Happy New Year! And it could prove to be a very happy new year for Nigel Farage and the Reform Party. They provided some of the stand-out political drama of 2024, with Lee Anderson’s defection and Farage’s return, before winning five seats at the general election (as well as a hefty chunk of the popular vote). They finished the year strong with a meeting with Elon Musk, where we understand that a possible donation was discussed. Farage also gave a memorable speech at The Spectator awards, warnin...
Jan 02, 2025•19 min
Santa will have had a tricky time this year fulfilling all the Christmas wish lists in Westminster. Keir Starmer is desperately hoping for a change in the political weather, and Kemi Badenoch would like an in with Donald Trump. Ed Davey dreams that Labour’s electoral troubles will get so bad that proportional representation starts to look appealing. Nigel Farage, meanwhile, wants to avoid what usually happens with him and keep his party from falling out – or perhaps Elon Musk will give him a Chr...
Dec 30, 2024•23 min
Kemi Badenoch is just over a month into her tenure as leader of the opposition, and already she has been criticised for her performances at PMQs and for failing to offer much in the way of policy proposals. It has been a consistent gripe of many of Badenoch’s detractors that she is a culture warrior or a one-trick pony. However, we might get a better idea of what the Conservatives will look like in the new year once her series of policy commissions get under way. So, how will she position her pa...
Dec 27, 2024•19 min
It’s been a historic year in British politics. At the start of 2024, the UK had a different Prime Minister, the Tories had a different leader, and The Spectator had a different editor! Michael Gove, Katy Balls, and Quentin Letts join Cindy Yu to review the biggest political stories of 2024. On the podcast, the panel discuss the rise of Reform UK and Nigel Farage as a political force, Labour’s adjustment to government, and Michael reveals his reaction to Rishi telling Cabinet that he was going fo...
Dec 21, 2024•28 min
Last night we got the news that Peter Mandelson is expected to be named the next UK ambassador to Washington. Despite months of speculation, Labour held firm on making a decision until the results of the US election, and with Trump entering the White House in the new year they have gone with an experienced diplomat and a political appointment. A government source is quoted as telling the BBC: ‘The fact the Prime Minister has chosen to make a political appointment and sent Lord Mandelson to Washi...
Dec 20, 2024•14 min
The Bank of England have voted to hold UK interest rates at 4.75%. The Spectator's economics editor Kate Andrews joins Katy Balls and Freddy Gray to discuss the decision and what this means for the UK economy. Also on the podcast they discuss how a potential donation from Elon Musk to Reform UK has rattled politicians across the political spectrum. Could Labour seek to reform political donation rules to limit donations from foreign owned companies? And is this a sensible move, or could those in ...
Dec 19, 2024•9 min
New figures have shown that, for the year to November, inflation rose by 2.6%. While unsurprising, how much will this impact the Chancellor's plans going into the new year? Katy Balls speaks to Kate Andrews and Isabel Hardman about the impact on Labour, especially given their October budget. Also on the podcast: do the WASPI women deserve compensation? The team discuss Liz Kendall's announcement that Labour will not recompense women who faced pension changes; they also discuss the last PMQs of 2...
Dec 18, 2024•12 min
After days of speculation online, the alleged Chinese spy has been named as Yang Tegbo. This latest example of Chinese espionage has opened up a number of debates in Westminster, firstly around Labour's push to ‘reset’ its relationship with China, as well as the conversation around the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme – a number of China hawks such as IDS and Tom Tugendhat are pushing for it to be implemented sooner than summer 2025. Can Labour's China policy survive this latest wave of Sin...
Dec 17, 2024•11 min
Labour will reveal plans today to re-design local government, with district councils set to be abolished, and more elected mayors introduced across England. The plans could be the biggest reforms of their type since the 1970s, but with the May 2025 local elections set to be Labour’s first big electoral test since the general election, how will they be impacted? Local government minister Jim McMahon didn’t deny that the elections could be affected, or some even cancelled. Reform UK have called fo...
