Katy Balls

Katy Balls

Katy Balls is The Spectator’s former political editor.

Wednesday

Katy Balls

Sunak’s Truss problem

From our UK edition

11 min listen

The day after her book was published, Rishi Sunak faced down questions from Keir Starmer and Labour members at PMQs about Liz Truss. While he had his replies at the ready, the questions underscored the main issue for Sunak: how should he deal with his predecessor?  Also on the podcast, there is more inflation news for the Government, and how will Starmer deal with internal party discipline? James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Isabel Hardman. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

Katy Balls

Is Andy Street heading for defeat?

From our UK edition

Next month's local elections will be the last significant encounter with voters before a general election, likely later this year. So far, the talk is that heavy losses for the Tories are ‘priced in’ – with the party expected to lose about half of the Tories up for re-election. As I previously reported, senior conservatives are talking up the fate of the two metro mayors – Andy Street in the West Midlands and Ben Houchen in Tees Valley – as what will decide if it goes from being a bad night to a terrible one. As one former cabinet minister puts it: ‘Andy losing the Midlands is very difficult. Ben losing would be nuclear’. A new Redfield and Wilton poll suggests Street is at risk to do just that.

Tuesday

Katy Balls

Kemi comes out against Sunak’s smoking ban

From our UK edition

When Rishi Sunak first unveiled his plans for a smoke-free generation, Downing Street was clear it would be a free vote. Such are the divisions in the Tory party over the issue and the question of personal liberty that there were never any plans to whip the vote. As expected, Sunak’s policy to make it illegal for people born in or after 2009 to buy tobacco has attracted many internal Tory critics. Former Prime Minister Liz Truss has been leading the charge today in the chamber, criticising Sunak for being a nanny state figure. However, given Sunak and Truss agree on very little these days, her critique was expected. More notable is the first member of the cabinet to speak out. Step forward Kemi Badenoch.

Katy Balls

How many MPs will reject Sunak’s smoking ban?

From our UK edition

14 min listen

It’s not just Britain that has a growth problem. Today’s release of the IMF’s April 2024 World Economic Outlook report argues that the global economy is following the lacklustre trend. Within this bleak picture, how does the UK look compared to its counterparts? Also on the podcast, MPs are set to vote this evening on the government's generational smoking ban. Is Rishi Sunak a 'finger wagging control freak' as Liz Truss claims? How many could rebel?  James Heale speaks Katy Balls and Kate Andrews.  Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Oscar Edmondson.

Monday

Katy Balls

Liz Truss returns – again

From our UK edition

14 min listen

It's 18 months since Liz Truss left Downing Street and her new memoir, Ten Years to Save the West, is out. She gave her first interview to Fraser Nelson on Spectator TV, covering why she wants to abolish the Supreme Court, Donald Trump, her husband's warning that her leadership bid would end in tears, and so much more.   We also cover Iran's missile attack on Israel, and what might come next.  James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Fraser Nelson.  Produced by Megan McElroy.

Katy Balls

David Cameron urges Israel to show restraint

From our UK edition

All eyes are on the Middle East this week following Iran's attack against Israel on Saturday night. Nearly all of the 300 drones, cruise and ballistic missiles fired at Israel were stopped by the country's air defences. The UK, US and Jordan also helped protect Israel during the attack. Since the bombardment, the line from the Iranian government is that this is a case of 'job done' and they have no plans to go further. However, Israel has pledged revenge and so the matter is far from closed. Cameron tried to say that Israel was in a way already winning despite the bombardment This morning, David Cameron used his first full media round since taking on the role of Foreign Secretary to urge the Israeli government to walk back from the brink and not escalate the situation.

Saturday

Katy Balls

Harold Wilson’s secret Downing Street affair

From our UK edition

10 min listen

On this special Saturday edition of Coffee House Shots we discuss Patrick Maguire's scoop this week about former Labour leader Harold Wilson's secret affair with his deputy press secretary. Where does this rank in the history of parliamentary affairs? And – on a more serious note – are there any lessons that Keir Starmer can learn from Harold Wilson?  Katy Balls speaks to Patrick Maguire and James Heale.

Friday

Katy Balls

Is Angela Rayner unsackable?

From our UK edition

13 min listen

The row over Angela Rayner's tax affairs has deepened today. This morning, Greater Manchester police have announced that – following a reassessment of the case – they will open a formal investigation into Angela Rayner. What does this mean for Keir Starmer? And why would it be so difficult for him to sack her?  James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Fraser Nelson.  Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

Katy Balls

The Angela Rayner council house row deepens

From our UK edition

The row over Angela Rayner's tax affairs is becoming more serious. This morning, Greater Manchester Police launched an investigation into the Labour deputy leader over whether she broke electoral law by failing to properly disclose her main residence in official documents. The investigation relates to two properties in Stockport – one owned by Rayner (on Vicarage Road) and one by her then-husband Mark Rayner (on Lowndes Lane). Rayner is accused of potentially avoiding paying capital gains tax on her property – which she sold in 2015 – as well as potentially breaking electoral law. Rayner denies both allegations. A police spokesperson said: 'We're investigating whether any offences have been committed. This follows a reassessment of the information provided to us by Mr Daly.

Katy Balls

The Laura Farris Edition

From our UK edition

31 min listen

Laura Farris comes from something of a political dynasty, both her father and uncle were MPs. The former even represented the same Newbury seat that she currently holds. She studied PPE at Oxford before working as a researcher for Hilary Clinton but she eschewed a political career to work firstly as a journalist and then as a barrister. In 2019 she became MP for Newbury and she now works across both the Home Office and Ministry of Justice.  On the podcast, Laura tells Katy what she learnt from Hilary Clinton, the things she hopes to achieve by the next election and why Jonathan Sumption has a point about the ECHR.

