James Heale is The Spectator’s deputy political editor.
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Angela Rayner has entered the chat. Last night she gave a speech to Labour members which many are reading as the soft launch of her leadership bid. She told the room that Labour needs to be more ‘bold’ – echoing Gordon Brown as she called for a more left-wing direction. She took aim specifically at
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Shabana Mahmood made an impressive start as Home Secretary. Within her first 100 days, she had set out a tough new plan to ‘stop the boats’, drawing lessons from the experience of Denmark. Yet as we now move from winter to spring, it seems that much of the Labour party is becoming increasingly squeamish about
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Two big topics on the agenda today as Keir Starmer has his pitch – again – on the cost of living. He told us towards the start of the year that every minute not spent tackling the cost of living was a minute wasted, so what has he been doing in all that time? Also
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Is any party having a ‘good war’ on Iran? After Donald Trump’s first strikes, I suggested that the Prime Minister had few appealing options. A week on and both the Tories and Reform now appear to be rowing back on their initial statements calling for greater UK involvement. One party which feels confident that they
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Does Britain still have a coherent foreign policy? James Heale and Tim Shipman are joined by Ben Judah, former special adviser to David Lammy, and Ameer Kotecha, who recently resigned from the Foreign Office. Together they discuss why Britain’s diplomatic establishment is under growing criticism – from accusations that the department has become bloated and
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Deputy political editor James Heale and deputy editor of The House magazine Sienna Rodgers join Patrick Gibbons to discuss the challenge the Greens pose to Labour in London. James’s political column this week explains how the shockwaves of the Gorton and Denton by-election have reached the capital. Could Labour’s ‘strongest heartland’ fall to the Greens
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As the conflict in the Middle East escalates, the British government continues to face questions about its response. Was the UK too slow to act, and if so – why? Tim Shipman reveals in the Spectator today that Keir Starmer was initially minded to approve American use of British bases but was persuaded not to
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12 min listen
It was a bad tempered PMQs today – Kemi Badenoch attacked Starmer over his involvement, or lack thereof with the Iran conflict. And Starmer hit back at Badenoch over her questions. Not the type of unity you’d want to see on the major foreign policy issue of the day. Also today, three more arrests have
After Gorton and Denton, where next? The scale of the Green triumph in Manchester has sent shockwaves through Sir Keir Starmer’s party. Much has been written about looming losses in Cardiff and Edinburgh. But the Greens – with their appeal to urban professionals, young Muslims and the economically disaffected – pose a threat in the
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Today’s Spring Statement was intended to be the anti-Budget: no rabbits, no leaks, no lengthy speeches. After last November’s disaster, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) was not entrusted to upload a copy of the Chancellor’s speech; even the name of the ‘Spring Statement’ was rebranded by Treasury spin doctors as a simple unexciting ‘forecast’.
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12 min listen
Rachel Reeves has today delivered her much anticipated spring statement, her opportunity to address the looming energy crisis, the uncertainty in the Middle East and the crashing Labour market … unfortunately, she did none of the above. The Treasury promised that the spring statement was going to be boring – and at least it delivered
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20 min listen
The fallout from America’s audacious attack on Iran continues, and there are a whole host of questions for Keir Starmer. The prime minister has been accused of being slow to react, having initially confirmed that ‘the United Kingdom played no role in these strikes’, Labour since agreed to allow the Diego Garcia and RAF Fairford bases to
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Next month marks forty years since the United States bombed Libya. Ronald Reagan requested the use of British air bases for F-111s to retaliate against Colonel Gaddafi after the West Berlin discotheque bombing. Margaret Thatcher readily agreed, despite the refusal of France and other European allies. She later reflected on the episode as cementing the
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In the end, it was not even that close. The Green party has stormed to victory in Gorton and Denton, winning their first ever parliamentary by-election by more than 4,000 votes. The result changes everything: the Lib Dems are no longer the party of the protest vote; Reform’s tanks are parked on Labour’s lawn; the
From our UK edition
-19 min listen
The Greens have taken Gorton and Denton, defeating both Labour and Reform in the early hours of this morning. Hannah Spencer’s victory marks the first ever Green by-election gain – but the real shock is Labour’s collapse into third place in one of its safest seats. For Sir Keir Starmer, it’s hard to imagine a worse
From our UK edition
In the end, it was not even that close. The Green party has stormed to victory in Gorton and Denton, winning their first ever parliamentary by-election by more than 4,000 votes. Hannah Spencer, the new MP, pulled off an impressive result, winning 41 per cent of the vote compared to Reform’s Matt Goodwin on 29
No TV show better encapsulates the nexus between money and power than Industry. The HBO drama sees investment bankers screwing, snorting and slogging their way to the top of English society. Now, in its fourth season, political intrigue is taking center stage. Think House of Cards – but with more sex and better-remunerated hotties. Mickey
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One intriguing element of the battle on the right is the arms race for donations. Twelve months ago, Kemi Badenoch’s supporters could point to her prowess in this field; the Tory leader managed to raise £3.3 million in the first three months of 2025. By contrast Reform UK, the pop-up party, were struggling to keep
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Two titans of broadcasting – LBC’s Iain Dale and Sky’s Jon Craig – join deputy political editor James Heale for a whistle-stop tour of British by-elections. From Oxford City in 1938 to Chesterfield in 1984 right up to Runcorn in 2025, why do by-elections matter? When have they been most significant? And are longer vote
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25 min listen
On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: James Heale reflects on Nigel Farage’s leadership team; Lisa Haseldine argues that Europe is in denial over its defence; Simon Heffer looks at the extraordinary rise – and tragic fall – of the first Labour Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald; and finally, Lloyd Evans reviews the plays I’m Sorry, Prime Minister and American
