James Heale

James Heale

James Heale is The Spectator’s deputy political editor.

Wednesday

James Heale

Ambulance strikes: who will blink first?

10 min listen

Today tens of thousands of ambulance workers are on strike over a pay dispute. The government is calling on people to stay safe, avoid doing anything dangerous and only call 999 if essential. With patient safety at risk, where is public opinion? Also on the podcast, after the high court ruled the government's controversial Rwanda policy to be legal, is the judgement a complete win for the government?  Cindy Yu speaks to Katy Balls and James Heale.  Produced by Cindy Yu and Oscar Edmondson.

Tuesday

James Heale

Five things we learnt from Sunak’s liaison committee grilling

'Nothing has changed' – the words of Theresa May could have been tattooed on Rishi Sunak's forehead this afternoon. Appearing before the liaison committee for the first time, the new Prime Minister sought to convey an impression of authority. He deliberately tried to downplay issues of potential conflict like a second independence referendum and rigidly stuck to the government line on strikes and spending restraint. Sunak made much of his inexperience – dropping in several references to only having held the premiership for seven weeks – and ducking a question from Joanna Cherry on leaving the European Convention on Human Rights by saying he 'wasn't in government' at the time that Suella Braverman suggested the government might have to withdraw.

Saturday

James Heale

2022: The year in review

25 min listen

Katy Balls, Isabel Hardman and James Heale review the political maelstrom that was 2022, a year with more Prime Ministers than some decades have managed.

Friday

James Heale

What’s Jake Berry up to?

9 min listen

The nurses' strike is well underway and there seems to be no sign of an agreement over pay any time soon. The government seems to be receiving fiercer criticism from within the Conservative party than from across the aisle, as former Conservative party chairman (and Truss and Johnson ally) Jake Berry turns into the rebel-in-chief. What's he up to? James Heale talks to Katy Balls and Isabel Hardman. Produced by Natasha Feroze and Cindy Yu.

Thursday

James Heale

Nurses strike: will there be a resolution?

9 min listen

Nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are on strike today in search of a 19 per cent pay rise. Chief Nursing Officer Dame Ruth May appeared outside St Thomas's hospital to show her solidarity with those striking. What is the significance of this? Also on the podcast, after a further three episodes of Harry and Meghan's new Netflix documentary were released, can either side end up the winner in the war of the Windsors?  Max Jeffery speaks to Isabel Hardman and James Heale.  Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

Friday

Thursday

James Heale

War of the Windsors

46 min listen

This week: For his cover piece in The Spectator Freddy Gray asks who will win in the battle between the Waleses and the Sussexes. He is joined by historian Amanda Foreman to discuss the fallout Harry and Meghan's new Netflix documentary (01:00). Also this week: Should the House of Lords be reformed or even abolished? This is the question James Heale considers in the magazine. He is joined by Baroness Fox of Buckley to unpack Gordon Brown's recommendation to do away with the second chamber of Parliament (13:14).  And finally: In the books section of The Spectator Chloë Ashby reviews Con/Artist, the memoir of notorious art forger Tony Tetro. She is joined by Tony and investigative journalist Giampiero Ambrossi, who co-authored to book (31:53).

James Heale

Senior Tory MP suspended after police complaint

Julian Knight was last night suspended as a Tory MP, following a complaint that was made to the Metropolitan Police on Wednesday evening. Details of the complaint are not yet known, with a spokesman for Chief Whip Simon Hart only confirming in a short statement that Knight no longer sits in the Commons as a Conservative MP: Following a complaint made to the Metropolitan Police this evening, we have removed the whip from Julian Knight MP with immediate effect. Both Hart's spokeswoman and the Met have declined to provide any comment on the nature of the complaint. Knight, a senior backbencher, was elected to represent the West Midlands constituency of Solihull in 2015 and has served as the chairman of the culture committee since 2020.

Wednesday

James Heale

Inside Team Truss’s tussle for titles

In the final hours of the Liz Truss regime, a key question was obsessing advisers: who would get a seat in the House of Lords? Her inner circle was divided as to whether, after just 49 days in office, such privileges were even appropriate. As a few aides tried to convince Truss that honours would be a mistake, her chief of staff, Mark Fullbrook, was adamant a select few would become the lords and ladies of tomorrow. A prime minister determined to appoint a peer will almost always get his man As a former prime minister, Truss has the right to put forward a list of ‘resignation honours’. The jury is still out as to whether she will choose to do so.

Saturday

James Heale

James Heale, Lionel Shriver and Tanjil Rashid

23 min listen

This week: James Heale reads his interview with former Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs George Eustice (00:50), Lionel Shriver asks what's the price of fairness (05:38), and Tanjil Rashid reflects on the BBC at 100 (14:01). Produced and presented by Oscar Edmondson.

