What’s Boris’s new Covid plan?
From our UK edition
15 min listen
Cindy Yu talks to Kate Andrews, Katy Balls and Fraser Nelson about the contents of the Prime Minster’s latest Covid press conference.
Katy Balls
Katy Balls is The Spectator’s former political editor.
Wednesday
Stratton resigns – but the row isn’t over
From our UK edition
The row over the Downing Street ‘party’ has claimed its first victim. On Wednesday Allegra Stratton announced that she was resigning from government. Her decision followed the leaked footage of a practice press briefing in which Stratton — then spokeswoman for the Prime Minister — appeared to joke about a lockdown breaching No. 10 party four days
Partygate: how much trouble is Boris in?
From our UK edition
20 min listen
It is all kicking off in Westminster. A leaked video has emerged where the former Prime Minister’s spokesperson is seen laughing when questioned about a Christmas party at 10 Downing Street last year. In yet another blow, many Conservatives shared their dismay at the leaked footage. At PMQs, Boris Johnson said that he is furious
No. 10 in crisis over leaked Christmas party video
From our UK edition
Downing Street is in crisis mode this morning following the publication of a leaked video showing senior No. 10 staff joking about a Christmas party. The clip was recorded just four days after they are alleged to have held one in breach of Covid restrictions in place at the time. In the video of a
Tuesday
How damning is the whistleblower’s Afghanistan report?
From our UK edition
12 min listen
A new 40-page document written by Raphael Marshall, a former desk officer at the Foreign Office, depicts a disorganised mess in the handling of this year’s Afghanistan withdrawal. ‘I think the picture that is painted of chaos… it raises a whole slew of questions.’ – James Forsyth Katy Balls and James Forsyth dissect some of
Afghanistan: five shocking claims made by the Foreign Office whistleblower
From our UK edition
Dominic Raab faced the media round from hell this morning. The former Foreign Secretary faced a series of questions about evidence published by a former Foreign Office official over the government’s handling of the Afghanistan crisis. Raphael Marshall – an Oxford graduate with three years in the diplomatic service – worked in the department’s special
Monday
Why the No. 10 Christmas ‘party’ story matters
From our UK edition
It’s crime week for the government — with Boris Johnson and his ministers set to unveil a range of measures to show how they plan to get tough on law and order. Only the ministers sent out to land that message are themselves facing questions over criminality. The claims of a ‘boozy’ Christmas party of up to
Will Boris’s crime crackdown backfire?
From our UK edition
13 min listen
Boris Johnson is launching a week of crime-related government announcements. Tackling middle-class drug use tops the agenda today, and the Prime Minister watched police raid a home in Liverpool this morning as part of ‘Operation Toxic’ to infiltrate county lines drug dealing. But with a report from the Sunday Times revealing that traces of cocaine
Saturday
Should you snog a stranger this Christmas?
From our UK edition
15 min listen
With the Omicron variant putting everyone on edge, there has been quite a bit of mixed messaging from the government about how we should all be conducting ourselves this festive period. With a bizarre emphasis placed on snogging – some preaching caution, others saying snog away. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever heard people say the
Friday
What’s behind the reduced majority in Old Bexley and Sidcup?
From our UK edition
10 min listen
The by-election last night was a result for the Tories. However, their majority for this seat fell dramatically. Labour tried to badge it as good news for them, claiming that they are ‘back in business’. But the poor voter turnout was more likely the reason for the fall in Tory votes rather than a swing
Tories hold Old Bexley and Sidcup – with reduced majority
From our UK edition
Boris Johnson can breathe a sign of relief this morning after the Conservatives held Old Bexley and Sidcup. In a by-election triggered by the death of the former MP and cabinet minister James Brokenshire, Tory candidate Louie French won over 50 per cent of the vote, with Labour coming in second. However, despite this victory, the Tory majority
The Bridget Phillipson Edition
From our UK edition
27 min listen
Bridget Phillipson is the shadow education secretary and MP for Houghton and Sunderland South. On this episode, recorded just before Labour’s last reshuffle where Bridget was promoted, she talks to Katy about what it was like to go to Oxford from a humble upbringing, how Labour can win the next election, and why she didn’t
Thursday
Will the UK copy Europe with new Covid restrictions?
From our UK edition
11 min listen
A lot of news coming out of Europe this week. From French President Emmanuel Macron calling Boris Johnson a clown, to more extreme Covid prevention methods rolling out in Germany. Will Anglo-French tensions cool, boil or simmer? Are we going to see the return of talks about Covid passports and vaccine mandates? Isabel Hardman looks
Britain’s relationship with France has taken a turn for the worse
From our UK edition
How will Priti Patel’s tour of European capitals in a bid to solve the migrant crisis go? Well, any visit to Paris will be difficult. Relations between the UK and France have taken a turn for the worse overnight, with Emmanuel Macron making a series of comments both privately and publicly that have landed badly
Money through the generations: addressing the taboos
From our UK edition
29 min listen
Money is not generally discussed at the dinner table, and inheritance even less so. So, do parents do enough to pass down responsible personal finance habits to the next generation? And if not, how can those conversations be had? On this live recording of The Spectator’s Women With Balls podcast, deputy political editor Katy Balls
Wednesday
Is Boris in trouble over No.10’s Christmas party?
From our UK edition
12 min listen
Keir Starmer went on the attack today at PMQs. The controversy over last years Christmas party resurfaced, with accusations that No.10 breached lockdown rules. He then went on to criticise the government’s new hospitals program. Boris was dealt another blow, this time from his own side. Tory MPs are in uproar about the threats of
Tuesday
What’s the aim of Labour’s second reshuffle?
From our UK edition
10 min listen
Yesterday Keir Starmer’s Labour Party announced a new reshuffle of its shadow cabinet. It just coincidentally happened on the same day Angela Rayner gave a big speech on Tory sleaze, leading some to speculate on friction within the party. ‘What you can’t avoid is that they ultimately decided to do the reshuffle on a day
Could there be a Tory upset in North Shropshire?
From our UK edition
As the government turns its attention to the new Covid variant, the ramifications of the Owen Paterson sleaze row are not quite done yet. After a difficult few weeks for the Prime Minister and his team in 10 Downing Street, Boris Johnson’s approval ratings have fallen both with the general public and Tory members. The
Monday
Starmer’s reshuffle goes wrong again
From our UK edition
Keir Starmer would have been hoping for a case of second time lucky today as he reshuffles his front bench again, following a botched attempt in the aftermath of the local election results. Back then, the Labour leader got off to a bad start when he tried to move his deputy Angela Rayner from one of her
How is the government handling Omicron?
From our UK edition
10 min listen
We are slowly learning more and more about this new Covid variant, but it could be weeks before we know just how contagious and harmful it could be. Wasting no time, over the weekend the government has banned travel from certain countries and tightened domestic Covid measures. ‘It’s fair to say that ministers are anxious