Katy Balls is The Spectator’s political editor.
14 min listen
Keir Starmer was keen to put clear blue water between himself and Corbyn’s Labour party today, on both the apology to anti-Semitism whistleblowers and the Russia report. Will this cut through to the voters? Cindy Yu talks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls.
In the last Prime Minister’s Questions before the summer recess, Keir Starmer put the most distance between himself and his predecessor to date. On the day the Labour party agreed to pay damages to seven former employees who sued the party in an anti-Semitism row, the Labour leader used his appearance opposite Johnson to make
13 min listen
The long-awaited Russia report is finally out, so what are the revelations within it? Katy Balls speaks to James Forsyth and the New Statesman’s Political Editor, Stephen Bush.
Dominic Raab has this afternoon confirmed that the UK will suspend its extradition treaty with Hong Kong ‘immediately and indefinitely’. Speaking in the Commons chamber, the Foreign Secretary said the imposition of China’s controversial security law in Hong Kong amounted to a ‘serious violation’ of the country’s international obligations and as a result the UK
16 min listen
Now that Huawei is banned, China hawks in the Conservative Party are turning their attention to social media platform TikTok, which is owned by a Chinese company. It comes as the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives in the UK today to meet with Conservative backbenchers and the government to discuss China further. Cindy
Relations between the UK and China came under even greater strain over the weekend. In a fraught interview on the Andrew Marr Show, the Chinese ambassador to the UK Liu Xiaoming said his government was still ‘evaluating the consequences’ of the ‘very bad decision’ by the UK government to ban Huawei from 5G networks by the end of 2027. It
Tomorrow Boris Johnson is expected to unveil his plan to get the country back to the office. However, the past 24 hours have offered a reminder of the pressure the Prime Minister faces on both sides when it comes to forging a path forward. On Wednesday night, Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey addressed Tory
15 min listen
Chris Grayling failed to win the chairmanship of the Intelligence and Security Committee on Wednesday evening. In his stead, Julian Lewis clinched the position, and No 10 withdrew the whip from Lewis. On the podcast, Cindy Yu talks to Katy Balls and James Forsyth about why this happened and whether it’s better to rule by
15 min listen
Boris Johnson has confirmed that there will be an inquiry into the handling of the pandemic after a possible second wave is over. On the podcast, Katy Balls talks to James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson about what it will find and who should be worried.
Chris Grayling has this evening been thwarted in his attempt to become chair of parliament’s Intelligence and Security committee. Instead, the committee voted for Julian Lewis, a former chairman of the Commons Defence Committee, to take on the coveted role – with the Tory backbencher joining forces with Labour. The former transport secretary was the favourite
Each week it seems as though a new public figure enters the foray to offer their verdict on who is to blame for mistakes made in the UK response to coronavirus. Today Boris Johnson committed to holding an official inquiry to find out just this. Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, Johnson said – in response
As Sir Keir Starmer marks 100 days this week as Labour leader, the polls have shown encouraging signs for his leadership. After leading Boris Johnson a few weeks ago on the question of who would make the best prime minister in an Opinium poll, an Observer poll over the weekend found that he also leads on competence, while 52 per
15 min listen
In recent days, more supportive noises have been made by those on the top of government about the wearing of face masks indoors, especially in shops. Scotland has already made it compulsory. But it wasn’t long ago when the government was saying that face masks may even harm efforts to control the virus. So does
13 min listen
Dominic Cummings will be touring key Ministry of Defence sites ahead of this year’s defence review. So how would he like to reform the UK’s military and defence capabilities? Katy Balls finds out from James Forsyth and the Times’s Defence Editor Lucy Fisher.
11 min listen
New lockdown easing measures have been announced, so later this month swimming pools, gyms, and outdoor theatres will be reopening in England. At the same time, the government advice on offices is still to work from home and do not travel by public transport. So are offices and trains really much less safe than beauty
After Rishi Sunak’s attempts to kickstart the economy on Wednesday, the government has announced plans to further unwind the lockdown. From this weekend, artists and musicians can perform live outside while outdoor pools will also be opened. As of Monday, beauticians, spas, tattooists, and tanning salons can reopen. Finally those looking to work off any lockdown pounds
15 min listen
The Chancellor’s statement has gone down well but the big question is how the government will pay for all this. On the podcast, Cindy Yu talks to Katy Balls and James Forsyth about the possibility of tax rises, why the Governor of the Bank of England is still planning to address the 1922 committee, John
This week Boris Johnson came under heavy criticism for suggesting ‘too many care homes didn’t really follow the procedures in the way that they could have’. While the Prime Minister has since said he stands by the comments, the intervention appears to be part of an inevitable blame game over who is at fault for
15 min listen
The Chancellor has given his mini-Budget in a statement to the Commons today, and among a raft of stimulus measures from a VAT cut to stamp duty reduction, he has announced measures designed to keep down unemployment. But the government is clearly braced for a wave of unemployment when furlough ends, so are his pledges
13 min listen
Boris Johnson has rowed back on comments suggesting that care homes suffered from the pandemic because they did not follow procedure, after a widespread backlash. On the podcast, Cindy Yu talks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls about whether or not social care reform is inevitable, as well as why Andrew Bailey planned to address
