Farage

How do you solve a problem like Elon? We have spent much of the past week talking on the podcast about Labour vs Musk, and the tech billionaire’s vocal criticism of how the government is dealing with the grooming gang scandal. But Reform UK are having their own issues with the volatile owner of X. There have been questions over whether Musk could still bankroll the party after he called for Farage to step down following a disagreement over Musk’s support for the far-right activist Tommy Robinson – but in the last 24 hours, it seems the tech billionaire has rowed back a little on his stance and has returned

Happy New Year! And it could prove to be a very happy new year for Nigel Farage and the Reform Party. They provided some of the stand-out political drama of 2024, with Lee Anderson’s defection and Farage’s return, before winning five seats at the general election (as well as a hefty chunk of the popular vote). They finished the year strong with a meeting with Elon Musk, where we understand that a possible donation was discussed. Farage also gave a memorable speech at The Spectator awards, warning that a ‘political revolution’ is coming. With the local elections coming up in 2025, could this be the year that Reform and Farage crystallise into

After days of speculation online, the alleged Chinese spy has been named as Yang Tegbo. This latest example of Chinese espionage has opened up a number of debates in Westminster, firstly around Labour’s push to ‘reset’ its relationship with China, as well as the conversation around the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme – a number of China hawks such as IDS and Tom Tugendhat are pushing for it to be implemented sooner than summer 2025. Can Labour’s China policy survive this latest wave of Sino-scepticism? Also on the podcast, it’s happened: Nigel Farage has met with Elon Musk to discuss his party’s electoral prospects. What’s the readout from their meeting? Katy

Former prime minister Boris Johnson joins The Spectator’s political editor Katy Balls to divulge the contents of his new book, Unleashed. He reflects on his premiership as PM during the pandemic, describing the time as a ‘nightmare’ for him. He also details how he managed to suppress the force of Nigel Farage, and gives advice to Keir Starmer on how to build a relationship with Donald Trump. Watch the full interview on SpectatorTV: https://youtu.be/wg-Oxh0X-zM

Nigel Farage could well be the big winner in the UK from Donald Trump’s victory across the pond, with the MP for Clacton having a direct line to the most powerful office in the West. But, as Katy Balls argues on Coffee House this morning, he poses a greater threat to Labour than simply his proximity to Donald Trump. Reform UK are beginning the process of building power bases across the UK – starting this weekend in Wales – and the party believes it can take voters from Labour. Meanwhile, the US election has proven the salience of the economy and immigration as election-deciding issues: areas where Reform UK cut