Politics Archives

Saturday

1 August 2020

Should the Russia Report have relied on Christopher Steele?

When the Intelligence and Security Committee’s (ISC) Russia Report was finally published last week, the name of one person who gave evidence will have leapt out for many people. Among the ‘external expert witnesses’ listed was none other than a certain ‘Mr Christopher Steele, Director of Orbis Business Intelligence Ltd’. Steele, you may remember, was the official author of the dossier on Donald Trump that was commissioned on behalf of the US Democratic Party in the run-up to the 2016 US election and which acquired a second life when it was published by Buzzfeed shortly before Trump’s inauguration.

Kate Andrews

How local are these ‘local lockdowns’?

In an effort to avoid another national lockdown at all costs, the government is relying on two tools: a comprehensive track-and-trace scheme and localised lockdowns. The first isn’t expected to be up and running until autumn at the earliest, after a series of setbacks and U-turns (the pains of which are already being felt, as infection rates have started to creep up). The second is arguably in full swing, as East Lancashire, Greater Manchester and parts of West Yorkshire join Leicester in having specific rules and restrictions imposed, due to fears of a rising R-number. But are these really local lockdowns, or regional ones?

Katy Balls

What’s behind the excess deaths statistics?

23 min listen

Statistics released this week showed that England had the worst excess death rate in Europe during the first half of 2020. Katy Balls speaks to Kate Andrews and Carl Heneghan, professor of evidence-based medicine at Oxford University about what's behind the numbers.

Freddy Gray

Freddy Gray, Douglas Murray, and Katy Balls

26 min listen

On the episode this week, Freddy Gray, editor of the Spectator's US edition, reads his cover piece on the real Joe Biden. We also hear from Douglas Murray on the trial of Amber Heard and Johnny Depp - and about allegations that can't be proved or disproved. At the end, Katy Balls relays the government's anxiety over a second wave.

Friday

31 July 2020

Stephen Daisley

Is Scotland changing the law on gender by stealth?

It’s not often that feminists threaten legal action over plans to increase women’s representation on public boards, so the Scottish Government has managed something of a feat. 'For Women Scotland', a volunteer-funded gender-critical lobby group, isn’t against the principle of the Gender Representation on Public Boards Act. It’s the Scottish Government’s definition of ‘women’ they have a problem with.

Cindy Yu

Boris Johnson pauses lockdown easing

13 min listen

Overnight, the government announced a return of stricter social distancing measures in Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and East Lancashire, with multiple households no longer allowed to meet indoors or in pubs and restaurants. Then, in an impromptu press conference today, the Prime Minister also called off the reopening of bowling alleys, casinos and indoor concert venues. What prompted the sudden change, and are we entering a second lockdown? Cindy Yu speaks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls.

Ross Clark

How does the Northern lockdown square with levelling up?

Remember levelling up, whereby low-income areas in the Midlands and North would enjoy a greater share of the nation’s wealth? It is pretty hard to square with the government’s policy on releasing the country from lockdown. Rather, policy seems to be construed so as to make sure that the economies of the Midlands and North suffer most. When Covid-19 was raging in London in the spring, the whole country was forced into lockdown together. People in, say, Wigan were ordered to stay at home, even though there was less circulation of the virus there than in Westminster. But now the virus is a little more active in parts of the Midlands and North than it is in the South, what happens? We have local and regional lockdowns which affect only the former.

Steerpike

Evgeny Lebedev’s unlikely peerage

Evgeny Lebedev, owner of the Independent and the Evening Standard – and son of the former KGB spy Alexander Lebedev – has been nominated for a peerage by Boris Johnson today. The appointment has certainly raised eyebrows in Westminster, and perhaps suggests that Boris will be hoping for slightly more positive press in the tycoon's papers in the months and years to come. Perhaps the appointment is not too surprising though. The Prime Minister attended a lavish party thrown by Lebedev in Regent’s Park the day after winning the 2019 election, as well as attending one of the media owner’s Italian parties in 2018.

The Spectator

From Evgeny Lebedev to Philip Hammond – the 36 new peers

This afternoon, the government revealed the new peers who have been appointed to the House of Lords. New members of the Upper Chamber include Jo Johnson, Ian Botham, Evgeny Lebedev, Claire Fox and Charles Moore. Below is the full list of appointments: Political Peerages 2020 Nominations from the Leader of the Conservative Party 1. Lorraine Fullbrook – former Member of Parliament for South Ribble. 2. Sir Edward Udny-Lister – Chief Strategic Adviser to the Prime Minister and former Deputy Mayor of London. 3. Daniel Moylan – Chairman, Urban Design London and former member of Kensington and Chelsea Council. 4. Andrew Sharpe OBE – Chairman of the National Conservative Convention and ViceChair of Policy Forum. 5.

Johnny Patterson

Welcome to authoritarian Hong Kong

The national security law in Hong Kong has been passed for just over a month, but the scope of Beijing's plans are now clear. This is a constitutional coup. The safeguards which have historically defended human rights in Hong Kong have been shattered. Rule of law has been replaced with rule by law – and the Communist Party's word is law. Thursday 30 July brought home the reality of the new status quo. Hong Kongers woke up to the news that four young people aged between 16 and 21 years old – representing a small group of students who campaigned for Hong Kong independence last year – heard a midnight knock on the door and were arrested. Their crime? Posting on social media, or ‘organising and inciting secession’ in the new dystopian Hong Kong.

