James Forsyth is former political editor of The Spectator.
10 min listen
Today Liz Truss has announced in parliament an energy price cap to tackle rising bills. As of October, the average household energy bill will be frozen at £2,500 for the next two years. How effective will this be? And how have her free market allies reacted to her use of price controls? James Forsyth and
Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng arrive in Downing Street having been on a long political journey together. Both elected in 2010, they have co-written books setting out their shared economic agenda; they have co-founded party groups during their time in parliament; and now they will govern together. The future direction of the country, and the
12 min listen
It’s Liz Truss’s first full day as prime minister and, backed by a fully assembled cabinet, she has conducted her first Prime Minister’s Questions with Labour leader Keir Starmer. Who came out on top? Cindy Yu speaks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls. Produced by Cindy Yu and Oscar Edmondson.
11 min listen
Liz Truss has appointed her cabinet. Allies of Rishi Sunak are out, and the former foreign secretary’s closest allies are in. What does this mean for her government? Katy Balls speaks to James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman. Britain after Boris: Coffee House Shots Live, with Andrew Neil, Fraser Nelson, Katy Balls, James Forsyth and Kate
10 min listen
Boris Johnson finally departed Downing Street early this morning, but left the door slightly ajar on the prospect of a comeback. What will this mean for Liz Truss? Also on the podcast, as Truss makes her way to Balmoral to meet with the Queen, what will the rest of the day look like for the
Boris Johnson’s farewell speech was a classically boosterish affair. He emphasised the government’s achievements, argued that Putin was wrong if he thought he could dent public support for Ukraine by using energy as a weapon and called on the Tory party to unite. Johnson quipped that if Dilyn the dog and Larry the cat could
Any Prime Minister who takes over mid-term has to contend with a certain set of problems. Liz Truss will wish she had been propelled through the front door of No. 10 by the momentum of a general election victory. The first difficulty is that you have no personal mandate. This doesn’t just affect your relationship with the
17 min listen
Liz Truss has won the Conservative leadership race, and will become Britain’s prime minister tomorrow. In a speech in Westminster this morning, after finding out the result, Truss paid tribute to Boris Johnson, promised to ‘govern as a conservative’ and said she would ‘deliver, deliver, deliver’. What should we expect from the first days of
Liz Truss’s victory in the Tory leadership race was based on her ability to portray herself as the candidate for both continuity and change. She stressed her loyalty to Boris Johnson; and emphasised that her administration would continue his policies in various key areas. Yet she also depicted herself as a change candidate on the economy, promising
13 min listen
James Forsyth speaks to Anthony Seldon, historian and biographer, about how the incoming PM can make their mark before the next general election.
16 min listen
Boris Johnson has released legal advice that he received from Lord Pannick about the Commons investigation into partygate, where the lawyer said the investigation in its current form would be ‘unlawful’ if it were taking place in the courts. Can Boris really get off the hook? Max Jeffery speaks to James Forsyth and James Heale.
The new prime minister has not been announced yet, but Lord Marland – an ally of Boris Johnson – has already been on Newsnight to talk about the ‘distinct possibility’ of him having another run at the top job – after taking some time to ‘put hay in the loft’, in other words to build
Boris Johnson’s last set piece speech today was typical him. There were references to Ladybird books, attempts to blame the last Labour government, not much detail but lots of optimism about how things are about to get better. Johnson has so dominated British politics these past few years that it is hard to imagine it
16 min listen
Despite a relatively quiet summer from the government, Boris Johnson has waded finally waded into the energy crisis, announcing £700 million of funding for Sizewell C, the nuclear plant. On the podcast, Cindy Yu talks to James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman about what’s behind this development (and whether it could be anything to do with
Boris Johnson has so dominated politics for the past few years that it is hard to imagine things without him. His premiership, though relatively brief, has been both eventful and consequential. With him in Downing Street, there was a constant – and exhausting – sense of drama, with frequent cast changes and plot twists. But
11 min listen
Today rail union leaders announced another round of strikes, this time to coincide with the Labour party conference. Is there a message here that they are trying to send to Kier Starmer? Should we expect similar disruption during the Conservative Party Conference? Also on the podcast, after the death of the last leader of the
14 min listen
Boris Johnson is on his farewell tour but is remaining coy about the possibility of a political comeback. What problems will this throw up for the next prime minister? Will Boris be friend or foe? Also on the podcast, after Liz Truss pulled out of her BBC interview with Nick Robinson, is she trying to
10 min listen
Katy Balls speaks to Isabel Hardman and James Forsyth about why Sir Keir Starmer and his frontbench have been seemingly missing in action during the Tory leadership race and the ongoing cost of living crisis.
13 min listen
‘Profit is not a dirty word’, Liz Truss said at last night’s leadership hustings. The Foreign Secretary has made clear that she would prefer to cut taxes than take money from energy firms and give it directly to struggling Brits. But, if Truss makes it into No. 10, could she really reverse the windfall tax?
With all the crises coming down the track, the Union has not received as much attention as it should in the Tory leadership contest. But given that the October supreme court hearing on the Scottish government’s plan for another independence referendum will push the issue right back up the agenda, the candidates should be thinking