Dec 16, 2024•13 min
Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning’s political shows. In the final Sunday roundup of the year, we hear about immigration and Chinese espionage through the views of Yvette Cooper, Angela Eagle, Kemi Badenoch and Andy Burnham. Produced by Joe Bedell-Brill. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 15, 2024•16 min
New research this week suggested that a majority of Brexit voters would accept the return of freedom of movement in exchange for access to the EU single market. The poll, conducted by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), found that 54% of Brexit voters – and 68% of all respondents – would accept this. Facing their own changing domestic concerns, how close can the UK and EU governments really get? Could Defence hold the key for collaboration? And how much is this driven by a more vol...
Dec 14, 2024•18 min
Labour is supposed to be going for growth, so Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves will be disappointed with the news today that the economy unexpectedly shrank in October, and for the second month in a row. Rachel Reeves's mood seems to have visibly changed in the last month or so, is she having her George Osborne moment? And can she turn things around, or have the dynamics of the Labour–UK plc relationship changed irreversibly? James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Isabel Hardman. Produced by Patrick...
Dec 13, 2024•18 min
Today Downing Street has continued its reset – that is definitely not a reset – by providing more details on Labour’s plan to cut the planning red tape and deliver a housing revolution. Their target is to build one and a half million new homes over the next five years by building on green belt land and giving councils mandatory targets. This has predictably been met with robust opposition from several groups who are concerned about the plan, which involves building on a green belt area the size ...
Dec 12, 2024•16 min
Labour are planning to publish a 10-year plan to get on the front foot when it comes to the prisons crisis. Shifting from the previous government’s preference to run the system hot to a policy of early release and carving out more places, the headline figure is that there will be 14,000 more prison places by 2031. But the fear today is that these won’t be enough to tackle the critical lack of space in UK jails. So, will Labour’s ongoing sentencing review advocate for greater leniency for certain...
Dec 11, 2024•13 min
Preparations are stepping up for the government’s spending review, due in June. The Chancellor has taken a more personable approach to communicating with ministers, writing to them to outline how they plan to implement the Budget – with a crackdown on government waste and prioritising key public services. So, expect money for clean energy, the NHS, and more ‘difficult decisions’. Will Rachel Reeves’s war on waste work? How will this all go down within the Labour Party and the Cabinet? James Heal...
Dec 10, 2024•13 min
Following news that President Bashar Al-Assad's regime in Syria has fallen, Natasha Feroze discusses what comes next with James Heale and Michael Stephens, senior associate fellow at RUSI. What does the Syrian conflict mean for Britain? Do we need to reconsider our counter-terrorism policy? And how will Britain's historic relationship with Syria shape our path going forward? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 09, 2024•12 min
Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 08, 2024•11 min
The SNP presented their budget this week in Holyrood with the news that all pensioners would receive a winter fuel allowance and a pledge to scrap the two-child benefit cap. Questions remain about how they will make this budget work financially, but it is clear that they have one eye on the 2026 Scottish Parliament elections. How could this impact Labour north, and south, of the border? And, after a torrid year for the SNP, can First Minister John Swinney turn things around? Iain MacWhirter and ...
Dec 07, 2024•13 min
In this special edition of Coffee House Shots Katy Balls speaks to Lord Liam Booth-Smith, Rishi Sunak’s former chief of staff. In his first interview since leaving government: Liam takes us inside Rishi’s No. 10 and the characters that made it tick; sets the record straight on the infamous Sunak–Johnson arm wrestle to decide who would run for leader after Truss; gives his take on when would have been the optimal time to have a general election; offers a different version of events on Rishi’s ‘do...
Dec 06, 2024•46 min
There is a feeling of deja-vu in Westminster today as Keir Starmer unveiled his plan for change and six 'milestones' (not pledges) to turn the country around. They are: raising living standards in every part of the UK; rebuilding Britain with 1.5 million homes and fast-tracking planning decisions on major infrastructure projects; ending hospital backlogs and meeting the standard of 92 per cent of patients being treated within 18 weeks; putting police back on the beat; giving children the best st...
