Katy Balls is The Spectator’s political editor.
Who is the busiest politician at Labour conference? One could be forgiven for assuming it would be Keir Starmer. But Andy Burnham is giving the Labour leader a run for his money. The mayor for Greater Manchester is down to speak at 11 fringe events in total – after missing out on a slot on the
10 min listen
Angela Rayner said the government were ‘homophobic, racist, misogynistic… scum’ at a Labour party conference event this weekend. Responding to the remarks on the Andrew Marr Show, Keir Starmer said he and Angela ‘take different approaches’, and that it is ‘not language that I would use’. How serious is the fracture in Labour’s leadership? Katy
Keir Starmer appeared on the Andrew Marr Show in Brighton this morning to kick off Labour party conference. Faced with a revolt on the left of his party over his proposed rule changes and an overnight row over his deputy Angela Rayner’s latest Tory scum comments, the Labour leader tried to turn the focus back to
17 min listen
For this week’s Saturday Coffee House Shots, Katy Balls, Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth sit down with John Kemp, senior energy analyst at Reuters to discuss the energy crisis. How long will this continue? How high will prices go? What will the government do in response? And is there a possibility of blackouts during the winter
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On this week’s episode, Katy Balls gives us her thoughts on the importance of Keir Starmer’s performance this weekend at the Labour Party Conference. (00:54) Then Nicola Christie raises the curtain on the exciting new wave of British musical theatre. (06:53) And finally, Hannah Tomes talks about why Facebook won’t let her post about the
11 min listen
First gas, now petrol. The strange thing is there is no actual lack of petrol just a dearth of drivers to bring it to the stations. There are differing thoughts as to the reason for this, some say Brexit, others that this is a wider issue. Katy Balls, Isabel Hardman and James Forsyth discuss this
35 min listen
Sarah Rainsford was a BBC foreign correspondent stationed in Moscow for 20 years until August when the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) declared Rainsford a national security threat. They expelled her from Russia and gave her only three weeks to pack up her things, bring home her husband and their dog. On the podcast, Sarah
11 min listen
Keir Starmer released a nearly 12,000-word essay about what he stands for as the Labour leader. But who was it for? And while Starmer braces himself for his party’s conference this weekend, should we be bracing ourselves for this gas crisis to worsen? Max Jeffery talks with Katy Balls and James Forsyth.
Next week, when Keir Starmer appears on stage at Labour conference in Brighton, it will be the first time he has spoken to a packed crowd of party members since he became leader. Covid restrictions meant his inaugural leader’s speech at party conference in September 2020 was delivered to an empty hall and shared via
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With Boris Johnson still on his American trip, it was up to the deputies to cross swords in PMQs today. Dominic Raab, the newly-minted deputy prime minister went up against Labour’s Angela Rayner, but who came out on top? Also on the podcast, Katy Balls, James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman discuss the Boris and Biden
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The Prime Minister is in America to meet Joe Biden and discuss COP26 and the new Aukus security pact. But what do the two leaders hope to achieve? Also, the Labour party conference is this weekend. can Keir Starmer get the left of his party to heel or will his leadership be brought even more
10 min listen
With many smaller energy companies folding because of a steep rise in the cost of gas, how long will it take before the bigger firms turn to the government for help, and will continuously rising wages help soften the blow? Katy Balls talks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth.
The Prime Minister has touched down in New York for the UN General Assembly where he hopes to press countries on committing funds for the Cop26 climate talks. Ahead of the summit, Boris Johnson has urged wealthier countries to contribute to a £100 billion a year funding target aimed at helping developing nations to cut carbon emissions. That
16 min listen
Michael Gove has been tasked with transforming levelling up from a soundbite to an agenda. What will this look like? And what Michael Gove will we get, the liberal reformer or big state lockdown supporter? Katy Balls is joined by Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth to discuss.
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As Boris Johnson today chairs the first meeting of his new cabinet, he’s focused on delivering on his levelling up agenda. What’s the plan? To discuss this, the ongoing junior ministerial appointments and the Liberal Democrat conference this weekend, Katy Balls speaks to James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman.
12 min listen
With the Commons still reeling from the reshuffle, the UK, US, and Australia have formed a new security alliance, the Aukus pact. Many have seen this as early preparation for a more aggressive China, as the US nuclear submarines being gifted to Australia will be able to reach territories like Taiwan without refuelling. To discuss the pact,
While the foreign secretary changed in the last 24 hours, the most important announcement regarding the direction of UK foreign policy yesterday came outside of the reshuffle. Overnight, the UK, US and Australia announced a new defence arrangement – known as the Aukus pact – in the Asia pacific, which will see Australia build nuclear-powered submarines
What was the purpose of Boris Johnson’s third reshuffle since becoming Prime Minister? His first reshuffle on entering 10 Downing Street back in the summer of 2019 was all about sending a message over Brexit. The one in February 2020, after Johnson won a majority of 80 in the December snap election, was aimed at
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Boris Johnson has reshuffled his cabinet. Gavin Williamson is gone. Dominic Raab is no longer Foreign Secretary, but is now the Deputy Prime Minister, with Liz Truss taking over his former position. These changes and many more are dissected by Katy Balls and James Forsyth on today’s Coffee House Shots.
When Boris Johnson was asked at this week’s Covid press conference whether he could rule out an imminent cabinet reshuffle, he didn’t give anything away. The Prime Minister joked that it was a question for the chief medical officer before avoiding offering an answer himself. While Johnson may take the view that the focus on a reshuffle was a
