James Heale is The Spectator’s deputy political editor.
23 min listen
On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: James Heale suggests that the London mayoral race could be closer than we think (1:02); Madeleine Teahan argues that babies with down’s syndrome have a right to be born (6:15); Tanya Gold reports from Jerusalem as Israel’s war enters its seventh month (12:32); and William Moore reveals what he has in common with Kim Jong Un (18:25). Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons.
9 min listen
On Thursday night, Conservative MP William Wragg admitted that he handed over the phone numbers of MPs, aides and a journalist to a man he met on a dating app. William Wragg will retain the whip after apologising for his actions. Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak is eager to talk about the National Insurance cut that comes into place tomorrow – has this given him political credibility? Cindy Yu speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Heale.
Who else was caught up in the sexting honeytrap? That’s the question Westminster is asking today. It follows last night’s revelation that William Wragg, vice chair of the 1922 committee, was the source responsible for passing on MPs’ phone numbers to a man he met on the gay dating app Grindr. This man then used the numbers to target at least a dozen others. Among them are believed to be three MPs including a serving minister, four political staffers, a former Tory MP and two political journalists. They were sent unsolicited flirtatious texts from senders calling themselves ‘Charlie’ or ‘Abi’ in a suspected spear-phishing attack. Two of the MPs are reported to have responded by sharing images of themselves.
13 min listen
The row over arms sales to Israel continues today, as over 600 high profile figures in the legal profession, including former Supreme Court Justice Jonathan Sumption, sign a petition arguing they believe Israel has breached international law, and more Conservative politicians say, on the record, that they believe the UK must respond with an arms sale ban. Cindy Yu talks to James Heale and Isabel Hardman about where this row could go next. Produced by Megan McElroy and Cindy Yu.
With Labour 20 points ahead in the national polls, a lot of Tories have already written off next month’s mayoral contest in the capital. London, they maintain, is a Labour city that occasionally votes Conservative. But supporters of Sadiq Khan and his Tory challenger Susan Hall agree: it’s going to be closer than many think. The mayor’s image is as likely to be found on Conservativeleaflets as on Labour ones Three factors are held by both camps to be at play. The first is the incumbency factor versus ‘time for a change’. Khan’s re-election team has consulted other campaigns which won three in a row; all agreed this was the hardest contest to win. A hat-trick eluded Ken Livingstone, who lost in 2008 despite nearly a decade of prosperity for the city.
13 min listen
The killings of three British aid workers in Gaza has caused fury across the board in Westminster, with Rishi Sunak conducting a candid phone call with Benyamin Netanyahu last night. Today, the question is over whether the UK should ban arms sales to Israel in a bid to influence Jerusalem's hardline approach to Gaza. Has Israel lost the support of the UK, and western countries more widely? James Heale talks to Isabel Hardman and Sophia Gaston, head of foreign policy at the think tank, Policy Exchange. Produced by Cindy Yu.
The death of three British citizens in an Israeli strike has prompted fierce condemnation from the UK government. In a phone call on Tuesday night, Rishi Sunak told his counterpart told Benjamin Netanyahu that he was 'appalled' by the attack, which killed seven aid workers in a World Central Kitchen convoy. Sunak said that 'far too many aid workers and ordinary civilians have lost their lives in Gaza and the situation is increasingly intolerable.' He is now urging the Israelis to launch a 'thorough and independent investigation into what happened.' The three men killed – James Henderson, John Chapman and James Kirby – were all Armed Forces veterans and their deaths dominate the front pages of the national press today.
10 min listen
The SNP's new Hate Crime Act came into effect yesterday, but already it has been met with backlash. On the episode, James Heale talks to Isabel Hardman and Lucy Dunn on why Humza Yousaf insisted on this law and whether it could overwhelm the police. Produced by Cindy Yu.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has this afternoon quit as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party after he was charged over historical sexual allegations. A 57-year-old woman has also been charged with aiding and abetting in connection with the alleged offences. Both were arrested on Thursday morning by detectives and were questioned before being charged on Thursday night. They are now due to appear in court next month. In a statement, the DUP says that: ‘The party chairman has received a letter from Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP confirming that he has been charged with allegations of a historical nature and indicating that he is stepping down as Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party with immediate effect.
10 min listen
Labour kicked off their local elections campaign today with a joint op-ed from Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner in the Times promising to empower localities and put an end to the regional divide. This is all encompassed in their Take Back Control Act … where have we heard that before? Rather than a seamless launch, the Labour leader has been met with difficult questions over Angela Rayner's tax affairs and the suggestion that the shadow education secretary could scrap the £4 billion expansion of free childcare. Oscar Edmondson speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Heale. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
11 min listen
After the resignations of two ministers last night, No. 10 carried out a mini reshuffle, which included some controversial decisions. In particular, the appointment of the outspoken Red Wall MP Jonathan Gullis had some questioning whether Rishi Sunak was making another Lee Anderson-style mistake. James Heale talks to Katy Balls and former editor of Conservative Home, Paul Goodman. Produced by Cindy Yu and Patrick Gibbons.
