Cindy Yu is a Times columnist, and formerly both an assistant editor of The Spectator and presenter of our Chinese Whispers podcast.
15 min listen
New documents from Sage show minutes from late September in which scientists advised a circuit breaker lockdown. It's clear that the government didn't take that advice. So is No 10 no longer 'following the science'? Cindy Yu talks to Katy Balls and James Forsyth.
32 min listen
Chairman Mao famously said that 'women hold up half the sky'. It was a revolutionary statement in a feudal society (though it did help him, very much, with a labour shortage). But the recent high-profile murder of a young vlogger at the hands of her ex-husband has reignited a national conversation - have Chinese women every truly held up half the sky? With Leta Hong Fincher, author of Betraying Big Brother.
21 min listen
On this week's episode, Katy Balls interviews Thérèse Coffey about her plans to get millions back into work; Rachel Johnson reveals the hidden cost of buying a puppy in lockdown; and Jeremy Clarke wins big at the horse racing.
As a first-generation immigrant, my mum’s greatest ambition for me was to get into Oxbridge. For her, it was clear that these world-leading universities would be a passport into a better world. So she’ll be aghast to learn of BBC Director General Tim Davie saying the BBC can't 'just take people from a certain academic track'. By which he means, according to BBC sources who have elaborated to the newspapers, that 'it’s about not fishing in an Oxbridge gene pool'. The assumption is that these two universities are hotbeds of inherited privilege. Davie went to Selwyn, Cambridge, in the 1980s. Back then, most students were (like him) privately educated. But I’d contend that he’s misunderstood the situation on the ground now.
37 min listen
In this second round of restrictions, the lockdown is no longer national. But a regional approach is full of political perils (00:45). Plus, the real reason to be disappointed in Aung San Suu Kyi (12:50) and is Sally Rooney's Normal People just overrated (26:15).With The Spectator's political editor James Forsyth; Middlesbrough mayor Andrew Preston; historian Francis Pike; the Myanmar bureau chief for Reuters Poppy McPherson; journalist Emily Hill; and The Times's deputy books editor James Marriott.Presented by Cindy Yu.Produced by Cindy Yu and Max Jeffery.
11 min listen
Overnight, news broke of the three-tier system that the government has in store for the country. First to be put into the strictest tier is likely to be large parts of the North of England, from next week onwards. Cindy Yu discusses with Katy Balls and James Forsyth the political fallout over the next few days.
25 min listen
On this week's episode, Douglas Murray argues that Boris's new picks to take charge of the BBC and Ofcom will give the institutions a much-needed shake-up; Sam Leith defends 'wokeness'; Melissa Kite argues that fly-tipping is a good thing; and Toby Young explains why Laurence Fox's new political party should frighten the Conservatives.
15 min listen
Margaret Ferrier has admitted that she travelled across the country despite having tested positive for Covid. Given that the SNP has had some of the strictest rules on lockdown, has this threatened the party's reputation? Cindy Yu talks to Katy Balls and James Forsyth.
40 min listen
Is this week's presidential debate a taste of the chaos to come? (00:55) In defence of 'wokeness' (15:10) and are male-only spaces immoral? (30:25)With Matt Purple, Senior Editor at the American Conservative; Karin Robinson, host of the Primarily: 2020 podcast; Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor; Andrew Doyle, the writer behind Titania McGrath; and Emily Bendell, the entrepreneur who is bring a lawsuit against the Garrick Club.Presented by Cindy Yu.Produced by Cindy Yu and Max Jeffery.
13 min listen
Middlesborough's mayor, Andy Preston, today refused to accept the government's decision to place households in the town under a local lockdown. Accusing Westminster decision-makers of 'ignorance', the mayor said the new measures would 'kill viable jobs' and 'damage mental health'. Is this the start of regional authorities fighting back? Cindy Yu speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth.
33 min listen
China is the world's largest polluter. At the same time, it accounts for a quarter of international investment into renewable energy, and it's the leading exporter of solar panels. So are ideas of China's eco-unfriendliness outdated? Journalist Isabel Hilton, who received an OBE for her contribution to raising environmental awareness in China, joins the podcast. She paints a complicated picture: of a country undergoing rapid industrial revolution; of a one-party state divining public opinion to solve public health issues; and of a country trying to use climate change as a jumping board into global leadership.
16 min listen
Graham Brady's amendment to give backbenchers a vote over new coronavirus restrictions looks set to pass through the Commons this week, provided it is selected by the Speaker. With the government determined not to give MPs a say, can they avoid a showdown with Tory backbenchers? Cindy Yu speaks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls.
25 min listen
On this week's episode, Jeff Fynn-Paul argues that land taken over by European colonialists in North America wasn't 'stolen'; Christopher Snowdon says the economic scars of coronavirus will define the decade; and Jo Deacon explains the drink being hailed as a Covid cure by Madagascar's president.
14 min listen
In her Telegraph column this week, Katy Balls writes about the Chancellor who everybody loves. But the road to No. 10 is not easy - what are the pitfalls Rishi Sunak could face in the months ahead? Cindy Yu talks to Katy and James Johnson, former pollster at No 10 and co-founder of J.L. Partners.
15 min listen
Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, has tabled an amendment to the government's Coronavirus Act to force a vote in Parliament on any new restrictions. A cross-party group of 40 MPs have signed the amendment, including moderate Tories like Damian Green and Iain Duncan Smith. But why have they chosen to move against No. 10? Cindy Yu speaks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls.
During the first Covid wave, the government secured emergency powers that allowed it to put in place new restrictions without parliamentary scrutiny. Those powers are up for renewal next week, but as James Forsyth writes in this week's cover piece, a number of Tory MPs are unhappy about this. They are trying to force the government to put a parliamentary lock on any future restrictions. Sir Graham Brady, chair of the 1922 Committee of Conservative backbench MPs, is leading the effort. Last night, he told Andrew Neil on Spectator TV that he believes he has enough to defeat the government if it come to a vote: 'I think we have got the numbers. We tabled the amendment this afternoon for the rise of the House.
39 min listen
Another Conservative civil war threatens to bubble over, so will the government start taking its backbenchers seriously? (00:55) Plus, the contentious fight over the next Supreme Court nominee (15:25) and what is it like to be in Madagascar during the pandemic? (29:05)With Political Editor James Forsyth; Chair of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers Sir Graham Brady; Professor Charles Lipson from the University of Chicago; USA Editor Freddy Gray; and writer Jo Deacon.Presented by Cindy Yu.Produced by Cindy Yu and Max Jeffery.
13 min listen
After new restrictions were announced this week by the prime minister, Rishi Sunak today unveiled his Winter Economy Plan. Telling the Commons that he 'cannot save every business', the chancellor said that the government would pay up to 22 per cent of workers' wages. The package may be generous, but is it a sign that the government is winding down the scale of its economic interventions? Cindy Yu speaks to Katy Balls and Kate Andrews.
12 min listen
In a televised address to the nation last night, Boris Johnson hailed Britain as a 'freedom loving country', but said that a lack of adherence to existing coronavirus restrictions meant new measures are needed. Is the government right to blame the public for a rise in Covid cases, or should they adopt a more contrite tone and admit to mistakes in areas like testing? Cindy Yu speaks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls.
20 min listen
Boris Johnson today warned that Britain has 'reached a perilous turning point' in its battle with coronavirus, as he ordered pubs to close at 10pm and pledged to crack down on rule-breakers. The package of new restrictions were not as sweeping as many Tory MPs had feared, but with the Prime Minister saying that his government could yet 'deploy greater firepower', is this just the beginning? Cindy Yu speaks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls.
