Lockdown Part Two – Is England back to square one?
From our UK edition
16 min listen
Katy Balls, James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson discuss the Prime Minister's latest lockdown announcement.
Katy Balls
Katy Balls is The Spectator’s former political editor.
Saturday
Will Tory MPs back Boris’s lockdown plan?
From our UK edition
Boris Johnson did not want to give a Downing Street press conference this evening. The Prime Minister had hoped to present his plans for a national lockdown before the House of Commons on Monday. However, after the plans made their way into several of the Saturday papers, the government had to move faster than hoped. The last minute nature of today’s announcement was evidenced by the fact the start time of the conference was pushed back by several hours. When the presser finally begin, the Prime Minister began by handing over to Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance for a briefing on the latest data.
New poll: how voters rate the government’s coronavirus response
From our UK edition
With Boris Johnson considering placing England under national lockdown measures, what ever path the he chooses he will face a backlash. Sage scientists are pushing for tougher measures while anger is growing in the parliamentary party over the prospect of a further clampdown. So, what of public opinion? New polling for Coffee House by Redfield & Wilton Strategies looks at the public response to the government’s coronavirus strategy. It’s not particularly pleasant reading for the government.
Is a second national lockdown imminent?
From our UK edition
17 min listen
The whole of England could be put into lockdown again, reports this morning claim, as coronavirus cases continue to rise at a rate above the worst-case scenario modelled by SAGE. It comes as newly published minutes from the first week of October show the advisory group pushed the government to take action sooner. Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth.
Friday
Is the UK heading for a second national lockdown?
From our UK edition
Is the UK heading for a second national lockdown? That's the question being asked in Westminster as coronavirus cases rise and SAGE members call for further measures. On Friday, the Prime Minister met with Rishi Sunak, Matt Hancock and Michael Gove to discuss how best to respond to new NHS data on the spread of coronavirus across the country. While no final decisions have yet been taken, one option on the table is national measures. The idea being that Boris Johnson could move from a localised approach to national restrictions – with everything other than educational institutions and essential retail to close. The planned time period of this would be around a month (bear in mind that the initial lockdown was only due to last for three weeks).
Will there be a Labour civil war?
From our UK edition
15 min listen
Though there are grumblings from the left of the Labour party over Corbyn's suspension, Keir Starmer has taken today to set the narrative in his favour. The polls, showing Labour in the lead, also help. Cindy Yu talks to Katy Balls and James Forsyth about how Starmer may have nipped a civil war in the bud.
The Anneliese Dodds Edition
From our UK edition
40 min listen
Anneliese Dodds is the shadow chancellor. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about protesting tuition fees in a university exams hall, life before politics, forcing Rishi Sunak into the Commons on his birthday, and whether the Conservatives are spending too much money.
Thursday
Can the Labour left resist Keir Starmer?
From our UK edition
11 min listen
Labour is truly under new leadership as Jeremy Corbyn gets suspended from the party today. The left of the party is clearly not happy - but can they do anything about the new direction of the party? John Connolly talks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls. Tell us your thoughts on our podcasts and be in for a chance to win a bottle of Pol Roger champagne by filling out our podcast survey. Visit spectator.co.uk/podcastsurvey.
Five things we learnt from the EHRC report
From our UK edition
Over a year after the Equality and Human Rights Commission launched its investigation into anti-Semitism in the Labour party, the findings have been published. In what Sir Keir Starmer has described as a 'day of shame for the Labour Party', the report comes after years of allegations of anti-Semitism that dominated Jeremy Corbyn's time as Labour leader. In the build up to the report's republication, a number of Corbyn's closest allies attempted to put their side of the story out first. In a statement today, Corbyn claimed the scale of Labour's anti-Semitism problem had been 'dramatically overstated'. While the row over the episode is likely to rumble on for some time, here are five main takeaways from the report: 1.
Thursday
Has Rishi Sunak performed a U-turn?
From our UK edition
11 min listen
The Chancellor's new economic package was much more generous than his previous plans, and when asked, Sunak insisted he was just reacting to the changing coronavirus situation. But could these pandemic developments really not be foreseen? Katy Balls talks to Kate Andrews and James Forsyth.
Can Rishi win back the Tory backbenches?
