Cindy Yu is an assistant editor of The Spectator and presenter of our Chinese Whispers podcast. She was brought up in Nanjing. She tweets at @CindyXiaodanYu
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Next week, the trade negotiations between the EU and the UK begin in earnest. But in the days ahead, the positions set out by both sides are so far apart that the negotiations can only be heading towards an almighty row. James Forsyth writes in this week’s issue that it’s better if they get this
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This week, has Mike Bloomberg blown his presidential hopes with a disastrous TV debate (00:50)? Plus, has the BBC really gone downhill (12:05)? And last, Toby Young reveals all about his first stand up comedy gig (26:30).
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In the aftermath of the Streatham attack, we take a look at how our prisons became finishing schools for extremists (00:40). Plus, what on earth happened in the Iowa caucus (11:25)? And last, is there anything true in the stories about Calamity Jane (22:50)?
When I worked at Lidl, there were a few products that we took extra care with. Some of these were high-value goods at risk of being stolen (like the £100 laptop we once sold, causing biblical scenes of chaos in the middle aisle). Others were to comply with laws on selling dangerous goods. Knives were
My hometown of Nanjing is more than 300 miles away from Wuhan but my family there, like Chinese families everywhere, have been gripped by the coronavirus story. We use WeChat (a Chinese version of WhatsApp) to share medical tips, the latest intel and even a spattering of dry jokes. A snippet of information from an
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First, as the news agenda is dominated by things like Huawei, HS2, and public spending, could politics be – whisper it – returning to normal? In his cover piece this week, Rod Liddle writes how, for the most part, the election result has put a lid on the civil war between Remainers and Brexiteers. One
Ever since he entered the White House, Donald Trump has been trying to isolate Iran diplomatically. But in the week since the killing of Qassem Soleimani, it seems that the opposite has happened. John R Bradley argues in this week’s cover piece that Trump’s move has united the Sunni Arab states, from Saudi Arabia to
In the last few years, climate change has risen to the top of the agenda for consumers, voters, politicians, and journalists alike. But as well as cutting down emissions and using less plastic, could we also be rethinking the way we use energy at home? Here’s where smart meters come in – a smart meter
This week, politics becomes a little less volatile as Boris Johnson achieves the biggest Tory majority since Margaret Thatcher. So what happened in this election, and what next (00:50)? Katy Balls talks to Fraser Nelson and writer and broadcaster Steve Richards. Plus, China has interned over a million Uyghur Muslims in so-called ‘re-education’ camps –
In Friday night’s final TV debate between Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson, neither leader landed a sucker punch on the other. Your verdict, as James Forsyth says in our Coffee House Shots podcast, will depend on what you believe the polls to be saying. If you already believe that the polls suggest a Tory majority,
Though the Tories are consistently and comfortably leading in the polls, nothing can be taken for granted in politics, if recent years are anything to go by. So what would happen if Corbyn really does get into No. 10? In this week’s cover piece, economist and Telegraph columnist Liam Halligan breaks down the consequences of
When James Forsyth and Katy Balls interviewed the Prime Minister for the magazine this week, the Boris they found was optimistic, humorous, and above all, on message. So can anything still trip him up in the final fortnight of this election campaign? Katy speaks to James and Paul Goodman, editor of the Conservative Home website.
Sponsored by Vattenfall Britain looks set on its 2050 Net Zero target (or if Labour gets in, 2030), but to achieve that, it’ll take more than just a beef ban and paper straws. The Climate Change Committee writes that British heavy industry – for example the cement-makers and the steel-makers – will have to ‘largely
This week, as the Tories continue to lead in the polls, Lara Prendergast speaks to Alastair Campbell about what Remainers can do to turn things around. James Forsyth writes in this issue’s cover article that the Remain side’s inability to unite may well cost them this election and, if Boris Johnson wins, put the last
The Conservatives like to say that their road to electoral victory is steep and narrow, but has Nigel Farage broadened out that path this week? Plus, is it time to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants? And last, should baby boomers apologise for crimes against young people? Lara Prendergast and Katy Balls talk to James Forsyth,
In this volatile election, not much is certain about what will happen. But what you can be sure of is that the Spectator will be releasing one – if not more – Coffee House Shots podcast every day. Last night, the Coffee House Shots team took the podcast on the road – not very far,
