Is Rishi Sunak going soft on China?
14 min listen
Katy Balls speaks to Cindy Yu, James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson about the Prime Minister’s attitudes towards China and how to deal with the challenges it presents for the UK and the world.
Katy Balls
Katy Balls is The Spectator’s political editor.
Saturday
Friday
Sajid Javid to stand down at next election
Sajid Javid has become the latest Conservative MP to signal that they will be standing down at the next election. Announcing the news in a letter to his party chairman posted on social media, the former chancellor said the current boundary review deadline – which has seen MPs asked to signal by 5 December whether
Are the Tories in terminal decline?
14 min listen
Sajid Javid has announced that he won’t be standing for re-election, while also today, the Chester by-election saw the Conservative party suffered the worst loss in seat since 1832. Is the party in terminal decline? Katy Balls talks to James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson. Produced by Cindy Yu.
The Kezia Dugdale Edition
Kezia Dugdale was the leader of the Scottish Labour party from 2015 to 2017, taking on the job at a tough time following a near-wipeout defeat at Westminster. She served as an MSP for the Lothian region until 2019, and now runs the John Smith Centre for Public Service at the University of Glasgow. On
Labour wins Chester by-election with increased majority
Keir Starmer has reason for cheer this morning after his party comfortably held the City of Chester following yesterday’s by-election. Labour candidate Samantha Dixon increased the majority her predecessor Christian Matheson won in the 2019 general election from 6,164 to 10,974. Labour had a swing of just over 13 per cent from the Conservatives –
Thursday
Who could replace Ian Blackford?
9 min listen
Ian Blackford will stand down as SNP leader. After five years in the role, it is time for ‘fresh leadership’, Blackford says. But who will take over? Cindy Yu speaks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls.
Wednesday
How effective is Labour’s class war?
13 min listen
In today’s Prime Minister’s Questions, Keir Starmer went in on Rishi Sunak’s privileged background. Starmer detailed the various facilities available at Winchester College, where Sunak was educated, from an art gallery to a shooting range. Is this an effective line of attack, or do voters simply not care? Katy Balls talks to James Forsyth and
Tuesday
Does Sunak see China as a threat?
12 min listen
Rishi Sunak has signalled the end of the ‘golden era’ of relations between Britain and China, warning of Xi Jinping’s creeping authoritarianism. In his first foreign policy set piece, was it enough to get the China hawks onside? Also on the podcast, James Forsyth and Katy Balls look at the latest amendments to the Online
Is Sunak tough enough on China?
When it comes to policy, the area where the least is known about Rishi Sunak’s views is foreign affairs. As chancellor, the bulk of his time was spent focussing on the domestic front. During the (first) Tory leadership contest over the summer, Liz Truss’s campaign accused Sunak of being soft on Russia and China. Last
Monday
Can Sunak get a grip on his party?
14 min listen
As MPs mull over whether they would like to stand in the next general election, the cracks in the party widen. Notable MPs like Chloe Smith and Dehenna Davison have already declared they will not stand but there are likely to be more over the coming days. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has two rebellions to
Can Sunak get a grip on his party?
As Tory MPs ponder whether to stand down at the next election in the face of grim polling, the Prime Minister is facing an uphill task to show he has a grip on his party. Ahead of a difficult winter with the NHS and public sector strikes, Rishi Sunak is facing a two pronged rebellion
Friday
Truss and Johnson’s rebellion gives Sunak a headache
It wasn’t so long ago that people complained that not enough former prime ministers chose to stay on as MPs. However, Rishi Sunak is fast discovering the downside to having one’s predecessors stick around. Boris Johnson and Liz Truss are reportedly planning to back an attempt led by former Levelling Up Secretary Simon Clarke to
How will the NHS cope this winter?
10 min listen
Today the nurses’ union have announced that they will strike this winter as they seek a pay rise of 5 per cent above inflation. How do the government navigate these strikes? Where do Labour stand? Also on the podcast, with the government trying to fill the 1 million vacancies in the job market, how do
Thursday
Can the government get a grip on immigration?
10 min listen
New migration numbers out today show that, for the first time ever, net migration have exceeded 500,000 a year. Is this a problem for the government, or is this the kind of immigration that they actually quite like to see? Katy Balls talks to James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman. Produced by Cindy Yu.
Wednesday
What the Tory planning row means for Rishi Sunak
Rishi Sunak is facing his first Tory Commons rebellion since entering 10 Downing Street. After 47 Tory MPs threatened to back an amendment on planning reform which would oppose compulsory housebuilding targets, the government has pulled the vote until further notice. The rebels were led by former cabinet minister Theresa Villiers and largely consist of
Tuesday
Can Rishi weather his first Tory rebellion?
14 min listen
Rishi Sunak is facing his first Tory Commons rebellion on the issue of UK house building targets. Could this be game over? Also on the podcast, after Chloe Smith announced that she will be leaving politics at the next election, could more follow her out of parliament? Katy Balls speaks to James Forsyth and Isabel
Starmer tries to talk tough on immigration
When Keir Starmer went on the offensive at Prime Minister’s Questions earlier this month over the issue of small boat crossings, it was taken as a statement of intent: the Labour leader was willing to go on the offensive over topics on which his party had traditionally been vulnerable in the eyes of the electorate.
Rishi Sunak’s real Brexit problem
Are we heading for a return to Brexit wars? It’s been the theme of the week so far after the Sunday Times splashed on a report that senior government figures plan to put Britain on the path towards a Swiss-style relationship with the European Union. A backlash quickly ensued, with Tory MPs privately sounding the
Monday
Is the government trying to soften Brexit?
13 min listen
Over the weekend, government briefings that they will be looking towards a Swiss-style arrangement with the EU reignited the Brexit rows. Dormant Brexiteers like Nigel Farage and the European Research Group resurfaced, making it clear that they would not accept a so-called ‘Chequers 2.0’. On the record, the government has been keen to reject this
Friday
Tory truce weathers the Autumn Statement
One of the most striking parts of Jeremy Hunt’s performance in the Commons chamber yesterday was how quiet MPs on the backbenches behind him were. There was little in the way of cheering as the Chancellor used his Autumn Statement to set out a series of tax rises and spending cuts. The front pages today
