Kate Andrews is economics editor of The Spectator
21 min listen
Liz Truss has U-turned on a public worker pay plan announced just last night – the idea being that pay would reflect the cost of living in regional areas. What made her backtrack on the announcement? And how damaging has this been to her campaign? ‘Any discussion of lowering pay right now is politically intolerable.
That was quick. Less than 15 hours after pledging a robust reform of public sector pay, Liz Truss has performed a u-turn on plans to bring national pay bargaining to an end. It comes after criticism mounted that slashing pay for new frontline staff was not the most obvious way to handle an escalating cost-of-living
The Tory leadership race is becoming a test of patience. Today Rishi Sunak has laid out his plan to slash tax: not in a matter of days or weeks, as Liz Truss has pledged to do, but by the end of the next parliament. He’s promised to reduce the base rate of income tax by
17 min listen
On this week’s episode: Sam Leith looks at what TikTok and tech have done to our memories (0:34). Kate Andrews is in two minds about Trussonomics (06:50) and Toby Young tells us about a holiday to Iceland with teenage sons (12.34). Presented and produced by Natasha Feroze.
Rishi Sunak took a major risk tonight, agreeing to a one-on-one interview with Andrew Neil on Channel 4 News. As Katy Balls says on our reaction podcast, more often than not politicians come crawling out of Neil’s interviews. At best, they hope to survive them. Tonight Sunak faced the most detailed grilling on his economy
12 min listen
Rishi Sunak sat down this evening for a 30-minute interview with Andrew Neil. They covered the economy, the NHS, immigration and the former chancellor’s personal finances. Sunak knew he was taking a risk in sitting down with Neil. Was it worth it? Max Jeffery speaks to Katy Balls and Kate Andrews. Produced by Max Jeffery.
21 min listen
Freddy Gray is joined by Kate Andrews, The Spectator’s economics editor; and Mark Asquith, a fund manager, to discuss if the worst of America’s inflationary pressures will soon be a thing of the past.
13 min listen
You can always count on Labour to descend into civil war while the media is focused on the Conservative party’s in-fighting. After Keir Starmer fired a junior shadow transport minister, Sam Tarry, earlier this week for his involvement in the strike action, the left of the party has hit back, raising questions over Keir Starmer’s
47 min listen
In this week’s episode:Can Rishi catch up?Katy Balls and Kate Andrews discuss Rishi Sunak’s mad dash to catch up with his rival, Liz Truss in the polls (0.55)Also this week:Is it time the UK severed ties with Chinese-made tech?Charles Parton argues this in the magazine this week. He is joined by Dr Alexi Drew, a
I’ve been lucky enough in my working life so far to hold a string of jobs that have allowed me – if not actively encouraged me – to be critical of government. Coming up through Westminster thinktanks in my twenties, I had great fun putting out press releases that tore apart bad public policy. When
10 min listen
Having spent the last four debates suggesting that tax cuts are irresponsible and immoral, Rishi Sunak says he will cut VAT on energy bills if he becomes the next prime minister. Those defending him have suggested that this particular tax cut is temporary, it is funded and will help ease the cost of living crisis.
Is Rishi Sunak spooked? Today’s big tax announcement – his plan to temporarily slash VAT on energy bills this winter should he become Prime Minister, saving the average household £160 – is being viewed as a U-turn. This comes after the former chancellor used the first four leadership debates to double down on the importance
I suspect Rishi Sunak will watch back last night’s BBC Tory leadership debate with some regret. His frequent interruptions of Liz Truss did him no favours — not simply because it came across at points as impolite, but because on plenty of occasions he would have been better off letting her answer his questions (or not answer
Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss have only a few weeks to make their case before postal voting begins on 1 August. Sunak has vowed to be ‘the heir to Margaret Thatcher’ in a comment piece in the Daily Telegraph today, in which he promises to deliver a ‘radical’ set of reform, without expanding much on what that
The Tory grassroots have got themselves a real economic debate this summer: Rishi Sunak’s ‘Thatcherite’ economic philosophy vs Liz Truss’s ‘Reaganite’ plans to boost growth. It’s not the most obvious distinction, given the former prime minister and president were great free-market allies. Both also cut tax. But it’s about the order of priorities: like the
59 min listen
Staying on top of your personal finances has never been easier. Anyone can now buy and sell stocks at the tap of a phone screen, with even more progress in fintech just around the corner. What does this bold new world of investing mean for markets, policymakers and everyday investors? Does smart technology mean easy
Rishi Sunak has a reputation for sleek and snazzy presentation, and his leadership launch this morning was no exception – by Westminster standards, anyway. The air-conditioning was on full blast as young activists lined up with their ‘Ready For Rishi!’ signs, next to heavily branded backdrops. And the guest list was long. MPs in attendance
There’s something strange happening in Tory politics. It’s not surprising to see leadership candidates taking special aim at the current frontrunner Rishi Sunak. But the attacks being used are redefining the economic philosophy of the Tory party in a way that could soon backfire, regardless of who wins the top job.Take, for example, Liz Truss’s
Rather unsurprisingly, the bulk of MPs who have declared their leadership bids so far are promising lower taxes. Also unsurprisingly, very few details are on offer explaining how they’d do it. In Nadhim Zahawi’s early pitch to the public — he is expected to share more tomorrow — he’s asserted that ‘taxes for individuals, families
What does Boris Johnson’s resignation mean for the economy? The pound started its rebound yesterday from a two-year low against the US dollar after Johnson resigned. A few economists were quick to point out though that it had dropped so much, there was only one place it could really go: up. It’s very likely this leadership
