Katy Balls

Katy Balls

Katy Balls is The Spectator’s former political editor.

Friday

Katy Balls

Can Hunt answer the Reagan question?

From our UK edition

11 min listen

Ronald Reagan famously asked voters: 'are you better off than you were four years ago?' At the next election, the Tories face a public thinking over the last fourteen years. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt gave a speech today defending the UK's record tax levels and attacking Labour's economic plans. But who should we trust more on tax? Fraser Nelson and James Heale join Katy Balls to discuss. Produced by Megan McElroy and Patrick Gibbons.

Thursday

Katy Balls

Has Starmer scaled down his pledges?

From our UK edition

13 min listen

Keir Starmer has unveiled his six election pledges. In a nod to Tony Blair's 1997 election card, the Labour leader has announced key promises to the public should they win the election. How are the commitments being received, and what will the impact of his speech be?  James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Stephen Bush, Associate Editor at the Financial Times.

Katy Balls

Starmer channels his inner Blair as he unveils six election pledges

From our UK edition

It's 1997 in Essex today as Keir Starmer unveils six election pledges. In a nod to Tony Blair's election pledge card from that year, the Labour leader has announced key commitments that he wants to 'put up in lights' as his party's promise to the electorate should they (as expected) win the general election later this year. The commitments are designed to be retail friendly measures that would improve the day-to-day lives of voters. Starmer was keen to talk about Liz Truss Starmer's promises range from stabilising the economy to cracking down on antisocial behaviour and recruiting 6,500 new teachers. He has also vowed to cut NHS waiting times, set up Great British Energy and launch a new border security command.

Katy Balls

The Shabana Mahmood Edition

From our UK edition

45 min listen

Shabana Mahmood is the shadow secretary of state for justice. She was born in Birmingham to migrant parents. After studying Law at Lincoln College, Oxford, where Rishi Sunak was a contemporary, she qualified as a barrister and lived and worked in London. First elected to Parliament in 2010, representing Birmingham Ladywood, she was one of the UK’s first female Muslim MPs. On the episode, Katy Balls talks to Shabana about her upbringing in the UK and in Saudi Arabia; how her faith is central to who she is as a person; and her approach to the tricky issues of abortion and assisted dying. Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Cindy Yu.

Katy Balls

Shabana Mahmood: The disgraceful treatment of Kate Forbes

From our UK edition

It was like a scene from the Blair government: a minister admits inmates are being released before their sentence ends, to free up space. The opposition is furious, saying that ‘never in this country has a government ever been forced to release prisoners over two months early’. But in this instance, the minister is Tory and the opposition comes from Shabana Mahmood, Labour MP for Birmingham Ladywood and the shadow justice secretary. When we meet in The Spectator’s offices, the 43-year-old seems to be channelling her inner Michael Howard. ‘Prisons are overcrowded, we just don’t have enough places,’ she says. ‘This country hasn’t built enough prison places for a long time and certainly not for the last 14 years.

Tuesday

Katy Balls

Is Natalie Elphicke an unlikely hero?

From our UK edition

15 min listen

Lucy Dunn speaks to Katy Balls and former Blair advisor John McTernan about the one vote that won plans to exclude MPs from parliament arrested on suspicion of serious sexual offence. After Keir Starmer faced criticism for allowing her into the party, could some of her greatest critics now see the perks? Also is Labour about the water down the plans for workers' rights?

Monday

Katy Balls

Will Sunak’s fighting talk work?

From our UK edition

12 min listen

Rishi Sunak delivered a pre-election speech this morning setting out the dividing lines at the next election: security with the Tories or risk with Labour. Will it be enough to shift the dial? And is the Natalie Elphicke defection still haunting Keir Starmer? Natasha Feroze speaks to Katy Balls and Fraser Nelson.

