James Heale is The Spectator’s deputy political editor.
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Katy Balls and Fraser Nelson speak to James Heale about Labour's infighting over issues such as ULEZ and the child benefits cap. Whilst not in government yet, is this something Keir Starmer will need to get a grip on in order to become the next Prime Minister? Produced by Natasha Feroze.
From our UK edition
13 min listen
The dust has settled after yesterday's by-election results. Having narrowly avoided a triple by-election defeat there seems to be little sign of Conservative party in-fighting, despite their poor showing. There is however a war of words brewing between the London Labour Party and Kier Starmer who blames Sadiq Khan's Ulez plan for the failure to snatch Uxbridge and South Ruislip. What lessons will each party take from the by-elections into next year's general election? James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and pollster James Johnson, co-founder of JL Partners.
From our UK edition
12 min listen
There was something for everyone in the by-elections with each of the three big parties getting a seat. The Tories lost Somerton and Frome to the Lib Dems and Selby and Ainsty to Labour but did narrowly cling on in Boris Johnson’s former seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip, albeit with a reduced majority of just 495 votes. James Heale unpacks the results with Fraser Nelson and Katy Balls. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
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15 min listen
Katy Balls speaks to Kate Andrews and James Heale about today's inflation figures and the latest news about the Conservative Mayoral candidate for London – Susan Hall.
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The Tories now have their candidate to take on Sadiq Khan next May. Susan Hall, the right wing member of the Greater London Authority, has today defeated Moz Hossain by 57 per cent to 43 per cent in a ballot of Conservative members across the capital. Hall, who led the GLA Tories for six years, was initially seen as an outside shot for the candidacy back in May. But she impressed the party board in London to make the final three. After Dan Korski dropped out following an accusation (which he denies) of groping, members were faced with a choice of either her or an electoral novice in Hossain. Her strategy for the nomination was based on winning councillors’ endorsements and running a punchy, pugilistic campaign against Khan.
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Sparks flew at tonight’s Parliamentary Labour party (PLP) meeting. Deputy leader Angela Rayner had been due to speak to MPs as part of an end of term pep talk. Instead, the ongoing row over Keir Starmer’s decision to maintain the two child benefit cap if Labour enters government dominated the entire session. Rayner herself has previously labelled the cap ‘obscene and inhumane’ and she was forced to defend herself when those past comments were raised by backbench Labour MPs. The deputy leader told her colleagues that she stood by the tweet but that there was a need for fiscal responsibility. More surprising than Rayner’s remarks were the range of criticisms voiced at tonight’s meeting.
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17 min listen
Keir Starmer has said that Labour will not be reversing the two-child benefits cap, after Angela Rayner said it was ‘obscene and inhumane’. But will he continue to back the policy, which allegedly saves the Treasury £1.3 billion, or change his mind in the face of pressure from his shadow front bench? James Heale speaks to Fraser Nelson and Katy Balls. Produced by Max Jeffery.
From our UK edition
After five days of speculation, Huw Edwards has today been named as the BBC star at the centre of allegations about his private life. His wife, the TV producer, Vicky Flind, has released a statement in which she says her husband is ‘suffering from serious mental health issues’ and is now ‘receiving in-patient hospital care where he will stay for the foreseeable future’. Last year, her husband spoke about how he had been bedridden with depression. His wife says his condition has significantly deteriorated. She says: In light of the recent reporting regarding the ‘BBC Presenter’ I am making this statement on behalf of my husband Huw Edwards, after what have been five extremely difficult days for our family.
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12 min listen
Tory whips will be smiling today after a mammoth three and a half hour voting session on amendments to the Illegal Migration Bill last night. All the amendments put down by the House of Lords were defeated by the government across 18 divisions. Are Rishi's hopes of stopping the boats still alive? Where do Labour stand on the bill? James Heale speaks to Stephen Bush and Katy Balls. Produced by Natasha Feroze and Oscar Edmondson.
From our UK edition
Tory whips and publicans are the only people smiling in parliament tonight, after a mammoth three and a half hour voting session on amendments to the Illegal Migration Bill. The House of Commons bars are now rammed with MPs, who spent the afternoon debating and voting on changes to the government's plans to 'stop the boats.' Divisions began just after ten to five and wrapped up shortly after 8:30 p.m. All the amendments put down by the House of Lords were defeated by the government across 18 divisions, with Steve Baker quoting one MP as saying in the voting lobby that they had 'enjoyed the first 16'. It is, by some stretch, the most number of back to back votes cast in this parliament.
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10 min listen
Joe Biden was in London today to meet with Rishi Sunak. The pair had discussions in No. 10, and Biden described US-UK relations as ‘rock solid’. But the pair have recently had disagreements about who the next Nato secretary general should be, and about whether the West should send cluster munitions to Ukraine – so is the relationship really so rosy? James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Freddy Gray. Produced by Max Jeffery.
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20 min listen
James Heale speaks to John Ferry and Iain Macwhirter about Humza Yousaf's first 100 days in Holyrood. Plagued by Sturgeon's arrest, does the Scottish First Minister's future look bright?
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It’s Humza Yousaf’s 100th day in office today. So what better way to mark this milestone than with a fresh clash with Westminster? A policy paper put out by the Scottish government this morning calls for the decriminalisation of all drugs for personal use. Drugs are a reserved matter but Holyrood ministers want that changed to allow people found in possession to be ‘treated and supported rather than criminalised and excluded’. Scotland would only be able to implement this approach if the UK government granted a section 30 order: an opt-out from the reserved power laws in the Scotland Act. Other proposals that the SNP want include law changes to allow the introduction of supervised drug consumption facilities.
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15 min listen
It is one year since Boris Johnson announced his resignation as prime minister. That day, Labour held an 11 point lead in the polls but new YouGov polling today indicates that gap has widened to 25 points. Is there any hope the Tories can turn it around? What if Boris had stayed? James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Fraser Nelson. Produced by Natasha Feroze and Oscar Edmondson.
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It's more bad news for the government today. The High Court has this afternoon ordered ministers to release Boris Johnson's unredacted WhatsApp messages and notebooks to the Covid inquiry. Judges said there were no grounds to block inquiry chairwoman Baroness Hallett's order to hand over the material. It will mean inquiry officials will have access to message exchanges between Johnson and former and current ministers and officials, including Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss. The Cabinet Office can apply to not provide documents if either they don't have them, or if they think it would be 'unreasonable' to hand them over. But Baroness Hallett will rule on any application and there is no right of appeal.
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14 min listen
The NHS marks its 75th anniversary today, and in Westminster, both Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer attended a service at Westminster Abbey in honour of the organisation. James Heale talks to Katy Balls and Kate Andrews about why there was a church service for the NHS and whether Rishi Sunak's time would have been better spent at Prime Minister's Questions. Produced by Cindy Yu.
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12 min listen
Rishi Sunak’s personal approval rating among Tory members has turned negative for the first time in his premiership. Why is the Prime Minister becoming more unpopular in his party? Should he be worried about internal dissent? James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Kate Andrews. Produced by Max Jeffery.
From our UK edition
10 min listen
A group of 25 Tory MPs, calling themselves the New Conservatives, have launched a plan that they say will cut net migration from 606,000, last year’s figure, to 226,000, the figure in 2019. Temporary visa schemes for care workers should be shut, the ‘skilled work’ salary threshold raised, and the number of refugees accepted into the UK capped. Who is in the group, and what do they want? James Heale speaks to Isabel Hardman and Katy Balls. Produced by Max Jeffery.
From our UK edition
11 min listen
Zac Goldsmith has resigned as a minister, and says he quit because Rishi Sunak is 'simply uninterested' in the environment. It comes a day after Goldsmith was named by the Privileges Committee as one of 10 Tories who organised a campaign to undermine the Partygate inquiry. How much will Goldsmith’s resignation hurt the government? James Heale speaks to Fraser Nelson and Katy Balls. Produced by Max Jeffery.
From our UK edition
One name stood out yesterday in the Privileges Committee dossier on parliamentarians who had attacked the panel over its investigation into Boris Johnson. Alongside the seven MPs whose comments were criticised was the name of one peer: Zac Goldsmith, the only serving minister on the list and a longtime Johnson ally. Rishi Sunak’s spokesman was forced to subsequently confirm that the Prime Minister retained confidence in Goldsmith as a Foreign Office minister. Goldsmith was, privately, asked by No. 10 to apologise for his comments about the Privileges Committee as they felt they were incompatible with his position as a Minister of the Crown. Instead, less than 24 hours later, Goldsmith quit Sunak’s administration – and launched a blistering attack on the PM.