulsory on public transport from mid-June. Until recently, that was explicitly not the government advice. What’s changed?

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The end of Keir Starmer’s ‘constructive opposition’

The time for constructive opposition is over, as Keir Starmer picks up a new tone in his interview to the Guardian, which he continued in PMQs. Cindy Yu talks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls about this strategy; and other issues of proxy voting, Scottish care homes, the BAME impact, and a new testing target.

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Does Rees-Mogg’s plan for a socially distanced parliament work?

MPs are back in the House of Commons this week, and Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg wants them to vote physically, but socially distanced. This means a meandering queue through the Palace of Westminster for MPs to file through the lobbies. Will it work?

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Will MPs rebel over No. 10’s quarantine plan?

From the speed of easing lockdown, to quarantine for international travellers, to the return of MPs to parliament – the government is fighting battles on many fronts. Has it made things more difficult for itself?

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How will a socially distanced House of Commons work?

MPs are returning to parliament next week, marking an end of the hybrid model that saw most MPs Zooming into parliamentary debates. On the podcast, John Connolly talks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls about the challenges in a socially distanced House of Commons. Get a month’s free trial of The Spectator and a free

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How the furlough scheme will be rolled back

Cindy Yu talks to Kate Andrews and Katy Balls about Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s announcements on phasing out the furlough scheme.

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Is it really ‘case closed’ on the Cummings affair?

Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance refused to give their opinions on the Dominic Cummings affair at today’s press conference; while Durham police indicated that they will not be investigating the Barnard Castle trip any further, after announcing that it might have been a minor breach. Downing Street says it’s ‘case closed’ – is it really?

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What did Boris’s evidence to MPs reveal?

The Prime Minister appeared for the first time in his premiership in front of the Liaison Committee today. The group, formed of select committee chairs, grilled him on a range of issues from Dominic Cummings to pandemic support, and more.