Wednesday

James Heale

Trading places: George Eustice on Brexit, Sunak and the Australian deal 

Is Brexit failing? Those who believe it is point to George Eustice, the former Tory environment secretary, who told the Commons last week that the Australia trade deal was a dud. Here was a Brexiteer, a one-time Ukip candidate, saying that the biggest trade deal of the Boris Johnson years was deeply flawed – a belief Rishi Sunak is understood to share. ‘I don’t regret it,’ says Eustice as we sit in Portcullis House. ‘It was just not actually a very good deal.’ The agreement struck by Liz Truss, then the trade secretary, gave Australia and New Zealand unlimited access to the UK market for its beef and sheep while Australia bans the import of British beef.

Monday

James Heale

How much trouble is Suella in?

14 min listen

Suella Braverman is under attack for sharing confidential documents with other members of parliament, and has admitted to sending official documents to her personal email on six occasions. Could she be forced out, again?  Also on the podcast, as Rishi Sunak faces pressure on the small boats crisis as well as his decision not to attend the COP27 climate summit, what sort of leader will he be? Will he buckle under the pressure? James Heale speaks with Fraser Nelson and Katy Balls.  Produced by Natasha Feroze and Oscar Edmondson.

Wednesday

James Heale

Will anyone buy my Liz Truss book?

‘If you’re having a bad day at work,’ read the Twitter meme, ‘at least you’re not Harry Cole or James Heale.’ The inglorious collapse of Liz Truss’s government put paid to many plans, but none more so than the biography of the lady herself, which Harry and I have been writing for the past ten weeks. Having started the project as her biographers, we ended it as her political obituarists, furiously rewriting copy as it became clear that our intended cliff-hanger could only have one ending. Our deadline was 29 October. Harry (who is the political editor of the Sun) and I signed the deal for Out of the Blue: The Astonishing Rise of Liz Truss on 20 August, so we had less than two months to throw ourselves into the madcap world of Truss.

Saturday

Friday

James Heale

Will Penny do better than last time?

This afternoon Penny Mordaunt became the first candidate to publicly declare themselves for the leadership of the Conservative party. Much of the talk in this contest has been about the 'death match' between Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, both of whom are a known quantity in Westminster circles. Mordaunt's confirmed entry into the race changes the dynamics of the contest and offers her colleagues a different choice. She is something of an outsider – having only held a senior cabinet post for less than three months in 2019 – and was never someone in the inner counsels of the Cameron, May, Johnson or Truss premierships. The threshold of 100 nominations on Monday is a steep one and Mordaunt is currently well behind Sunak and Johnson in the number of confirmed public backers.

James Heale

Will Boris get the numbers he needs?

15 min listen

Whilst no candidate has officially declared their candidacy for the Tory leadership race, speculation is rife about a possible Boris Johnson return. Could he get the 100 supporters he needs? Will he extend an olive branch to Rishi Sunak?James Heale speaks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls.Produced by Max Jeffery and Oscar Edmondson.

Wednesday

James Heale

Government wins fracking vote amid chaos

The government won tonight’s vote on fracking but it truly was a Pyrrhic victory. On paper, the numbers involved – 315 'noes' to ban fracking for shale gas versus 228 'ayes' – might suggest a well-oiled whipping machine. But it was the carnage within the House of Commons that everyone was talking about tonight. Opposition MPs are full of indignation at the scenes they claim to have seen in the voting lobbies tonight. Labour’s Chris Bryant told Sky that he saw four Tory MPs, including Deputy PM Thérèse Coffey and her colleague Jacob Rees-Mogg, physically man-handle a colleague of their party into their voting lobby. He added that he has photo evidence on his phone.

Monday

James Heale

Was Truss hiding under a desk?

14 min listen

This afternoon Leader of the House Penny Mordaunt stepped in for Liz Truss to field an urgent questions called by the Leader of the Opposition. What could the Prime Minister have been doing which was so urgent that she couldn't attend?Also on the podcast, after Jeremy Hunt reverses nearly all of Trussonomics, will there be a raft of departmental cuts? Could we be looking at a number of Cabinet resignations? James Heale speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth. Produced by Natasha Feroze and Oscar Edmondson.

Sunday

James Heale

Did Gove just torpedo Truss?

14 min listen

Michael Gove this morning said that Liz Truss's plans to scrap the top 45 per cent tax rate are a 'display of the wrong values'. It comes as Jake Berry, the Tory party chairman, confirmed that MPs who vote against the budget would lose the Conservative whip. Has Gove just ruined Truss's conference?James Heale speaks to Fraser Nelson and Katy Balls.Produced by Max Jeffery.

Tuesday

James Heale

Is Starmer ready for No.10?

10 min listen

Keir Stamer took centre stage for his speech at the Labour party conference today. Unlike last year, there were several standing ovations and loud cheers from the audience. Was his speech one to remember in Labour's history? And has he secured his position as the man to lead Labour back into government?James Heale speaks to Katy Ball and Isabel Hardman.Produced by Natasha Feroze.