Katy Balls

Katy Balls

Katy Balls is The Spectator’s former political editor.

Can Rishi stop small boats?

13 min listen

Tomorrow the government is set to deliver its plan the tackle small boats, legislation Rishi Sunak has been promising since before Christmas. Is Rishi about to get tough on immigration? Also on the podcast, what is the latest in the Sue Gray scandal? Will this – alongside continuing questions over Simon Case – start a

Sunak’s plan to stop the boats

Another weekend, another set of stories on the chances of a Boris Johnson return. Allies of the former prime minister are on the attack over the privileges committee’s partygate inquiry following the disclosure that Sue Gray – who led the report at the time – has been hired as Keir Starmer’s new chief of staff.

Coffee House Scots – what did we learn from this week’s hustings?

14 min listen

It’s been an interesting week in the race for the leadership of the SNP. Kate Forbes’s campaign has been plunged into fresh doubt by the news that her husband attended a private Tory hustings, whilst Douglas Ross has been forced to apologise after swearing during First Minister’s Questions. We also had the first televised hustings,

Sue Gray defects

14 min listen

Cindy Yu speaks to Katy Balls and Fraser Nelson about Sue Gray’s new role as Keir Starmer’s chief of staff and what happened on the Tory MP’s away day in Windsor. 

Katy Balls

What next for women in tech?

30 min listen

Women make up half of the workforce in the UK. Yet when it comes to high-skilled, high-income jobs in tech, just 26 per cent of the workforce are women and 77 per cent of tech leaders are men. Jobs in tech filter into almost every sector and women from all walks of life are discovering

Does Boris have a point on the Protocol?

17 min listen

Boris Johnson delivered his first speech since leaving No.10 and told the audience he would not be able to back Rishi Sunak’s Brexit deal. Although the Windsor Framework has largely received a lukewarm reception, does Boris have a point? Also on the podcast, Sue Gray has just resigned from the civil service to become Keir

Katy Balls

Boris Johnson criticises Sunak’s Northern Ireland deal

Boris Johnson has made his first comments on Rishi Sunak’s protocol deal. In a speech at the Global Soft Power Summit in the Queen Elizabeth II Centre, the former prime minister has criticised the agreement – titled the ‘Windsor framework’ – saying he will find it ‘difficult’ to vote for it. Johnson said he had

What we learned from the lockdown files

12 min listen

The Daily Telegraph has splashed on over 100,000 WhatsApp messages to and from Matt Hancock during his time as Health Secretary. Altogether they show the internal workings of the government and how key lockdown decisions were made during that time. On the podcast, James Heale talks to Katy Balls and Fraser Nelson, who has been working with

Katy Balls

Rishi’s new momentum

When Rishi Sunak appeared in the House of Commons to outline the details of his new agreement on the Northern Ireland Protocol, one politician was conspicuous by his absence. Over the past few weeks, Boris Johnson had been warning that Sunak was making a mistake in his dealings with Brussels. His words were taken by

Katy Balls

How Labour can win: Bridget Phillipson on childcare, Brexit and faith

On 12 April last year, Boris Johnson’s fixed penalty notice was dominating the news. Few noticed another, perhaps equally seismic political story in Bournemouth: a member of Keir Starmer’s shadow cabinet was being booed by the unions. Speaking at the National Education Union’s annual conference, shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson faced a revolt. She had

Has Rishi Sunak pulled this off?

15 min listen

James Heale speaks to Isabel Hardman and Katy Balls about some of the key points in the Windsor Framework. Having reached an agreement with the EU, can Rishi Sunak do the same with both the Tories and the DUP?

Has Rishi Sunak pulled this off?

Ahead of Rishi Sunak unveiling his revised deal on the Protocol, there was no shortage of Tory MPs – including some close allies – warning him to stay away from the issue. The thinking was that a row over Brexit would risk reopening old wounds and give Boris Johnson the chance to mount a comeback

Katy Balls

Northern Ireland Protocol: is this a ‘breakthrough’ deal?

14 min listen

Today Rishi Sunak has reached a revised agreement with the EU on Northern Ireland, and hailed it a ‘turning point’ for the people of Northern Ireland. But how will the DUP and – more importantly – Tory MPs, react?  Isabel Hardman speaks to Katy Balls and Sam Lowe. Produced by Oscar Edmondson. 

Katy Balls

Rishi Sunak unveils his ‘breakthrough’ Protocol deal

Rishi Sunak has hailed his new deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol a ‘turning point’ for the people of Northern Ireland. Titled the ‘Windsor framework’, the Prime Minister argued that the revised agreement would ensure stability in Northern Ireland and the strengthening of the Union. As the text of the deal is released, parties in

Katy Balls

Tory unrest over King Charles’s role on the Protocol

An agreement on the Northern Ireland Protocol has been reached. That’s according to a senior government source after Rishi Sunak and president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen met at Windsor. The pair are due to give a press conference in the next hour to confirm the news. The mood music today has largely

Sunak and Von der Leyen to meet as Brexit deal nears

A new deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol is imminent. Today, Rishi Sunak will meet with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen as the Prime Minister prepares to announce changes to the Protocol. In a joint statement between the two sides yesterday, a meeting has been confirmed: Today, President of the European Commission Ursula

Could Kate Forbes still win?

10 min listen

A poll of the SNP membership puts Kate Forbes as the frontrunner. Despite becoming embroiled in a row over her religious views, Forbes enjoys the support of 28 per cent of members, compared to Humza Yousaf’s 20 per cent. Could she win the contest?  Cindy Yu speaks to Katy Balls and James Heale.

Katy Balls

Is a deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol imminent?

Rishi Sunak hoped to end the week with a new agreement on the Northern Ireland Protocol. Instead, the Prime Minister delayed his plans to announce a fresh agreement in the face of concerns from the DUP – and members of the European Research Group. As I say in this week’s politics column in the magazine,

Was there anything Labour about Labour’s five missions?

10 min listen

Keir Starmer has set out Labour’s five missions for government in a speech today, but was there anything Labour about them? Cindy Yu talks to Katy Balls and Isabel Hardman about where this speech leaves the Labour party’s chances to win the next election. Also on the podcast: the government’s plan to cut the asylum

Sunak’s Brexit gamble

Since Britain voted to leave the European Union, every prime minister has had to grapple with the conundrum of the Irish border. How can Brexit be delivered, while protecting Northern Ireland’s place within the United Kingdom and avoiding a land border with the EU? The hope is that the DUP will refrain from coming out