Katy Balls is The Spectator’s former political editor.
From our UK edition
11 min listen
The first day of Easter recess is a chance to reflect on the last couple of months in politics and look at the challenges that lie ahead. As Keir Starmer launches his local election campaign in Swindon today, how are the parties going to position themselves for their largest reckoning this year? The polls predict
From our UK edition
11 min listen
Kate Forbes has quit the government after turning down an offer to be rural affairs minister in Humza Yousaf’s cabinet. With some suggesting the new First Minister of Scotland should keep his friends close as his enemies closer – was this offer wise? Also on the podcast, James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Fraser
From our UK edition
After the narrow victory of the Brexit campaign in 2016, it was often said that the result would lead to the break-up of the United Kingdom. Just 38 per cent of Scots voted for Brexit, so Nicola Sturgeon argued that Scotland was being taken out of the EU against its will, necessitating a second Scottish
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Rishi Sunak is on a policy blitz. Humza Yousaf is facing party backlash after losing former leadership rival Kate Forbes from his cabinet. Ed Davey has this morning launched the Liberal Democrats’ local election campaign. And Keir Starmer? The Labour leader is once again making headlines for his bid to distance the Labour party from
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12 min listen
Labour has voted to block Jeremy Corbyn from running as a Labour candidate in the next general election. For the podcast, Natasha Feroze speaks to Katy Balls and Gabriel Pogrund who is the Whitehall editor of the Sunday Times about whether this was a fight worth picking for Starmer. Also, given the former Labour leader has had
From our UK edition
11 min listen
Humza Yousaf has been announced as the new leader of the SNP after a narrow victory over second placed Kate Forbes. What will this mean for the cause of Scottish independence? Katy Balls speaks to Michael Simmons, Stephen Daisley and Fraser Nelson. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
From our UK edition
9 min listen
Tory party divisions over the small boats policy are starting to appear. Although the bill sailed through its second reading in parliament, now Rishi Sunak is facing amendments to the legislation. Where are the dividing lines? Cindy Yu speaks to Katy Balls and James Heale.
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When No. 10 first devised the Illegal Migration Bill, the hope was that Rishi Sunak’s crackdown on asylum claims would have a unifying effect on the Tory party. The Bill – which aims to make it so those who arrive in the UK illegally cannot claim asylum – sailed through its second reading. But as
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In less than 24 hours the winner of the SNP leadership contest will be announced. Yet it’s safe to say that whoever triumphs, the growing consensus is that the result will be a net plus for the SNP’s political opponents. Over the course of the short contest – sparked by Nicola Sturgeon’s surprise resignation –
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16 min listen
This morning Buckingham Palace has announced that King Charles’s State visit to France has been cancelled as the country struggles with nationwide strikes against the government’s pension reform. The King was due to visit Paris and Bordeaux, two of the cities which have been hit by the most extreme violence. Will his trip to Germany
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13 min listen
Keir Starmer today seemed to change his party’s stance on self-identification for transgender people. Before, Starmer said Labour would update the Gender Recognition Act so transgender people could self-identify as whatever gender they wanted. Today, he said that ‘if you’re going to make reforms, you have to carry the public with you.’ What’s changed? Max
From our UK edition
20 min listen
Boris Johnson sat through a grueling four-hour hearing into whether the former Prime Minister deliberately misled parliament. Katy Balls and Fraser Nelson take a look at the key moments of the meeting; and whether Rishi Sunak should be worried about the Brexit vote rebels.
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Rishi Sunak’s Windsor Framework has won support in the House of Commons at 515 ayes to 29 noes. As expected, DUP MPs voted against the deal – after the group’s leader Jeffrey Donaldson announced early this week that the party would oppose it. As for the Conservative party, there were 22 Tory rebels, including three
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Even now, months after he was forced to resign, Boris Johnson has a potency that no other British politician can match. Everything he says still catches the attention of Westminster and the media. Like Donald Trump, he enrages his enemies so much that they can seem obsessed. And rumours of a Boris restoration will not
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What scale of rebellion will Rishi Sunak face on his Brexit deal? There had been hopes in Downing Street and the whips’ office that this could be in single figures when the deal is put to a vote tomorrow. However, the DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson has said his party – all eight MPs – will
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18 min listen
Boris Johnson has today made his defence of partygate, before he is questioned by the Privileges Committee tomorrow. He accepts that he misled the House of Commons, but insists he made his statements ‘in good faith’ and that he ‘would never have dreamed’ of doing so intentionally. But who’s going to support him now? Katy
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11 min listen
Ahead of the vote on Rishi Sunak’s Brexit deal, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, leader of the DUP has said he will not back the key parts of the Windsor Framework. How much could this become a problem for Rishi Sunak? Also on Wednesday, what are the possible outcomes of Boris Johnson’s probe into Partygate? Natasha Feroze,
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Rishi Sunak has received plaudits from MPs, foreign leaders and the media over the Windsor Framework. Yet the deal has not been voted on. This will change this week with MPs asked to vote on Wednesday on the Prime Minister’s renegotiation of the Northern Ireland protocol. So far the mood music has been broadly good
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Boris Johnson was reselected on Thursday night as the Conservative candidate for Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency. Yet the future of his parliamentary career could be decided this week when he appears before the Privileges Committee. The former prime minister is facing a Commons inquiry into whether he knowingly misled parliament over partygate, the alleged
From our UK edition
12 min listen
The SNP has confirmed that its membership has fallen to 72,000 – a loss of over 30,000 since 2021. This has prompted an open letter from leadership candidates Kate Forbes and Ash Regan, calling for transparency when it comes to membership numbers. Why are so many leaving? Also on the podcast, Humza Yousaf has committed