Dec 05, 2024•12 min
Last night was The Spectator ’s Parliamentarian of the Year Awards. Politicians of every stripe were in attendance, with Wes Streeting, Robert Jenrick and Stephen Flynn among those present. There were a number of notable speeches – including a fiery opening monologue from the Health Secretary – but none caused as much of a stir as Nigel Farage’s acceptance speech for Newcomer of the Year. He warned of a ‘political revolution the likes of which we’ve not seen since Labour after the First World Wa...
Dec 04, 2024•12 min
Keir Starmer is preparing to give his big reset speech on Thursday. But the more interesting address is perhaps the one he gave last night at the annual Lord Mayor’s Banquet, where the Prime Minister gave his first major speech on foreign policy. The most interesting passage saw Starmer reject the notion that Britain will need to pick sides between the US and the EU under the looming Trump presidency – particularly in the event of a trade war. How long can No. 10 afford to keep their foreign pol...
Dec 03, 2024•18 min
The government is trailing a major policy speech ahead of Thursday, in which the Prime Minister will set out key 'milestones' that he wants to hit, in terms of healthcare, living standards, the climate and so on. It's all sounding a little like a previous prime minister... Cindy Yu talks to Katy Balls and James Heale about the opportunities and perils in setting public targets. Produced by Cindy Yu. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Dec 02, 2024•11 min
Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning’s political shows. Louise Haigh has resigned as transport secretary, and Pat McFadden says he doesn’t know ‘who knew what and when’ about her previous offence. Kemi Badenoch has announced plans for a hard migration cap, but Victoria Atkins can’t say whether that would affect seasonal farm workers. Plus, Labour MP Diane Abbott criticises Starmer’s political judgement, Syrian rebels capture Aleppo, and MasterChef host Greg Wallace claims on a ...
Dec 01, 2024•16 min
The Football Governance Bill is currently being considered in the House of Lords. It’s designed to establish an independent football regulator. No team in the football pyramid will be allowed to play professionally without the regulator’s permission. Does the Premier League really require these sorts of regulations? Will such a rigid system, and unprecedented powers, change the game for the better? Paul Goodman, Senior Fellow at Policy Exchange, wrote about the bill in The Spectator. He discusse...
Nov 30, 2024•29 min
The controversial assisted dying bill has passed its second reading in the House of Commons with a majority of 55 after just hours of debate. It now heads to committee stage for further scrutiny. What does the bill's passing at this stage mean for its likelihood of eventually becoming law? And will Labour's front bench unify behind the bill given the deep-seated opposition from figures such as Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood? James Heale discusses with Katy Balls and Michael Gove. Produced by ...
Nov 29, 2024•14 min
In the small hours of this morning Louise Haigh resigned as Transport Secretary following the revelation that she had pleaded guilty to a criminal offence in 2014. Haigh admitted fraud by false representation at a magistrates’ court after she incorrectly told the police that a work mobile had been stolen in 2013. She was then convicted and received a conditional discharge. The incident occurred six months before she became an MP. Haigh had been in hot water just a month ago after her comments ne...
Nov 29, 2024•11 min
It's been a day of press conferences in Westminster. First to Reform UK, where Nigel Farage unveiled their newest defection: Dame Andrea Jenkyns, who had served as a Conservative MP from 2015-24. Could there be more defections on the horizon? Next to Keir Starmer who reacted to the newly published migration figures from the ONS. Net migration for the 12 months to June 2024 stands at 728,000. But the real story was the revised 2023 figures, which showed net migration exceeding 900,000. The politi...
Nov 28, 2024•15 min
Former prime minister Boris Johnson joins The Spectator’s political editor Katy Balls to divulge the contents of his new book, Unleashed . He reflects on his premiership as PM during the pandemic, describing the time as a ‘nightmare’ for him. He also details how he managed to suppress the force of Nigel Farage, and gives advice to Keir Starmer on how to build a relationship with Donald Trump. Watch the full interview on The Spectator's YouTube channel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for ...
Nov 28, 2024•36 min
Kemi Badenoch has signalled that she could change her position on the ECHR. At a conference today, she said "we will review every policy, treaty and part of our legal framework - including the ECHR and the Human Rights Act." What could this mean for the Conservatives going forward? Katy Balls discusses with Michael Gove and James Heale. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nov 27, 2024•11 min
