Joe Bedell-Brill

Joe Bedell-Brill reviews the Sunday politics shows for The Spectator

Sunday shows round-up: no Tory coalition, says Davey

From our UK edition

Lucy Frazer – ‘Rishi’s only been the prime minister for six months’ This week the fallout from the local election results mingled with news of the coronation. Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer spoke to Laura Kuenssberg about the Conservatives’ disastrous results, claiming her party just needed to deliver on their promises. But Kuenssberg questioned whether they

Sunday shows round-up: Tories should make ‘significant gains’ in local elections, says Starmer

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This week both parties have been attempting to manage expectations ahead of the imminent local elections. The Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper has been reiterating the worst-case prediction that the Conservatives could lose up to 1000 seats. But Keir Starmer told Sophy Ridge he thought the Conservatives should be making ‘significant gains’, given

Sunday shows round-up: Raab ‘a man of his word’, says Dowden

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Is Dominic Raab a bully? Dominic Raab resigned as Deputy Prime Minister this week, after an investigation into bullying upheld some of the allegations against him. He didn’t go quietly however, claiming some ‘activist civil servants’ had been trying to block reforms they did not like. His successor, Oliver Dowden, told Sophy Ridge he had

Sunday shows round-up: strikes show no sign of stopping

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Pat Cullen – respect nursing, or strikes could continue ‘until Christmas’ This morning’s shows heavily focussed on the crisis in the NHS, after the Royal College of Nursing voted against the government’s pay deal, meaning further strike action. The RCN’s General Secretary Pat Cullen stood by her union’s members, telling Laura Kuenssberg that patients were

Sunday shows round-up: MPs caught in sting operation

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MPs caught in sting operation were acting ‘within the rules’ It was Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove doing the rounds this morning. He was asked first to comment on the recent sting by the group Led By Donkeys, in which multiple members of parliament were seen to be asking for up to £10,000 a day

Sunday shows round-up: Kate Forbes attacks SNP power hoarding

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Oliver Dowden – the unions have a decent deal now, ‘let’s move forward’ The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Oliver Dowden faced up to the media this morning to speak on a number of issues, beginning with the NHS strikes. Dowden claimed the government had always been willing to engage with the unions, but

Sunday shows round-up: Sunak haunted by ghosts of governments past

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Covid and partygate still haunt Sunak Rishi Sunak will have wanted to use this week to sell his new Brexit deal. The ghosts of governments past had other ideas. Fresh evidence suggesting Boris Johnson might have misled parliament over partygate, and the embarrassing leak of Matt Hancock’s WhatsApp messages, have led to some uncomfortable questions.