James Forsyth is former political editor of The Spectator.
24 min listen
For the last two years, Rishi Sunak has appeared the frontrunner in any future Tory leadership election. But has his spring statement and damaged his standing within his party and among the public? Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth about Rishi Sunak’s future and Britain’s economic forecast.
The return of inflation has changed politics, I say in the Times today . Until recently, it was possible to argue that the government should borrow to slashes taxes, or to cover almost any additional spending. It was so cheap to do so that it was almost rude not to, the argument went. Inflation was also dismissed as a
11 min listen
The Prime Minister has just returned from a Nato meeting in Brussels. So far, the alliance’s members have been unified in their response to Russia, but with President Zelensky now asking for Nato to send tanks to Ukraine, are we going to see cracks emerge? Katy Balls talks with James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman.
12 min listen
Well the papers haven’t been too kind about Rishi Sunak’s spring statement. To unpack if it truly deserves this level of vitriol Cindy Yu talks to James Forsyth about the UK’s economic future as well as Nato’s more unified front.
The Office for Budget Responsibility was designed to protect the Chancellor from accusations that he is cooking the books. If the forecasts are prepared by an independent body, there can’t be the suggestion – as there often was before the OBR’s creation in 2010 – that they have been politically influenced. But what the OBR
17 min listen
While on the surface there might seem like a lot to like in Rishi Sunak’s spring statement. Yes, the NI tax increase is still there, but the tax threshold to pay it is being raised. And there is even a promise of an income tax cut coming in 2024. But does the spectre of inflation
The biggest surprise of Rishi Sunak’s spring statement was the announcement that the basic rate of income tax will be cut by one penny come 2024. This is the first cut in the basic rate since the cut to 20p announced by Gordon Brown in his last Budget in 2007, which was of course partly paid
15 min listen
Tomorrow is the spring statement. The proposed NI rise set to be outlined in it has been described by the Labour leader Keir Starmer as a ‘cynical’ move so the Chancellor can cut taxes before the next election for political brownie points. But what are Rishi Sunak’s true motives? Cindy Yu deciphers them with Katy
16 min listen
Over the weekend, Boris Johnson sparked a wave of criticism after he linked the Ukraine crisis to Brexit. During his speech at the Conservative Party’s Spring Conference, the PM suggested that Ukraine’s decision to ‘choose freedom’ was reminiscent of Brexit. ‘I think it was up there with the Jimmy Saville joke which he made about Keir
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the West has got many things right. Yet there is no doubt that Western mistakes over the past few years, and splits in the weeks and months beforehand, made Putin think he could get away with his invasion. The West cannot afford to repeat these with Taiwan, I say in the
15 min listen
As Rishi Sunak finalises his Spring Statement, how can he resolve the trilemma of an ageing society, no peace dividend and low growth? Meanwhile, there is a broad Tory desire for increased defence spending amid the Russia Ukraine invasion. But from where will this money be taken? ‘This isn’t an easy time for Rishi. If
14 min listen
The Tory spring conference is this weekend. Before the invasion of Ukraine, when partygate dominated the headlines, it was predicted to have the feel of a pageant show for potential candidates to replace Boris Johnson. But now, with even Labour quieting their cries for resignation, what will the atmosphere of this event be? Max Jeffery talks
13 min listen
Today P&O ferries announced to 800 staff that they were being made redundant with immediate effect as security mounted to ferries to escort the staff off the premises. The company said the staff will be served with “enhanced” severance packages, calling it a “necessary decision” to protect its remaining 2,200 staff. Was this fair when
It is tempting to believe that we have gone from one crisis to another: Russia invaded Ukraine hours after Covid restrictions were lifted in England. Tempting, but wrong. Covid is now manageable because of high levels of immunity from vaccines and prior infection (just look at how our high case rate isn’t leading to calls
10 min listen
After 6 years in jail in Iran, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been released and will return home to her husband and their seven-year-old daughter. The UK has paid a debt of £400 million as part of this negotiation which has been an ongoing diplomatic dispute between Britain and the Iranian government. Who were the key players
It would be ridiculous to claim that Boris Johnson’s visit to Saudi Arabia is not morally problematic. He is going to a country which held a mass execution for 81 people this weekend – a record number – and to visit a man who US intelligence blames for the brutal murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Yet,
Since David Frost quit the government in December over its political direction, he has not said that much about the future of UK-EU affairs. But in the Churchill lecture at the University of Zurich tonight, he sets out a potential new basis for relations. His tone is warm and marks a deliberate attempt to move
11 min listen
Boris Johnson is travelling to the Middle East tonight, where he’ll be meeting Gulf leaders and trying to convince them to pump more oil. With Britain’s energy price cap likely to rise to £3,000 in October, how important is it for the Prime Minister to get what he wants? And will more supply alone fix
14 min listen
Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine has caused the prices of oil and gas to skyrocket. One of the Prime Minster’s strategies to combat this appears to be a visit Saudi Arabia this week, where he’ll ask Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman to release more oil. But what’s the chance of this working? Katy Balls is joined
The oil price is up by more than 40 per cent since the start of the year. It is being driven up by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the lack of investment in oil and turning the world economy on and off again: US production is still not back to pre-pandemic levels. In the immediate term,
