Max Jeffery is The Spectator’s writer-at-large.
10 min listen
Two British citizens fighting the Russians have been sentenced to death in Ukrainian territory controlled by the Kremlin. How has the UK responded thus far? And domestically, Lord Frost has said that Boris Johnson has until the autumn to turn things around.Max Jeffery talks with Katy Balls and James Forsyth.
Golf came to Saudi Arabia in the 1930s. American expats, working in the nascent oil industry, brought their clubs with them and made courses in the dunes. They worked out that if you sprayed oil onto a patch of sand and then packed it down, you could make a vaguely puttable surface. ‘Occasionally, a herd of camels ambles over our greens,’ one engineer wrote for Aramco Weekly. ‘The terms “fairway” and “rough” employ a distinction that is theoretical only.’ Today, Saudi Arabia wants to take over the sport.
15 min listen
The National Insurance hike comes into effect today which is going to hit doubly hard when coupled with the ever-increasing cost of living. While we are all going to feel this burden on our bank accounts, Rishi Sunak is taking his first major political blow. Is there anything he can do to bounce back, or are his future aspirations dead in the water?Max Jeffery talks to Katy Balls and Kate Andrews about the Chancellor's political future and our economic one.
24 min listen
On this week's episode, we'll hear from Damian Thompson on the Patriarch in league with Putin. (00:58)Next, Jade McGlynn on how Russian TV is presenting the war to its people. (08:46)And finally, Nick Newman asks how should cartoonists respond to war? (17:35)Produced and presented by Sam Holmes and Max JefferySubscribe to The Spectator today and get a £20 Amazon gift voucher.
14 min listen
The Tory spring conference is this weekend. Before the invasion of Ukraine, when partygate dominated the headlines, it was predicted to have the feel of a pageant show for potential candidates to replace Boris Johnson. But now, with even Labour quieting their cries for resignation, what will the atmosphere of this event be?Max Jeffery talks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls.
11 min listen
Boris Johnson is travelling to the Middle East tonight, where he'll be meeting Gulf leaders and trying to convince them to pump more oil. With Britain's energy price cap likely to rise to £3,000 in October, how important is it for the Prime Minister to get what he wants? And will more supply alone fix the problem? Max Jeffery speaks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls.
Sometimes a school wants to exclude a child but can’t. The student might have difficult needs that are costing money or taking too much time to deal with. Or their exam results might be looking likely to damage the school’s standing. But children can’t lawfully be excluded for getting bad grades or for needing more attention. Schools, though, have a way to get them off their books. They ‘off-roll’ them, a practice which is illegal. In 2017, in the first widely reported case of off-rolling, St Olave’s grammar school in London told 16 pupils that their places in Year 13 had been withdrawn because they did badly in their AS-level exams, even though they had reached the sixth form entry requirements the year before.
10 min listen
Though Britain has been sending weapons to Ukraine, and led Europe's push to get Russia taken out of the Swift banking system, the government has been criticised for being slow in sanctioning Russian oligarchs. What more should we be doing?Max Jeffery talks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls.
12 min listen
Russian forces are attempting to take Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, said he would be spending the day trying to convince European allies like Germany and Italy, who are reluctant to put too harsh sanctions on Russia, to ban them from the Swift payments system. How else can the West put Putin under pressure?Max Jeffery speaks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls.
13 min listen
It's been revealed that two more parties took place in No. 10 during the pandemic. This time, on the eve of Prince Philip's funeral. While the Prime Minister was not at this event, is No. 10's party culture coming straight from the top? Max Jeffery is joined by Katy Balls and James Forsyth.
13 min listen
Another day, another party scandal. ‘Bring your own booze’ said Martin Reynolds, the Prime Minister's private secretary in a leaked email to around 100 staff in May 2020, inviting them to a picnic at 10 Downing Street. At the same time, the rest of the country was limited to socialising within household bubbles or one other person outdoors. 'This is the most serious party allegation yet when it comes to Boris Johnson specifically' - Katy BallsNo.10 have refused to respond to the leaked email whilst Sue Gray's investigation into other Downing Street parties are ongoing. Can this line of response last through to PMQ’s tomorrow? Boris Johnson can expect challenging questions from Keir Starmer as the crisis unravels.
