Katy Balls is The Spectator’s political editor.
Boris Johnson may have had to cancel his trip to India but that hasn’t stopped his colleagues embarking on trips overseas. Michael Gove is in Israel today on a fact-finding mission ahead of his review into immunity vaccine passports. The Cabinet Office minister has been meeting with Israeli politicians, including prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well
17 min listen
Fans, players, managers and politicians have spoken out against the proposals by 12 of Europe’s top football teams to form a breakaway league. Boris Johnson wrote in today’s Sun that he would show the plans the red card, but can government really stop them? Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth.
Just a few hours after Boris Johnson confirmed that his trip to India had been postponed, the country has been placed on the government’s red list. Following reports of a new India variant of Covid, travel to the UK is to be banned — with those returning from the country facing hotel quarantine as of 4 a.m.
10 min listen
Boris Johnson’s trip to India was today cancelled as the country battles a new coronavirus variant. The PM was expecting to push Modi to release AstraZeneca vaccines to Britain, but that now looks unlikely. What does this mean for the UK’s roadmap? Katy Balls speaks to James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman.
15 min listen
A new YouGov poll shows that the Conservative party is 14 points ahead of the Labour party. What is Keir Starmer doing wrong? Cindy Yu talks to Katy Balls and the Mail on Sunday’s Dan Hodges.
9 min listen
The UK and EU are holding talks over how to fix the Northern Ireland Protocol and stop the continuing violence on the island. Cindy Yu speaks to Katy Balls and Isabel Hardman about whether there’s a way forward.
It’s been a bruising week for the government as ministers have come under fire over their involvement in David Cameron’s Greensill lobbying scandal. Labour have gone on the attack on the issue – with Keir Starmer putting in one of his more assured performances at PMQs on the topic this week. With numerous inquiries now
37 min listen
Nusrat Ghani is the Conservative MP for Wealden, having previously served as a transport minister under the May then Johnson governments. On the podcast, she tells Katy Balls about her upbringing under a father who was a headteacher; how she narrowly escaped arranged marriage through university; and how it feels to be one of nine
37 min listen
In this week’s podcast, Katy Balls expands on her cover story, analysing Number 10’s hopes for November’s COP26 summit in Glasgow (01:10). She’s joined by Boris Johnson’s former advisor and co-author of the last Conservative election manifesto, Rachel Wolf and together, they ponder whether the much-anticipated green jamboree signposts a supercharged boost not only for
11 min listen
A number of cases of the South African variant have been detected around parts of London, leading to surge testing of those neighbourhoods this week. Could this variant stunt the UK’s vaccine rollout? Cindy Yu talks to Katy Balls and Kate Andrews.
It is not unusual for governments to focus on a big event after a period of crisis. In 1951, the Festival of Britain was meant to rejuvenate the country after years of post-war austerity and rationing. The 2012 London Olympics, presided over by Mayor Boris Johnson, supposedly announced the UK’s recovery from recession with a
13 min listen
A civil servant advised Greensill Capital while still working in government, it emerged yesterday evening. Is the scandal hurting Boris Johnson, or just damaging an old rival? Cindy Yu speaks to Katy Balls and the New Statesman‘s political editor Stephen Bush.
10 min listen
Boris Johnson today said that the fall in coronavirus hospitalisations and deaths ‘has not been achieved by the vaccination programme’. After pubs, restaurants and shops reopened yesterday, why is the PM talking down vaccines? Cindy Yu speaks to Katy Balls and Isabel Hardman.
11 min listen
David Cameron finally issued a statement over the weekend on the ongoing Greensill scandal. Gordon Brown also waded in this morning, telling the Today programme that there should be a five-year cooling-off period before former PMs can lobby. Will this but the issue to bed? Katy Balls speaks to Isabel Hardman.
14 min listen
The government’s vaccination plan is clearly to achieve herd immunity. So why won’t anyone say that? Katy Balls talks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth about the disparity between the strategy and the messaging on the government’s current Covid strategy.
13 min listen
The Treasury has released text messages that the Chancellor sent to David Cameron, in response to the latter’s repeated lobbying. While Labour is trying to land a blow on Rishi Sunak as a result of this, can they succeed? Cindy Yu talks to Katy Balls and James Kirkup, Spectator contributor and Director of the Social
15 min listen
Last night violence in Belfast escalated – petrol bombs were thrown, a bus was hijacked and children as young as 13 were reportedly getting involved. Cindy Yu talks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls about why Northern Ireland is experiencing this renewed wave of violence.
Bad news for unionists in Westminster. A new Opinium poll on the Scottish parliament elections projects that the SNP are on course for a majority come 6 May. The party is polling at 53 per cent (44 per cent on the list vote) and on this would get a majority of around 13 seats. Meanwhile, the Conservatives
11 min listen
Under-30s should be offered an alternative to the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab, the UK’s vaccine regulator said this afternoon. What does this mean for the UK’s roadmap? Katy Balls speaks to James Forsyth and Kate Andrews.
12 min listen
The government needs to be ‘honest’ about vaccine passports, Labour’s shadow health minister Jonathan Ashworth said today. Boris Johnson yesterday said the ‘certificates’ would not be needed for pubs or shops, but a recent paper from the government said venues could scrap social distancing rules if they’re used. Cindy Yu speaks to James Forsyth and
