James Heale is The Spectator’s deputy political editor.
10 min listen
Inflation figures released this morning have remained at 4 per cent – a worry for Rishi Sunak's five pledges. There are several hurdles are still to come for the Prime Minister this week, including growth figures tomorrow and two by-elections on Friday. Why are the Tories keeping things low-key on the campaign trail? James Heale is joined by Kate Andrews and Lucy Fisher Whitehall editor of the Financial Times.
15 min listen
Keir Starmer has rolled back on his support for the Rochdale by-election candidate, Azhar Ali over further comments made about on Israel-Palestine. John McTernan and James Heale speak to Natasha Feroze about the lessons Labour can learn, and whether antisemitism could topple Starmer. Also on the podcast, Rishi Sunak has been taking advantage of Labour's U-turns, and Michael Gove has laid out his new house building plan.
Following 48 hours of criticism, Labour have tonight pulled their support for Azhar Ali. This morning, it seemed that Keir Starmer had chosen the unpalatable over the disastrous: backing Ali to avoid George Galloway returning as an independent to the Commons. Yet during the course of the day, the calculation appears to have changed. The decision to disown Ali was announced shortly before 8 p.m, with a party spokesman referring to ‘new information coming to light.’ The timing of this statement suggests that a day three story about Ali’s past comments will be published in tomorrow’s papers and Labour are now belatedly trying to get ahead of this story. Ali will appear on ballot papers in Rochdale, along with the party’s logo, but does not enjoy official support.
10 min listen
Labour faces another antisemitism battle as their candidate for the Rochdale by-election said that Israel allowed the October 7th attacks as a pretext to invade Gaza. Azhar Ali has since apologised for his comments and Labour has allowed him remain the candidate for Rochdale. Natasha Feroze speaks to James Heale and Isabel Hardman about Keir Starmer's challenge to stamp out antisemitism and take a look ahead at another challenging week for Rishi Sunak.
It’s the nightmare scenario Labour dreads. A triumphant George Galloway, carried aloft on his supporters’ shoulders, hailing a shock by-election victory in a left-wing stronghold. Twelve years after his stunning upset in Bradford West, the odds of a repeat triumph in Rochdale have only increased after a storm of criticism this weekend over Labour's chosen candidate. Following the death of the incumbent MP Tony Lloyd in mid-January, Labour rushed to select his replacement. The party feared that a long campaign would bolster the chances of a more-avowedly pro-Palestine candidate, in a seat where 30 per cent of voters are Muslim.
10 min listen
Tucker Carlson released his highly anticipated interview with Russia's leader Vladimir Putin last night. The two-hour long discussion was dominated by Putin who gave history lessons, blamed the Nord Stream 2 explosion on the CIA, and accused Boris Johnson of sabotaging the peace talks 18 months ago. Natasha Feroze speaks to James Heale and Freddy Gray about the highlights of the interview, and whether Boris Johnson's role in the talks was as influential as Putin suggests.
15 min listen
Later today Keir Starmer is expected to officially kill off Labour's £28 billion green investment pledge. With the centrepiece of their public policy now scrapped, what will Labour's promise be at the next election? James Heale speaks to Kate Andrews and John McTernan, former No. 10 political secretary. Produced by Cindy Yu and Oscar Edmondson.
Just before the last general election, the Muslim Council of Britain released research which calculated how many seats could be decided by Muslim votes. The answer was 31, enough to swing a tight election. It’s debatable how many of these voters would realistically switch party: traditionally, Muslims have been more likely to back Labour than almost any other electoral group. But it’s the kind of statistic that could make Keir Starmer nervous. In his quest to demonstrate that he has vanquished Corbynism, the Labour leader has been steadfast in his support for Israel, to the dismay of many within his own party. In November, he lost ten frontbenchers who protested Labour’s stance on Gaza. Others privately fear the loss of the Muslim vote.
14 min listen
It has been a gaffe-filled week for Rishi Sunak. At PMQs today the prime minister was chastised by his opposite number for an ill-judged comment about transgender people with the mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey in parliament. This comes after being pictured embracing Sinn Fein leader Michelle O'Neill and then making a wager with Piers Morgan over his pledge to stop the boats. Is this a prime minister ready to fight a general election? James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Stephen Bush, associate editor of the Financial Times. Produced by Natasha Feroze and Oscar Edmondson.
11 min listen
Rishi Sunak is in Belfast to mark the return of Stormont after a two-year deadlock. With Sinn Fein now the leading party, can the government pitch this as a win? Also on the podcast, the Prime Minister admitted he's failed to meet the NHS waitlist targets from his five pledges last year. James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Fraser Nelson.
13 min listen
This week in Westminster has been dominated by the news that we can expect to see power sharing restored at Stormont in the near future. James Heale gets the reaction of former DUP first minister Baroness Arlene Foster. Produced by Natasha Feroze and Oscar Edmondson.
12 min listen
In his Telegraph column, Fraser Nelson makes the case that it's time to ban former politicians accepting jobs from foreign rulers. The likes of Tony Blair, George Osborne and David Cameron have all made money from government's abroad. But is this becoming more of a problem? And are their critics simply a product of their success? Natasha Feroze speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Heale.
12 min listen
At the 'Labour Business Conference 2024', shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves wooed business with a pledge that Labour would not raise corporation tax in their first term. Instead, she told the audience of FTSE 100 chief execs that a Labour government would keep the current cap at 25 per cent. How convincing is Reeves' big pitch to business? Also on the podcast, the big news this week has been the Northern Ireland negotiations. What's happened in parliament today? Natasha Feroze speaks to Katy Balls and James Heale. Produced by Natasha Feroze and Oscar Edmondson.
After nearly two years, it looks like power-sharing will shortly be restored at Stormont. This afternoon MPs will pass two statutory instruments (SI) which will pave the way for the restoration of the executive in Belfast. The Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris and Minister Steve Baker will lead two 90-minute debates on changes to the Windsor Framework for goods moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The subject of Northern Ireland’s future featured little in the EU referendum campaign but has since proved to be arguably the thorniest Brexit-related issue in subsequent years. Today though, we can expect little of the sound and fury which has characterised much of the debate since 2016.
10 min listen
After hours of late night negotiations, power sharing looks like it's back on in Stormont – or is it? James Heale talks to Katy Balls and TalkTV's Peter Cardwell about the latest political developments in Northern Ireland. Produced by Cindy Yu.
It seems that talk of Tory treachery simply won't go away. Less than 48 hours after Kemi Badenoch declared that colleagues planning to bring down Rishi Sunak are 'not my friends', the Guardian has today revealed that the Trade Secretary is a member of WhatsApp group titled 'Evil Plotters'. Among the members of this group is her fellow cabinet member Michael Gove, a past master of the dark arts of politics. The paper also notes claims she regularly meets with her 'key MP backers' and has an aide 'still working on leadership stuff.' Team Badenoch have been quick to dismiss suggestions that she is working on any campaign.
11 min listen
Rishi Sunak has outlined plans to ban disposable vapes, and is hoping to change vape packaging to make it less appealing to children. Why? James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Kate Andrews.
14 min listen
Rishi Sunak seems to be facing his own 'plot'. But unlike in Nadine Dorries' now infamous book, it's not a secret cabal orchestrated by Dougie Smith hoping to depose him, but a mysterious rebel group, backed by Tory donors, who have been funding the polling we've seen in the Telegraph recently. The news today is that they have added Will Dry – Rishi Sunak's former pollster – to their ranks. Is this plot a serious and organised threat to Rishi's premiership? James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Paul Goodman, editor of Conservative Home. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
12 min listen
Tory MP Simon Clarke called for Rishi Sunak to resign last night. In a piece in the Telegraph, he wrote that the Prime Minister was ‘uninspiring’ and ‘does not get what Britain needs.’ Will other Conservative MPs also demand Sunak resign, or will they unify around their leader? Oscar Edmondson speaks to Katy Balls and James Heale.
This morning, ministers woke up to the news of a second joint airstrike against the Houthis in Yemen – and some in Westminster have been left reeling that the attacks came as a surprise. Some eight targets were struck, according to the Pentagon, in a UK and US effort to deter continued interference with shipping operations from pirates in the Red Sea. It follows action taken on 11 January. However, unlike before the previous attack, neither Sir Keir Starmer nor Lindsay Hoyle were briefed in advance by the government. The Labour leader backed the first mission, but both the SNP and some left-wing Labour MPs warned of the potential for regional escalation.