From our UK edition
When Rishi Sunak unveiled his winter economy plan last month, the idea was that the new financial support packages would be enough to help struggling businesses through a turbulent period. So the fact that the Chancellor appeared before the Commons today just a few weeks later to announce new measures shows that events are overtaking government plans. With a backlash growing from industries in tier two over the limited financial support available, Sunak has announced new support for workers hit by coronavirus restrictions. The biggest change is to the job support scheme, which will replace the furlough scheme when it winds down at the end of the month.
Wednesday
Can Starmer capitalise on Boris’s lockdown woes?
From our UK edition
11 min listen
Keir Starmer seemed unable to land a definitive blow on Boris Johnson in PMQs this afternoon, after the government imposed a tier three lockdown in Manchester. Will the Labour leader be able to capitalise on their lockdown woes? John Connolly speaks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls.
Tuesday
Jonathan Van Tam comes to Boris’s rescue
From our UK edition
In this evening's press conference, Boris Johnson confirmed that Greater Manchester is to be placed under Tier 3 despite continuing opposition from local leaders. With the government previously offering £60m for the area in negotiations with metro mayor Andy Burnham – which was rejected as local leaders pushed for £65m – Johnson refused to be drawn on whether that offer of support remained. However, shortly after the press conference ended Downing Street confirmed that the offer was still there. Had Johnson announced this during the press conference, he would have had an easier time in the Q&A session where the issue was brought up repeatedly.
Will coronavirus overwhelm Manchester’s hospitals?
From our UK edition
12 min listen
While the government has failed to strike a deal with Greater Manchester authorities to put the region into tier three, the Prime Minister is expected to announce an imposition of the restrictions in a press conference later today. But will coronavirus overwhelm Manchester's hospitals? Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth.
Monday
No. 10: EU must go further to restart Brexit talks
From our UK edition
The government's negotiations with the EU appear to be going a little better than their talks with Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham. While there is yet to an agreement on moving Greater Manchester into Tier 3, there has been a development on Brexit. On Friday, the Prime Minister used a video clip to warn the country to prepare for no deal. He complained that EU intransigence meant that unless there was a shift from Brussels, there was little point continuing the trade talks. Michel Barnier's offer to come to the UK this week was declined and Michael Gove toured the television studios on Sunday insisting the UK is willing to go it alone if necessary. Now Barnier has moved — if not the whole way.
What will break the Manchester deadlock?
From our UK edition
14 min listen
The government is today expected to announce whether Greater Manchester will be placed into a tier three lockdown after negotiations with Andy Burnham continued over the weekend. Why have the talks been so protracted? Does the Mayor disagree with lockdown, or simply want more financial support? Cindy Yu speaks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls.
Andy Burnham vs No. 10
From our UK edition
Is Greater Manchester about to go into tier three restrictions? That's the hope in government following a week of negotiations, a war of words playing out in the media and internal Tory division. Metro mayor Andy Burnham — known in some parts of the internet as the 'king of the north' — has been resisting pressure from No. 10 to move to 'very high risk', complaining that the financial support is lacking. There is a determination in No. 10 to stick with the localised approach rather than move — as Burnham and Keir Starmer have suggested — to nationwide measures. To do that, the government is now offering extra funding and there's a sense in Whitehall that the situation could be resolved sooner rather than later.
Friday
Are we heading for no-deal again?
From our UK edition
11 min listen
Boris Johnson today told Brits to prepare for a no-deal Brexit, saying the European Union were 'not willing' to offer a Canada-style trade agreement. Is this really the end of the talks, or is progress being made behind the scenes? Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth.
Boris Johnson talks down the chances of a Brexit deal
From our UK edition
In recent months, Boris Johnson and his team have been keen to suggest there is a hard deadline when it comes to agreeing a Brexit deal. The Prime Minister argued last month that both sides ought to walk away from the talks and prepare for no deal if there was no agreement by the EU summit on October 15. With last night's summit coming and going with no agreement made, the chances of a deal appear on the surface to have fallen significantly. With EU leaders calling for the trade talks to continue, Johnson has this morning offered a rebuke. Speaking from Downing Street, the Prime Minister said that after little progress at the summit, it was time to prepare for no deal – or, to use No.
The Rachel Johnson Edition
From our UK edition
37 min listen
Rachel Johnson is a journalist, author and broadcaster. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about what it was like to go to a boys' boarding school, why university had been so eye-opening after her childhood, her brief foray into politics for Change UK, and the worst pieces of advice she's ever got (both from her mother).