James Forsyth

James Forsyth

James Forsyth is former political editor of The Spectator.

Friday

James Forsyth

Truss and Kwarteng’s mini-Budget is a big gamble

Kwasi Kwarteng and Liz Truss are a Chancellor and a Prime Minister in a hurry, they know they have only got 18 months to get the economy growing if they are to win-re-election. So, they went all out in today’s non-budget Budget. Not only did they cancel the corporation tax rise and reverse the National Insurance increase but they abolished the higher rate of tax and brought forward the cut in the basic rate of income tax. This is all against the backdrop of an energy price guarantee that the Chancellor said would cost £60 billion over the next six months. This and the tens of billions of tax cuts will be paid for by borrowing; the government will borrow £72.4 billion more than it expected to in April.

Thursday

James Forsyth

NI rise scrapped: how much further will Kwasi go?

16 min listen

With hours to go till the Chancellor's fiscal statement, we've heard today that the National Insurance hike will be scrapped, as promised during Liz Truss's leadership campaign. This comes as the Bank of England increases the base rate to 2.25 per cent. How much further will Kwasi Kwarteng go, and just how willing is the Truss government to be unpopular? Katy Balls talks to James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman.Produced by Cindy Yu.

Wednesday

James Forsyth

Liz Truss’s first big test

Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng are determined to show that Britain’s economy is under new management. They want to indicate through their decisions – such as cancelling the corporation tax rise and reversing the National Insurance rise – that they are breaking away from the fiscal approach of recent years. More broadly, they want to emphasise that growth is their priority. In contrast to Boris Johnson’s attempts at people-pleasing, Truss is happy to declare she is prepared to be unpopular if that is what it takes to get the economy moving. She is dismissive of arguments about the distributional impact of tax cuts.

James Forsyth

What’s behind Putin’s mobilisation?

15 min listen

Vladimir Putin warned the West that, if pushed, Russia would use a nuclear weapon. How seriously should we take his threat? And reports emerged overnight that Liz Truss will cut stamp duty to increase demand for housing. But will that help more people get onto the housing ladder? Katy Balls speaks to James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman.Produced by Max Jeffery.

Tuesday

James Forsyth

Why is Liz Truss ruling out a US trade deal?

14 min listen

Liz Truss is in New York today on her first foreign visit as prime minister. On the flight across the Atlantic, Truss said that a trade deal with the United States was unlikely in the 'short to medium term'. Why has the PM, who was so vocal about a free trade agreement with the US in the 2019 election, changed her tune? Cindy Yu speaks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls. Produced by Cindy Yu and Max Jeffery.

Monday

James Forsyth

How will Queen Elizabeth II be remembered?

12 min listen

Today was the state funeral of Britain's longest reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II. From Westminster, we evaluate the day's proceedings.Also on the podcast, as the period of mourning ends and politics resumes, can Liz Truss hit the ground running? Will we get some clarity on how much her energy plan will cost?Katy Balls speaks with Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth.Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

Sunday

Friday

James Forsyth

Can Mark Rowley successfully reform the Met Police?

The awful news that two police officers were stabbed in London this morning is an example of the challenges facing the new Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley. As I say in the Times today, he must deal with low morale in the Met, a lack of public confidence in the force and a rising sense of lawlessness. David Spencer, a former Met officer who is now at Policy Exchange, has written an interesting report on what Rowley can do to turn things around. Its main argument is that the attempt by the Met to create a 'strategic centre' has failed and it needs to return to neighbourhood policing as the most effective way of cutting crime and restoring public confidence. Until four years ago, all 32 London boroughs had a chief superintendent in charge of local policing.

James Forsyth

Can the Met fix London’s spiralling crime problem?

10 min listen

Two police officers were stabbed this morning near Leicester Square in central London. What can new Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley do to fix the capital's crime epidemic? And the pound today fell to a 37-year low against the dollar. What can the government do to give the markets confidence?Max Jeffery speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth.Produced by Max Jeffery.

Thursday

James Forsyth

Who will be at the Queen’s funeral?

15 min listen

Preparations are well under way for the Queen's funeral next week, but which world leaders will be in attendance? Will they all be able to behave themselves? Also on the podcast, as the new Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng works quietly in the background, is his idea to scrap caps on banker's bonuses a risk worth taking? Cindy Yu speaks with James Forsyth and Katy Balls. Produced by Cindy Yu and Oscar Edmondson.

