Fraser Nelson

Fraser Nelson

Fraser Nelson is a Times columnist and a former editor of The Spectator.

Wednesday

Fraser Nelson

Will Rishi Sunak’s budget give Britain a boost?

From our UK edition

14 min listen

Chancellor Rishi Sunak pledged a further £65bn in today's budget, bringing the government's total spending during coronavirus to more than £400bn. But aside from splurges on extending furlough and the Universal Credit uplift, and new 'restart grants' offered to ailing businesses, the first belt-tightening measures were announced. Income tax thresholds will be frozen, and cooperation tax on profitable companies will rise from 19 to 25 per cent in 2023. Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson, James Forsyth and Kate Andrews about what it all means.

Tuesday

Fraser Nelson

The Lord Advocate shows the ‘punishable’ Scottish parliament where power really lies

From our UK edition

The Alex Salmond inquiry is about far more than his allegations against Nicola Sturgeon and her government: it offers alarming insights into the extent and scope of political power in Scotland. In particular, the way in which the Crown Office, Scotland’s government prosecutors, pressured the devolved parliament into censoring Salmond’s evidence. It’s all the more worrying because the Lord Advocate, who runs the Crown Office, is a serving member of Sturgeon’s Cabinet. It was his turn to face that committee today. James Wolffe QC started by reminding them that they were dealing with someone above them. 'The actions of the Crown are not within the remit of the committee', he said in his first sentence.

Saturday

Fraser Nelson

Sturgeon’s establishment stitch-up

From our UK edition

When The Spectator went to High Court in Edinburgh to seek clarification over the Alex Salmond case, we did not act out of chumminess or a conviction that he was telling the truth. We are not natural allies of his. We are not sure if his explosive claims are correct, but we are sure that they should be scrutinised by a free press and free parliament.  Sturgeon's allies were instead dealing with his allegations against her by seeking to stop Salmond's full story ever being told. The SNP-led investigating committee had said it would not publish his submitted evidence - which, as they knew, would mean he would not appear in front of them. The pretext?

Wednesday

Fraser Nelson

Will Gove greenlight immunity passports?

From our UK edition

19 min listen

Michael Gove will lead a government review into immunity passports. Does his appointment make IDs a foregone conclusion, what will they look like, and when can we expect to see their domestic rollout? Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth.

Tuesday

Fraser Nelson

Sturgeon versus Salmond

From our UK edition

20 min listen

Alex Salmond has pulled out from his appearance in front of the harassment complaints committee, where he was expected to give evidence about an alleged breach of the ministerial code by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. Fraser Nelson speaks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls about the SNP implosion.

Monday

Fraser Nelson

Has Carrie divided No. 10?

From our UK edition

15 min listen

Yet more personnel changes have happened in Downing Street, with Oliver Lewis the latest to depart. The weekend papers were full of briefings that Carrie Symonds is the reason for the latest strife. Cindy Yu talks to Katy Balls and Fraser Nelson about how much truth there is in that.

Saturday

Thursday

Fraser Nelson

Salmond, Sturgeon and why The Spectator went to court

From our UK edition

Did Nicola Sturgeon lie to the Scottish parliament? A Holyrood committee into the now infamous Alex Salmond affair has been looking into what she knew and when she knew it. In its possession is Salmond’s explosive written evidence, which contradicts her account. So who is telling the truth? This SNP-chaired inquiry has been in no rush to find the answer. Last month, it made the extraordinary decision not to publish the Salmond submission at all — blaming legal problems. There’s a risk, it said, that his account might identify some of the women who complained against him, thereby defying a court order to protect anonymity. Without the key evidence, its inquiry would run into the ground. All very convenient. And questionable.

Wednesday

Monday

Thursday

Fraser Nelson

Why The Spectator went to court

From our UK edition

Among the Scottish parliament’s many crucial roles, there is none more important than its ability to scrutinise government and hold it to account. The same is true of a free press. Both are at their best when they hold power to account on behalf of the public. But neither can do this essential duty when crucial documents are withheld during important inquiries. The Holyrood inquiry into the Scottish government’s handling of the Alex Salmond affair decided last week that it would not publish crucial submissions, including Mr Salmond’s, apparently on the basis that to do so would contravene reporting restrictions rightly introduced to protect the identity of complainants. We have published a duly redacted version of Alex Salmond’s account on our website.