Russia is readying for an invasion of Ukraine. Kiev says that 100,000 Russian troops have now amassed at their eastern border, and the CIA thinks that Putin could have 175,000 soldiers stationed for an offensive by the end of January. If conflict comes, it now seems certain that Ukraine will be fighting alone. Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, told Andrew Neil on Spectator TV this week that it is ‘highly unlikely’ that Britain will send troops to defend the country. The Defence Secretary said: ‘It’s a fact it’s not a member of Nato, so it is highly unlikely that anyone is going to send troops into Ukraine to challenge Russia… We shouldn’t kid people on that we would.
21 min listen
On this week's episode, we’ll hear from Douglas Murray who says that the case of Kyle Rittenhouse shows nothing in America matters more than your identity. (00:55)Next, Henry Eliot wonders, what makes a book a classic? (08:30)And finally, Sam Holmes tells us about his time as a Hamleys Christmas elf. (16:31)Produced and presented by Max JefferySubscribe to The Spectator today and we'll send you a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label worth £30spectator.
When Israel and the United Arab Emirates first started speaking in 1994, the meetings were kept secret. The Emiratis publicly supported the Palestinian cause. Israel was supposed to be the enemy. But last year, with the signing of the Abraham Accords that re-established official diplomatic ties between the two countries, that changed. In Dubai this week, the strength of this now open relationship was clear. Israel and Jordan have signed a deal to trade water for solar energy. It’s the biggest agreement ever struck between Israel and one of its Arab neighbours, and it was brokered by the Emiratis. It wouldn’t have been possible without the Accords. In the last year, the UAE has become Israel’s closest partner in the Middle East.
12 min listen
The Prime Minister has written to the Commons Speaker to propose new lobbying rules for MPs. While some may welcome the measure, like former PM Theresa May, who gave a blistering critique of the way the Owen Paterson affair was handled, others in his party might not be so happy. ‘The challenge for him is that it is going to worsen relations with a bit of the Parliamentary party that he already finds it difficult to deal with.’ – James Forsyth Max Jeffery sits down with James Forsyth and Katy Balls to discuss these possible changes and what they could mean for parliament. As well as looking at the issues of racism in cricket and the suspension of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
15 min listen
Since the cabinet met on Thursday to map out their levelling up agenda, we take another look at what this ambiguous slogan really means and how important it is for a Tory majority in the next election. Can we compare the UK levelling up to other places? Gove recently referenced 15th century Florence. But what about German reunification? As James Forsyth says in the episode ’I think on levelling up and on reducing regional inequality, it is very hard to find a successful playbook to go after’. Max Jeffery talks to James Forsyth and Andrew Carter, the CEO of Centre for Cities.
17 min listen
British troops have been deployed to the Polish border as part of a ‘reconnaissance’ mission, as Poland tries to stop migrants crossing from Belarus. Belarus’s president, Alexander Lukashenko, backed by Russia, is flying Syrian, Iraqi and Yemeni citizens into his country and encouraging them to cross the border into Poland. As the United States turns away from Europe and the Middle East and towards Asia, does Britain think it can to take its place?Meanwhile, Britain is having its own migrant crisis, with 1,185 people crossing the English Channel by boat yesterday – a record number. It brings the number of people crossing the Channel this year to more than 23,000, three times higher than the total last year. Why can’t the government get a grip on this?
12 min listen
After the government abandoned plans to overhaul the Commons standards rules, Rishi Sunak has said the government needs to 'do better'. Will the PM show some contrition soon? Max Jeffery talks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls. On the podcast, James Forsyth says: 'He really doesn't like apologies, never has done. So when he doesn't apologise he gives the story legs.
Footage of Tzipi Hotovely, Israel’s ambassador to the UK, being confronted by pro-Palestinian protesters outside the London School of Economics spread around the world this week. A video shared on Twitter showed the Ambassador, who was giving a speech at the university, being rushed into a car by her security team as police held back protesters. But what did Hotovely make of it? Speaking on Spectator TV this week, Hotovely said her team were told about ‘a big pressure to cancel the lecture’ beforehand, and that the protests were ‘outrageous’ and ‘shouldn’t have happened’. Hotovely is on the right of Israeli politics, but the grim scenes that unfolded outside the LSE united the Tories and Labour here.
14 min listen
The Owen Paterson affair has is shining a light on the extra cash MPs earn on top of their £80,000 salary. One MP, Geoffrey Cox, earned nearly £1 million from outside legal work. But is there an argument to be made for allowing elected officials to receive a second income? Max Jeffery is joined by Katy Balls and James Forsyth. On the podcast, James says: 'On principle, I think MPs continuing to earn money from their former professions or former trades is acceptable. They're not trading on the fact that they are an MP.
