James Heale

It’s Labour conference day one, and Oscar Edmondson and James Heale report live from the Pullman hotel bar. What’s the mood of conference so far? Will it be a dour affair like previous years, or will new measures to shorten the beer queues do anything to quell the gossip and plotting? Andy Burnham has taken the opportunity this morning to announce a major policy on social care, proposing a system more closely aligned with the principles of the NHS with a free at the point of use model. But how would Labour pay for it? Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

Andy Burnham pitched Britain to the UN this week as an 'honest broker' on artificial intelligence, only for Washington to ask OpenAI and Anthropic to make Britain's AI Security Institute wait its turn. Michael Simmons is joined by James Heale and Tim Shipman to discuss James's column on the backlash, data centres and whether Burnham's Makerfield test will make room for AI innovation.

After fresh polling from YouGov put the Tories ahead of Reform UK today, the leader of the opposition has set out plans to get people off of unemployment benefits, and limit what successful claimants can spend it on. James Heale is joined by Michael Simmons and Tim Shipman to weigh up the policy proposal, another poll from Survation, and whether Andy Burnham will go to the country for an early election. Produced by Henry Lloyd.

Patrick Gibbons is joined from Liberal Democrat conference in Brighton by deputy political editor James Heale and Michael Stephens, a senior associate fellow at RUSI and who is now the party’s prospective parliamentary candidate for Maidstone. They discuss Ed Davey’s attempt to put more substance behind the stunts, how the party can keep making gains across the south east and whether defence and national security can give the party a more serious national profile. Plus: has Brighton provided any clues to who might eventually succeed Ed Davey? Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

From the hallways of the Liberal Democrat conference in Brighton, the Spectator's deputy political editor James Heale speaks to foreign affairs spokesman Calum Miller MP about the party’s pitch on growth, what Andy Burnham means for the Lib Dems and why Britain should pursue closer defence ties with Europe. Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

More voters than ever before say they are willing to vote tactically at the next election, according to new polling from More in Common, and the trend is not running Reform's way – even Conservative supporters are more ready to lend their vote to the Lib Dems than to Nigel Farage. James Heale and Tim Shipman are joined by the pollster's executive director, Luke Tryl, to discuss the findings and whether a 'stop Reform' vote could keep Farage out of Downing Street.

New inflation figures – showing the highest increase for several months – have done little to insulate John Healey from the stormy weather of the British economy. James Heale is joined by Michael Simmons and Tim Shipman to unpack what the rise might mean for Labour's upcoming budget. How much worse can it get? Produced by Henry Lloyd.

Labour is facing growing criticism from rural Britain, with the Countryside Alliance calling for a ‘rural reset’ between the government and the countryside. Noa Hoffman and James Heale are joined by Tory peer and Countryside Alliance chairman Nick Herbert to discuss why Labour has lost the trust of rural communities - from the family farm tax and trail hunting to plans to licence game shooting. They ask whether Labour’s new approach under Andy Burnham can repair the relationship, and examine why politicians need to stop treating rural Britain as the enemy. Produced by Abigail Brierley.

Reform UK received a record-breaking £72 million in donations over the weekend from two crypto billionaires – meaning the party has received almost twice as much in 24 hours as all political parties combined have received in donations this year. Noa Hoffman and James Heale discuss how Reform will spend the money, the government’s plans to cap political donations from British expats, and what the public makes of the party’s massive cash injection. They also examine Kemi Badenoch’s plans to potentially abolish inheritance tax, and how the policy could help the Conservatives distinguish themselves from Reform. Plus, what does Labour’s ambitious housing target mean for Angela Rayner and the party? Produced by Abigail Brierley.