Katy Balls

What Sunak’s big speech reveals about his election strategy

From our UK edition

Rishi Sunak has this morning given a speech aimed at framing the choice at the next election: security with the Tories or risk with Labour. The Prime Minister's 30-minute address at the Policy Exchange think tank in London was centred on the idea that 'the next few years will be some of the most dangerous yet most transformational our country has ever known'. The right choice of leader for the country, he implied, is the person who can be trusted most to shepherd the UK through a period of change ranging from foreign threats to artificial intelligence to cultural challenges. Unsurprisingly, Sunak argued that the right leader to handle the fact that 'more will change in the next five years than in the last 30' is, in fact, himself.

Sunday

Katy Balls

Natalie Elphicke row deepens

From our UK edition

Was Keir Starmer's decision to welcome the Tory right wing MP Natalie Elphicke to the Labour party a genius strategic move by a ruthless leader ready for power or an unforced error? The calculation in the Leader's Office was that the opportunity to have an MP in a key seat on small boats (Elphicke represents Dover) back Starmer was too good to pass up. Given Labour have often been attacked for being soft on immigration, having the right wing Elphicke cross the floor and say Starmer has the best policy is a strong message for wavering voters. Starmer wasted no time in trying to capitalise on this endorsement with a speech on Friday in Dover on his plans to tackle the small boat crossings.

Friday

Katy Balls

The Lisa Cameron Edition

From our UK edition

32 min listen

Dr Lisa Cameron was born in Glasgow and grew up in East Kilbride, the constituency she now represents. After three elections under the SNP, she memorably defected to the Scottish Conservatives in 2023. At the time, Humza Yousaf described it as the least surprising news he’d had since becoming first minister.  On the podcast, Lisa tells Katy about the need for increased investment into mental health provision, her defection from the SNP to the Tories and why Scottish independence is a failed experiment.

Thursday

Katy Balls

Inside the Labour backlash over Keir Starmer’s latest Tory recruit

From our UK edition

Has Keir Starmer made a tactical mistake by recruiting the Tory MP Natalie Elphicke as his latest Starmtrooper? That's the question being asked in Westminster after the Labour leader unveiled the Tory defector as a Labour MP just before Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday. The Dover MP crossed the floor using a statement to say that the Tories had become a 'byword for incompetence and division'. Starmer meanwhile spoke of his delight, arguing that it shows Labour is now 'the party of the national interest'. A photo of the duo was put out with the pair all smiles. The defection is less than a fortnight after Labour celebrated Dan Poulter turning his back on the Conservatives. In both instances, Tory MPs were quick to see red and criticise their former colleagues.

Katy Balls

Inside No. 10’s battle of the pollsters

From our UK edition

There was plenty for Rishi Sunak and his cabinet to discuss on Tuesday morning. The Conservatives had lost half of the seats they defended in the local elections and Andy Street narrowly lost the West Midlands mayoralty to Labour. ‘We’re doomed,’ was one cabinet member’s verdict. Ben Houchen’s victory in Teesside was just enough to stop any serious move against the Prime Minister: he is safe until the general election. Isaac Levido, the Australian political strategist who ran the Tories’ successful 2019 campaign, did his best to fight off a sense of defeatism. He briefed the cabinet that this year’s election race is much closer than commentators and opinion polls suggest. Look at Dudley, he said.

Wednesday

Katy Balls

Why does Labour want Natalie Elphicke?

From our UK edition

12 min listen

The MP for Dover, Natalie Elphicke, has shocked MPs and pundits across the political spectrum by defecting to the Labour party today. In her resignation letter, she accused the Conservative party for having 'abandoned' the 'centre ground'. But for someone who has vocally criticised Labour in the past, how helpful is Elphicke's defection? Oscar Edmondson talks to Katy Balls and Isabel Hardman. Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Cindy Yu.

Tuesday

Katy Balls

Will there really be a hung parliament?

From our UK edition

14 min listen

It's the first day back after the local elections. Following Thursday's results, some polling suggests that if the votes were replicated in a general election, there might be a hung parliament. Could this be a reality?  The Spectator's James Heale and Katy Balls are joined by Chris Hopkins, Political Research Director at Savanta.  Produced by Megan McElroy.

Sunday

Katy Balls

What does Andy Street’s defeat mean for Rishi Sunak?

From our UK edition

The local elections results are in, and the Conservatives have lost more than 450 council seats. After a full recount, Labour’s Richard Parker beat Andy Street to become West Midlands mayor, with only around 1500 votes in it. What does his loss mean for Rishi Sunak, and where do the overall results leave him? Katy Balls and James Heale speak to Megan McElroy. Produced by Megan McElroy.

Saturday

Katy Balls

Sadiq Khan wins a third term as London mayor

From our UK edition

Sadiq Khan has won the London mayoral race with 43.8 per cent of the vote to the Tory candidate Susan Hall on 32.7 per cent. Despite widespread speculation on Friday from Tory and Labour sources that the vote was closer than the pollster anticipated, Khan won comfortably. This makes him the first London mayor to win a third term. This all, despite new rules changing the contest to a first-past-the-post system and bringing in Voter ID. Labour were increasingly confident they would win from early in the count. The ward results showed that Hall was underperforming her predecessor Shaun Bailey in many seats. In West Central (Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster), Khan secured 54,481 votes to Hall’s 43,405.

Friday

Katy Balls

Has Labour done enough?

From our UK edition

Is Labour on course to be the largest party at the next election but miss out on a majority? Despite recent opinion polls suggesting Keir Starmer’s party is on course for a huge majority, this is the projection this evening from the respected Sky election analyst Michael Thrasher. Using the latest figures from the local elections, Sky News has projected that Labour is on course to be the largest party in parliament – but to fall short of a Commons majority by 32 seats. The findings come as BBC News puts its projected national share as Labour on 34 per cent – nine points up on the Tories, but one point down on its estimated share in the last two sets of elections. So, does this suggest Labour has had a more disappointing night than first thought?

Katy Balls

Have the Tories avoided a local election catastrophe?

From our UK edition

10 min listen

Rishi Sunak can breathe a (small) sigh of relief. Ben Houchen, the so-called ‘patron saint of the red wall’, has won a third term as Tees Valley mayor. Houchen secured 53.6 per cent of the vote with Labour in second place with 41.3 per cent, despite some polls in advance suggesting it was neck-and-neck between the Tories and Labour. The Conservatives have undeniably had one of their worst nights for a generation, but are there some silver linings?  James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Fraser Nelson.  Produced by Natasha Feroze and Oscar Edmondson.

Katy Balls

Should the Tories take comfort from Houchen’s victory?

From our UK edition

Rishi Sunak can breathe a sigh of relief. Ben Houchen, the so-called ‘patron saint of the red wall’, has won a third term as Tees Valley mayor. Houchen secured 53.6 per cent of the vote with Labour in second place with 41.3 per cent and the Liberal Democrats in third place on five per cent. Now given that Houchen won over 70 per cent of the vote the last time it was contested in 2021 – making him for a time the most popular politician in the country – this is a sizeable reduction in his vote. However, he has still won comfortably, despite some polls in advance suggesting it was neck-and-neck between the Tories and Labour. So, does Houchen’s victory offer any hope to the Tories? In terms of party management, it is important.

Katy Balls

Labour triumphs in Blackpool as Tories suffer heavy losses

From our UK edition

14 min listen

It's looking like the worst night for the Conservatives in 40 years. The prediction – that the Tories will lose about half of the council seats they are defending – looks on track so far. Labour comfortably won the Blackpool South by-election with a 26 per cent swing and it has also taken several key councils, including Rushmoor which has been Tory-run for the last 24 years. A Gaza backlash has seen Labour lose Oldham while the Conservatives have suffered a string of council losses, coming within 120 votes being beaten by Reform in Blackpool. Oscar Edmondson speaks to Katy Balls and Fraser Nelson.  Produced by Oscar Edmondson.