James Forsyth

James Forsyth

James Forsyth is former political editor of The Spectator.

Tuesday

James Forsyth

Cop27: Sunak’s first overseas trip as PM

Rishi Sunak is back from his first overseas trip as Prime Minister. Despite Downing Street having initially said he wouldn’t go, Sunak did travel to Cop27, the international climate change summit in Egypt.   Given the UK has had three prime ministers this year, his non-attendance would have raised question marks The problem with Sunak not going was not only that the UK was handing over the Cop presidency to the Egyptians. Given the UK has had three prime ministers this year, his non-attendance would also have raised question marks over the UK’s commitment to this climate change agenda.

Monday

James Forsyth

Does Westminster have a whipping problem?

12 min listen

Gavin Williamson is in trouble, again. This time the reveal of some expletive-laden texts he sent to then-chief whip Wendy Morton has raised questions for the government over why Williamson was brought back into frontline politics. On the podcast, Cindy Yu talks to James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman about whether the dual role of government whips (as discipline enforcers and pastoral carers) is confused and out of date.Produced by Cindy Yu.

Friday

James Forsyth

Why have the RMT cancelled the strikes?

14 min listen

Today the planned rail strikes have been cancelled at the 11th hour. Is this an indication that a deal may be soon reached to end the months of disruption?  Also on the podcast, after it was announced that Arts Council England would cut its funding, it looks like the English National Opera will be forced out of London. Is this 'levelling up'?  Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth.  Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

Thursday

James Forsyth

Are we heading for a recession?

11 min listen

Alongside an interest rate hike of 3 per cent, the Bank of England have today warned the economy will 'be in recession for a long period'. How much of the blame can we place on Truss's economic policy? What will this recession look like?  Also on the podcast, Rishi Sunak plans to remove the 'legal but harmful' censorship clause from the Online Harms Bill, what will this mean for online safety? Katy Balls speaks with Fraser Nelson, James Forsyth and Kate Andrews.  Produced by Natasha Feroze and Oscar Edmondson.

Wednesday

James Forsyth

How to balance immigration and jobs

Immigration is now at the top of the political agenda in a way that it hasn’t been since the vote to leave the European Union in 2016. Two factors have propelled it up the list, one very real (the small boats arriving across the Channel) and the other theoretical (economic modelling). The market reaction to Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-Budget made the Office for Budget Responsibility’s next forecast all the more important. In an attempt to increase economic growth, Liz Truss wanted to formalise a more liberal immigration policy. She wanted to show the OBR that her policies would produce decent growth, but her tax cuts would not be enough to do this. So she thought more immigration would help to increase GDP figures, as it had in the Labour years.

James Forsyth

Why is Rishi now going to Cop?

13 min listen

Rishi Sunak has said that he will now attend the Cop 27 summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, which begins on Sunday. What's behind the U-turn, and should we expect more policy reversals from the new PM?  Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth. Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Max Jeffery.

James Forsyth

Sunak and Starmer clash over ‘broken’ asylum system

Short questions are always best at PMQs – and Keir Starmer’s first one was very short indeed. He asked Rishi Sunak if the asylum system is broken as the Home Secretary had said – and if so, who broke it? (I wonder if Starmer got the idea from Nick Robinson’s interview with Sunak over the summer, in which he used a very similar device.) Sunak responded by arguing that Labour had voted against measures that would help deal with the problem and accused the party of having no plan to tackle immigration. But the Tories need to show that they are gripping this problem. The situation is now such that changes to the facts on the ground are needed, rather than empty rhetoric. After PMQs came news that No.

Monday

James Forsyth

Is Rishi ready?

37 min listen

On this week's podcast: We have a new prime minister, but is Rishi Sunak ready to take on the numerous problems that James Forsyth outlines in his cover piece for The Spectator this week? James is joined by writer and pollster Matt Goodwin to debate whether the Conservatives can turn it around in time for 2024 (00:50).  Also this week: Is the future of feminism conservative? Louise Perry writes for the magazine this week that there has been a rightward shift in feminist thought, spearheaded by mothers coalescing online. She is joined by Victoria Smith, author of Hags: The Demonisation of Middle-Aged Women (15:30).

James Forsyth

Will Rishi take the difficult decisions?

11 min listen

Reports today suggest the government is planning to pledge £50 billion to close the fiscal black hole. Are they laying the groundwork for a combination of spending cuts and tax rises?Also on the podcast, after Elon Musk completed his purchase of Twitter today, what will the repercussions be for the Online Safety Bill? Max Jeffery speaks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls.  Produced by Max Jeffery and Oscar Edmondson.