Katy Balls

Boris Johnson pauses lockdown easing

After deciding over the weekend to impose a two-week quarantine on Britons returning from Spain, Boris Johnson has pulled the hand brake once again. In a press conference alongside chief medical officer Chris Whitty, the Prime Minister announced that in light of a rise in coronavirus cases he would be pausing aspects of lockdown easing that had been due in the coming days While it remains the case that the working from home guidance will change so that people are encouraged to go to their workplace if their employer wants them to (including those who have been shielding), various hospitality measures have been put on pause. Bowling lanes, casinos and ice rinks will not open as planned while certain high contact beauty treatments will remain against the rules.

Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson: why we’re putting the brakes on

Two weeks ago, I updated you from this podium on the progress we had made as a country against coronavirus. And in many ways that progress continues: the number of patients admitted to hospitals is still falling, and now stands at just over 100 each day; in April there were more than 3,000 coronavirus patients in mechanical ventilation beds, but now the latest figure is 87; the number of deaths continues to fall. That is obviously encouraging But I have also consistently warned that this virus could come back and that we would not hesitate to take swift and decisive action as required. I am afraid that in parts of Asia and Latin America the virus is now gathering pace, and our European friends are also struggling to keep the virus under control.

Nick Tyrone

Keir Starmer is right to stay quiet on Brexit

Ever since Keir Starmer became Labour leader, there have been calls for him to publicly embrace Brexit to win back seats in the ‘Red Wall’. Starmer has stayed quiet on Europe since his victory, to the consternation of many Remainers who wanted him to push the importance of extending the transition period, before that opportunity passed. This silence has been wise on Starmer’s part – and he should continue to stay silent on the European question for the time being. The calls for Starmer to announce that he’s converted to Brexit misunderstand several things, including: the nature of the electoral coalition Starmer needs to build, why Red Wall seats fell in December, and how Brexit plays out from here.

Steerpike

Will No. 10 forgive Douglas Ross?

In last year's Conservative leadership contest, Boris Johnson offered a hint of the style of management he would bring to the office of Prime Minister when he said his favourite moment in a film was the 'multiple retribution scene in The Godfather’. Since then, Johnson and his team have confirmed in their actions that they are a government that does not forget – or forgive – easily. So, how will this play out with Douglas Ross, the MP for Moray, who confirmed today that he plans to run to replace Jackson Carlaw, who resigned last night after concluding he was not up to the job?

Katy Balls

MPs are starting to question the local lockdown strategy

Boris Johnson’s policy of local lockdowns will no doubt come under increased scrutiny after new restrictions were imposed on Greater Manchester and parts of East Lancashire and West Yorkshire. Labour politicians have been quick to criticise the short notice of the overnight announcement while local residents have complained of confusion over the changes. It comes at a time of growing unease among MPs about the local lockdown strategy itself. While the plan to go for local lockdowns as a way of avoiding a second national lockdown has been largely welcomed by the public, some believe that sentiment could change quickly – when voters find themselves placed in one.

Thursday

30 July 2020

Tali Fraser

Three hours to prepare for a local lockdown

My weekend plans have been ruined by Matt Hancock. The government has announced new lockdown restrictions for over four million people – banning separate households from meeting indoors – in Greater Manchester (where I live) along with parts of Lancashire and West Yorkshire. What does that mean in practice? When announcing the lockdown on Thursday evening, the Health Secretary tweeted that ‘people from different households will not be allowed to meet each other indoors’, which sounds pretty rudimentary. But would this mean we go back to working from home; that spaces like pubs and restaurants would be closed even if you only visit with your household; could a cleaner come around? No one in Greater Manchester knew.

Stephen Daisley

Jackson Carlaw’s successor and the fight to save the Union

The Scottish Conservatives are now in crisis. Jackson Carlaw has resigned six months into his leadership and less than a year on from Ruth Davidson’s departure. The party is polling 35 points behind the SNP with another Scottish Parliament election due next May and a string of polls have shown a majority of Scots are now in favour of Scexit. Carlaw accepts that he is not the man to turn this around, but it is not entirely clear who is. There are few on the Scottish Conservative benches at Holyrood capable of taking on Nicola Sturgeon. The Tories might have to look beyond the confines of the Edinburgh assembly for their next leader. Carlaw’s leadership was credible at first. He stepped in when Ruth Davidson quit last August and served six months in an interim capacity.

Cindy Yu

Who is the real Joe Biden?

34 min listen

Joe Biden is leading Donald Trump in the polls, so what is at the root of his appeal? (00:50) The government is anxious about a second wave - can it avoid repeating its mistakes? (11:15) And Rachel Johnson on her generation of high flyers and early retirees (23:30).With editor of the Spectator's US edition, Freddy Gray; our economics correspondent Kate Andrews; deputy political editor Katy Balls; former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt; journalist Rachel Johnson; and comedian Dominic Frisby.Presented by Cindy Yu.Produced by Cindy Yu, Max Jeffery, and Sam Russell.

Katy Balls

Scottish Tory leader resigns – and leaves an important vacancy

In the past few minutes, Jackson Carlaw has quit as leader of the Scottish Conservative party. In a resignation statement, Carlaw said that he had made the decision after concluding he was 'not, in the present circumstances, the person best placed' to lead the case for Scotland remaining part of the UK ahead of the Holyrood elections next year. 'It just hadn't worked out for him as leader and he made a very brave and admirable decision' His decision to resign – with immediate effect – has taken senior government figures by surprise. While Carlaw divided opinion in Westminster, ministers had not expected him to go in these circumstances.

Cindy Yu

Why are England’s excess deaths so high?

10 min listen

New figures show that England had the highest excess death rate across Europe in the first half of 2020. With another coronavirus wave looking imminent, can the government figure out why this happened in time for a second spike? Cindy Yu speaks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls.