James Heale

James Heale

James Heale is The Spectator’s deputy political editor.

Thursday

James Heale

Starmer returns to old favourites in New Year’s speech

There was a distinctly familiar feel to Keir Starmer's speech today. Preaching change in front of heavy machinery, it was a near-identical setting to the speech he gave this same week last January. For a New Year's speech, it was devoid of new policy but there were plenty of old favourites: the Great British Energy and planning reform pledges that underpinned his last two conference addresses, Labour renewal, Tory cronyism and the obligatory reference to Liz Truss (but no named mention of Rishi Sunak). There was enough in it to get decent write-ups, with the Telegraph focusing on his rejection (again) of Jeremy Corbyn's politics while the Guardian stressing his plans for increased transparency.

James Heale

Sunak says his ‘working assumption’ is no spring election

Rishi Sunak has this afternoon given his strongest hint yet that the next general election will be held in the autumn rather than the spring. Speaking to broadcasters on a visit to a youth centre in Mansfield, the Prime Minister said: ‘My working assumption is we’ll have a general election in the second half of this year and in the meantime I’ve got lots that I want to get on with.’ The Conservative leader declined to categorically rule out a May election but repeated his intentions to pick a date later in the year. ‘I want to keep going, managing the economy well and cutting people’s taxes,’ Sunak said. ‘But I also want to keep tackling illegal migration.

Wednesday

James Heale

Did Richard Tice tease a return to politics for Nigel Farage?

Reform UK is the great enigma of right-wing British politics. Despite lacking a memorable name, leader, policy platform or record of electoral success, the party is polling just shy of 10 per cent – two points off the Liberal Democrats. The party held an eagerly awaited press conference this morning at which Richard Tice set out his plans for the forthcoming general election. All the familiar hallmarks of the Ukip and Brexit party playbook were present: talk of defections, disgruntled donors and plans to ‘punish’ the Tories, set in the familiar haunt of the Hilton Hotel in Westminster. Unlike 2019, Tice pledged, there would be no pacts with Conservative MPs, even the true-blue Brexiteers: ‘You’ve all broken Britain. You’re all responsible.

James Heale

Rishi Sunak’s January blues

Rishi Sunak will start the year as he means to go on: spending more time in key marginal seats, telling ‘ordinary’ voters how he is helping them by cutting tax, taming inflation and curbing welfare. The accuracy of his claims is open to question (both tax and welfare numbers are still rising) but the idea is that selected audiences, rather than combative journalists, will ask the questions. Major had his soapbox; Sunak has his livestream. Things could become even worse for the Tories if Farage swaps GB News for the stump While the interrogators might have changed, questions remain about Sunak’s message for voters. One minister admits to being ‘baffled’ by the recent flurry of ‘confusing’ resets which seemed to lack any common thread. Sometimes No.

Tuesday

James Heale

Is Rishi fishy on the asylum backlog?

12 min listen

Rishi Sunak claimed that the Conservatives have cleared the 92,000 asylum claims, despite figures showing the backlog still stands at tens of thousands of applicants, with several thousand missing. Natasha Feroze speaks to James Heale and Fraser Nelson about the figures, and whether blags like these are a gift to the Reform party.

Thursday

James Heale

2023: The year in review

27 min listen

How well did Rishi Sunak do on his five pledges? Are we any clearer on what Keir Starmer stands for? Is the SNP done for in Scotland? On this episode, Cindy Yu, Katy Balls, James Heale and Coffee House Shots regular Stephen Bush look back on the past year in British politics. Produced by Cindy Yu and Joe Bedell-Brill.

Tuesday

James Heale

Sunak gets tetchy during Rwanda and Israel grilling

13 min listen

Rishi Sunak appeared in front of the Liaison Committee this afternoon. In an interview with The Spectator last week, the PM said that he was enjoying the job. So why did he seem so agitated at the grilling today? Max Jeffery speaks to Isabel Hardman and James Heale.

James Heale

Liz Truss leads backlash to schools trans guidance

The government’s guidance for schools on transgender pupils was finally published this morning – prompting an immediate backlash which demonstrated why it had been delayed so many times. For years, with increasing numbers of pupils questioning their gender, ministers have grappled with the thorny issue of whether children ought to be allowed to ‘socially transition’. This involves them choosing their preferred pronouns, names and type of uniform while at school. Liz Truss was among those arguing that the draft guidance ‘does not go far enough’ The guidance from the Department for Education today clarifies that teachers in England ‘do not have to and should not’ accept all requests for ‘social transition’.

Monday

James Heale

Is British support for Israel wavering?

10 min listen

Foreign Secretary David Cameron and Defence Secretary Grant Shapps have signalled a shift in the British position towards the Israel-Gaza conflict, suggesting that British support for Israel's actions may be time-limited. James Heale talks to Katy Balls and Stephen Bush. Produced by Cindy Yu.

