Katy Balls is The Spectator’s political editor.
One of the questions regularly asked by Tory MPs on the libertarian wing of the party: why isn’t the UK taking the Swedish approach on coronavirus? After the Prime Minister announced this week that the public ought to expect at least six more months of restrictions, Johnson has faced a backlash both within his own party and among certain sections
Boris Johnson addressed the nation this evening to update the public on his government’s coronavirus strategy. After announcing the broad details of the new measures at the despatch box this lunchtime, tonight’s statement was focussed on justifying the new restrictions. The Prime Minister said that while there were no easy choices ahead, he was confident the country would
20 min listen
Boris Johnson today warned that Britain has ‘reached a perilous turning point’ in its battle with coronavirus, as he ordered pubs to close at 10pm and pledged to crack down on rule-breakers. The package of new restrictions were not as sweeping as many Tory MPs had feared, but with the Prime Minister saying that his government
Keir Starmer’s first conference speech as Labour leader did not go as he had first planned. Social distancing measures meant that he had to deliver it from Doncaster to an empty hall. Meanwhile, the time was changed at the last minute so as to avoid a clash with government announcements on new coronavirus restrictions. But Starmer still managed
As the UK’s coronavirus alert level is upgraded from three to four, all focus is now on what new restrictions Boris Johnson will announce on Tuesday when he makes a statement to the Commons. Before he gets there, the Prime Minister must first meet with his cabinet and chair Cobra. Monday’s briefing from Chief Scientific Officer Patrick
11 min listen
In a Downing Street statement this morning, Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance presented their take on the latest coronavirus data. Speaking without a government representative, the pair said that Brits needed to ‘break unnecessary links between households’ and warned that the UK could see 50,000 new coronavirus infections a day by mid-October. But why didn’t
A taste of what to expect over the next six months came in today’s press conference with Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance. Following reports of plans in government for new national restrictions and a potential lockdown, the pair used their public address to provide an update of the latest
13 min listen
The government is reportedly considering the short-term reintroduction of nationwide social restrictions to halt the spread of coronavirus. Will a two-week ‘circuit break’ make a difference, or simply delay the inevitable? Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth.
16 min listen
The government has promised to deliver a nationwide mass testing programme by the beginning of next year, claiming it could offer a route out of continued restrictions. But with mounting reports about the failing test and trace system, is Operation Moonshot impossible? Cindy Yu speaks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls.
As the government tightens coronavirus restrictions across swathes of the north east, Boris Johnson is facing his worst polling on the issue since the crisis began. According to a YouGov poll, approval of government handling of coronavirus is at its lowest: -33, compared to -18 last week. Coffee House understands this broadly tallies with internal government polling. Those
12 min listen
The government’s Internal Market Bill won’t reach the House of Lords until after the October EU Council, James Forsyth tells Katy Balls and Fraser Nelson on the podcast today. This means that the bill won’t become law anytime soon, and provides the government leverage for a deal in that Council. So was this a ploy
As the government comes under fire over its Brexit tactics, testing capacity and coronavirus guidelines, Boris Johnson was this afternoon summoned before the liaison committee to answer questions on all of the above. Although dialogue remained civil between the PM and the panel – made up of select committee chairs – there were signs that Johnson might prefer to
Boris Johnson faced a new opponent at Prime Minister’s Questions today – Angela Rayner. With Sir Keir Starmer stuck at home waiting for the results of a family member’s coronavirus test (which has since come back as negative), Labour’s deputy took to the despatch box. Her performance led to a notably different approach by Johnson, the PM was
14 min listen
Amid reports of local testing shortages, Matt Hancock told MPs today that the system is facing an ‘enormous challenge’ after a ‘sharp rise’ in demand. While the government has pledged to deliver 500,000 tests a day by the end of October, just 220,000 are currently being processed. Can the government fix the problem? Katy Balls
13 min listen
Former attorney general Geoffrey Cox has today warned that the Internal Markets Bill could cause ‘unconscionable’ damage to the UK’s international standing. With a vote on the legislation due later today, could a rebellion overcome the government’s majority? Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth.
Is the government facing a looming defeat on the internal market bill? After plans by Boris Johnson and his ministers to override parts of the withdrawal agreement through the legislation came to light last week, there has been a growing backlash among Tory MPs. The decision by Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis to stand up at
19 min listen
The EU said it could walk away from trade talks after the government announced that it planned to break international law in its Internal Markets Bill. But how will Ireland, one of the countries most affected by the government’s decision, react? Katy Balls speaks to Peter Foster, public policy editor of the Financial Times, Pat
10 min listen
As England heads into stricter lockdown measures shortly, James Forsyth talks to Katy Balls and Fraser Nelson about the growing unease amongst backbenchers over the government’s strict Covid response. Is it time for the government to try harder to make a case for its approach?
This evening Boris Johnson used a video call to address Conservative MPs following unease over No. 10’s Brexit tactics. With a Tory backlash growing over the plan to break international law and rewrite parts of the withdrawal agreement relating to the Northern Ireland protocol, the Prime Minister sought to convince MPs of the necessity of
The UK and Japan have this morning agreed a new free trade deal between the two countries. With International Trade Secretary Liz Truss working to secure a number of FTAs for when the Brexit transition period ends, this is the first that goes beyond what the UK had under EU arrangements. Announcing the news, Truss said this marked