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James Heale

James Heale

James Heale is The Spectator’s deputy political editor.

Wednesday

James Heale

Badenoch’s Trump card

16 min listen

It’s happened. The scenario Labour politicians hoped would not come to pass is now a reality: Donald Trump is heading back to the White House. The official line from Labour is that everything is fine – they will work with whoever hold the office of president. That was the message from Keir Starmer at Prime Minister’s Questions as he congratulated president-elect Trump, and made a point of mentioning they had recently had dinner together. However – Kemi Badenoch focused on David Lammy’s past criticisms of Trump at PMQs. Is this a unique tension for the Labour government? James Heale discusses with Michael Gove and Katy Balls.

James Heale

Badenoch puts the punch back in PMQs

It was a strong start for Kemi Badenoch in her debut performance at Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs). After the obligatory pledge to be a 'constructive' opposition, the newly-crowned Tory leader began by asking Keir Starmer about the day's big story – the American election result. Badenoch's first three questions were variations on the theme of Trump and how much Starmer was looking forward to working with him. She raised the perennial question of David Lammy. Had the Prime Minister apologised to Donald Trump for the Foreign Secretary's 'derogatory' and 'scatological' past comments about him? Starmer, predictably, did not answer.

Monday

James Heale

Can Starmer stop the small boats?

It's small boats week in government. Following last Wednesday's Budget, No. 10 is turning its attention to the ceaseless flow of Channel crossings. Keir Starmer will use his speech at the Interpol General Assembly in Glasgow today to set out Labour's plans to – you've guessed it – 'smash' the criminal gangs. Starmer's remarks are certainly timely. More than 5,000 people crossed the Channel in October, making it the busiest month of the year so far. In total, 31,094 people have crossed so far this year, up 16.5 per cent on the same point in 2023 but still down 22.1 per cent on the same point in 2022. Starmer is expected to announce that Border Security Command will get £75 million on top of an equal sum announced in September, over the next two years.

Friday

James Heale

Can Labour save its Budget?

14 min listen

The fallout from Labour's Budget continues. On the media round this morning, Darren Jones, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, admitted that it will hit working people, and the cost of government borrowing has only risen since Rachel Reeves delivered her speech to Parliament. Katy Balls, Kate Andrews and James Heale take us through the reaction from various groups, including small business owners, farmers and the markets. Is the Budget unravelling? Also on the podcast, they look ahead to tomorrow's Tory leadership result; could low turnout make a difference? Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

Wednesday

James Heale

Has Rachel Reeves killed the family farm?

As the post-Budget scrutiny gets underway, there is one group of obvious losers from today's statement: farmers. The rural community is up in arms about Rachel Reeves' changes to tax relief on farmland. From April 2026 this will be capped at 50 per cent for assets over £1 million – which works out at around roughly 67 acres. The average UK farm size is 217 acres, meaning the vast majority of ordinary family farms will now have to pay inheritance tax. Farms with amenity value or higher local land prices – such as those in the South of England – will be particularly impacted. Rural MPs from across the House are already starting to receive correspondence from farming constituents, fearful and angry about the consequences of this change.

Tuesday

James Heale

Teen accused of Southport murders facing terror charge

The teenager accused of murdering three girls in Southport in July is now facing two further charges. Axel Rudakubana, 18, already faces three charges of murder, 10 charges of attempted murder and one charge of possession of a knife. But today the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced that he has also been charged with the possession of an al-Qaeda training manual and production of the poison ricin. Rudakubana is due to appear tomorrow at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, with his trial expected to begin in January. Both the ricin and the study of the training manual were found as part of searches of the suspect's house in the Lancashire village of Banks following the stabbing.

