Kate Andrews is deputy editor of The Spectator’s World edition.
From our UK edition
There was no economic growth in July, according to the Office for National Statistics. The latest GDP figures show that a boost in services output – 0.1 per cent – was offset by a tumble in production and construction output – 0.8 per cent and 0.4 per cent, respectively – leading to no overall growth
From our UK edition
14 min listen
Last night saw the first Trump vs Harris debate and the consensus seems to be that Harris came out on top. She managed to avoid sticky issues about her political past and goaded Trump into some rambling and – at times – outrageous remarks. What did we learn? Also today, we have had new figures
From our UK edition
‘So I think you’ve heard tonight two very different visions for our country,’ Vice President Kamala Harris insisted in her closing remarks at last night’s presidential debate. Viewers, I suspect, may disagree. This was not a debate where we learned anything new. There was no great ‘vision’ put forward by Harris or Donald Trump. Public
From our UK edition
The UK still looks set to get another interest rate cut (or two) by the end of the year, but is that now the main indicator of a healthy labour market? This morning’s update from the Office for National Statistics shows average wage growth slowed to 4 per cent in the three months leading up
From our UK edition
47 min listen
Join Fraser Nelson, Katy Balls and Kate Andrews, along with special guest Jonathan Ashworth, for a live edition of Coffee House Shots recorded earlier this week. They dissect the first few weeks of the new Labour government and look ahead to the policies autumn, and the budget, might bring. Having surprisingly lost his seat at the election,
From our UK edition
Labour may not have been forthcoming about most of their tax and spend plans during the election. But on one topic the party was crystal clear: a Labour government would beef up the nanny state. Politicians weren’t shy about this. It was Wes Streeting’s idea to adopt New Zealand’s (now abandoned) plans for a generational
From our UK edition
19 min listen
Keir Starmer has confirmed that the government is looking at plans to revive Sunak’s smoking ban legislation. They may go even further – reports suggest they will seek to extend the current indoor ban for hospitality venues, to outdoor places such as pub gardens. What’s the rationale behind this, and where could it lead? How
From our UK edition
36 min listen
This week: All hail Harris! As the Democratic National Convention approaches its climax, The Spectator’s deputy editor Freddy Gray explores vice president Kamala Harris’s remarkable rise to the top of the democratic ticket in his cover article this week. Freddy joins the podcast from Chicago (1:30). Next: live from the DNC. Freddy and Natasha Feroze, The Spectator’s deputy
From our UK edition
Can you tell the difference between an extreme misogynist and a moderate misogynist? Hating women has always seemed, to me anyway, a rather extreme position on its own. The label ‘extreme misogynist’ is surely repetitive. A moderate misogynist is an oxymoron. But then the Home Office announced this week that ‘extreme misogyny’ could be added
From our UK edition
11 min listen
The broader story this morning paints a positive picture for the UK economy. While growth in June took a pause, growth in Q2 for this year is estimated to be 0.6 per cent, roughly in line with what markets were predicting, as forecasts for UK growth have been repeatedly revised upwards since the start of
From our UK edition
The UK economy flatlined in June, as uncertainty over the general election and industrial action took their toll on economic growth. It wasn’t expected to be a strong month for the economy, with markets forecasting very little GDP growth, if any. But the small dip in services output – a fall of 0.1 per cent,
From our UK edition
11 min listen
We’ve got some news today on the inflation rate, which rose to 2.2 per cent in July, slightly up from the Bank of England’s target of 2 per cent, where the rate sat in May and June. It’s the first rate uptick this year – and though widely expected, it will be used to explain
From our UK edition
The inflation rate rose to 2.2 per cent in July, slightly up from the Bank of England’s target of 2 per cent, where the rate sat in May and June. It’s the first rate uptick this year – and though widely expected, it will be used to explain why the Bank’s continued hawkish stance, despite starting
From our UK edition
Liz Truss continues to do a lot of heavy lifting for the Labour party. The former prime minister’s mini-Budget featured more in the election – as a Labour talking point – than any piece of policy implemented by Rishi Sunak. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is determined to present the next round of spending cuts and tax
From our UK edition
Since Kamala Harris moved to the top of the Democratic ticket, it’s been assumed she would use her boss Joe Biden’s tactic for selecting a running mate ahead of the US presidential election: picking someone with completely different credentials and characteristics, to fill in the gaps in the voting base. When Biden was running for
From our UK edition
The Chancellor has kicked off her investment tour under rather difficult circumstances. While Rachel Reeves spends the next three days in the United States and Canada trying to drum up investment for Britain, the world of finance remains with eyes glued to the turbulence of the stock market, having to admit to itself that it’s
From our UK edition
13 min listen
The Prime Minister has clashed with billionaire owner of ‘X’ Elon Musk over comments that Musk made claiming that – in light of the violent disorder across the country – the UK is heading for civil war. How long will this spat go on? And is this the start of Starmer being tough on the
From our UK edition
26 min listen
In the short time since Joe Biden has stepped aside for Kamala Harris’s candidacy, the Democratic party has totally switched on the gears for ‘Kamalamania’. On this episode, Freddy Gray talks to Kate Andrews about the disingenuousness of the hype, how social media drives it (and in particular, TikTok), and whether the enthusiasm for Kamala
From our UK edition
12 min listen
Today the Bank of England has cut rates for the first time in four years, bringing more good economic news to the Labour government. On the episode, Cindy Yu talks to Katy Balls and Kate Andrews about how this raises the question – again – of why Rishi Sunak called an election before he could
From our UK edition
The Bank of England has just announced a rate cut of 0.25 percentage points, reducing the base rate from 5.25 per cent to 5 per cent. The tight decision – voted 5-4 by the Monetary Policy Committee – is the first reduction in rates since March 2020. It starts what is likely to be a