Katy Balls is The Spectator’s former political editor.
11 min listen
After the resignations of two ministers last night, No. 10 carried out a mini reshuffle, which included some controversial decisions. In particular, the appointment of the outspoken Red Wall MP Jonathan Gullis had some questioning whether Rishi Sunak was making another Lee Anderson-style mistake. James Heale talks to Katy Balls and former editor of Conservative Home, Paul Goodman. Produced by Cindy Yu and Patrick Gibbons.
Another week, another set of Tory MPs announcing their retirement plans. This time it's serving ministers. As MPs head into the Easter recess, defence minister James Heappey has ended the parliamentary term by following through on his promise to step down as armed forces minister. Meanwhile Rob Halfon has announced he is resigning as an education minister. The resignations have been taken as further proof that it is an end of an era for the Tory party and many are preparing for election defeat, with over 80 MPs now announcing they will step down. However, it's not over yet – with No.
Rishi Sunak appeared in front of the House of Commons Liaison Committee today. What happened? Katy Balls speaks to James Heale and Isabel Hardman.
At 8.30 a.m. each morning, Keir Starmer holds a meeting with his inner circle to go over the business of the day. Once, these meetings were mainly filled with unelected aides, but now they are attended by senior shadow ministers, such as Labour’s campaign co-ordinator and Blairite old-timer Pat McFadden or the shadow cabinet office minister and Brown-ite Jonathan Ashworth. Starmer’s deputy, Angela Rayner, may drop in too. If Rachel Reeves can’t make it, one of her shadow treasury aides goes in her place. The new setup is one of the many measures Sue Gray has brought in since she was appointed Starmer’s chief of staff a year ago. Her aim is to strengthen ties between the Labour leader and his shadow cabinet.
10 min listen
Former Conservative MP Scott Benton has resigned, triggering a by-election in Blackpool South. The outgoing MP had the Tory whip removed after suggesting to undercover reporters that he would be willing to break lobbying rules for money. Oscar Edmondson speaks to James Heale and Katy Balls about the likelihood of another Tory election defeat in Blackpool South, plus whether the Conservatives are pivoting on their China stance following an alleged cybersecurity threat.
After weeks of speculation over the Princess of Wales's health since she underwent abdominal surgery in January, Kate Middleton has this evening issued a statement. In a video message, the Princess of Wales says she is in the early stages of preventative chemotherapy after cancer was found in tests. She said the news had come as a 'huge shock' but while it had been an 'incredibly tough couple of months'. she is 'well and getting stronger every day'. In the statement, the Princess says that it was after the operation in January that doctors found cancer present: 'My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment'. A message from Catherine, The Princess of Wales pic.twitter.
The Tory racism row looks set to run on for some time. West Yorkshire Police today launched an investigation into alleged racist comments made by top Tory donor, Frank Hester. Officers are to investigate reports that Hester, a Leeds businessman who has given £10 million to the Tories, said former Labour MP Diane Abbott made him want to 'hate all black women'. Sunak has been accused of handling the situation badly The alleged comments date back to a meeting at Hester's headquarters in 2019. Hester has since apologised for making 'rude' comments but insisted they were not racist as they 'had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin'. Hester is also reported to have said Abbott, the former shadow home secretary and longest serving black MP, 'should be shot'.
14 min listen
Leo Varadkar resigned as Ireland’s Taoiseach this week, and as Fine Gael leader. ‘Personal and political reasons’ informed his decision, he said. Will his party now call an election? Katy Balls speaks to Ben Scallen, from Gript Media, in Dublin.
12 min listen
A new YouGov poll has Reform just four points behind the Conservatives. Richard Tice’s party is on 15 per cent, and Rishi Sunak’s party is on 19 per cent. What is driving the Tory decline? Max Jeffery speaks to Katy Balls and to James Johnson of JL Partners.
On Wednesday night, Rishi Sunak urged his party to 'dig deep and fight' in the face of difficult polling. The Prime Minister will be hoping this morning that the message landed as another damaging poll has been released. The latest from YouGov/Times puts the Labour lead at 25 points. But the part that will worry Tory MPs most is the position of Reform. The poll – carried out between 19 and 20 March – puts the Tories on 19 points and Reform just four points behind on 15 points. The poll comes after Lee Anderson's defection to Reform – which has seen the party boost its membership and visibility. So an Anderson-linked poll bump had been expected. The question is whether this is part of a new trend that could even see Reform level peg or overtake the Tories.
There’s an old Russian joke about the difference between an optimist and a pessimist in Moscow. The pessimist believes that things cannot get any worse. The optimist replies: ‘Of course they could!’ These days the same joke could be made about the Tory party. As it slumps to its worst polling result since the dying days of Liz Truss’s leadership, MPs are debating which of two bad choices to make. Should they roll the leadership dice one more time or stick with Rishi Sunak and hope that for once his plan works? Sunak’s team believe Tories will come to see a fourth prime minister in four years as a kind of madness So far, it’s not looking great.
