Katy Balls is The Spectator’s political editor.
12 min listen
It’s looking like a busy week in Westminster. So busy in fact that prime minister Rishi Sunak will not be attending the annual Davos meeting, organised by the World Economic Forum. His opposite number Kier Starmer will be making the trip however, is this a shrewd move from Labour? Also on the podcast, amended plans
13 min listen
Boris Johnson’s potential comeback has been dominating headlines for several months now. As Rishi struggles to unite the party, Katy Balls, Fraser Nelson and James Heale discuss whether the prime minister should be worried.
17 min listen
Rishi Sunak is in Scotland meeting with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, and said today that he is concerned about new gender laws in Scotland which would allow 16-year-olds to apply for a gender recognition certificate to change their gender. But with Sunak trying to improve relations with Holyrood, should he send Kemi Badenoch, the minister
Rishi Sunak is keen to distance himself from Liz Truss over Scotland. Shortly before she became prime minister, Truss suggested it was best to ‘ignore’ the ‘attention seeker’ Nicola Sturgeon. But Sunak is adopting a more conciliatory approach towards the SNP leader. The pair enjoyed a working dinner last night in Inverness on Sunak’s first
12 min listen
Welfare reform is back on the agenda. Today there have been reports of how the Tories plan to reform welfare benefits in this country. What is Mel Stride thinking? Also on the podcast, Rishi Sunak will this evening travel to meet with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. What will they be discussing? Why is it
10 min listen
Rishi Sunak has finally answered questions over his healthcare arrangements with a statement in Prime Minister’s Questions, stating that he is currently registered with an NHS GP but has used private healthcare in the past. Is this change in tack an admission that he should have answered the question sooner? Katy Balls talks to Isabel
When Rishi Sunak addressed his cabinet this week, he tried to strike an optimistic note. Despite Labour’s commanding poll lead, the misery of strikes and the deepening NHS crisis, the Prime Minister said progress was possible, but on one condition: ‘There are challenges we face,’ he said. ‘But when we are united there is nothing
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Business Secretary, Grant Shapps has introduced a bill proposing a minimum level of public sector work during strike action for six key industries. Labour’s Angela Rayner told the Commons these plans are ‘insulting and utterly stupid’. As a policy that Tories largely agree on, could this bill bring the party together? Also on the podcast,
9 min listen
In an interview on Sunday, Rishi Sunak refused to tell Laura Kuenssberg whether he has a private GP. Could this question come back to haunt him amid accusations he is ‘out of touch’? As Parliament returns from recess, ministers are holding talks with unions to avoid further public sector strikes. However, with strike action still
As MPs return to parliament after the Christmas break, Rishi Sunak is under pressure both on the NHS and strikes. Union leaders have been invited for talks with ministers today in a bid to find a landing zone (though there still seems to be a rather large gap between the two sides). Yet while aides
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Cindy Yu talks to Katy Balls and James Heale about the former prime minister’s lunch with her loyalists at Ma La Sichuan, and whether her ideas might be mounting a comeback.
There’s a new rule for members of Keir Starmer’s team on their WhatsApp group: no messages linking to opinion polls. It’s not because the Labour leader dislikes the figures. Labour polls consistently on about 45 per cent and the Tories on 25 per cent, which is landslide victory territory. The fear is that too much
28 min listen
Since the pandemic, the nature of working has changed, and in some cases, revealed the weaknesses in the experience of work for women. With some companies eager to get back to business as usual, women are now demanding more from work, and they are leaving jobs in unprecedented numbers to get it. Women could benefit
20 min listen
This year in politics has ended with a row over nurses pay. Will the government be able to resolve the dispute in the New Year? Meanwhile, in Scotland, a new law about gender identification has caused a standoff between Westminster and Holyrood. Who will blink first? And finally, has Christmas come early for the Prime
25 min listen
Dame Rachel de Souza is the Children’s Commissioner for England. Having spent more than 30 years in education, she grew a reputation for her unconventional but effective ways of turning poor-performing schools around and increasing pupil attendance. She was selected as Children’s Commissioner in December 2020, weeks before the Covid 19 pandemic. Since this time,
Is the UK government gearing up for a court battle with the Scottish parliament over gender self-ID? This afternoon, Holyrood passed the gender recognition bill by 86 votes to 39. This makes Scotland the first part of the UK to give the green light to a process of self-identification for legally changing gender. The controversial
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Today tens of thousands of ambulance workers are on strike over a pay dispute. The government is calling on people to stay safe, avoid doing anything dangerous and only call 999 if essential. With patient safety at risk, where is public opinion? Also on the podcast, after the high court ruled the government’s controversial Rwanda
The winter of discontent continues as nurses across England, Wales and Northern Ireland embark on a second day of strike action, with the threat of more to follow in the new year if an agreement can’t be found on pay. Adding to the government’s problems, tomorrow ambulance workers are set to walk out. While it’s
The government’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda is lawful. That’s according to a ruling from the High Court this morning following a legal challenge against the scheme. The Home Office victory comes in response to the application from aid groups and asylum seekers to stop the government enacting its deportation agreement with the
25 min listen
Katy Balls, Isabel Hardman and James Heale review the political maelstrom that was 2022, a year with more Prime Ministers than some decades have managed.
