James Heale

James Heale

James Heale is The Spectator’s deputy political editor.

Monday

James Heale

Labour conference: ‘a holiday from reality’?

From our UK edition

11 min listen

Labour party conference has kicked off in Liverpool, and the Chancellor has just delivered her keynote speech. ‘Security, security, security’ was the message from Rachel Reeves as she addressed the Labour party faithful. The Labour government, she said, will create an economy that puts the British worker above all else. Aside from setting out her economic vision, she made time for a few jabs in Manchester mayor Andy Burnham’s direction and gave a nod to shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson (should we take that as an endorsement?). Has she been taking notes from Gordon Brown? Elsewhere, the mood in the bars is much more buoyant than it was last year – although that has a lot to do with the absence of Sue Gray.

James Heale

Rachel Reeves takes the fight to Reform

From our UK edition

The Chancellor has just finished her speech at the Labour party conference. It has been a pretty torrid 12 months since Rachel Reeves’ last appearance in Liverpool. Since then, the Budget and borrowing costs have left her precariously exposed, in both Westminster and the City. But Reeves – a Labour tribalist to her core – seemed to draw heart from the conference floor. In a solid, if unspectacular performance, her peroration contained some red meat for the party to cheer: the abolition of long-term youth unemployment, new libraries and plans for an EU youth mobility scheme. Yet it was the first half of Reeves’ speech which highlighted the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future that she must slay to win re-election in 2029. The first was Liz Truss and the Tories.

Sunday

James Heale

Keir Starmer: Reform’s migration policy is ‘racist’

From our UK edition

Labour conference has begun this weekend in Liverpool under something of a cloud. The run-up to the five-day shindig has been dominated by questions about old donations and Andy Burnham’s intentions. A slew of poor polls suggest the party has gone badly off track after 14 months in office. But following a summer in which many of his party felt that he had gone missing in action, Keir Starmer appears to now be channeling Donald Trump’s mantra: fight, fight, fight. The Prime Minister used an interview with the BBC this morning to come out swinging, taking aim at his critics both inside and outside the Labour party. It is an approach that will resonate with some of his demoralised backbenchers who are, in the words of one, ‘waiting for a lead’.

Saturday

James Heale

Panic and plotting inside Labour conference

From our UK edition

The Labour party returns to Liverpool this weekend for its annual four-day jamboree. Twelve months after a dismal conference, dominated by discussions about donations, drift and dire decisions, most party activists will be disappointed that the situation has not improved. In 2024, the story was the controversial then-chief of staff Sue Gray and ‘freebiegate’ – the row over the multi-thousand-pound clothes Keir Starmer accepted from Labour donor, Lord Alli. In 2025, it will be the futures of Starmer and Gray’s successor, Morgan McSweeney. Both men are under intense pressure amid doubts about their chosen political strategy. ‘It's going to be a shitshow,’ says one MP who has decided to skip the conference.

Friday

James Heale

ID cards are back: will they work?

From our UK edition

17 min listen

The Labour machine has whirred into gear to try and contain a certain Northern mayor’s mischievous interventions this week, by announcing a big controversial piece of policy. The news that ID cards – Tony Blair’s pet project – will be introduced has splashed all the front pages, demoting Andy Burnham to yesterday’s news. It’s a policy with broad public support, but with a passionate minority opposition including the leaders of the other major parties. The fact that it is being rebranded as a ‘Brit card’ with the aim of tackling the migration crisis has also ruffled a few feathers. Will it work politically? And, more importantly, will it work in practice?  Lucy Dunn speaks to Tim Shipman and James Heale.  Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

James Heale

Starmer’s Reform solution? ID cards

From our UK edition

It has been another difficult week for Keir Starmer. He has lost his director of communications, and his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, is under constant fire. The economy is stagnant and he faces near-constant manoeuvring from Andy Burnham. So today’s speech at the ‘Global Progress Action Summit’ in London took on an added weight. With Labour conference beginning on Sunday, many of Starmer’s MPs and members are looking for a lead after another summer of drift. The Prime Minister sought to do that in a 20-minute address. His speech sought to explain the loss of confidence which has seen the party’s poll rating slump to less than 20 per cent.

Thursday

James Heale

Labour unveils its Reform fightback

From our UK edition

After a summer of drift, Labour today launches a fresh fightback against the rise of Reform UK. Leading the charge is Steve Reed, the recently promoted Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). In an interview with Michael Gove for The Spectator’s YouTube channel, he explained the thinking behind his department’s new ‘Pride in Place’ programme. A reported £3.4 billion will be pumped into struggling communities over the next decade to try and to resurrect the British high street. You can watch the full interview below. Reed’s argument is simple: if communities are stronger, they are less likely to turn away from Labour and vote for Reform. ‘Nigel Farage weaponises grievance’, Reed says.

