Kate Andrews

Kate Andrews

Kate Andrews is deputy editor of The Spectator’s World edition.

Monday

Kate Andrews

Could inflation hit 18.6 per cent?

When last month’s headline inflation figure was released, showing a rise to 10.1 per cent on the year, a little bit of optimism broke through the general discourse of outrage and horror: despite hitting double digits, might inflation be close to its peak? The main source of this optimism came from falling oil prices, which recently have been on a downward trajectory. But that narrative is by no means the consensus. This morning, investment bank Citi reports its most recent inflation forecast – which it estimates will hit 18.6 per cent on the year in January. This is more than 5 percentage points higher than the Bank of England’s most current forecast of 13.3 per cent for October.

Kate Andrews

Is Truss scared of the OBR?

11 min listen

The focus is on Liz Truss's planned emergency budget. Over the weekend it was revealed that she wouldn't consult the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) before announcing her plans. Could this backfire? Also on the podcast, investment bank Citi have warned that inflation could hit 18 per cent come January. Were the Bank of England's projections too optimistic? Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson and Kate Andrews. Produced by Natasha Feroze and Oscar Edmondson.

Friday

Kate Andrews

What does Mick Lynch want?

12 min listen

The UK has been hit by another round of rail strikes today with rising inflation and falling wages a recipe for continued disruption in the public sector. Labour rebels such as Sam Tarry are fast becoming celebrities among the unions. Could this leave Starmer in another predicament? Also on the podcast, as Liz Truss remains ahead in the leadership polls: is the special relationship safe in her hands? Natasha Feroze is joined by Fraser Nelson and Kate Andrews. Produced by Natasha Feroze and Oscar Edmondson.

Kate Andrews

Will inflation kill Truss’s tax cut plans?

This week, the Institute for Fiscal Studies offered tough words for those hoping for tax cuts: with inflation taking its toll on both government and household finances, the next prime minister would be forced to prioritise the most vulnerable and debt-servicing payments. This would require more revenue for the Treasury, not less. As the Office for National Statistics publishes the latest public sector finance data for July, are these warnings too pessimistic – or already proving apt? Inflation continues to ramp up debt interest payments – a grim reality for any government which wants to spend money on delivering new and better services, not on money it’s already spent.

Wednesday

Kate Andrews

Inflation hits double digits: what next?

12 min listen

The UK inflation rate is now at 10.1 per cent according to the Office for National Statistics. Is there much that the government can do to relieve its effects? Also on the podcast, the leadership contenders are in Belfast for the next hustings: how will the audience respond to the candidate's position on The Northern Ireland Protocol? Katy Balls is joined by Kate Andrews and Isabel Hardman. Produced by Natasha Feroze and Oscar Edmondson.

Kate Andrews

Inflation hits double digits. Is it out of control?

Long gone are the days when politicians and experts dared to claim inflation was simply ‘transitory’. Now it’s hang-on-to-your-hats as prices spiral faster than anyone predicted. This morning the Office for National Statistics reveals that headline CPI inflation hit 10.1 per cent on the year in July. This double-digit figure takes inflation to a 40-year high, outpacing consensus yet again, which was 9.8 per cent. That figure means all those horrors that have been discussed for months have become more immediate: the instability that comes with spiralling prices, the risk of stagflation, increasing fears of recession as consumers grow more cautious, not to mention the very real fear that people will struggle to afford basic necessities.

Tuesday

Kate Andrews

When will the inflation rate fall?

13 min listen

New figures released this week show that wages have fallen significantly behind the rising cost of living. Is there more trouble ahead? Also on the podcast, as Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss attend hustings in Scotland: which candidate is favoured the most north of the border? Katy Balls is joined by Kate Andrews and Isabel Hardman. Produced by Max Jeffery and Oscar Edmondson.

Kate Andrews

UK wages drop in the sharpest fall on record

Over the past six months, Britain’s unemployment figures have arguably been the economy’s saving grace. While the labour market has been extremely tight – with job vacancies reaching their highest level on record – the headline unemployment rate has settled back at record lows, keeping at bay the last factor that often ushers in dreaded ‘stagflation’. This morning’s labour market update still shows the unemployment rate sitting below 4 per cent – with data from June alone at just 3.6 per cent – as well as signs that the labour market is loosening, slightly, with the number of job vacancies appearing to have peaked.

Monday

Kate Andrews

Is British farming fit for the future?

27 min listen

It’s estimated that the average age of a British farmer is 59. This raises questions about the future of British farming. Are young people just not interested?On this episode, The Spectator’s economics editor, Kate Andrews takes a look at the next few decades for British farming. Young farmers are part of the picture, but we’ll also be discussing the role played by immigration especially post Brexit. The agricultural pressures and questions around self-sufficiency given the war in Ukraine. And how to balance all of this with greater concern for climate change.

Wednesday

Kate Andrews

Sajid Javid turns on Rishi Sunak

Liz Truss has been rolling out the endorsements this week, and tonight she adds one of the Tory’s most established politicians to her list. Former Health Secretary Sajid Javid has endorsed the Foreign Secretary, praising her ‘willingness to challenge the status quo.’ The endorsement is not wholly surprising; with several polls out in the past few days giving Truss a very comfortable lead amongst Tory members, anyone thinking about the make-up of the next cabinet might feel increasingly inclined to make their support known. The real surprise is in the pointed commentary towards Truss’s competitor Rishi Sunak, whom Javid implies is ‘sleepwalking’ the UK ‘into a big-state, high-tax, low-growth, social democratic model.

