Cindy Yu

After Christian Wakeford's defection to Labour, Boris Johnson looks to be in the clear – for now. The Prime Minister's backbenchers, though, are still frustrated by the aggressive tactics used by his whips to ensure their support. Is blackmail normal in the Commons, and are their complaints a result of Parliament's generational divide? Cindy Yu speaks to James Forsyth.'If you had turned up in Westminster in the 1970s, you would find whips pushing people up against the wall. I don't think that goes on today.

After a hard PMQs for Boris Johnson which included multiple MPs calling for his resignation, the cabinet took to the media to show support for their embattled leader... though some took a bit longer than others. 'Notably, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss took quite some time. I think they both got round to it by the early evening.' - Katy BallsCindy Yu talks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls about how deep the senior Tories' loyalties lie.

Despite a torrid time for the Prime Minister's popularity over the last few months, there may be a political revival on the horizon. His decision not to lockdown over the Omicron variant seems to have paid off and won back some of the support from his party. But will the Johnson project end up a failure? A lot of the Prime Minister’s future rests on the people who work closest him. On the podcast, Fraser Nelson points to the high turnover of staff at No.10 that has been destabilising, especially for someone who usually builds a strong support system around him. ‘This is a sign, the high turnover of staff suggests a dysfunctional No.

The ‘lost’ texts sent by Boris Johnson to Lord Brownlow over his Downing Street flat refurbishment continues to dominate the headlines today. As the story unravels, it's a sign that the Tory sleaze issues hitting Boris at the end of 2021 will continue way into the new year.'It’s not going to go down well when people are seriously thinking about the cost of their energy bills over the next few months: how much it costs to buy food, what supplies are in shortage, to be reminded that the Prime Minister was trying to put extremely expensive wallpaper up in his flat' - Kate AndrewsAlso on the podcast, various problems are snowballing towards a cost of living crisis.

Keir Starmer arrived in Birmingham today to deliver his agenda-setting speech, outlining Labour's vision for the future. The opposition leader had to tread the delicate path between offering a substantial, policy-based agenda whilst holding his cards close to his chest.'One of the challenges of opposition in the midterm is, they come up with new policy and then the government pinches it' - James Forsyth.Also on the podcast, James and Isabel discuss the reaction to the news that Tony Blair is to be awarded a knighthood. The former prime minister is a controversial choice for some, raking up to 500,000 signatures on a petition demanding to reverse the decision. For others, the question is: why has it taken this long?Cindy Yu is joined by Isabel Hardman and James Forsyth.

The government has delayed making any announcements about further Covid restrictions in the face of Omicron for weeks. But with more data coming in every day about this new variant, seemingly showing it leads to a lot less hospitalisations than previous waves, will there even be any new measures at all? 'The science and the vaccines have created the situation where Britain doesn't have to lockdown.' - Fraser NelsonCindy Yu talks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth about the UK's response to Covid at the beginning of 2022.Subscribe to The Spectator's Evening Blend email, from Isabel Hardman and Katy Balls, for analysis of the day's political news and a summary of the best pieces from our website. Go to spectator.com/blend to sign up.

Welcome to the special Christmas episode of The Edition! In this episode, we look at five major topics that dominated the news this year and the pages of The Spectator. First up a review of the year in politics with our resident Coffee House Shots' team James Forsyth, Katy Balls and Isabel Hardman. We discuss how Boris seemed to make such a strong start to the year through the vaccine rollout, but squandered this goodwill with several own goals. We also touch on some of the big political moments of the year: Partygate, the Owen Paterson affair and of course Matt Hancock. (00:39) Next, we go global and look at three of the major powerhouses that took headlines this year. The EU, who ends the year in a panic over Russia, extreme Covid measures, and upcoming elections.

Cindy Yu talks to Katy Balls, James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson about the contents of - and the potential fallout from - Boris Johnson's address to the nation last night.

When the Glasgow climate jamboree ended after two weeks, COP26 President Alok Sharma broke down in tears and seemed to apologise for his failure to get countries like China and India on side. But now that the dust has settled from Glasgow's COP26 summit, but how will this one be remembered? There were protestors, no shows from state leaders and new commitments were made whilst backroom wrangling had mixed results.What are the key factors that make these summits a success? Given the mammoth task ahead of the countries that have committed to tacking climate change, is it realistic to expect real change?In this podcast, Cindy Yu is joined by seasoned professionals in climate change and sustainability.

Cindy Yu speaks to Isabel Hardman and Kate Andrews about the level of Conservative support for the Prime Minister after his latest Covid restrictions, and the Electoral Commission's findings about the refurbishment of the flat above No. 11.

Cindy Yu talks to Kate Andrews, Katy Balls and Fraser Nelson about the contents of the Prime Minster's latest Covid press conference.

The 27 migrants that tragically lost their lives whilst trying to cross the English Channel have sparked urgent appeals for Priti to resolve the migrant crisis. However, there is still no stopping some migrants attempting to flee their homes.‘By 8.30 this morning, three more boats had arrived on the coast, even after the news had broken’ - James ForsythHow can this problem be solved within the confines of international law? And what are the migrants’ motivations for leaving their homes? Is it economic? Fear of persecution? Also on the podcast, Katy and James reflect on The Spectator’s Parliamentarian Awards last night. Read more about the event and hear all of the acceptance speeches by MPs here.