Thursday

Katy Balls

Has Rishi Sunak failed on the NHS?

From our UK edition

13 min listen

One of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's five promises is to cut NHS waiting lists. However, even he's admitted progress is slow, with new data showing key targets on waiting lists have been missed. Can Sunak ever solve the NHS problem?  Elsewhere, Lee Anderson has been telling us about the price of friendship, revealing he won't be campaigning in certain constituencies where his old Conservative pals are running...  Katy Balls speaks to Isabel Hardman and Kate Andrews. Produced by Megan McElroy.

Katy Balls

Is Cameron upstaging Sunak?

From our UK edition

The logic behind Rishi Sunak’s decision to make David Cameron foreign secretary was that he would be a ‘big beast’ on the world stage and wouldn’t need much instruction. Six months on, that plan is going reasonably well, insofar as Cameron appears to be setting his own agenda. It also means he’s making his own mistakes. In February, his foray into US politics misfired when, in an article for the website the Hill, he appeared to lecture Americans about support for Ukraine, telling them not to show the ‘weakness displayed against Hitler’. A key Donald Trump ally, Marjorie Taylor Greene, responded that ‘David Cameron can kiss my ass’. This week, the Foreign Secretary has been on something of an apology tour.

Tuesday

Katy Balls

Will David Cameron win over Republicans?

From our UK edition

12 min listen

David Cameron is stateside meeting Republicans and Democrats as the Foreign Secretary tries to muster up support for the US to send aid to Ukraine. Before that he stopped by Mar-a-Lago to meet Donald Trump – the two haven't seen eye-to-eye in the past. Will the Republicans warm to Cameron? Katy Balls speaks to Freddy Gray and Lucy Fisher, Whitehall correspondent at the Financial Times.

Katy Balls

Can David Cameron charm the Americans?

From our UK edition

David Cameron is stateside today as the Foreign Secretary tries to muster up support for the US to send aid to Ukraine. While Cameron plans to discuss other urgent issues on the trip, such as the situation in the Middle East, the priority is to make the argument for the US to step up funding to Ukraine; senior Republicans are accused of blocking a £49 billion package for Kyiv. The push comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned on Sunday that his side would lose to Putin if American aid was withheld and Ukrainian air cover is not improved. Will the charm offensive work?

Katy Balls

How much trouble is Angela Rayner in?

From our UK edition

Another week, another development in the row over Angela Rayner's tax affairs. The deputy Labour leader is facing questions over whether she broke electoral and tax law regarding a former council property she owned in Stockport. The allegations – which Rayner denies – stem from Lord Ashcroft's biography (titled Red Queen) of the woman in line to be deputy prime minister if Labour triumphs as expected in this year's general election. The row has been rumbling along for weeks now but is gaining momentum as the Tories ramp up their attacks. It goes back to the properties she and her then husband Mark Rayner owned in Stockport. When the couple married, Mark Rayner owned 126 Lowndes Lane while Rayner owned 80 Vicarage Road – purchasing it in 2007 under the right to buy scheme.

Monday

Katy Balls

How much trouble is Angela Rayner in?

From our UK edition

10 min listen

Angela Rayner has faced fresh allegations related to her taxes. Keir Starmer and other MPs in the shadow cabinet have come to her defence. Could these accusations jeopardise her position as shadow deputy Prime Minister? Also on the podcast, what are Richard Tice's plans for Reform? Natasha Feroze speaks to Katy Balls and James Heale.

Thursday

Katy Balls

The Starmer supremacy

From our UK edition

40 min listen

On the podcast this week: what could achieving a large majority at the next election mean for Labour; how much should parents worry about picky eating; and why are humans fascinated with the apocalypse?  First up: The Starmer supremacy. If the polls are correct, Labour could be on to a record landslide at the next general election. Any political leader would relish such a win. But can achieving such a large majority present internal problems of its own? Labour MP Harriet Harman joins The Spectator’s political editor Katy Balls to discuss. (1:32) Then: Lara and Gus discuss some of their favourite pieces from the magazine, from Charles Moore’s column to Christopher Matthew’s piece on A. A. Milne’s time at Punch magazine.

Katy Balls

What a super-majority means for Labour

From our UK edition

When the last Tory government fell, the famous question after election night was: ‘Were you up for Portillo?’ Were you awake in the small hours when the man many expected to be the next leader lost his seat? This year, there’s no shortage of big beasts likely to be turfed out by the electorate. Jeremy Hunt, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Grant Shapps are just some of those tipped to lose their seats. Many touted as potential leaders – Penny Mordaunt, Miriam Cates and James Cleverly – are also endangered. If current polls are to be believed, the Tories could be reduced to a rump of about 100 MPs and Keir Starmer will be sitting with one of the largest majorities in parliamentary history.

Friday

Katy Balls

Will Sue Gray be running Keir Starmer’s government?

From our UK edition

16 min listen

There is anxiety in parts of Starmer’s circle about Sue Gray appointing jobs in a Starmer-led Downing Street. When she’s in No.10 she’ll ‘be in her natural territory and running rings around everyone’, a former colleague told Katy Balls in her profile of 'the Gray lady' for The Spectator this week. How is Sue Gray shaking things up as Keir Starmer’s chief of staff?  Oscar Edmondson speaks to Katy Balls and Jill Rutter, former senior civil servant.  Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

Katy Balls

The Anne Jenkin Edition

From our UK edition

33 min listen

Anne Jenkin was born in Essex to quite the political family, three of her grandparents were in the House of Lords, and two of them in the Commons as well. Her career in Westminster began in the 1970s and in 2005 she co-founded Women2Win with future Prime Minister Theresa May to encourage more women to get into politics and stand as Conservative candidates. She was made a life peer in 2011 for services to charity and politics.