Natasha Feroze

Natasha Feroze

Natasha Feroze is The Spectator's broadcast and virtual events producer.

The unlikely political resurrection of Keith Vaz

When Keith Vaz announced his ambition to stand as an independent for Leicester East in the general election, no one in my hometown was surprised. Vaz may be a joke nationally, known for a fondness for rent boys. But in Leicester East, he remains something of a local hero. It may seem astonishing to the rest of the country, but it’s quite possible that despite everything, come July, Vaz will make a triumphant return. An elderly woman lights upat the mention of his name: ‘He wanted to take my picture!’ Leicester was one of the first British cities to have a majority non-white population and its British Indians are a highly prized voting bloc. They are the country’s largest immigrant group: young, fast-growing and aspirational.

The Dunkirk Strategy

13 min listen

The Conservatives have unveiled a new pensions policy: the 'Triple Lock Plus'. What does it mean and what's the thinking behind it? Will it help shore up the Tories' core vote?   Katy Balls and Focaldata's James Kanagasooriam join Natasha Feroze to discuss.  Produced by Natasha Feroze and Patrick Gibbons.

Will Sunak’s fighting talk work?

12 min listen

Rishi Sunak delivered a pre-election speech this morning setting out the dividing lines at the next election: security with the Tories or risk with Labour. Will it be enough to shift the dial? And is the Natalie Elphicke defection still haunting Keir Starmer? Natasha Feroze speaks to Katy Balls and Fraser Nelson.

How much trouble is Angela Rayner in?

10 min listen

Angela Rayner has faced fresh allegations related to her taxes. Keir Starmer and other MPs in the shadow cabinet have come to her defence. Could these accusations jeopardise her position as shadow deputy Prime Minister? Also on the podcast, what are Richard Tice's plans for Reform? Natasha Feroze speaks to Katy Balls and James Heale.

J.K. Rowling vs Scotland’s hate monster

15 min listen

J.K. Rowling has been at the centre of a Twitter backlash against Scotland's new hate crime laws which came into effect on April 1st. How has the first week of this controversial legislation gone for First Minister Humza Yousaf? And is political support for the policy dwindling? Natasha Feroze speaks to Lucy Dunn and Isabel Hardman.

Rishi Sunak rules out general election in May

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.

Does Britain need new laws to tackle extremism?

21 min listen

Michael Gove is expected to announce a tougher definition of extremism in response to a rise in radical ideology, since the Israel-Gaza war. Are new laws really needed? Or could the current laws, if enforced properly, be the best way to tackle a decline in social cohesion? Natasha Feroze speaks to David Shipley, a film producer and writer and Professor Jonathan Githens-Mazer from the University of Exeter who specialises in counter-terrorism and extremism.

UK tips into recession – what’s left of Sunak’s priorities?

11 min listen

This morning's figures show that the UK went into a technical recession last year. Forecasts suggest it will be a short and shallow recession, but how badly does this reflect on the government's priorities to increase growth and lower inflation? Also, will this make Rishi Sunak think again about his plan to meet as many rattled voters as possible on the campaign trail? Natasha Feroze speaks to Kate Andrews and James Heale.

Can Labour learn from its mistakes?

15 min listen

Keir Starmer has rolled back on his support for the Rochdale by-election candidate, Azhar Ali over further comments made about on Israel-Palestine. John McTernan and James Heale speak to Natasha Feroze about the lessons Labour can learn, and whether antisemitism could topple Starmer. Also on the podcast, Rishi Sunak has been taking advantage of Labour's U-turns, and Michael Gove has laid out his new house building plan.

Can Starmer stamp out Labour’s antisemitism?

10 min listen

Labour faces another antisemitism battle as their candidate for the Rochdale by-election said that Israel allowed the October 7th attacks as a pretext to invade Gaza. Azhar Ali has since apologised for his comments and Labour has allowed him remain the candidate for Rochdale. Natasha Feroze speaks to James Heale and Isabel Hardman about Keir Starmer's challenge to stamp out antisemitism and take a look ahead at another challenging week for Rishi Sunak.