James Heale

What’s really behind Reform’s rise

From our UK edition

It is the question dominating bars and fringe debates this party conference season: what exactly is driving Reform UK’s popularity? Various explanations are proffered: the collapse of the two-party system, fickle voter tastes, the rise of populism across the West. But these are symptoms of a much greater shift: the new information age, unleashed by the internet. In a nation whose politics have long been characterised by venerable institutions, Reform, born in 2020, can claim to be Britain’s first successful e-party. Like most apparent overnight successes, Reform has in fact been years in the making. For much of the 2000s, Nigel Farage struggled to get anywhere with his Eurosceptic messaging.

Wednesday

James Heale

Burnham fires warning shot at Starmer

From our UK edition

Labour conference begins on Sunday. Keir Starmer is under fire, besieged by all sides. The party’s left think he is a fraud; the party’s right believe him to be incompetent. All agree that he is rudderless and fear he is leading Labour to defeat. So it is with exquisite timing then that Andy Burnham has done a big glossy interview with the New Statesman, who stick him on the front of their cover, four days before the Prime Minister meets with his mutinous members up in Liverpool. The Mayor of Greater Manchester’s intervention is predictably unhelpful for Starmer. Amid plenty of wistful musings about the joys of Northern England, Burnham signals his discontent with the direction of this government.

Tuesday

James Heale

Ed Davey pitches himself as the anti-Farage

From our UK edition

11 min listen

The Liberal Democrat party conference in Bournemouth has concluded with a speech from leader Sir Ed Davey. While the current crop of Liberal Democrats are the most successful third-party in 100 years, they have faced questions about why they aren't cutting through more while Reform is. It's something Davey is aware of and – hoping to exploit how divisive the leader of Reform is – he sought to pitch himself as the anti-Farage. Will it work? Plus, more bad news for the Chancellor. Labour had pledged to aim for the highest growth in the G7. New figures from the OECD did upgrade their global growth forecast, including for Britain, but projected that the UK would see the highest inflation across the G7. How bad is this for Rachel Reeves?

James Heale

Ed Davey savages Nigel Farage in his Lib Dem conference speech

From our UK edition

Liberal Democrats have been looking forward all summer to Sir Ed Davey’s party conference speech. For months, Nigel Farage’s Cheshire cat grin has been a fixture of British politics, as his bunch of merry men have run rings around the Labour government. In No. 10, Keir Starmer and his aides appear baffled and bemused, unable to stop the boats or fix this country’s ails. Reform’s polling has soared to record levels as the public mood hardens on migration, asylum and security. Much of the Westminster elite have been in despair, enraged by what they see as Starmer’s cowardly unwillingness to check the rise of Reform UK. Today, it was a different knight who answered their prayers and delivered a full-frontal attack on Farage that will have the progressive pundits cheering.

James Heale

The secret behind Ed Davey’s stunts

From our UK edition

Each new day at Liberal Democrat conference means one thing: another stunt with the party’s MPs. Flower-arranging, morning swims and a marching band have all featured thus far. Most have gone down well with the party’s MPs. They gamely play along whenever Ed Davey’s apparatchiks press-gang them into another photo opportunity. ‘More Orange Order than Orange Book’ was the verdict of one on Davey’s baton-twirling arrival in Bournemouth. Another compared it to a scene from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Such appreciation is not shared by all though. In the run-up to conference, one MP told the i newspaper that the time for such ‘bullshit stunts’ was over. Similar sentiments are shared by conference attendees and the travelling press pack. But Davey’s team are unrepentant.

Monday

James Heale

Farage goes after Boris

From our UK edition

16 min listen

Nigel Farage has unveiled his most radical immigration plan yet – scrapping indefinite leave to remain for migrants – in a move designed to reverse the so-called 'Boriswave.' James Heale explains how this would affect hundreds of thousands already living in the UK, why the party claims it could save £250 billion, and whether any of it is remotely feasible. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has formally recognised Palestine as a state, a decision hailed by many Labour MPs but criticised by others as diplomatically reckless. And, to round off a busy political Monday morning, the government has approved a second runway at Gatwick – but will it really boost growth before the next election? Lucy Dunn speaks to James Heale and Tim Shipman. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

James Heale

Reform thinks Boris Johnson is finished

From our UK edition

This morning Nigel Farage will unveil Reform’s latest policy. The party plans to abolish the status known as indefinite leave to remain (ILR), which allows those who have lived here for more than five years to receive benefits and apply for citizenship. All migrants with permanent residency will have to reapply for visas under stricter criteria, including higher language and salary requirements. Foreign nationals will be barred from accessing benefits. Reform claims this will save £234 billion – though the think tank which produced those figures now suggests a revision is necessary. The announcement aims to address concerns about the party’s fiscal probity.

