Katy Balls

Katy Balls

Katy Balls is The Spectator’s former political editor.

Thursday

Katy Balls

Who is the real Joe Biden?

From our UK edition

34 min listen

Joe Biden is leading Donald Trump in the polls, so what is at the root of his appeal? (00:50) The government is anxious about a second wave - can it avoid repeating its mistakes? (11:15) And Rachel Johnson on her generation of high flyers and early retirees (23:30).With editor of the Spectator's US edition, Freddy Gray; our economics correspondent Kate Andrews; deputy political editor Katy Balls; former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt; journalist Rachel Johnson; and comedian Dominic Frisby.Presented by Cindy Yu.Produced by Cindy Yu, Max Jeffery, and Sam Russell.

Katy Balls

Scottish Tory leader resigns – and leaves an important vacancy

From our UK edition

In the past few minutes, Jackson Carlaw has quit as leader of the Scottish Conservative party. In a resignation statement, Carlaw said that he had made the decision after concluding he was 'not, in the present circumstances, the person best placed' to lead the case for Scotland remaining part of the UK ahead of the Holyrood elections next year.  'It just hadn't worked out for him as leader and he made a very brave and admirable decision' His decision to resign – with immediate effect – has taken senior government figures by surprise. While Carlaw divided opinion in Westminster, ministers had not expected him to go in these circumstances.

Katy Balls

Why are England’s excess deaths so high?

From our UK edition

10 min listen

New figures show that England had the highest excess death rate across Europe in the first half of 2020. With another coronavirus wave looking imminent, can the government figure out why this happened in time for a second spike? Cindy Yu speaks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls.

Katy Balls

Why the government is concerned about a second wave

From our UK edition

As the government struggled on Saturday with the question of whether to impose a quarantine on those returning from Spain, there was a hold-up: a key minister was unavailable. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps was on a holiday flight to Spain and hadn’t landed yet. When Shapps eventually made it on to the Zoom call from his holiday villa, one person who sat in on the meeting was surprised by the speed at which the quarantine decision was made. After being stung by accusations that the government moved too slowly in its initial handling of the pandemic, Boris Johnson now wants to show it is moving quickly.

Wednesday

Katy Balls

Could the government be over-correcting on a second wave?

From our UK edition

12 min listen

Fears of a second wave dominate Westminster chat, but how much of it is the government trying to fight the last battle? Cindy Yu talks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls over the difficult task the government has to balance the lessons learnt from the first wave of the pandemic, to the economic concerns prompting the lockdown.

Katy Balls

To balance the books, Johnson must divide his party

From our UK edition

Every week, the papers report a new tax supposedly under consideration by the Treasury. This week, it's the idea of an online sales tax. The suggestion being that a tax on internet shopping could serve as a potential replacement for business rates. While No. 11 is keen to play down the likelihood of its happening, the charge has something in common with other recently mooted taxes: it has divided opinion in the Tory party. When West Midlands mayor Andy Street took to social media to praise the proposal as an initiative that 'can level the playing field with online retailers & local businesses', Conservative MP Lucy Allan was quick to respond with her opposition to it – suggesting businesses must not be punished for adapting and moving online.

Tuesday

Katy Balls

Is a second wave imminent?

From our UK edition

10 min listen

Boris Johnson said there are signs that a second wave of coronavirus will soon sweep through Europe. Should Brits still go on their holiday abroad, and could the UK cope with another lockdown? Katy Balls talks to James Forsyth and Kate Andrews.

Monday

Katy Balls

Was there a different way to handle the Spanish quarantine?

From our UK edition

15 min listen

Within a few hours, the government enacted a quarantine policy for those returning from Spain (including the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, and almost including our own Economics Correspondent Kate Andrews). There's been confusion and unhappiness over the speed with which this was put in place, but did the government have any choice? Cindy Yu talks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls.

Saturday

Katy Balls

Prime Minister Johnson’s turbulent first year

From our UK edition

18 min listen

Boris Johnson probably didn't expect his first year as Prime Minister to shake out quite the way it did. From winning a landslide majority, to leading the country during a global pandemic, it's the sort of year that, if shown in a TV show fans would complain about too much being squeezed into one season. On the podcast, Katy Balls talks to James Forsyth and former MP and director of Political Insight, Stewart Jackson, about this turbulent last year.

Friday

Katy Balls

Will Boris’s war on obesity succeed?

From our UK edition

12 min listen

New plans are being drawn up to tackle obesity in Britain, with proposals including a ban on adverts of junk foods and calorie content shown on restaurant menus. Will Boris get his war on obesity succeed, and will it meet opposition within his own party? Cindy Yu talks to Katy Balls and James Forsyth. Also on the podcast: when is normality going to return, and are anti-vaxxers 'nuts'?