Fraser Nelson

Sales of The Spectator smash through 100,000

From our UK edition

Sales figures for UK magazines are published today and The Spectator is delighted to announce the biggest increase in its 192-year history. The bet we made returning the furlough money last summer has paid off. When we packed up for lockdown last year, we feared the worst and furloughed staff. But we found the demand for our journalism had only increased. We were badly hit (newsagent sales and events especially) but saw we had a way out. In 2019, we sold an average 80,455 copies globally. We set a goal of hitting 100,000 (which would mean overtaking the weekday sales of two newspapers). We returned the furlough money to the taxpayer, and asked people who liked our journalism to pay for it.

Friday

Fraser Nelson

Should Britain give away its vaccines?

From our UK edition

13 min listen

Novavax's vaccine has shown 89 per cent efficacy in UK trials. The government has bought 60 million doses of the jab, and it's expected that production will begin in Teesside later this year. But, as the EU's rollout languishes and their row with AstraZeneca escalates, should Britain consider giving away its vaccines? Katy Balls speaks to James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson.

Saturday

Fraser Nelson

How will history remember Brexit?

From our UK edition

25 min listen

In his upcoming book, the historian Robert Tombs writes that Brexit may not be the historically significant event we think it is. On the podcast, Katy Balls speaks to him and James Forsyth about just how history will remember Brexit, and what are the future events that can still change our memory of it.

Friday

Fraser Nelson

Job vacancy: social media manager

From our UK edition

The Spectator’s subscriptions are growing at the fastest rate in our 193-year history. Once, the way people discovered new publications was to browse in a shop. Now, the smartphone lets millions see our headlines – and, if they like them, read our articles. If they become hooked, they subscribe. We generate about a fifth of our traffic through social media and with subscribers having doubled to almost 100,000 we think it’s time to find someone to manage our social media full time. The job won’t mean writing headlines (or sells): that will be done by our team of journalists. We’re looking for someone to work out what should be promoted, how, when and where. Collating and understanding analytics. And understanding how to do things in our style.

Fraser Nelson

Is the Cabinet divide on Covid back?

From our UK edition

11 min listen

The Guardian reported today that the Department of Health is considering offering a £500 isolation fee to encourage more people with symptoms to get tested. But the Treasury hit back fast saying that they had not seen these proposals and that the idea was 'bonkers'. Katy Balls talks to James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson about what the row says about the conversations behind the scenes.

Wednesday

Fraser Nelson

Will Theresa May’s intervention be the first of many?

From our UK edition

17 min listen

Timed with the inauguration of Joe Biden, Theresa May has written an op-ed in the Daily Mail criticising her successor for his 'abandon of our global moral leadership'. Cindy Yu talks to Katy Balls and Fraser Nelson about what this former prime minister will do from the backbenches.

Sunday

Fraser Nelson

Alexei Navalny: a profile in courage

From our UK edition

Vladimir Putin likes his opponents in exile: it makes them easier to portray as defectors who have turned their back on Russia. It suited him to have Alexei Navalny, the most prominent opposition leader in Russia, hiding in Germany fearing he’d be arrested (or worse) if he returned. But now, Navalny has flown back to Moscow – and was duly arrested at passport control. Every stage of his return – his flight out, his arrest, his goodbye to his wife – has been vividly documented on social media with images already making their way around Russia and the world. Navalny has made a swap: he has sacrificed his liberty to leave no doubt about his commitment to his country. And no doubt about how Putin operates.

Friday

Fraser Nelson

Is the government underpromising on the vaccine rollout?

From our UK edition

15 min listen

A leaked Scottish government document suggested that all over-50s could be vaccinated by the end of March, and that UK has capacity to deliver 3.8 million jabs next week. Has the government been underselling its efforts? Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth.