Katy Balls is The Spectator’s former political editor.
13 min listen
It's Budget Week and Rishi Sunak has already telegraphed a lot of what we can expect from it, branding it as a good news affair including NHS spending and minimum wage reform...but who stands to feel the pinch? Katy Balls sits down with James Forsyth and Kate Andrews to discuss the Budget as well as the rising Covid numbers and the chances of the implementation of the government's Plan B.
12 min listen
Katy Balls talks to Kate Andrews and James Forsyth about the prediction from the Bank of England's chief economist that the UK's inflation rate could hit 5%.
11 min listen
The Chancellor is making final preparations to his Budget, announced next Wednesday. On the podcast, Cindy Yu talks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls about the major themes coming up, and whether this is the moment when Rishi Sunak sees a turn in his popularity.
43 min listen
Nikki da Costa is the former director of legislative affairs at No 10 Downing Street. She served under Theresa May and Boris Johnson and was pivotal in the government's wrangles with Parliament over Brexit. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about why she and David Davis didn't quite get on; why she quit May's government and rejoined under Johnson; and what it was like to carry through her brainchild - the prorogation of Parliament - under scrutiny from the entire country and, eventually, the Supreme Court.
14 min listen
Compared to our extremely strong vaccine rollout, the booster numbers are not doing so well. But what is causing the slow take-up? Cindy Yu is joined by James Forsyth and Katy Balls to discuss this as well as the ever-rising covid figures, partisan mask wars, and a potential new trade deal with New Zealand.
Is the government considering activating its 'plan B' Covid plans? Not yet. After the Business Secretary played down talk of new restrictions this morning, Sajid Javid used today’s press conference to confirm that he would not be implementing the back-up plan ‘at this point’. However, the Health Secretary suggested that further measures – namely vaccine passports, work-from-home orders and mask mandates – could not be ruled out if the data substantially worsens. The main message from the press conference: get vaccinated There was a marked change in tone from Javid since the days soon after his appointment as Health Secretary when he declared that there was 'no going back'.
11 min listen
There was a sombre tone as Boris Johnson faced Keir Starmer at the despatch box for PMQs.
55 min listen
Will the green agenda really create new jobs - or will the cost of net zero dampen economic growth?
11 min listen
With COP26 fast approaching, the Heat and Buildings Strategy has been published today along with the Net Zero Strategy. But what do these papers mean for the environment, you, and your boiler? Isabel Hardman is joined by James Forsyth and Katy Balls to dissect these plans as well as looking at why the NHS is still so low-tech?
The Conservative party doesn't have a great track record when it comes to early elections — MPs are still scarred by Theresa May losing the Tory majority after going for a snap poll in 2017. But that hasn't stopped talk of an early election building in recent weeks. This isn't about a vote tomorrow or next month but instead whether Johnson opts to go to the polls in 2023 rather than 2024. There are compelling reasons that could tempt Johnson to go early The conventional wisdom is that Johnson won't even consider going early — he's already lost too much time to Covid and needs to deliver on levelling up. Meanwhile, few expect the government to win a bigger majority than the one it currently enjoys — so why rush?
12 min listen
Parliament meets today to pay tribute to David Amess MP who was stabbed to death at his constituency surgery last week. But what have we learnt about the suspect currently still in police custody? And going forward what can be done to keep our representatives safe? Katy Balls is joined by Isabel Hardman and James Forsyth to discuss these questions as well as the sharp rise in Covid cases.
12 min listen
In an attempt to save the Northern Ireland Protocol, the EU has promised ‘very far reaching’ changes which are due to be revealed tomorrow. Dominic Cummings has also piled into the debate, suggesting that Boris ‘never had a scoobydoo what the deal he signed meant’. He also claimed that it was ‘always the plan’ to tear up the Brexit deal, which has grown tensions with Ireland. Meanwhile, Matt Hancock has a new job. But will he be invited back into the cabinet soon? To discuss this, Katy Balls speaks to James Forsyth.
Is Dominic Cummings about to derail the government's plans for a new Northern Ireland protocol? That's the concern inside government as Boris Johnson's former adviser shows that he still has the ability to change the political weather from afar. On Tuesday night, there was renewed hope that a solution could be found between the UK and EU on the Northern Ireland protocol. David Frost's speech in Lisbon was less confrontational than expected and had received cautious praise from diplomats for its more constructive passages. However, as the European Commission prepares to present its proposals for easing the current checks on businesses trading across the Irish Sea, a spanner has been thrown in the works in the form of Cummings.
As a general rule in post-Brexit politics, when David Frost makes a public intervention on the Northern Ireland protocol, it tends to dampen rather than soothe UK-EU relations. Frost, charged with improving the protocol, is a divisive figure in Brussels who is seen to catch flies with vinegar rather than honey. His speech was expected to be an escalation in the current war of words between the two sides. In the end, the talk itself was slightly less confrontational than expected. Frost effectively declared the Northern Ireland protocol dead and called on the EU to work with the UK Frost effectively declared the Northern Ireland protocol dead and called on the EU to work with the UK to come up with a new protocol to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland.
11 min listen
Katy Balls and James Forsyth dissect the Covid report to see if anyone came out smelling like roses. They also look at the ongoing gas crisis and how the government is planning to proceed.
Has Rishi Sunak had to perform an embarrassing climbdown over an energy bailout? That’s the suggestion in the papers this morning as the Treasury considers formal proposals from the Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng to assist businesses struggling with the hike in fuel prices. It comes after a brutal briefing over the weekend in which a Treasury source suggested that Kwarteng was speaking out of turn when he suggested he was in conversation with the Chancellor over a financial package – adding that ‘this is not the first time the [business] secretary has made things up in interviews.’ Since then, Downing Street appear to have rowed in behind Kwarteng, with a No. 10 spokesperson suggesting the two departments were working very closely after all.
10 min listen
With the energy crisis showing no signs of improving, many industries warned over the weekend that they may have to shut down some manufacturing points due to the rising costs. This has lead to tensions between the Treasury and the Business Secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng about how to proceed. Isabel Hardman is joined by Katy Balls and James Forsyth to discuss.
As Boris Johnson's holiday in Marbella gets underway, back home his ministers are making headlines for infighting following a hostile briefing from the Treasury. The stark rise in energy prices has led industry leaders to warn that some UK factories are at risk of closure within days unless the government steps in to help with spiralling fuel costs. But there appears to be little unity among ministers as to the right response. In a Sunday media round, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng spoke of the steps he was taking to try to ease the pressure on businesses.
13 min listen
Katy Balls talks to James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson about the rise of 'Trussmania' that seemed to be sweeping the Conservative party conference in Manchester.
12 min listen
The former housing secretary, Robert Jenrick delivered a warning to his former colleagues in government yesterday that a failure to build new homes will cost the Conservatives down the line. Cindy Yu is joined by James Forsyth and Katy Balls to discuss this, as well as the update to Covid holiday restrictions and the sad passing of James Brokenshire.