James Heale

The problem with Labour’s ‘sticking plaster politics’

14 min listen

Wes Streeting has been out on the airwaves this morning, giving us a better idea of what will be in the Budget when it comes to the NHS. In an attempt to resuscitate a ‘broken but not beaten’ NHS, he has announced a cash injection reported to be up to £7 billion – including £1.57 billion for new surgical hubs, scanners, and radiotherapy machines. The Health Secretary did stress, however, that this will not be enough to save the NHS from a winter crisis. How far will this money go? Oscar Edmondson speaks to James Heale and Isabel Hardman. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

Monday

James Heale

Budget week: Labour braced for backlash

13 min listen

It's Budget week (finally)! How this week goes will set the tone for Labour’s first year in office. It’s fair to say that expectations are relatively low – with the Prime Minister himself warning of ‘painful decisions’ ahead. We know a lot of what will likely be included and Treasury sources are keen to play down talk of any Budget rabbits – suggesting a mix of the measures currently being discussed in the media. So what should we expect? And can Labour ride out the week unscathed? Also on the podcast, Labour have suspended the whip for Mike Amesbury, MP for Runcorn and Helsby, after he appeared to threaten a man who has been knocked onto the road in Frodsham, Cheshire. Labour look like they will be facing their first by-election.

Saturday

James Heale

Should Britain pay reparations to Commonwealth countries?

16 min listen

This week, Keir Starmer has been in Samoa for a summit with delegations of the 56 nations which make up the Commonwealth. Between having to answer questions on Donald Trump and the budget, he has also been pressed on the issue of slavery reparations, with the leaders of some Caribbean countries insisting it is ‘only a matter of time’ until Britain bows to demands of handing over billions of pounds in compensation. Speaking today, Starmer addressed the issue. He said, ‘I understand the strength of feeling’ but insisted that he would be ‘looking forward, not back’. So what are the arguments for and against reparations? And why is this debate relevant now, in 2024? James Heale speaks to historian Robert Tombs. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

Friday

James Heale

Labour’s ‘working people’ muddle

11 min listen

Who exactly are 'working people'? The Labour party's use of this phrase during the election raised questions over who they will really be levying taxes upon. With less than a week to go until the Budget, Labour in government is now again struggling to give a clear definition of what they mean. James Heale talks to Katy Balls and Kate Andrews. Produced by Cindy Yu.

Thursday

James Heale

How many Tories will defect to Reform?

11 min listen

After Nigel Farage's overture to Tory councillors to 'defect', one already has. Farage has also been on manoeuvres, piling on the criticism against Labour for its volunteers campaigning for the Democrats in the US. James Heale talks to Katy Balls and Freddy Gray about the latest. Tickets are still available to join Freddy Gray and Nigel Farage on Thursday 24 October for their analysis on the US election. Get your tickets here.Produced by Cindy Yu.

Wednesday

James Heale

Is Labour interfering in the US election?

16 min listen

Keir Starmer can’t even fly to Samoa without another international British embarrassment breaking out. The latest is an angry accusation from Donald Trump’s campaign that Labour is committing the crime of ‘election interference’ in the United States. ‘The British are coming!’ screamed a typically camp Trump-Vance official press release last night. The campaign denounced Britain’s ‘far-left’ governing party for attempting to subvert democracy by sending almost 100 of its activists across the pond to sway American voters. But are the British actually coming? Freddy Gray speaks to James Heale, The Spectator's political correspondent.  Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

James Heale

Trump’s crusade against Labour

16 min listen

Donald Trump has made the extraordinary move to file an official complaint against the British Labour party for their volunteers campaigning for the Democrats. On this episode, James Heale talks to Katy Balls and the Financial Times's Stephen Bush about what's behind the Labour tradition of sending volunteers to other democracies, and why a second Trump presidency might be the defining theme of this Labour government. Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Cindy Yu.

James Heale

Has Robert Jenrick run out of momentum?

There are just ten days to go until the end of the great Tory leadership race. It has been a mammoth affair, stretching back to Rishi Sunak's resignation at the beginning of July, with twists at every turn. There have been four ballots, in which three different candidates came top: a reflection of the unpredictable nature of the contest. Many thought it unlikely that both Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch could make it to the membership round together and yet, here they are: the final two. The Jenrick campaign got off to a strong start, quickly collecting an array of MP endorsements. The former immigration minister comfortably came top of the first two ballots at the beginning of September and entered the final four stage in a confident mood.