Sunday

James Heale

Keir Starmer: UK recognises a Palestinian state

From our UK edition

This afternoon, Keir Starmer declared that the UK now formally recognises a Palestinian state. In a six-minute video, posted on X, the Prime Minister took the step that many of his colleagues have wanted him to do for months. 'We are acting to keep alive the possibility of peace and a two-state solution', said Starmer. He argued that the move was necessary because of the 'growing horror' of the Israeli offensive, insisting it did not amount to 'a reward for Hamas'. The Labour leader urged Hamas to release the remaining hostages, with further sanctions expected in the coming weeks. A reformed Palestinian Authority would run the new state, with provisional borders based on 1967 lines with equal land swaps, finalised as part of future negotiations.

Saturday

James Heale

Should Britain recognise Palestine?

From our UK edition

17 min listen

The government is expected to press ahead with recognition of Palestinian statehood, before a formal declaration at the United Nations. Prime Minister Keir Starmer set out plans earlier this year to recognise Palestine – but what does this actually mean? And what does the move actually achieve; is it driven by principle, by politics – or by pressure from within his own party? Michael Stephens of RUSI and Gabriel Pogrund of the Sunday Times join James Heale to assess the significance of this shift. They discuss the backlash from countries like the US, the unease within Labour ranks and the growing tension between domestic politics and Britain’s standing with allies in the Middle East.

Friday

James Heale

Inside the ‘Your Party’ meltdown

From our UK edition

13 min listen

Who would have thought it? Jeremy Corbyn’s insurgent party co-venture with Zarah Sultana seems to have imploded before it even got going. On Thursday, 'Your Party' supporters received an email from Zarah Sultana detailing how they could sign up for a £55 membership. Soon after, Jeremy Corbyn released a statement – co-signed by the so-called Gaza independent MPs that make up the as-yet-untitled party – which dismissed Sultana’s email as ‘unauthorised’, and that they were seeking legal advice. James Heale describes how it has the air of a 'South American coup', with both sides briefing against each other, including Zarah Sultana’s camp accusing Jeremy Corbyn of overseeing a ‘sexist boys’ club’.

Thursday

James Heale

Starmer survives another Trump encounter

From our UK edition

Every time Keir Starmer meets with Donald Trump, journalists ask each other the same question. ‘Will today be the day it all blows up?’ Ahead of this week’s state visit, the odds were not in Starmer’s favour. Whether it was Peter Mandelson’s departure, Britain’s looming recognition of Palestine or even Starmer’s plummeting poll ratings, today’s press conference was fraught with potential difficulties. But, once again, the Prime Minister survived the encounter relatively unscathed, with the President declining multiple chances to take a swing at his beleaguered counterpart. In the splendour of the Great Hall at Chequers, the two men began the encounter by hailing the military and scientific bonds between their nations. A new agreement was trumpeted by Starmer.

James Heale

Danny Kruger: ‘There’s no going back for the Tory party’

From our UK edition

‘The Conservative party is over.’ Until recently, such talk could be dismissed in Westminster as typical Nigel Farage hyperbole. But the decision of Danny Kruger to defect to Reform UK this week has left some Tories wondering if their party’s condition is fatal. Kruger – MP for East Wiltshire since 2019 – wrote speeches for David Cameron, corralled troops for Boris Johnson and ran Robert Jenrick’s leadership campaign last year. Until this week, he was seen as one of the Tory party’s most prominent thinkers. He is the biggest defection to Reform yet. When we meet in his new party’s headquarters, Kruger is reflecting on the brutal business of politics. Outside, Union Jacks flutter at half-mast for the funeral of the Duchess of Kent.

Wednesday

James Heale

Andy Burnham’s ‘fantasy politics’

From our UK edition

23 min listen

Donald Trump might be in the UK for the state visit, but it’s Labour pains that are dominating the headlines and, predictably, there is a typical northern lad who thinks he could be just what the party needs. Despite having made two previous (failed) attempts at the leadership, Andy Burnham is on manoeuvres. He does seem to have the key thing that Starmer lacks – i.e. the ability to communicate – but he does unfortunately come with his own history of flip-flopping. What does this say about the state of the left wing? ‘They clearly hate it!’ says Tim Shipman on today’s podcast about Labour’s experience of government, but is Burnham’s ‘fantasy politics’ really the answer? And could he be the one to take the fight to Reform?