After a bruising few weeks for Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister this evening appeared before the 1922 committee of Tory backbenchers to make his case. As MPs prepare to go into the Easter recess, Sunak tried to encourage his party to unite rather than descend further into plotting. He told MPs: This battle will define us, when the going got tough, when the polls were against us did we dig deep and fight or did we turn in on ourselves? I know that the overwhelming majority of people in this room are determined to fight: to stand up for our values, our vision and our record. He added that the local elections were a critical point for the party: ‘We have a chance in these local elections to puncture Labour’s arrogance, to show that we Conservatives are going to fight.
The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is to step down as Ireland's prime minister and as the leader of his party, Fine Gael. In an announcement this lunchtime in Dublin, Varadkar said he would quit as party leader with immediate effect, but stay in the role of Taoiseach until his successor is appointed. Explaining his decision, Varadkar cited 'personal and political reasons': 'After careful consideration and soul searching, I don’t feel I’m the best person for the job anymore'. Varadkar encouraged people to vote to expand the definition of the family Varadkar – who first became Ireland's Taoiseach in 2017 – went on to say that there is 'never a right time to stand down', but no longer felt able to give what is required to do the role justice.
12 min listen
Inflation has fallen to 3.4 per cent, it was announced this morning. Jeremy Hunt said it was a sign that the government’s economic plan is working. Is he right? Max Jeffery speaks to Katy Balls and Kate Andrews.
14 min listen
All ten of the amendments to the Rwanda bill, put in by the House of Lords, were rejected by the House of Commons last night. The bill will head back to the Lords tomorrow, where they will decide whether to continue the process of 'ping pong' (putting more amendments in and sending the bill back to the Commons). Should Labour peers worry about being portrayed as foiling the Rwanda asylum plan? Cindy Yu talks to Katy Balls and Spectator contributor Patrick O'Flynn. Produced by Cindy Yu.
14 min listen
Over the weekend, speculation about a plot to oust Rishi Sunak and replace him with Penny Mordaunt circulated the papers. It came after one of the worst weeks of the Prime Minister’s premiership and the looming May elections. This morning, key Cabinet ministers including Kemi Badenoch and Ben Wallace have come out in support of 'sticking to the plan’. Can Rishi Sunak keep the party calm ahead of a gruelling month? And what's the strategy behind opting for an autumn election? Cindy Yu speaks to Katy Balls and Fraser Nelson.
Rishi Sunak goes into the week hoping it will be better than the one that came before. Last week, the Prime Minister suffered one of his worst weeks since entering 10 Downing Street with Lee Anderson defecting to Reform, a racism row over a donor, and MPs on the right discussing whether they ought to oust Sunak and crown his former leadership rival Penny Mordaunt as his successor. It means that – once again – journalists are close to using the word 'febrile' when it comes to the mood in the Tory party. The weekend has been largely made up of briefings and counter briefings about the Prime Minister. Penny Mordaunt's supporters are keen to talk down the idea that she is actively courting plotting MPs.
Could Penny Mordaunt lead the Tories into the election? This is the talk this weekend after several papers splashed on a push by Conservative MPs on the right of the party to oust Sunak and replace him with his former leadership rival. The Daily Mail reports that these MPs met with supporters of Mordaunt this week to discuss the possibility of coalescing around her should Sunak face a confidence vote in the coming months. The argument goes that Mordaunt is the only person that would improve the party’s chances after polling suggested she was the only candidate who would fare better than Sunak (by seven points according to one poll). So, is this all pie in the sky or could it become reality? It’s fair to say it has been a dreadful week for the Tories and Sunak specifically.
Rishi Sunak has finally confirmed what most MPs already knew: there won't be a May general election. Speaking to ITV News West Country on Thursday night, the Prime Minister was asked if there would be a general election at the same time as the local elections on 2 May. He replied: 'There won't be a general election on that day but when there is a general election, what matters is the choice.' It's been clear for some time that Tory election strategists were not keen on going to the polls in May. While there have been some in No. 10 keen on the idea previously, the fact that the UK is technically in a recession and the Tories are polling on around 25 points means that even the May enthusiasts have gone cold on the idea.
9 min listen
Rishi Sunak has finally confirmed what most MPs already knew: there won’t be a May general election. Speaking to ITV News West Country on Thursday night, the Prime Minister was asked if there would be a general election at the same time as the local elections on 2 May. He replied: ‘There won’t be a general election on that day but when there is a general election, what matters is the choice.’ So, when will it be? Also on the podcast, after James Heappey became the latest MP to announce he will step down at the next election, can the Tories stop the exodus? Natasha Feroze speaks to Katy Balls and Fraser Nelson. Produced by Natasha Feroze and Oscar Edmondson.