Tuesday

James Heale

Andrew Bailey’s pessimistic pre-Budget warning

With a week to go until Rachel Reeves’s first Budget, Andrew Bailey has today sounded a note of gloomy caution. Speaking at a Bloomberg event in New York, the Governor of the Bank of England channelled the mythological Cassandra, whose warnings were accurate, but ignored. He told his audience today that ‘Cassandra was fated by the god Apollo to utter true prophecies but not to be believed’. Bailey’s meant to remind the audience that memories of financial crises recede over time. He warned against ‘the trap of complacency’, saying: I can observe this happening with the global financial crisis fifteen years or so on. I do get people telling me that ‘you have solved that one so we can relax’. But the work I set out above on theory and history is timeless.

Monday

James Heale

Does Streeting’s NHS plan amount to anything?

13 min listen

This morning, Health Secretary Wes Streeting launched the ‘biggest consultation in NHS history’ in a bid to get public input into how to save the UK’s flailing health service. The British public and clinicians are being asked to share their experiences and ideas to help 'fix our NHS'. After years of discussion and reviews, how likely is it that Labour delivers the urgent reform that the NHS needs?  Elsewhere, there have been more signs of what might be in the budget at the end of the month. Who might the big winners and losers be? James Heale discusses with Katy Balls and Isabel Hardman.  Join Freddy Gray a special live recording of Americano on Thursday 24 October. You can buy tickets at spectator.com/electionspecial.

Thursday

James Heale

Inside the race for the Chancellor of Oxford

What do we mean these days when we talk about the British ‘establishment’? When Henry Fairlie coined the term in 1955 – in The Spectator, of course – he defined it as ‘the whole matrix of official and social relations within which power is exercised’. A lot has changed in the past 70 years. The influence of the monarchy has diminished, the class system no longer holds sway, party politics is almost unrecognisable. Yet the idea of the establishment retains its powerful allure and, in the election of the next chancellor of Oxford University, we see how much it still matters to Britain’s 21st-century elite.

Monday

James Heale

Tories try to hammer Labour on freebies

It seems that one of the great posts in British politics has been filled at last. The title of ‘Minister for Sticky Wickets’ was held by the likes of David Gauke and Michael Ellis during the Tory years. Now, with Keir Starmer on the back foot over freebies, it is Ellie Reeves filling that role. The Cabinet Office minister was today sent out to defend the government on an Urgent Question. It followed further allegations this weekend about the role of ministers in Taylor Swift’s security arrangements. Reeves opened the batting for the government, explaining how it proposes to change the ministerial register of interests. She was up against John Glen, whose speech largely consisted of listing a litany of Labour’s crimes and misdemeanours from the past 100 days.

James Heale

Is Labour’s investment summit back on track?

13 min listen

This morning is the government's big investment summit. They pledged to have the summit within their first 100 days in an attempt to hit the ground running and show the UK as a sensible place to do business. The timing – two weeks before the budget – is interesting, and so is the U-turn from P&O, who will attend the summit despite comments last week by Transport Secretary Louise Haigh (she described the ferry company as a ‘rogue operator’). P&O's reported £1 billion worth of investment is back up for grabs. Is it time to invest in Britain? What is Labour's big pitch to business? Also on the podcast, over the weekend we had the sad news that former First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond passed away. What will be his legacy?

Friday

James Heale

Is Keir Starmer the new Harold Wilson?

19 min listen

It's another busy few days for the Prime Minister as he chairs the inaugural meeting of the Council of Nations and Regions today, marks 100 days in office, and hosts an investment summit on Monday. With the absence of Sue Gray looming large, James Heale unpicks the politics behind these milestones with Katy Balls and the Financial Times's Stephen Bush. They share some lessons from history and the welcome, or perhaps unwelcome, comparison with former Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Also on the podcast, they discuss the merits and pitfalls of potential Conservative Party rule changes. Could their era of rapid defenestration soon come to an end? Produced by Patrick Gibbons.