James Forsyth

In this week’s episode: Is Boris Johnson done for? In this week’s Spectator cover story, our political editor James Forsyth and our deputy political editor Katy Balls write about Boris Johnson’s perilous position in the aftermath of the Partygate scandal. They join the podcast to predict the Prime Minister’s fate. (00:40)Also this week: Is there a dangerous side to self-improvement?The hashtag manifesting has had billions of impressions on social media in the last year. Younger generations love it and Mary Wakefield explores this viral phenomenon in her column this week. She joins the podcast along with Ally Head, the health and sustainability editor for Marie Claire UK who has interviewed a number of manifestation experts.

Boris Johnson has finally commented on the accusations of a Downing Street garden party held in the first lockdown. Yet his defence – 'I believed implicitly that this was a work event' – has satisfied nobody.On the episode, James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman give their verdict. 'When I started my career I spent a lot of time in magistrates courts and I have to say, I've heard better ones from people who were drunk who were defending themselves in Portsmouth Magistrates Court', Isabel says. And for James, the problem was Boris Johnson's own party – 'The Tory benches were almost totally silent'. Can these MPs really defend Boris Johnson to their constituents, and what happens to this Prime Minister if they can't?

Another day, another party scandal. ‘Bring your own booze’ said Martin Reynolds, the Prime Minister's private secretary in a leaked email to around 100 staff in May 2020, inviting them to a picnic at 10 Downing Street. At the same time, the rest of the country was limited to socialising within household bubbles or one other person outdoors. 'This is the most serious party allegation yet when it comes to Boris Johnson specifically' - Katy BallsNo.10 have refused to respond to the leaked email whilst Sue Gray's investigation into other Downing Street parties are ongoing. Can this line of response last through to PMQ’s tomorrow? Boris Johnson can expect challenging questions from Keir Starmer as the crisis unravels.

With some early signs that the Omicron threat is waning, talk has begun around Westminster as to when we can get rid of the remaining Covid restrictions. To help Katy Balls, James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman make sense of the latest figures, they are joined by Editor, Fraser Nelson with an update from The Spectator's data hub. 'When you look at the number of admissions to hospitals, that actually hit a peak of 2,370 on December the 29th. It hasn't been back at that.' - Fraser NelsonKaty, Isabel and James also assess Michael Gove's plan to address new-build cladding in the wake of Grenfell.

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.

In yesterday's Cabinet debate, Jacob Rees-Mogg called on Boris Johnson to abandon the planned hike in national insurance, amid warnings of a looming cost of living crisis. This is not the first time the leader of the Commons has criticised the government following his opposition to tougher Covid restrictions. Might this be a sign that Rees-Mogg is going to jump before he is pushed?‘After the Patterson affair, there is now a clear distance between No.10 and the whips office. As we both know Isabel, when that is the case, that is when Parliament begins to unravel quite quickly' James Forsyth.

The first PMQs of 2022 was a little different. It was Angela Rayner’s turn to step up to the dispatch box whilst Keir Starmer is isolating having tested positive for Covid.Rayner went after Boris Johnson on inflation and the cost of living crisis looming in Britain, criticising the government for refusing to cut VAT on energy bills. Another topic that came up was the pressure on the NHS as a result of the pandemic. NHS Trusts are declaring critical incidents saying they’re not going to be able to perform certain treatments due to high staff absences.'The crisis in the healthcare sector is not that anybody is being overwhelmed.

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.

Boris Johnson once boasted that you couldn't hold a cigarette paper between him and David Frost, the man he brought on to take Brexit over the line. Yet this key ally has resigned when the Prime Minister is at his most vulnerable. In his resignation letter, Lord Frost cites his concerns on whether the country is making the most of Brexit to cut taxes and red tape, and the direction of travel when it comes to dealing with the pandemic. On the podcast, Katy Balls talks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth about the significance of this moment – which Fraser says is 'a bigger blow to the Prime Minister than the by-election'.