Katy Balls

Katy Balls

Katy Balls is The Spectator’s political editor.

When will the inflation rate fall?

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

Would Starmer’s energy plan work?

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

Katy Balls

Keir Starmer unveils his energy plan

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

Is Labour missing in action?

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.

Could Truss reverse the windfall tax?

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?

When will the blue-on-blue end?

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

Katy Balls

Liz Truss’s camp hits back over Treasury windfall tax plans

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

Truss holds her ground on extra support for households

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

Katy Balls

How do you solve a problem like energy prices?

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

Can the new PM hit the ground running?

14 min listen

As the leadership contest refocuses on the economy, Katy and James discuss each camp’s plan to deal with the cost of living crisis. Are both candidates being pushed towards the centre ground? Also, looking ahead to winter, does the UK have enough energy in storage to keep the lights on, and what is being done

Katy Balls

Truss and Sunak go to battle on economic ‘handouts’

The dire economic warnings from the Bank of England of a 15-month recession with inflation hitting more than 13 per cent look set to dominate the Tory leadership contest. With four weeks left of the campaign (but with ballots already out), the focus has returned to the differences between Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss’s approaches

Is it just one crisis after another?

10 min listen

Katy Balls talks to James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman about the challenges facing the incoming Prime Minister, not least the dire forecast from the Bank of England predicting recession for 2023.

Katy Balls

Katy Balls, Rachel Johnson and Neil Clark

21 min listen

On this week’s episode: Katy Balls has written about what foreign policy would look like under a Liz Truss government (0:34). Rachel Johnson young boys and men can learn from the Lioness’s victory (06:50) and Neil Clark writes about Jim Corbett’s tiger hunting stories (12.34). Presented and produced by Natasha Feroze.

Is the next PM ready for the coming economic crisis?

13 min listen

The Bank of England’s announcement to raise interest rates comes as the UK is predicted to fall into recession this year – with the lowest downturn expected since 2008. Are Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss ready for what’s ahead? The two candidates went head-to-head once again last night in the Sky News studios. This time,

Katy Balls

Rishi Sunak’s Tory leadership debate boost

Rishi Sunak gained a boost from last night’s Sky News’s head-to-head. Despite a difficult week in which Truss has extended her poll lead, the former chancellor succeeded in winning over a majority of the live studio audience of undecided Tory members after battling questions on the economy and whether he had stabbed Boris Johnson in

Does the Bank of England need to be reviewed?

12 min listen

The Bank of England raised its rates by another half per cent today, as it warned that inflation will peak at 13 per cent by the end of this year. The question about the Bank of England’s effectiveness arises again – should it have foreseen the inflationary crisis we are in now, and done more

Katy Balls

China’s baby bust

36 min listen

In this week’s episode: Is China heading for a demographic disaster? Rana Mitter and Cindy Yu discuss China’s declining birth rate and what this could do to the economy. (0.52) Also this week: What would foreign policy look like under a Liz Truss government? The Spectator’s deputy political editor, Katy Balls is joined by Rishi

Katy Balls

What foreign policy would look like under a PM Truss

When Tom Tugendhat announced he was backing Liz Truss for prime minister, his former supporters were dismayed. He was the candidate for the ‘One Nation’ caucus of moderate MPs, who defined themselves against the Tory right. ‘Anyone but Truss’ was their mantra – and they lined up behind Rishi Sunak. Yet here was their former

Who’s to blame for Boris’s fall?

13 min listen

On today’s podcast, Katy Balls and James Forsyth discuss a sticking point for Rishi Sunak as he meets the membership – that he led a ‘coup’ to overthrow Boris Johnson. Whilst travelling the country, can he persuade the membership otherwise? Also today, a new YouGov poll of Conservative members gives Liz Truss a 34-point lead

Truss extends poll lead over Sunak

It’s been a day of ups and down for both leadership campaigns. Liz Truss performed her first big u-turn of the contest, reneging on a plan to link public sector pay to local living costs following a cross-party backlash. Rishi Sunak’s supporters are talking this up as a moment that could change the dynamics of the