Katy Balls is The Spectator’s political editor.
9 min listen
Rishi Sunak has today confirmed that he will stay on as an MP if he loses the leadership contest, and that he will also vote for a Liz Truss budget. Will this help the Tory party heal? Also, Rishi Sunak told The Spectator that scientists had too much power during lockdown. What has their response
Liz Truss has always been more popular with Tory party members than with Tory politicians. The moment of greatest peril for her in the Conservative leadership race was when MPs were whittling down the final two candidates. After being knocked out in the second round, Suella Braverman urged her Brexiteer backers to get behind the
14 min listen
In the latest leadership hustings, Liz Truss promised to take money away from the NHS to put into social care. But as Kate Andrews points out in this episode, given that Truss is also planning on scrapping the National Insurance rise, Truss’ll need to find more money in order to fund this latest pledge. On
9 min listen
There are only three hustings left in the Tory leadership race, after six weeks which have seen the party tear itself apart. What will fix the party? Is Jeremy Corbyn the solution? Max Jeffery speaks to Fraser Nelson and Katy Balls. Produced by Max Jeffery. ‘Liz Truss is going to have a short window to
11 min listen
The focus is on Liz Truss’s planned emergency budget. Over the weekend it was revealed that she wouldn’t consult the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) before announcing her plans. Could this backfire? Also on the podcast, investment bank Citi have warned that inflation could hit 18 per cent come January. Were the Bank of England’s
There’s still two weeks of the Tory leadership contest to go but by Friday the scale of the energy crisis that awaits the next prime minister will be clear for all to see. This is when Ofgem is due to announce the new level at which energy bills will be capped. After the price cap
15 min listen
On this episode of Spectator Out Loud, Katy Balls discusses the challenges facing prospective PM Liz Truss (00:52). Toby Young shares why he is defending a pro-Putin apologist (06:45) and Mark Palmer reads his notes on hand luggage (11:29). Produced and presented by Oscar Edmondson.
Is the Tory leadership race already over? That’s the narrative among Conservative MPs with two weeks of the leadership contest to go. The Sunak camp dispute this version of events – and tonight they have an endorsement which works in their favour. After several Tory MPs switched their allegiance from Rishi Sunak to Liz Truss,
13 min listen
It seems like Labour has a problem when it comes to the size of its membership. It lost 91,000 members last year and recorded a £4.8 million deficit. Is this the Keir Starmer effect on the Corbyn membership? Also on the podcast, Rishi Sunak has gone viral after sharing his McDonald’s breakfast order on This
‘Whatever else you do, don’t step backwards,’ a man in the crowd shouts to Rishi Sunak as he stands on the edge of a swimming pool in the garden of a Tory councillor’s home in Bushey, Hertfordshire. About 100 party members have gathered to hear Sunak’s pitch. It’s the first of three stops he’s making
12 min listen
The UK inflation rate is now at 10.1 per cent according to the Office for National Statistics. Is there much that the government can do to relieve its effects? Also on the podcast, the leadership contenders are in Belfast for the next hustings: how will the audience respond to the candidate’s position on The Northern Ireland Protocol?
13 min listen
New figures released this week show that wages have fallen significantly behind the rising cost of living. Is there more trouble ahead? Also on the podcast, as Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss attend hustings in Scotland: which candidate is favoured the most north of the border? Katy Balls is joined by Kate Andrews and Isabel
15 min listen
Keir Starmer has unveiled a £29 billion plan to freeze energy bills for six months. Under his proposals, the Labour leader said Brits would not face the enormous price hikes anticipated in October and January. But is his idea a serious one? Where would the money come from? And how have the Tories responded? Isabel
Keir Starmer is today attempting to get back on the front foot over the cost-of-living crisis. Over the past fortnight, the Labour leader has been keeping a low profile (including a holiday abroad) which has given space to former prime minister Gordon Brown and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey to fill the vacuum in his
10 min listen
Katy Balls speaks to Isabel Hardman and James Forsyth about why Sir Keir Starmer and his frontbench have been seemingly missing in action during the Tory leadership race and the ongoing cost of living crisis.
13 min listen
‘Profit is not a dirty word’, Liz Truss said at last night’s leadership hustings. The Foreign Secretary has made clear that she would prefer to cut taxes than take money from energy firms and give it directly to struggling Brits. But, if Truss makes it into No. 10, could she really reverse the windfall tax?
12 min listen
The Tory contenders are expected to announce their own measures to protect households and businesses from the energy crisis. Why has it taken this long? Labour too, is yet to reveal a strategy. Will they leave the Tories to fight amongst themselves? Also on the podcast, Nicola Sturgeon has made a comeback at Liz Truss
Is the government about to toughen up its windfall tax? That’s the talk in Westminster today as Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi and Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng meet energy company executives to discuss measures to tackle the rising cost of living. The government is reported to be looking to strengthen the 25 per cent levy on the
Liz Truss’s plans for an emergency tax-cutting budget would amount to an ‘electoral suicide note’. This is the latest claim from the Sunak camp – with key supporter Dominic Raab writing a piece for the Times in which he argues that the frontrunner is wrong to prioritise ‘limited tax cuts that do little for the
14 min listen
Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss head to the Red Wall for hustings in Darlington this evening. Meanwhile, new figures released by Cornwall Insight on the extent of the energy price cap make for grim reading. Will Labour respond with their own package? Also on the podcast, as countries look to ensure domestic energy supply, What could