Katy Balls is The Spectator’s former political editor.
From our UK edition
20 min listen
As more Conservative MPs declare their intentions to run for the Tory leadership, James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Conservative peer Paul Goodman about the runners and riders. What can they learn from previous leadership elections? Who will play well with the members and the public at large? And what will the dividing lines be between the candidates? Produced by Patrick Gibbons.
From our UK edition
Robert Jenrick will soon submit his nomination papers to the 1922 chairman for the Tory leadership contest. When he does so, this will make him the first candidate to reach the required number of nominations – ten in total, including a proposer and seconded. Speaking this morning, Jenrick’s campaign manager Danny Kruger made clear that Jenrick’s campaign will have a focus on winning back Tory voters who moved to Reform in the election: Jenrick has been busy reinventing himself over the past year ‘To have any path back to government we must win back those voters we have lost – across the board but particularly to Reform. At the same time we have to bring our party together, united behind one set of coherent Conservative principles.
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On Monday night the Conservatives announced the rules of the party’s leadership contest. The reaction in Labour circles was incredulity that their run of good luck has not yet ended. ‘A three-month contest?’ asked one amazed party figure. Are there any candidates who Keir Starmer’s team fears? ‘I doubt the next Tory prime minister is in this parliamentary party,’ replied a senior Labour politician. The decision to delay picking a new leader until November means Starmer’s government will be, in effect, unopposed as it holds its party conference and then its first Budget. The Tories will be a danger only to each other.
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14 min listen
Three weeks in for the new government and we have had our first Labour rebellion. In a vote last night on an SNP amendments to axe the two child benefit cap, seven Labour MPs revolted and have subsequently lost the Labour whip. Parliament’s new awkward squad includes some familiar faces of the Labour left, such as John McDonnell and Zarah Sultana. The cast list is such that it’s unlikely Keir Starmer’s inner circle will lose much sleep about these MPs being without the whip for six months. The bigger question is, will they actually get it back? Oscar Edmondson speaks to Katy Balls and Isabel Hardman. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
From our UK edition
There was a ripple of shock across the House of Commons on Tuesday night after Keir Starmer withdrew the whip from seven Labour MPs for backing an amendment on lifting the two-child benefit cap. Parliament's new awkward squad includes some familiar faces of the Labour left, such as John McDonnell and Zarah Sultana. The cast list is such that it's unlikely Keir Starmer’s inner circle will lose much sleep about these MPs being without the whip for six months. The bigger question is whether they will actually get it back. The first rebellion of the Labour government was always seen as a key test But while it’s the hard left who rebelled, concern over their treatment is more widespread.
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James Cleverly has become the first candidate to declare in the Conservative leadership contest. Announcing the news tonight in an op-ed for the Telegraph, the shadow home secretary made the pitch that he ‘can unite the Conservatives and overturn Starmer’s loveless landslide’. He says: We need to rediscover confidence that our core values are shared by the British public and present an offer of unity, security, and prosperity. We must ditch the self indulgent infighting and be ready to deliver when the next chance comes. This will take dedication, discipline and focus. More announcements are expected in the coming days after the 1922 committee agreed the rules and timetable for the contest.
From our UK edition
16 min listen
At last there is white smoke in the negotiations over the rules for the Tory leadership contest. On Monday, the 1922 committee met and agreed a timetable for the contest to succeed Rishi Sunak as Conservative party leader. The plan is for a new leader to be unveiled 2 November with eligible candidates to throw their name into the ring before the summer recess. It's going to be a long process, but will they be able to keep it civil? Will this be a beauty contest or a Tory Wacky Races? Fraser Nelson speaks to Katy Balls and James Heale. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
From our UK edition
At last there is white smoke in the negotiations over the rules for the Tory leadership contest. On Monday, the 1922 committee met and agreed a timetable for the contest to succeed Rishi Sunak as Conservative party leader. The plan is for a new leader to be unveiled 2 November with eligible candidates to throw their name into the ring before the summer recess. It comes after a dispute over how long the contest should drag on for. When the 1922 and Conservative board met last week, there was a clash of views with the board pushing for a contest to be completed by or at this year’s Conservative conference and several Tory MPs asking for more time so as not to rush into a decision. It is the latter group who have come out on top.
From our UK edition
11 min listen
Last night we had the news that President Biden will not contest the election, announcing in a separate statement that he will support his vice president Kamala Harris for the nomination. As endorsements pour in from other notable democrats and donors it looks like it might be nailed-on for her. But what would a Kamala Harris candidacy mean for Labour unity? Meanwhile, the row over the two child benefit cap continues to swirl. What should we expect this week? Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Heale. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
From our UK edition
14 min listen
The Conservatives need to choose a new leader, but first they need to agree on the process... Easier said than done. Lucy Dunn talks to Fraser Nelson and Katy Balls about the latest on the upcoming leadership race: what will the race look like, who are the the runners and riders, and how do they rate Rishi Sunak's performance as leader of the opposition? Produced by Patrick Gibbons.
