Politics

Read about the latest political news, views and analysis

Saturday

Steerpike

Truss blasts ‘dishonest’ Sunak on his last day

Happy Tory leadership results day! Much like teenagers collecting their A-levels, there will be plenty of tears, cheers and multiple beers, as one of either Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick seizes the crown. But one person who might not be smiling this morning is Rishi Sunak, whose final morning as Conservative leader has been overshadowed by a no-holds-barred assault by his predecessor.  In today’s Daily Mail, a seething Liz Truss uses a 2,000-word article to eviscerate the man who replaced her as prime minister. Truss claims Sunak was ‘complicit in amplifying Labour’s lies and spreading smears about me and my premiership’. As premier, he was ‘fundamentally dishonest about illegal immigration, taxes,

Christopher Caldwell

Christopher Caldwell, Gus Carter, Ruaridh Nicoll, Tanya Gold, and Books of the Year I

34 min listen

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Christopher Caldwell asks what a Trump victory could mean for Ukraine (1:07); Gus Carter argues that leaving the ECHR won’t fix Britain’s immigration system (8:29); Ruaridh Nicoll reads his letter from Havana (18:04); Tanya Gold provides her notes on toffee apples (23:51); and a selection of our books of the year from Jonathan Sumption, Hadley Freeman, Mark Mason, Christopher Howse, Sam Leith and Frances Wilson (27:08).  Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons.

Daniel Rey

Can Republicans be trusted with the US economy?

When it comes to the economy, Americans typically trust the Republicans. They’re the party traditionally aligned with big capital; and their policies – low taxes and minimal government interference – sound sweet in a believer’s ear. Donald Trump, leading the GOP for the third election in a row, is a famous businessman; and the party’s previous nominee, back in 2012, was Mitt Romney – the co-founder of one of the largest private equity firms in the world. The Republicans, you might think, are a safe pair of hands. However, despite the Republicans prioritising the economy, it’s the Democrats who have the far superior record. Of the eleven recessions since World

Samuel Ramani

Does Qatar still hold the key to a Hamas hostage deal?

Qatar is the Middle East’s mediator-in-chief. The assassination of Hamas’s senior leadership and Gaza War’s regionalisation to Lebanon have not thwarted Qatar’s push for a ceasefire and the release of ninety-seven Israeli hostages in Hamas’s custody.  The CIA and Mossad chiefs brainstormed plans for a hostage release deal Qatari prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani welcomed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Doha last Thursday. Sheikh Mohammed announced that Qatar had ‘re-engaged’ with Hamas after Yahya Sinwar’s death and would host US and Israeli negotiators for ceasefire talks. Blinken enthusiastically endorsed this proposal. On Sunday, CIA chief Bill Burns and Mossad head David Barnea arrived in Doha. As

Friday

Steerpike

Tories overtake Labour in Sunak’s final poll

It’s Rishi Sunak’s final week as Tory leader, but should he be asked to carry on? On Wednesday he charmed the Commons at PMQs before stealing Rachel Reeves’s thunder with a virtuoso Budget speech. And now, in the final poll of his leadership, it transpires that the Conservatives have, at long last, overtaken Labour in the polls. Autumn election anyone? The BMG research poll, which was conducted on Wednesday and Thursday in the immediate aftermath of the Budget, found the Tories ahead in the polls for the first time since the partygate scandal began in December 2021. Asked how they would vote if a fresh general election were held now, 29 per

Julie Bindel

Germany’s gender madness is a worry for women everywhere

Germany has gone further than most countries in failing to stand up to the relentless march of transgender ideology. Its Self-Determination Act, which comes into effect today, makes it far easier for people to change gender. The law enables Germans to alter their name and gender, or even have the gender marker removed altogether, on official records. Those who intentionally disclose someone’s ‘dead’ name or legal gender could face fines of up to €10,000 (£8,000). The Self-Determination Act is a worrying moment for women everywhere November 1 is a dark day for feminists and those who fear that men will now be able to encroach upon women-only public spaces. In

Ross Clark

Can the OBR be trusted?

