Katy Balls is The Spectator’s political editor.
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Boris Johnson today said there was ‘no question’ that the government would announce tighter coronavirus restrictions, as case numbers continue to surge. It came after health secretary Matt Hancock said this morning that the existing tier system is ‘no longer strong enough’. What will further restrictions look like? Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson and
Boris Johnson kicked off the new year with an appearance on The Andrew Marr show in which he warned of tough weeks ahead for the country. With Covid cases on the rise and concerns among the scientific community that the current restrictions will not be enough to contain spread of the virus, the Prime Minister said that restrictions
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After four and a half years, Brexit has finally happened with a free trade deal passed. But with Scottish independence hotting up and the pandemic not yet finished, the government faces more challenges in the very short term. Cindy Yu talks to Katy Balls and James Forsyth about what’s coming next.
Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal has passed the Commons with a majority of 448 at its third reading – with MPs voting 521 in favour to 73 against. The bill will now go to the House of Lords where it is expected to pass all its stages before the end of the day, ahead of the UK
As Boris Johnson celebrates his Brexit deal in the Commons chamber, it’s Sir Keir Starmer who has had the more difficult task today in responding to the Prime Minister. As Tory Brexiteers line up to praise Johnson’s work – with Bill Cash comparing him to Pericles and Alexander the Great – the Labour leader had to
When Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal comes to a vote in the Commons on Wednesday, expect a bigger rebellion on the Labour benches than among Tory MPs. This afternoon, the European Research Group of Conservative eurosceptics have given their approval to the Brexit deal. After studying the agreement, the ERG ‘star chamber’ – led by Bill Cash –
As ministers consider placing more areas under Tier 4 restrictions in the upcoming tier review, there are a growing number of Tory MPs keen to get back to parliament and scrutinise the government’s plans. However, they will likely have to wait. Coffee House understands that plans are afoot to push back recess dates by a week. When
After Boris Johnson waxed lyrical about his Brexit deal in today’s Downing Street press conference, it’s now over to MPs to give their verdict. During the press conference announcing the terms of the deal agreed between the UK and EU, the Prime Minister confirmed that the government plans to put the deal to a vote on
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A Brexit deal has been reached. Negotiations over fisheries continued into the early hours of Christmas Eve, and Boris Johnson finalised the agreement with Ursula von der Leyen at 1:44pm. The PM said the treaty resolves a ‘question that has bedevilled politics for decades’, while the EU Commission President said it was ‘time to leave
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Another day, another press conference. In today’s, Matt Hancock announced more regions to enter Tier 4 restrictions come Boxing Day, as well as another new, highly transmissible, strain of the virus. Cindy Yu talks to Isabel Hardman and Katy Balls about the latest updates, as well as signs of potential white smoke on the Brexit
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At yesterday’s press conference, Boris Johnson said there were just 170 lorries queuing in Kent to cross the Channel. Today, there are expected to be around 1,500. The government is continuing discussions with France to get freight moving again, but will Boris be blamed for the hold-up? Isabel Hardman speaks to James Forsyth and Katy
Is England heading for a new year lockdown? That’s the suggestion in several papers today after chief scientific officer Patrick Vallance used a government press conference on Monday to declare that measures would likely ‘need to be increased’ in areas not currently under Tier 4. This comes after Matt Hancock suggested those parts of England currently facing
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Speaking alongside Patrick Vallance and Grant Shapps, Boris Johnson said we could expect ‘a very, very different world for this country from Easter onwards’. But will the new Covid strain derail the easing of restrictions? Katy Balls speaks to James Forsyth.
As 16.4 million people wake up to the first day of Tier 4 restrictions, many are asking for how long the draconian measures will be in place. While the restrictions will be reviewed at the end of the month, the Health Secretary said they could be in place for much longer than a few weeks. Speaking on
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Christmas has been cancelled, after all. In London and parts of the South East, new Tier 4 restrictions mean that households will not be able to mix indoors; whereas in the rest of the country families can only get together on Christmas day. Does this government suffer from consistently over-promising? Katy Balls talks to James
It was only a few days ago that Boris Johnson stood in the Commons chamber and accused Sir Keir Starmer of wanting to ‘cancel Christmas’ as he defended the government’s plan to relax restrictions over the festive period. However, that plan has now changed. Following rumours in the press that London could be placed under Tier
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This week Liz Truss promised to shake up the equalities brief, opting for ‘facts not fashion’ in the fight against inequality that looks at regions and class, not just gender and race. What can we learn about the government’s future direction from this speech? Cindy Yu talks to Fraser Nelson and Katy Balls.
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Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen spoke last night in another attempt to push the Brexit discussions forward. Statements released after call made clear that fishing rights remain the last serious hurdle – but will negotiators let it sink a deal? James Forsyth discusses with Katy Balls.
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How will the UK’s economy recover from Covid-19, and what has the pandemic revealed about the West? (01:20) Was 2020 the year we dealt a mortal blow to future viruses? (15:05) And finally, what makes Mary Gaitskill a brilliant writer, and why does Elif Shafak work to heavy metal music? (29:25) With The Spectator‘s political
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As parliament breaks up for recess, the government likely dodged a Tory rebellion by allowing Christmas to go ahead. Katy Balls and James Forsyth chew over what’s next for MPs on Brexit and Covid.