From our UK edition
There had been hope that the Tories would announce the rules and timetable for the party’s leadership contest before the week was out. Then, next week, would-be candidates could seek the required number of nominations to stand and spend the summer recess wooing members as they pleased ahead of knockout rounds in September when parliament returns. However, it has not come to pass. Instead, as things stand, the Tory party can’t agree on a timetable – which doesn’t bode too well for the next task of uniting behind a new leader.
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14 min listen
Keir Starmer is at Blenheim Palace today for the gathering of the European Political Community, the forum created by Emmanuel Macron in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. While the new Prime Minister met with many world leaders last week in Washington for the Nato summit, this is his first time he has played host since entering 10 Downing Street. And he used his opening address to call for a 'reset' of relations with the EU, but what will that look like? Oscar Edmondson speaks with Katy Balls and Charles Grant, director at the Centre for European Reform. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
From our UK edition
Keir Starmer is at Blenheim Palace today for the gathering of the European Political Community, the forum created by Emmanuel Macron in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. While the new Prime Minister met with many world leaders last week in Washington for the Nato summit, this is his first time he has played host since entering 10 Downing Street. As European leaders arrive, the Labour leader has been glad-handing his new counter parts. So far, we have seen a warm embrace for Hungary's Viktor Orbán and the sparks of a bromance with a grinning Macron.
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Labour MPs ought to have been jubilant when they gathered for their weekly all-party parliamentary meeting on Monday. Most were still riding high after their party won a landslide majority. Yet there was a frisson of unease as some of the new flock took the opportunity to raise a grievance: the two-child benefit cap. ‘It’s the first week and they’re already complaining,’ sighed one MP this week. The unhappiness has been brewing since last summer when Keir Starmer and his Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said they were in no rush to lift the ‘nasty’ two-child benefit cap, introduced by Theresa May’s government in 2017.
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16 min listen
Labour has set out its ambitious missions in the King's Speech to open a new parliament today. On the podcast, Oscar Edmondson speaks to Katy Balls and former Labour advisor John McTernan about what was expected – and what was missing – from the legislative agenda. Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Cindy Yu.
From our UK edition
Who will lead the Conservative party in opposition? By Tory party conference, we should have the answer. After much debate about the rules and timing of the contest to succeed Rishi Sunak, a timetable is expected to be announced later this week when the party board meets. There are two options being discussed at present: one in which the contest finishes just before party conference, this year held in Birmingham at the end of September; and another whereby the contest is completed at the event. Under this second scenario, the final hustings could take place on the Sunday night, voting close on the Monday, a winner announced by the Tuesday and a speech from the new leader on the Wednesday morning.
From our UK edition
13 min listen
Keir Starmer is coming under pressure to commit to scrapping the two-child benefit cap, introduced in 2017 by the Conservatives. Plaid Cymru, the Greens, Nigel Farage, the SNP, and now some Labour backbenchers are all calling for its removal. Can Starmer hold the line? Elsewhere: in Wales, First Minister Vaughan Gething has resigned after four months in the job, and in the US, Donald Trump has chosen the junior senator from Ohio J.D. Vance as his nominee for Vice-President. What could these developments mean for Labour?Lucy Dunn speaks to Katy Balls and Isabel Hardman. Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Oscar Edmondson.
From our UK edition
Donald Trump put an end to speculation on Monday over who would be his pick for vice president, with the announcement that JD Vance is the man for the job. With Trump riding high in the polls, that appointment is quickly being studied in the States and Europe for what it could mean for a second Trump presidency, should the Republican candidate return to the White House. So, what does it mean for the UK – and, specifically, Keir Starmer’s government? The decision offers some positives for Labour. He is one of the Republicans that the new Foreign Secretary has made inroads with while in opposition. As I reported earlier this year, David Lammy has spent time trying to forge connections with those tipped to be in Trump’s second-term team.
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There has been much attention over the past week over how new MPs have chosen to be sworn in. This new parliament is the most openly non-religious in history. Around 40 per cent of MPs, including the Prime Minister, chose to take the secular affirmation rather than a religious oath. Half the new Labour cabinet followed Sir Keir Starmer in doing so. But this afternoon one of his cabinet has made history doing the opposite. Shabana Mahmood has been sworn in as Justice Secretary. She is the second woman to take the role (Liz Truss was the first), and she is the first Muslim – taking her oath on the Quran. This is the first time this has happened. In her speech Mahmood said: In Chapter 3 Verse 135 of the Quran it says: ‘O ye who believe!
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David Lammy is visiting Israel and the Palestinian Territories – his first trip to the Middle East as Foreign Secretary. On his meeting list so far are Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian Authority prime minister Mohammad Mustafa and relatives of the hostages taken on 7 October. The Foreign Secretary met Israeli President Isaac Herzog this morning. Of all the foreign policy challenges facing Keir Starmer’s government, Israel/Palestine is the most contentious internally. Since 7 October, the question of how much support to show either side has divided the Labour party. Unhappiness over Starmer’s initial delay to back calls for a ceasefire as well as comments about Israel’s right to self defence saw the Labour leader suffer several frontbench resignations.