Kate Andrews

Kansas’s abortion vote could prove decisive for the US midterms

In 2020, 56.2 per cent of Kansas voters cast their ballot for Donald Trump – 15 percentage points in his favour. Yesterday, many of these same voters returned to the polling stations. This time, more than 58 per cent of voters cast their ballot in favour of retaining the right to an abortion in the state’s constitution. This overwhelming victory for abortion rights in a comfortably red state is providing insight into how the abortion debate will play out State-side in the latter half of the year. It’s not simply the result, but the margin by which Kansans voted in favour of abortion rights that is notable.

Tuesday

Kate Andrews

Has Liz Truss had her first stumble?

21 min listen

Liz Truss has U-turned on a public worker pay plan announced just last night – the idea being that pay would reflect the cost of living in regional areas. What made her backtrack on the announcement? And how damaging has this been to her campaign?'Any discussion of lowering pay right now is politically intolerable. Timing matters a lot here' - Kate Andrews.Also on the podcast, Kate and James discuss the political tensions behind 'fat cat' pay and windfall taxes on the day BP announce its largest profit in 14 years.Cindy Yu is joined by Kate Andrews and James Forsyth.Produced by Natasha Feroze.

Kate Andrews

Why Liz Truss u-turned over public sector pay

That was quick. Less than 15 hours after pledging a robust reform of public sector pay, Liz Truss has performed a u-turn on plans to bring national pay bargaining to an end. It comes after criticism mounted that slashing pay for new frontline staff was not the most obvious way to handle an escalating cost-of-living crisis. In a sense, it’s a crime of poor timing rather than poor policy. National pay bargaining has long been questioned as a fair way to compensate staff on the government payroll. In part it’s due to the reasons laid out by Truss: there are obvious differences in the cost-of-living throughout the country, which might justify a rethink (housing being a key factor).

Monday

Kate Andrews

The real difference between Sunak and Truss’s tax policies

The Tory leadership race is becoming a test of patience. Today Rishi Sunak has laid out his plan to slash tax: not in a matter of days or weeks, as Liz Truss has pledged to do, but by the end of the next parliament. He’s promised to reduce the base rate of income tax by 20 per cent, by taking 1p off income tax in 2024 (as already pledged) and an additional 3p over the next parliament. As Fraser Nelson notes on Coffee House, the timing of this announcement is working against him: it’s easily characterised as a u-turn on tax cuts, when in truth the former Chancellor is far more interested in reducing the tax burden than perhaps his time in the Treasury conveyed. Team Sunak was always planning to hold back his bigger policy announcements for later in the campaign.

Saturday

Kate Andrews

Sam Leith, Kate Andrews & Toby Young

17 min listen

On this week's episode: Sam Leith looks at what TikTok and tech have done to our memories (0:34). Kate Andrews is in two minds about Trussonomics (06:50) and Toby Young tells us about a holiday to Iceland with teenage sons (12.34). Presented and produced by Natasha Feroze.

Friday

Kate Andrews

Did Rishi Sunak’s interview gamble pay off?

Rishi Sunak took a major risk tonight, agreeing to a one-on-one interview with Andrew Neil on Channel 4 News. As Katy Balls says on our reaction podcast, more often than not politicians come crawling out of Neil’s interviews. At best, they hope to survive them. Tonight Sunak faced the most detailed grilling on his economy agenda since the leadership contest began. There was very limited time for Sunak's personal stories or the rehearsed slogans that both candidates have taken to repeating on the campaign trail. It was instead a serious scrutiny of Sunak’s plan to stick with tax hikes and fiscal restraint.

Kate Andrews

Andrew Neil vs Rishi Sunak. What happened?

12 min listen

Rishi Sunak sat down this evening for a 30-minute interview with Andrew Neil. They covered the economy, the NHS, immigration and the former chancellor's personal finances. Sunak knew he was taking a risk in sitting down with Neil. Was it worth it?  Max Jeffery speaks to Katy Balls and Kate Andrews.  Produced by Max Jeffery.

Kate Andrews

Is inflation over?

21 min listen

Freddy Gray is joined by Kate Andrews, The Spectator’s economics editor; and Mark Asquith, a fund manager, to discuss if the worst of America's inflationary pressures will soon be a thing of the past.

Thursday

Kate Andrews

Labour’s trade union troubles

13 min listen

You can always count on Labour to descend into civil war while the media is focused on the Conservative party's in-fighting. After Keir Starmer fired a junior shadow transport minister, Sam Tarry, earlier this week for his involvement in the strike action, the left of the party has hit back, raising questions over Keir Starmer's leadership and the raison d'etre of the Labour party itself. Cindy Yu talks to James Forsyth and Kate Andrews about the best line for Starmer to take, as this will not be the last strike of the summer. On the episode, they also discuss the energy crisis coming in the autumn and what Truss and Sunak plan to do about it.Produced by Cindy Yu.

Kate Andrews

Rishi’s mad dash

47 min listen

In this week’s episode:Can Rishi catch up?Katy Balls and Kate Andrews discuss Rishi Sunak’s mad dash to catch up with his rival, Liz Truss in the polls (0.55)Also this week:Is it time the UK severed ties with Chinese-made tech?Charles Parton argues this in the magazine this week. He is joined by Dr Alexi Drew, a consultant in emerging technologies and international relations (13.33)And finally: What’s not to love about country-pop music?Sam Kriss writes about this in the magazine. Joining him for the podcast is Rod Liddle, the associate editor at The Spectator (31.01)Hosted by William Moore.Produced by Natasha Feroze.Subscribe to The Spectator today and get a £20 Amazon gift voucher: spectator.