James Forsyth

How will Starmer attack Sunak?

10 min listen

A poll in the i on Friday showed that Rishi Sunak is more trusted with the economy than Keir Starmer. How will Labour break down that support? Max Jeffery speaks to Katy Balls and James Forsyth. Produced by Max Jeffery.

James Forsyth

What will Rishi do on education?

12 min listen

Rishi Sunak has completed ministerial appointments to the Department for Education. Now led by Gillian Keegan, who left school at 16 to become an apprentice, and with old hands such as Robert Halfon and Nick Gibb returning, how ambitious will he be on education reform? Katy Balls and James Forsyth discuss on this episode. Produced by Cindy Yu.

Wednesday

James Forsyth

Is Rishi ready? Sunak’s first test will be getting through winter

It is the most remarkable turnaround in recent political history. On 5 September, Rishi Sunak lost the Tory leadership race to Liz Truss with 43 per cent of the vote. He was written off as another politician with a brilliant future behind him. Seven weeks later, the former Chancellor – whom, I should say, I have been friends with for many years – walked through the door of No. 10. His political resurrection was made possible by the economy. He spent the summer warning of the risk of slashing taxes without having a grip on inflation and controlling spending. When Truss followed through on her tax-cutting campaign pledges – adding a few more surprise tax cuts and an energy subsidy for good measure – the markets were spooked.

James Forsyth

Did Rishi win at PMQs?

12 min listen

Rishi Sunak faced up against Keir Starmer in his first Prime Minister's Questions today, and rallied the Conservative backbenches to a more enthusiastic mood than has been seen in, perhaps, months. Cindy Yu talks to Katy Balls and James Forsyth about the attack lines that Labour are trying out at the moment (on everything from the appointment of Suella Braverman to Rishi Sunak's comments about diverting money away from 'deprived urban areas').

Tuesday

James Forsyth

What happened in Rishi’s reshuffle?

12 min listen

Rishi Sunak has spent his first day in office appointing his new Cabinet. As the Prime Minister vowed to fix the 'mistakes' of his predecessor's administration – who's in and who's out? Katy Balls and James Forsyth discuss. Produced by Natasha Feroze.

James Forsyth

Does Liz Truss have any regrets?

13 min listen

Katy Balls and James Forsyth discuss from the rooftop of Parliament the key takeaways from Liz Truss' departure speech. How does she reflect on her time in office?Produced by Natasha Feroze.

Monday

James Forsyth

Can Rishi steady the ship?

14 min listen

We have a new leader of the Conservative party. After Penny Mordaunt dropped out of the race just seconds before the deadline, Rishi Sunak will become the next prime minister. But he inherits a disunited party, war in Ukraine and a huge economic mountain to climb. What comes next?James Forsyth and Katy Balls discuss.Produced by Max Jeffery and Oscar Edmondson.

James Forsyth

Penny drops, Rishi wins

Rishi Sunak has been elected leader of the Tory party and will be the next prime minister after Penny Mordaunt pulled out of the race. By the 2 m. deadline, 197 Tory MPs – half of the party – had come out for him. Just 27 had gone public for Mordaunt: her team said that anonymous endorsements took this to 97. Given that only Sunak qualified, the final numbers will never be known. He speaks to Tory MPs at 2.30 m.in private. It is a remarkable turnaround for Sunak It is a remarkable turnaround for Sunak. Last month, he lost the Tory leadership election to Liz Truss. But the vindication of his economic warnings has changed the political landscape.

James Forsyth

Ready for Rishi?

12 min listen

After Boris pulled out of the leadership race last night, all eyes are on Rishi Sunak who could be Prime Minister by lunchtime. Can Rishi rescue the Conservatives?Kate Andrews speaks to Katy Balls, James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson.Produced by Natasha Feroze.

Sunday

James Forsyth

Boris has avoided a nightmare scenario

Boris Johnson’s decision to pull out of the Tory leadership contest averts a nightmare scenario where he had got the support of less than a third of the parliamentary party and was then returned to Downing Street by the member’s vote (though, I think the result of that ballot was becoming less and less certain). This would have been a recipe for instability. Can you really lead a party in parliament if the vast majority of the MPs wanted someone else?   Even allies of Johnson were saying today that they hoped that he wouldn’t run. They feared that if he did he would be remembered as the man who broke the Tory party rather than as the man who delivered Brexit, won the 2019 general election with a majority and was right about Ukraine.