James Forsyth is former political editor of The Spectator.
Kwasi Kwarteng and Liz Truss are a Chancellor and a Prime Minister in a hurry, they know they have only got 18 months to get the economy growing if they are to win-re-election. So, they went all out in today’s non-budget Budget. Not only did they cancel the corporation tax rise and reverse the National
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With hours to go till the Chancellor’s fiscal statement, we’ve heard today that the National Insurance hike will be scrapped, as promised during Liz Truss’s leadership campaign. This comes as the Bank of England increases the base rate to 2.25 per cent. How much further will Kwasi Kwarteng go, and just how willing is the
Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng are determined to show that Britain’s economy is under new management. They want to indicate through their decisions – such as cancelling the corporation tax rise and reversing the National Insurance rise – that they are breaking away from the fiscal approach of recent years. More broadly, they want to
15 min listen
Vladimir Putin warned the West that, if pushed, Russia would use a nuclear weapon. How seriously should we take his threat? And reports emerged overnight that Liz Truss will cut stamp duty to increase demand for housing. But will that help more people get onto the housing ladder? Katy Balls speaks to James Forsyth and
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Liz Truss is in New York today on her first foreign visit as prime minister. On the flight across the Atlantic, Truss said that a trade deal with the United States was unlikely in the ‘short to medium term’. Why has the PM, who was so vocal about a free trade agreement with the US
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Today was the state funeral of Britain’s longest reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II. From Westminster, we evaluate the day’s proceedings. Also on the podcast, as the period of mourning ends and politics resumes, can Liz Truss hit the ground running? Will we get some clarity on how much her energy plan will cost? Katy Balls
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Cindy Yu, James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson discuss the impression Queen Elizabeth II made during her 70 years as a head of state.
The awful news that two police officers were stabbed in London this morning is an example of the challenges facing the new Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley. As I say in the Times today, he must deal with low morale in the Met, a lack of public confidence in the force and a rising sense
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Two police officers were stabbed this morning near Leicester Square in central London. What can new Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley do to fix the capital’s crime epidemic? And the pound today fell to a 37-year low against the dollar. What can the government do to give the markets confidence? Max Jeffery speaks to Fraser
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Preparations are well under way for the Queen’s funeral next week, but which world leaders will be in attendance? Will they all be able to behave themselves? Also on the podcast, as the new Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng works quietly in the background, is his idea to scrap caps on banker’s bonuses a risk worth taking?
Politics is in suspended animation. The only proceedings in parliament are the tens of thousands of mourners moving through Westminster Hall as the Queen lies in state. Party politics was always going to pause after the monarch’s death. But what the planning could not have anticipated was the moment at which the politics would halt.
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The Queen’s coffin has been taken from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall. Mourners will pay their respects for the next four days before the funeral on Monday. Also on the podcast, James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson discuss the latest news in the Ukraine conflict.
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King Charles arrived in Belfast where he was met by the new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Chris Heaton-Harris. The King has pledged to follow the ‘shining example’ set by his mother during her life of public service. Tonight, the Queen’s body will be moved from Edinburgh to Buckingham Palace where her body will lie-in-state
Over the past few days, the Ukrainians have upended assumptions about the war with Russia. They have shown it was wrong to predict that the conflict was inevitably going to turn into a war of attrition. They have advanced at speed, reclaiming, according to reports, 1,000 square miles of territory in a week. It’s not clear
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This morning, surrounded by the lead, oak and stone of Westminster Hall, King Charles III addressed parliament. Lindsay Hoyle, speaker of the Commons, introduced him, and said that he knew the new King would ‘bear those responsibilities which fall to you’. King Charles said that he was resolved to follow his mother’s ‘selfless duty’. Katy
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Freddy Gray, The Spectator‘s deputy editor, is joined by our former editor Charles Moore, and our political editor James Forsyth, to discuss the Queen’s death. What was her coronation like? Should unionists be concerned? How important was the Queen’s faith to her? What do we miss about the Queen?
There are events in politics that everyone knows are coming but no one can quite anticipate what they will mean. The death of the Queen is one of these. Her Majesty reigned for 70 years and no MP has served under any other monarch. There is no institutional or political memory of the passing of a
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Fraser Nelson, James Forsyth and Katy Balls pay tribute to and reflect upon the life and reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
The Queen has died. Buckingham Palace has just confirmed that Her Majesty passed away at Balmoral this afternoon. It was clear Her Majesty was most unwell when the cancelling of the privy council yesterday was followed by a rare bulletin from Buckingham Palace on her health. The Speaker informed the House of Commons of the
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In this week’s episode: As the Liz Truss era begins, we assess the bumpy road that lies ahead of her. James Forsyth and Rachel Wolf, co-author of the 2019 conservative manifesto, join the Edition podcast (01:04). Also this week: From generation rent to generation buy: has Help to Buy been a success or a failure?