Joe Bedell-Brill

Joe Bedell-Brill reviews the Sunday politics shows for The Spectator

Sunday shows round-up: Labour reacts to the Gaza ceasefire

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas tentatively came into effect at 9.15 a.m. UK time, following a three-hour delay caused by Israel not receiving the names of three female hostages to be freed later today. News of the imminent ceasefire emerged as Laura Kuenssberg interviewed Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones on the BBC.

Sunday shows: calls grow for Tulip Siddiq to resign

Peter Kyle: Tulip Siddiq will lose job if inquiry finds her guilty of breaking ministerial code The Conservatives have called for the prime minister to sack anti-corruption Treasury Minister Tulip Siddiq after she herself became part of a corruption investigation. Reports have emerged that Siddiq may have been living in properties linked to her aunt,

Streeting defends Jess Phillips from Elon Musk

Wes Streeting: Elon Musk’s attacks are a ‘disgraceful smear’ Elon Musk has spent this week calling for the release of the far-right campaigner Tommy Robinson, and launching attacks at British politicians over a failure to prosecute gangs who groomed and raped young girls over a number of years in the north of England. Musk said

Sunday shows: Rayner ‘welcomes’ fall of Assad

Deputy PM ‘welcomes the news’ that the Assad regime has fallen Rebel forces in Syria have captured Damascus, and Bashar al-Assad has reportedly fled the capital, ending a regime that begin in 2000. On Sky News this morning, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner told Trevor Phillips she ‘welcomes that news’, but stressed that a political

Sunday shows round-up: Tories dodge migration questions

Louise Haigh resigned as transport secretary this week after it emerged she had committed a fraud offence in 2013, falsely telling police that her work mobile phone was stolen in a mugging. In 2022, Starmer had declared to the Commons: ‘lawbreakers cannot be lawmakers’. On Sky News, Trevor Phillips asked cabinet minister Pat McFadden if

Liz Kendall: those who won’t take up work may lose benefits

The number of people not in work has increased significantly since the pandemic, and the government is preparing to cut costs through changes to the welfare system. On Sky News this morning, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall was keen to stress that it was the government’s ‘responsibility to provide… new opportunities’ for young people

Jonathan Reynolds shoots down Transport Secretary’s P and O comments

Jonathan Reynolds: Transport Secretary’s comments on P&O Ferries ‘not the government’s position’ This week, Transport Secretary Louise Haigh described P&O Ferries as a ‘rogue operator’ and encouraged consumers to boycott the company, leading parent company DP World to threaten they would pull out of the government’s investment summit on Monday, and put a reported £1bn

Tzipi Hotovely: Israel will dismantle Iranian threat

Israel won’t rule out strikes against Iranian nuclear capabilities Iran launched missiles against Israel this week, and the world is waiting anxiously to see how Israel will respond. On the BBC this morning, Laura Kuenssberg asked Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely if Israel would rule out a strike against Iran’s nuclear capabilities, which President Biden opposes.

Keir Starmer: ‘We are going to have to be unpopular’

In his first major interview in Downing Street, the Prime Minister told Laura Kuenssberg that his government had to do ‘difficult things now’ in order to bring about change. Starmer’s plan to take away winter fuel allowances from most pensioners has drawn criticism, and he faces a potential rebellion in parliament next week over the

Labour won’t spend outside fiscal rules, says Reeves

Chancellor Reeves adamant she will ‘make sure the sums add up’ Rachel Reeves gave an interview with Laura Kuenssberg this morning in which she emphasised the ‘mess’ she says the Conservatives have left behind, and restated that Labour would not spend outside of its fiscal rules. Kuenssberg asked the Chancellor whether she would be prepared

Sunday shows round-up: politicians condemn Trump shooting

Today’s British news is dominated by Donald Trump narrowly escaped with his life after an attempted assassination at his rally in Pennsylvania. Images of the aftermath show Trump being escorted away with a bloodied ear, as one spectator was killed and two others are in critical condition. Secret service agents shot and killed the gunman,

Sunday shows round-up: the Tory election defeat inquest begins

Jonathan Reynolds on Reform: ‘Now…they will get the scrutiny they deserve’ On Sky News this morning, Trevor Phillips pointed out that Labour had the smallest vote share of any election-winning party – and asked the business and trade secretary Jonathan Reynolds if it was sustainable that votes for smaller parties like Reform and the Greens