Katy Balls

The rise of the Red Wall ‘WhatsApp Warriors’

From our UK edition

As Boris Johnson marks a year in Downing Street, one of his biggest achievements to date had been the destruction of Labour's red wall. In the 2019 election, the Prime Minister succeeded in turning many seats in the Midlands and North blue for the first time. At cabinet this week, he referred to them as his ‘blue wall’ MPs, a nod to his desire to keep the once Labour heartlands Tory. However, as I say in this week's magazine, the new intake's first few months have been bumpy and this has repercussions for party management. The 2019 intake barely had time to set up their offices before they were sent back to their constituencies for lockdown. This meant they didn't have the usual set-up for building ties with their colleagues.

Thursday

Katy Balls

What is Russia’s plan to unleash chaos?

From our UK edition

39 min listen

As the long-awaited Russia report is released this week, we discuss Russia's plan to unleash chaos (00:45). Plus, does Boris Johnson have a management problem with his new MPs? (14:30) And last, the pains of dating during lockdown (28:30). With Russia journalists Owen Matthews and Mary Dejevsky; the Spectator's deputy political editor Katy Balls; Conservative Home's editor Paul Goodman; Sunday Telegraph columnist Madeline Grant; and author James Innes-Smith.Presented by Cindy Yu.Produced by Cindy Yu and Pete Humphreys.

Katy Balls

Could Boris’s Scotland charm offensive backfire?

From our UK edition

18 min listen

The Prime Minister visits Scotland today as parliament goes into recess. The Union is in grave danger, as a previous episode discussed. But can the government woo back the wavering Scots? Cindy Yu talks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls.

Katy Balls

Boris’s red wall problem

From our UK edition

When Boris Johnson met with his cabinet in person for the first time in four months on Tuesday, his aim was simple: to boost morale. He was conscious that the replacement of normal meetings with virtual ones had led to ministers feeling muted. He believed that giving everyone some face-to-face time would help, and pushed hard for an actual meeting. Johnson won that argument, even if the cabinet did have to meet in the faded grandeur of the Foreign Office’s Locarno Suite to allow everyone to be socially distanced. This is not what Johnson’s team envisaged when he won his 80-seat majority in December. They assumed with a majority that large they would not have to worry about party management.

Katy Balls

Could Scotland sink the Johnson dream?

From our UK edition

When the cabinet met on Tuesday in the Locarno Suite of the Foreign Office, one item was top of the agenda: the Union. The reason? Over the past four months, support for both Nicola Sturgeon and Scottish independence has risen. There is genuine worry in government that a few wrong moves could see Scotland on a path to independence. 'It’s the biggest single threat to the stability of this government,' warns a minister. In order to prevent this a plan is underway. Boris Johnson is visiting Scotland today where he will outline new funding while there will be wider efforts to visibly strengthen ties between Westminster and the devolved governments.

Wednesday

Katy Balls

Starmer vs Corbyn

From our UK edition

14 min listen

Keir Starmer was keen to put clear blue water between himself and Corbyn's Labour party today, on both the apology to anti-Semitism whistleblowers and the Russia report. Will this cut through to the voters? Cindy Yu talks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls.

Katy Balls

Starmer uses PMQs to put distance between himself and Corbyn

From our UK edition

In the last Prime Minister's Questions before the summer recess, Keir Starmer put the most distance between himself and his predecessor to date. On the day the Labour party agreed to pay damages to seven former employees who sued the party in an anti-Semitism row, the Labour leader used his appearance opposite Johnson to make a statement that the party has changed since the days of Corbynism. When Starmer asked the Prime Minister whether Russia Today's licence ought to be revoked in light of the ISC Russia report, Johnson suggested he was on tricky ground going on the attack over Russia Today given the number of times Jeremy Corbyn had appeared on it.

Tuesday

Monday

Katy Balls

Dominic Raab suspends extradition treaty with Hong Kong

From our UK edition

Dominic Raab has this afternoon confirmed that the UK will suspend its extradition treaty with Hong Kong 'immediately and indefinitely'. Speaking in the Commons chamber, the Foreign Secretary said the imposition of China's controversial security law in Hong Kong amounted to a 'serious violation' of the country's international obligations and as a result the UK had little choice but to take action. On top of the suspension, Raab said the government would extend its arms embargo to Hong Kong, thereby preventing the UK exporting firearms, smoke grenades and other such items. What was striking about Raab's statement was the effort he took – on numerous occasions – to stress that this government wants to seek a positive relationship with China.

Katy Balls

Is TikTok the next Huawei?

From our UK edition

16 min listen

Now that Huawei is banned, China hawks in the Conservative Party are turning their attention to social media platform TikTok, which is owned by a Chinese company. It comes as the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives in the UK today to meet with Conservative backbenchers and the government to discuss China further. Cindy Yu talks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls about what to expect from the government on China next. Also on the episode: the race to buy up vaccines and Cabinet's return to normality.