Rishi Sunak appeared in front of the House of Commons Liaison Committee today. What happened? Katy Balls speaks to James Heale and Isabel Hardman.
10 min listen
Former Conservative MP Scott Benton has resigned, triggering a by-election in Blackpool South. The outgoing MP had the Tory whip removed after suggesting to undercover reporters that he would be willing to break lobbying rules for money. Oscar Edmondson speaks to James Heale and Katy Balls about the likelihood of another Tory election defeat in Blackpool South, plus whether the Conservatives are pivoting on their China stance following an alleged cybersecurity threat.
As Labour edges closer to power, any hindrance to that goal is being ruthlessly removed. The £28 billion pledge in green spending has been dropped; plans to elect the House of Lords delayed. Bankers’ bonuses will remain uncapped. City financiers are subjected to prawn cocktail offensives at £1,000-a-head soirées to hear Rachel Reeves preach fiscal probity. ‘My instinct is to have lower taxes,’ the shadow chancellor insists. Yet it’s an instinct that seems absent when it comes to easy targets such as the 2,500 independent schools in England and Wales on which Reeves wants to levy VAT and business rates. Both publicly and privately, Labour insists this pledge will remain. Insiders view it as that rarest of policies: a popular revenue-raiser.
The next three days could have major consequences for the British media landscape. On Monday, Ofcom will deliver its findings to Lucy Frazer, the Culture Secretary, on the proposed acquisition by the UAE-backed RedBird IMI of the Telegraph and Spectator titles. Then on Wednesday, Baroness Stowell’s amendment to the Digital Markets Bill is being debated in the House of Lords. If passed, this would give parliament a veto on foreign states owning UK media outlets. That process could well be overtaken by events in parliament Ofcom’s report will examine the impact of the deal on the need for accurate presentation of news and free expression of opinion in newspapers.
13 min listen
Theresa May has announced that she will not seek re-election this year. The former prime minister said that launching her global commission on modern slavery and human trafficking meant she would not be able to spend as much time as she would like on constituency matters. James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Isabel Hardman about the news.
Rishi Sunak has tonight been urged to support an amendment in the House of Lords which would give parliament a veto on foreign states owning UK media outlets. Tina Stowell, a former Leader of the House, has written to the Prime Minister today ahead of her amendment to the Digital Markets Bill being debated next Wednesday by fellow peers. It comes two days after a letter in support of Stowell's amendment, organised by Robert Jenrick, was signed by more than 100 Tory MPs. The spur of this amendment is the proposed takeover of the Telegraph and Spectator titles by the UAE-owned RedBird IMI. Yet in her letter to Sunak, Stowell stresses that this 'isn’t just about the potential acquisition of those important newspaper titles.
10 min listen
Lucy Dunn speaks to James Heale and Katy Balls about the slightly muted reaction to the budget. Labour has compared the announcements to Liz Truss's unfunded tax cuts and Scottish Tories have criticised the chancellor’s decision to extend the windfall tax on the profits of North Sea oil. But is this really the pre-election budget?
Labour are keen to depict the Budget as a flop Having completed his speech to the House, Jeremy Hunt spent the afternoon doing the usual post-Budget rituals. Alongside a round of interviews, the Chancellor gave his traditional speech to the 1922 committee of Tory MPs. Normally, these appearances are accompanied by a round of cheers, applause and desk-banging of near-Pyongyang levels. Today the desk-banging lasted a mere three seconds in what some took to be a sign of the lack of enthusiasm which his Budget inspired. Turnout was low too: estimates put the attendance among MPs as between two to three dozen. ‘I never understand why we do these things a few hours after we’ve just heard the full speech’ remarked one Tory.Hunt, a seasoned minister, performed well with the questions.
This afternoon Jeremy Hunt delivered his second Budget as Chancellor. Much of his speech had been trailed over the previous days. The headline measure is a 2p cut in National Insurance, rather than the more expensive mooted cut to income tax. This will benefit 27 million workers from April: when combined with the previous cut to national insurance in the autumn statement, it is a cut worth £900 to the average earner. Labour will counter that it is just another example of the Tories giving with one hand but taking 'even more with the other.' Hunt's other major tax change was the abolition of the non-doms scheme which could force Labour to rethink its spending plans.