James Forsyth

Parliament is on pause

Politics is in suspended animation. The only proceedings in parliament are the tens of thousands of mourners moving through Westminster Hall as the Queen lies in state. Party politics was always going to pause after the monarch’s death. But what the planning could not have anticipated was the moment at which the politics would halt. Parliament learned of the Queen’s declining health just as a new prime minister was announcing what may turn out to be the biggest single fiscal intervention in peacetime history. Liz Truss’s plan to cap average household energy bills at £2,500 for the next two years could cost more than £100 billion – equivalent to abolishing the basic rate of income tax for a year.

Wednesday

James Forsyth

What will happen while the Queen lies in state?

12 min listen

The Queen's coffin has been taken from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall. Mourners will pay their respects for the next four days before the funeral on Monday.Also on the podcast, James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson discuss the latest news in the Ukraine conflict.

Tuesday

James Forsyth

What was the message behind King Charles’s visit to Belfast?

12 min listen

King Charles arrived in Belfast where he was met by the new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Chris Heaton-Harris. The King has pledged to follow the 'shining example' set by his mother during her life of public service. Tonight, the Queen's body will be moved from Edinburgh to Buckingham Palace where her body will lie-in-state ahead of the funeral. Also on the podcast, is Ukraine's largest counteroffensive against Russia working? And how might Russia escalate?Katy Balls is joined by James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman. Produced by Natasha Feroze.

Monday

James Forsyth

Would Putin take an ‘off ramp’ out of Ukraine?

Over the past few days, the Ukrainians have upended assumptions about the war with Russia. They have shown it was wrong to predict that the conflict was inevitably going to turn into a war of attrition. They have advanced at speed, reclaiming, according to reports, 1,000 square miles of territory in a week. It's not clear yet whether they will be able to secure these gains. But for now, Russian forces are demoralised and do not have a conventional response. The upset evident among hawks in Russia is a reminder of the dangers for the regime in losing face in Ukraine For Ukraine's president Zelensky, the military advance is particularly well-timed.

James Forsyth

King Charles III addresses parliament

16 min listen

This morning, surrounded by the lead, oak and stone of Westminster Hall, King Charles III addressed parliament. Lindsay Hoyle, speaker of the Commons, introduced him, and said that he knew the new King would 'bear those responsibilities which fall to you'. King Charles said that he was resolved to follow his mother's 'selfless duty'.  Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth about what comes next.  Produced by Max Jeffery.

Saturday

James Forsyth

Queen Elizabeth II: coronation, reign and succession

12 min listen

Freddy Gray, The Spectator's deputy editor, is joined by our former editor Charles Moore, and our political editor James Forsyth, to discuss the Queen's death. What was her coronation like? Should unionists be concerned? How important was the Queen's faith to her? What do we miss about the Queen?

Friday

James Forsyth

The Queen was the model constitutional monarch

There are events in politics that everyone knows are coming but no one can quite anticipate what they will mean. The death of the Queen is one of these. Her Majesty reigned for 70 years and no MP has served under any other monarch. There is no institutional or political memory of the passing of a sovereign.  The Queen provided continuity through a period of remarkable political, cultural and technological change. Her death removes one of our links to the past. In particular, it severs this country’s most direct link to the wartime generation.

Thursday

James Forsyth

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has died at the age of 96

The Queen has died. Buckingham Palace has just confirmed that Her Majesty passed away at Balmoral this afternoon.  It was clear Her Majesty was most unwell when the cancelling of the privy council yesterday was followed by a rare bulletin from Buckingham Palace on her health. The Speaker informed the House of Commons of the Queen’s ill-health this morning and since then the nation has been braced for the worse. The Queen was the model constitutional monarch The Queen has reigned for seventy years. She worked until the very end. Just on Monday, she invited her 15th Prime Minister, Liz Truss, to form a government. In private, she will have dispensed the wisdom and advice that every prime minister came to value.

James Forsyth

Buckle up: the Liz Truss era begins

35 min listen

In this week’s episode: As the Liz Truss era begins, we assess the bumpy road that lies ahead of her. James Forsyth and Rachel Wolf, co-author of the 2019 conservative manifesto, join the Edition podcast (01:04). Also this week: From generation rent to generation buy: has Help to Buy been a success or a failure? Emma Hollender speaks with economist – and ‘Trussketeer’ – Dr Gerard Lyons (12:29). And finally: is metal detecting becoming popular? Nigel Richardson discusses this in his piece in The Spectator this week and is joined by Julian Evan-Hart, editor of Treasure Hunting magazine (25:17). Hosted by Lara Prendergast and William Moore. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.