Friday

James Heale

Will we avoid recession in 2024?

10 min listen

The big economic news of the week was that the Bank of England has held interest rates at 5.25 per cent for the third consecutive time. This was the expected outcome of the Monetary Policy Committee’s latest vote, but it wasn’t unanimous. There were six MPC votes to hold rates but three to raise it to 5.5 per cent. Should we expect a rate cut any time soon?  James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Kate Andrews. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

James Heale

Prince Harry awarded £140,000 in phone hacking case

The High Court has this morning awarded Prince Harry £140,600 in damages after ruling that he was the victim of mobile phone hacking by Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN). Mr Justice Fancourt said that the Duke of Sussex's personal phone was targeted to a ‘modest extent’ by the Mirror papers between 2003 and 2009. However there was ‘extensive’ use of the practice more widely from 2006 to 2011 and ‘even to some extent’ during the Leveson Inquiry into media standards. The court also ruled that Piers Morgan, when he was editor of the Daily Mirror, knew about phone hacking, based on evidence given by Omid Scobie.

Thursday

James Heale

Another by-election looms for Rishi

10 min listen

The big political news today is the Standards Committee recommendation against Scott Benton, meaning a likely by-election in Blackpool South. He was the MP caught on camera by the Times in April, allegedly boasting about lobbying ministers for cash to a gambling firm. When will Rishi catch a break?  James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Paul Goodman, editor of Conservative Home.

Wednesday

James Heale

Who will replace Mark Drakeford as first minister?

Mark Drakeford has announced this morning that he will stand down as Welsh Labour leader, triggering a leadership contest for a new first minister. The veteran politician pledged at the most recent Welsh elections in 2021 that he would step down mid-parliament. He has chosen to do so today on the fifth anniversary since he was sworn in as FM. Drakeford’s resignation follows growing pressure on him to announce his retirement plans. Welsh Labour is arguably Britain’s most successful electoral force, governing Cardiff Bay since the advent of Welsh devolution some 24 years ago. But in recent weeks, Drakeford has been the subject of some rare negative briefings in the press, amid increased scrutiny over his plummeting popularity.

Tuesday

James Heale

Sunak wins the Rwanda vote – but the battle is far from over

7 min listen

The government has won this evening’s vote on the ‘safety of Rwanda’ bill comfortably at 313 votes to 269 against. This means Rishi Sunak has managed to pass his bill at second reading after a day of negotiations with the various Tory tribes. Not a single Tory MP voted against the bill but 38 conservative MPs abstained. Katy Balls and James Heale discuss what comes next.

James Heale

What if Rishi Sunak loses his crunch Rwanda vote?

13 min listen

Rishi Sunak faces the first major test of his premiership today over the second reading of the Rwanda bill. How could the day play out? And what will happen if the Prime Minister loses the vote? Natasha Feroze speaks to Katy Balls and James Heale.

Sunday

James Heale

Tory tribes gear up for Rwanda clash

The next 48 hours could be among the most important of Rishi Sunak’s premiership. His flagship Rwanda Safety Bill will get its second reading in the House of Commons on Tuesday, with MPs expected to vote on it in the evening. But before that there will be a day of tense meetings in rooms across the parliamentary estate as various Tory tribes gather to discuss the Bill and whether they can support it. Much of the attention is focused currently on the right of the party. A quintet of factions will meet at noon on Monday under the auspices of the European Research Group to hear the conclusions of its ‘Star Chamber’ of lawyers.

Saturday

James Heale

Do the Tories have a death wish?

13 min listen

Nick Robinson asked Suella Braverman on the Today programme this week whether the Tories had a death wish. She said no. But why is the party, when it's doing so badly in the polls, fighting among itself? James Heale speaks to Katy Balls ands Craig Oliver, former director of communications in No. 10.

James Heale

James Heale, Michael Simmons and Mary Wakefield

18 min listen

This week: James Heale reads his politics column on Sunak's migration minefield (00:55), Michael Simmons says that Scotland's 'progressive' teaching methods have badly backfired (05:53), and Mary Wakefield asks: why can't I pray in Westminster Abbey? (11:40) Produced and presented by Oscar Edmondson.

Friday

James Heale

Is Rishi’s Rwanda Bill doomed?

10 min listen

Rishi Sunak is stuck in a migration quagmire and will be spending the weekend drumming up support from MPs ahead of the vote on his amended Rwanda bill on Tuesday. He will be hoping for a Christmas miracle in the form of support from both One Nation MPs and those on the right of the party. Will Tuesday's vote be a de facto confidence vote in the prime minister?  Cindy Yu speaks to Katy Balls and James Heale.