Isabel Hardman

Isabel Hardman

Isabel Hardman is assistant editor of The Spectator and author of Why We Get the Wrong Politicians. She also presents Radio 4’s Week in Westminster.

What the Aukus pact says about Britain’s foreign policy

From our UK edition

12 min listen

With the Commons still reeling from the reshuffle, the UK, US, and Australia have formed a new security alliance, the Aukus pact. Many have seen this as early preparation for a more aggressive China, as the US nuclear submarines being gifted to Australia will be able to reach territories like Taiwan without refuelling. To discuss the pact,

Javid avoids Tory fightback – for now

From our UK edition

Tory MPs were not happy when Sajid Javid unveiled the Covid winter plan in the Commons this afternoon. They’re dissatisfied with the government holding so many powers – such as vaccine passports, further lockdowns and other restrictions – in reserve as part of its Plan B, which will be activated this winter if cases breach what the

What are Javid’s winter Covid plans?

From our UK edition

13 min listen

Health Secretary Sajid Javid today laid out his two plans for dealing with Covid this winter. The first, Plan A, proposes a booster shot for everyone over 50, combined with the flu jab. This would also see contact tracing continue, along with self-isolation for the infected and financial support for those isolating. Plan B proposes

Tory MPs back Boris’s tax hike

From our UK edition

As expected, this evening the Commons approved the 1.25 per cent increase in National Insurance, with 319 votes in favour and 248 against. The Tory rebellion was tiny – far smaller even than the predictions earlier today of 20 or so voting against. Just five MPs opposed the motion: John Redwood, Esther McVey, Christopher Chope,

Tories brace for more tax rises to fund NHS

From our UK edition

Any Tory rebellion on social care is unlikely to be very big this evening when the Commons votes on a resolution introducing it. There are a number of reasons for this, not least that voting against a money resolution, particularly one on an issue that is as big as a budget, is a much bigger

How is Boris keeping the Tories so unified?

From our UK edition

12 min listen

In the first session of PMQ’s completely Covid restriction free, Keir Starmer proved that the Prime Minster wouldn’t commit to definitely getting rid of the NHS waiting list within three years or the risk of people having to sell their homes to pay for care. But Boris Johnson seemed pretty bullet proof with not a

The red herring at the heart of Boris’s tax hike

From our UK edition

One of the most dubious and meaningless parts of today’s health and social care plan is the pledge that the new tax will be a ‘legally hypothecated levy’ – ring-fenced so that the money raised can only go to health and social care services.  It’s dubious in the same way that the Tory manifesto pledge

Javid’s cash boost can’t fix a battered NHS

From our UK edition

The new £5.4 billion cash boost for NHS England is the easy bit of a very tricky situation for the health service and the politicians trying to work out how to deal with it. As Health Secretary Sajid Javid made clear on Monday, while the money will help deal with the backlog in treatment caused

On Afghanistan, Boris Johnson has escaped again

From our UK edition

Boris Johnson took a strangely upbeat tone when he updated MPs on Afghanistan this afternoon. He argued that British planning for the US withdrawal had been months in the making and that the evacuation effort had exceeded expectations with twice the number of people getting out than had been expected.  He even made some big

Are the Conservatives still a low tax party?

From our UK edition

11 min listen

With the vaccine secretary Nadhim Zahawi declaring on the radio that the Conservatives were a ‘party of fair taxation’, could the government be looking at rebellion from its right with its new plans for tackling the social care crisis? Katy Balls in conversation with James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman.

What if vaccines can’t end the pandemic?

From our UK edition

14 min listen

New data from Israel shows that the Delta variant is getting through the protection offered by double jabs, even though the vaccines do lessen symptoms.  But the study, of more than 800,000 cases, suggests those who have recovered from Covid have stronger protection than those who have not: jabbed or unjabbed. Will this make it

What does the Kabul attack mean for Biden?

From our UK edition

11 min listen

After the attack on Kabul’s airport by Isis-K, President Biden addressed the world last night and mourned for the 13 US marines who were killed. But with this grim event already being politicised by the Republicans, what will the lasting damage to the president legacy be? Isobel Hardman in conversation with Kate Andrews and Fraser

The last days of the Kabul airlift

From our UK edition

13 min listen

Chaos surrounds the Hamid Karzai airport today as two explosions and a potential knife attack has left at least 13 dead. The attacks are suspected to be suicide bombers from ISIS-K, as the American and British military had feared. What does this mean for the evacuation in its last days? Cindy Yu talks to Isabel

Universal credit could prove toxic for Sunak

From our UK edition

Conservative MPs are still worried about the removal of the £20-a-week uplift to Universal Credit this coming October. Two of them — Peter Aldous and John Stevenson — have written to Boris Johnson to urge him not to press ahead with the cut, which will restore the benefit back to its pre-pandemic levels. The pair

What will happen to those left in Kabul?

From our UK edition

The Afghan evacuation is feared to be entering its final hours, and with it a new desperation is building among people trying to get out of the country and those helping them. On the ground, troops are warning that Kabul airport could be overrun by people who are ineligible to leave but desperate to do

Why Raab’s holiday answers only raised more questions

From our UK edition

12 min listen

In his first broadcast round since coming back from Crete, Raab’s handling of the questions surrounding his holiday have only managed to fuel the conversation further, with choice quotes such as ‘the sea was closed that day’. Cindy Yu talks to Isabel Hardman and Katy Balls about what went wrong with the Foreign Secretary’s handling

Raab at sea with his latest defence

From our UK edition

Is Dominic Raab’s summer holiday really still an issue as the evacuation of Afghanistan enters its final few hours? According to the Foreign Secretary, it still is. Despite everyone else in Westminster seeming to move on from the fury that accompanied Raab’s decision to stay in Crete as the Taliban swept back to power, the

Boris Johnson’s G7 Afghanistan summit ends in failure

From our UK edition

As expected, the emergency G7 leaders’ summit on Afghanistan has broken up without agreeing an extension to the 31 August deadline for evacuations from Kabul. Boris Johnson tried to put a positive spin on the virtual meeting, which he had convened, when he gave a pool clip after, saying the group had set a condition

Is the ‘gentler, kinder’ Taliban already gone?

From our UK edition

13 min listen

As many had expected, President Biden has not agreed to extend the August 31 deadline despite pleas from Nato allies in today’s G7 call. Meanwhile, there are signs that the veneer of the new and reformed Taliban is already beginning to crack in Afghanistan. Katy Balls talks to Isabel Hardman and Fraser Nelson.

Will Biden agree to Boris’s Afghanistan request?

From our UK edition

12 min listen

The Prime Minister has requested Washington to extend the August 31 deadline for the withdrawal of US troops from Kabul. But will Joe Biden acquiesce, amidst warnings from the Taliban that there will be ‘consequences’ if the US stays longer? Isabel Hardman talks to Fraser Nelson and Katy Balls.