It was the absence of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s judgment that was blamed for the bond market crisis after Liz Truss’s mini-Budget. Truss and her chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng had rushed to enact their vision for a fast-growing economy without waiting for the wisdom of the government’s official fiscal watchdog. For Truss, the OBR is just another part of the establishment that was out to get her. But then, can the OBR be entirely trusted anyway? It seems that it has created a black hole of its own making – by overstating Public Sector Net Financial Liabilities (PSNFL). PSNFL is the measure that Rachel Reeves has chosen to use for

Lionel Shriver

America’s impossible election choice

31 min listen

With just days to go until the American election, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump’s respective campaigns continue to ramp up, with rallies and gimmicks, and even advertising on the Las Vegas Sphere. Despite this, Spectator contributor Lionel Shriver declares she is America’s ‘last undecided voter’. Why? Is it the candidates’ characters that put her off voting for them, or the policies they represent? Lionel joins guest host, and fellow American, Kate Andrews to discuss further.  Produced by Megan McElroy and Patrick Gibbons.

Freddy Gray

Donald Trump, Liz Cheney and the great realignment in US politics

For Donald Trump fans, one of the many creepy curiosities of this year’s presidential election is that Liz and Dick Cheney and other disgruntled Bush-era Republicans are firmly supporting the Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris. Donald Trump understands this dynamic better than most For Harris supporters, meanwhile, it’s strangely alarming that Robert F. Kennedy Junior, scion of the world’s most famous Democratic dynasty, and the former presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard are now both superstars in Trumpworld. The realignment is real. Hippie Democrats, who distrust corporate America, Big Pharma, the military-industrial complex, and Washington have grown increasingly fond of Trump. Rich Republican neocons, who prioritise national security (at least their sense of

Steerpike

Reform warns Starmer of ‘national crisis’ over immigration data

One of the key issues at play in this year’s July election was the matter of immigration. Sir Keir Starmer promised voters that his party would ‘cut immigration’ and yet this week alone more than 1,500 irregular migrants arrived on Britain’s shores. Much like with everything else, Brits are losing faith in Sir Keir’s government and frustration is growing over poor public comms, sleaze scandals and a failure to deliver fast on manifesto promises. And now it seems that Nigel Farage’s MPs have had enough. In a letter to the Prime Minister, Reform’s five MPs have called for the release of a selection of immigration data, accusing the government of

Simon Cook

Is staff sickness crippling the NHS?

Some £22 billion of the £40 billion in tax rises the Chancellor announced this week will go straight to the NHS – an NHS that was already better funded than at any point in its history. It seems that no matter how many cash injections – huge or enormous – the health service gets, its problems continue. Could staff sickness be part of the problem? I’ve crunched the numbers for The Spectator’s data hub and this is what I found. The NHS is a notoriously stressful place to work and The Spectator’s analysis of sickness data for hospital and community services staff shows the toll it takes – as well as the huge

Steerpike

Has Labour given up on the City?

It seems that the Budget isn’t going down terribly well in the City. Ministers have been out on the airwaves, desperately insisting that Labour’s borrowing plans are fiscally credible. Yet the markets don’t appear convinced, with the cost of gilt yields spiralling. Given the need to reassure the international financiers, it looks sub-optimal then that the party’s much-vaunted business group, Labour in the City, appears to have simply given up. Barely a hundred days into government, a number of pages seem to be missing from the group’s website, while its homepage looks rather bare – with the embedded Twitter widget completely disconnected from the group’s existing account feed. On social

James Heale

Can Labour save its Budget?

14 min listen

The fallout from Labour’s Budget continues. On the media round this morning, Darren Jones, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, admitted that it will hit working people, and the cost of government borrowing has only risen since Rachel Reeves delivered her speech to Parliament. Katy Balls, Kate Andrews and James Heale take us through the reaction from various groups, including small business owners, farmers and the markets. Is the Budget unravelling? Also on the podcast, they look ahead to tomorrow’s Tory leadership result; could low turnout make a difference? Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

Steerpike

Labour’s by-election nightmare

Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour party has not had the easiest time in government so far – and last night’s local by-election result will have done nothing to raise spirits. Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party snatched a council seat from the Labour lot, taking over a third of the vote in Wolverhampton’s Bilston North ward. Starmer’s army meanwhile suffered a staggering loss of support, taking only a quarter of the vote, down by over 46.1 points, and less than two percentage points ahead of the eco-activist Greens. Good heavens… The Starmtroopers haven’t fared so well in the rest of the council by-elections that have taken place this week. In Rochdale, support

Ross Clark

Will the ‘value for money’ tsar really overrule Rachel Reeves?

Is there any word more laughably misapplied than ‘tsar’? We have already had an ‘antisemitism tsar’ and now we are going to have a ‘value for money’ tsar. Had you suggested to a Russian peasant that their monarch was value for money I suspect you might have ended up floating on the Neva River alongside Rasputin. Admittedly, that is not David Goldstone’s official title – we are supposed to call him Chair of the Office of Value for Money. But he does come with a CV that includes involvement in all kinds of public projects associated with tsarist excess. He was in charge of the delivery authority for the London Olympics, which

John Keiger

Why France’s media is keeping quiet about Michel Barnier’s health

France’s 73-year-old prime minister, Michel Barnier, underwent surgery last weekend for a lesion on his upper neck. According to the government spokeswoman yesterday, the operation ‘went well’ and the PM is back at work after two to three days’ rest. French media have been characteristically tight-lipped about the health of France’s second in command and the Fifth Republic’s oldest prime minister.  French media have been characteristically tight-lipped about the health of France’s second in command Le Monde – sometimes thought of as an unofficial organ of the state – merely trotted out the official communiqué; Le Figaro added that the operation was considered benign and that test results will be known in

Kate Andrews

Can Labour save its Budget?

After the Office for Budget Responsibility’s assessment of the Budget was published on Wednesday, the cost of government borrowing started to rise. Yesterday, those costs hit their highest levels this year, with the 10-year gilt yield peaking just over 4.5 per cent and the five-year gilt yield exceeding 4.4 per cent, before settling slightly by the end of the day.  Labour need this trend to stop. The further borrowing costs rise and the pound falls, the more expensive Reeves’s Budget becomes, as investors demand a higher return for lending to the UK. Moreover, the longer jitters persist, the more certain it will seem that markets have not bought Labour’s fiscal

Steerpike

Watch: Darren Jones admits Budget will hit working people

Well, well, well. It’s day three of the Budget and it appears that Rachel Reeves’s fiscal statement has begun to rather quickly unravel. Appearing on Sky News this morning was Chief Secretary to the Treasury. In a rather awkward interview, Darren Jones faced a grilling from Sky’s Wilfred Frost on just how much people in the UK will be hit by newly-announced budgetary measures and specifically on whether this Budget really does protect working people after all. It’s quite the watch… WF: Yesterday the Chancellor said wage increases might be slightly less than they otherwise would have been. De facto that is clearly a hit on working people. Paul Johnson

Arieh Kovler

There may soon be peace in Lebanon

If the leaks and briefings are to be believed, Israel is getting ready to end its war in Lebanon. With the US pushing hard, and after a successful military campaign, reports say that Israeli leaders are looking to make a deal. Lebanese Hezbollah joined Hama’s war against Israel on 8 October, 2023; around 100,000 Israeli civilians have evacuated the border area. Almost immediately after Israeli troops moved into the Gaza Strip, determined to oust Hamas and release the hostages captured on 7 October, there were negotiations, brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the USA, to try and reach some kind of deal that would free the hostages and end the war. Apart

Brendan O’Neill

Radiohead’s Thom Yorke has the perfect riposte to the anti-Israel bores

Finally, a celeb has stood up to the Israel bashers. It took the famously dour frontman of Radiohead to do it. At a solo gig in Melbourne, Thom Yorke was heckled by an audience member smugly demanding to know why he hasn’t spoken out about Israel’s ‘genocide’ in Gaza. Yorke wasn’t having it. He even called the caterwauling gig ruiner a ‘coward’. It’s the best thing he’s done since OK Computer. Shaky footage filmed by his fellow concert-goers captured the man yelling at Yorke. From deep in the audience he barked something about the ‘Israeli genocide of Gaza’ and said half of those killed ‘were children’. He challenged Yorke to