James Heale is The Spectator’s deputy political editor.
11 min listen
A judge has ruled that strikes by the Royal College of Nursing be cut short by a day, because the six-month mandate for strike action will have passed. Two more unions are still to vote on Health Secretary Steve Barclay’s pay offer. If they support it, could the RCN change their mind on the deal? James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Isabel Hardman. Produced by Max Jeffery.
For the next ten days, the local elections remain the focus of Tories across the country. But already attention in CCHQ is turning towards the next big contest facing the Conservatives: the London mayoralty in May 2024. The London party board met on Monday to fast-track the candidate selection process, with formal applications now expected to open in the next fortnight. Party members based in the capital will get to choose from a shortlist of candidates after a series of hustings over the summer, with roughly half the party’s overall membership eligible to vote. A final candidate is expected to be chosen by late July, well before the party conference season to give the Conservative nominee ten months to campaign and raise their profile. So, who will it be?
10 min listen
Colin Beattie, the SNP’s former treasurer, said today that he ‘didn't know’ about the party’s purchase of a motorhome worth £100,000, the vehicle at the centre of an ongoing police probe into SNP finances. What’s going on? And as the military begins to evacuate British citizens from Sudan, did the Foreign Office react fast enough? James Heale speaks to Fraser Nelson and Katy Balls.
One man's loss is another's gain. Rishi Sunak has acted swiftly to fill the gap left by Dominic Raab's resignation, appointing 46-year old barrister Alex Chalk as his new Justice Secretary. Like Sunak, he is a Wykehamist who quit Boris Johnson's cabinet back in July, citing the Paterson, Partygate and Pincher scandals. The appointment flies in the face of reports which suggested that Sunak would appoint a woman to the post, with men occupying three times as many cabinet posts as women. Awaiting Chalk is an in-tray full of problems. He is the tenth Lord Chancellor in eleven years and inherits a ministry widely regarded as a troubled department, even by Whitehall standards.
11 min listen
Today was meant to be judgement day for Dominic Raab as we learnt the outcome of Adam Tolley's investigation into historic bullying claims made against the deputy PM. His fate now rests squarely in Rishi Sunak's hands. Will he resign? Also on the podcast, there have been a couple of amendments tabled today on the Conservative's Illegal Migration Bill, will these changes placate the rebels? Oscar Edmondson speaks to Katy Balls and James Heale. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
After a five-month investigation Adam Tolley KC has today given Downing Street his report into the bullying claims against Dominic Raab. Rishi Sunak is now considering its findings before deciding whether Raab broke ministerial rules. However, Raab has some time to wait - with a Downing Street source suggesting that there will be no further developments tonight. It comes after Raab received eight formal complaints about his behaviour as a minister in several government departments; Tolley's report is based on evidence he took from dozens of officials involved in these. The Justice Secretary continues to deny that he has bullied staff, insisting that he always 'behaved professionally.' A difficult decision now awaits Sunak.
Ministers have agreed to back two amendments to its flagship Illegal Migration Bill as part of No. 10's attempt to ward off the latest Tory rebellion. The first is an agreement to change the law so that judges can no longer block migrant deportations. An amendment will give the Home Secretary the power to 'disregard' interim 'Rule 39' orders from the European Court of Human Rights – the so-called 'pyjama injunctions' suspended the first scheduled Rwanda deportation flight last June late at night. Previously, ministers were only willing to introduce this power to ignore last-minute injunctions if ministers failed to persuade the Strasbourg court to reform its Rule 39 orders.
14 min listen
The investigation into Rishi Sunak leads several papers today, but how much does it really matter? On the episode, James Heale talks to Katy Balls and Conservative Home editor Paul Goodman about why the episode is unlikely to hurt Sunak in the long run. They also discuss the coming report on Dominic Raab's alleged workplace bullying and the centenary of the 1922 committee. Produced by Cindy Yu.
15 min listen
This week: James Heale says the gloves are off as Labour campaigning takes a bitter turn (00:54), Mary Wakefield worries that she’s raising a snowflake (17:47), and Gus Carter tells us about the colourful history of the green man (31:34). Produced and presented by Oscar Edmondson.
15 min listen
James Heale is joined by Katy Balls and Talk Radio political editor, Peter Cardwell who has been in Belfast for Biden's state visit. A symbolic time as Northern Ireland marks the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. Given the President's proud Irish roots and vocal criticism of former Prime Ministers, was Rishi Sunak able to thaw the special relationship?
When Rishi Sunak became Tory leader, the party was 30 points behind Labour: that kind of deficit has historically been terminal for a political party. But since then, inflation has slowed, the Northern Ireland Protocol has been resolved and a deportation deal with Albania meant small boat arrivals fell for the first time on record. That Labour lead has fallen closer to 15 points; one poll last weekend put it as low as 11. A Keir Starmer defeat is now at least conceivable. As one Labour party insider says: ‘Nice doesn’t win elections’ This is the context in which Labour has tried a new tactic: attacking the Prime Minister personally. ‘He is the Tories’ greatest single weapon,’ says one shadow cabinet member.
10 min listen
Today Keir Starmer has doubled down on Labour Party adverts attacking the Conservative's record on crime, and which seemingly accuse Rishi Sunak of not caring about child sex abuse. But is everyone in the party willing to play hardball? Or have the adverts highlighted divisions between senior Labour MPs? Also on the podcast, after Peter Murrell was arrested in connection with an investigation into the SNP's finances, why has a luxury motorhome now been seized by police? James Heale speaks to Fraser Nelson and Michael Simmons. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
11 min listen
Rishi Sunak’s personal poll ratings are on the up, by why don't the public love Keir Starmer? We talk through the latest polling. And Mark Spencer, now the farming minister, has been cleared by an investigation into whether he made Islamophobic investigations to fellow Tory MP Nus Ghani. Is the row over? Max Jeffery is joined by James Heale and James Johnson, the co-founder of polling firm JL Partners. Produced by Max Jeffery.
Sir Laurie Magnus, Rishi Sunak’s ethics adviser, has delivered his long-awaited report into Mark Spencer’s alleged Islamophobic comments. Spencer, the farming minister, faced claims from fellow Tory MP Nus Ghani that he had told her that her dismissal as a minister in 2020 was partly due to concerns about her ‘Muslimness’. But Sir Laurie has concluded that it is not possible to determine what the then-chief whip said, and criticised ‘shortcomings’ in Spencer’s response. Sir Laurie said: Despite a review of considerable evidence, it has not been possible to draw a clear picture of what was discussed between Mr Spencer and Ms Ghani during two meetings which both agree took place on 4 and 23 March 2020.
Mark Rowley, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, faced a media grilling this morning as he championed his plans to clean up the force. It comes a fortnight after Louise Casey’s damning report into the Met, which branded it ‘institutionally racist, sexist and homophobic’. A YouGov poll out today shows that public confidence in the Met has been shattered, with 42 per cent of Londoners saying they ‘totally distrusted’ it following recent scandals. Some 700 officers are currently on restricted duties, with hundreds more facing re-vetting or ‘risk management measures’. Rowley has pledged to ‘remove the cancer from the bone’ as he seeks to root out hundreds of officers found guilty of wrongdoing. Rowley has won plaudits for talking a good game.
16 min listen
Nicola Sturgeon's husband, Peter Murrell, has been arrested today in connection with an investigation into the SNP’s finances. James Heale talks to Fraser Nelson and Conservative Home editor Paul Goodman on the episode. They also discuss Trump's arrest and ask whether Suella Braverman might need a new seat. Produced by Cindy Yu.
16 min listen
Nigel Lawson, former chancellor and Spectator editor, passed away yesterday aged 91. How did he affect conservative economic thinking? And have the lessons from his time in the Treasury been properly learnt? James Heale speaks to Fraser Nelson and Lucy Fisher. Produced by Max Jeffery.
16 min listen
Britain has agreed to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a £9 trillion trade bloc with 11 members. James Heale, speaks to Katy Balls and a special guest, Alexander Downer about whether this is a win for the government. And what it could mean for those looking to reverse Brexit.
This morning ministers have confirmed that Britain has joined the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) – the first new nation to do so since it was set up in 2018. It comes after nearly two years of intense negotiation and secures access for British exporters to 500 million people. Spanning Canada, Mexico, Japan, Australia, Vietnam and Malaysia, the deal is expected to be ratified by parliament and those of the other 11 member states later this year. Rishi Sunak claims that 'this deal demonstrates the real economic benefits of our post-Brexit freedoms'; Kemi Badenoch, the Trade Secretary, says it 'sends a powerful signal that the UK is open for business.' Ministers expect CPTPP membership to generate £1.
It’s a sign of the tensions within the parliamentary Conservative party that talk of colleagues swapping constituencies is currently a major talking point in the Commons tea rooms. This week two more members of the 2019 Tory intake announced that they would not be seeking re-election in their constituencies. Both Nicola Richards and Stuart Anderson released lengthy statements explaining their decision – but neither MP explicitly ruled out standing again in another seat. Keiran Mullan has meanwhile declined to comment on claims that he will switch from Crewe and Nantwich to the new Chester South and Eddisbury seat.