Boris Johnson accused of sabotaging Ukraine peace talks

10 min listen

Tucker Carlson released his highly anticipated interview with Russia's leader Vladimir Putin last night. The two-hour long discussion was dominated by Putin who gave history lessons, blamed the Nord Stream 2 explosion on the CIA, and accused Boris Johnson of sabotaging the peace talks 18 months ago. Natasha Feroze speaks to James Heale and Freddy Gray about the highlights of the interview, and whether Boris Johnson's role in the talks was as influential as Putin suggests.

Should ex-MPs stop shilling for foreign rulers?

12 min listen

In his Telegraph column, Fraser Nelson makes the case that it's time to ban former politicians accepting jobs from foreign rulers. The likes of Tony Blair, George Osborne and David Cameron have all made money from government's abroad. But is this becoming more of a problem? And are their critics simply a product of their success? Natasha Feroze speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Heale.

Is Labour the party of business?

12 min listen

At the 'Labour Business Conference 2024', shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves wooed business with a pledge that Labour would not raise corporation tax in their first term. Instead, she told the audience of FTSE 100 chief execs that a Labour government would keep the current cap at 25 per cent. How convincing is Reeves' big pitch to business? Also on the podcast, the big news this week has been the Northern Ireland negotiations. What's happened in parliament today? Natasha Feroze speaks to Katy Balls and James Heale.  Produced by Natasha Feroze and Oscar Edmondson.

Why Lee Anderson’s exit is a problem

10 min listen

Last night Rishi Sunak faced the largest rebellion of his premiership over amendments to the Rwanda bill. There were also three resignations – deputy chairs Lee Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith as well as PPS to Kemi Badenoch, Jane Stevenson. How much damage could do to his already divided party? Today, MPs will debate for a second time on the government's flagship immigration policy. It is likely the bill will pass through Parliament but that won't mean the Prime Minister is out of the woods yet. How could today play out? Natasha Feroze speaks to James Heale and Katy Balls. The Spectator is hiring! We are looking for a new producer to join our broadcast team working across our suite of podcasts – including this one – as well as our YouTube channel Spectator TV.

Cindy Yu, Mary Wakefield and Natasha Feroze

18 min listen

This week: Cindy Yu reads her piece ahead of the Taiwanese elections (00:54), Mary Wakefield discusses the US opioid crisis which she fears has come to the UK (07:13), and Natasha Feroze tells us about the rise of relationship contracts (13:26).  Produced and presented by Oscar Edmondson.

Would you sign a relationship contract?

What makes a relationship work? I look at the happiest, most stable couples I know and wonder what the trick is. Did they spot problems early on and talk them through? Do they simply accept each other’s flaws? We all have foibles; a relationship is simply a matter of deciding which ones we can live with. I came across a couple recently who had their own approach: a relationship contract. Americans Simone and Malcolm Collins are big names in the pro-natalist movement. They have made it their mission to convince people to take relationships more seriously, ideally with a view to having children. They are now married, but prior to doing so, they had in place their own contract.

Did Sunak steal Starmer’s thunder?

18 min listen

Keir Starmer delivered his new year's speech, promising 'Project Hope' ahead of the general election. Critics claimed the speech was rhetoric heavy, low on policy. Having attacked the Prime Minister for dithering over the May general election, Rishi Sunak later announced it was his 'working assumption' to hold the general election in autumn 2024. Was this a communications win for No.10? And can Starmer still garner support by playing it safe? Natasha Feroze speaks to James Heale and former Labour advisor John McTernan.  The Spectator is hiring! We are looking for a new producer to join our broadcast team working across our suite of podcasts – including this one – as well as our YouTube channel Spectator TV. Follow the link to read the full job listing: https://spectator.

Is Rishi fishy on the asylum backlog?

12 min listen

Rishi Sunak claimed that the Conservatives have cleared the 92,000 asylum claims, despite figures showing the backlog still stands at tens of thousands of applicants, with several thousand missing. Natasha Feroze speaks to James Heale and Fraser Nelson about the figures, and whether blags like these are a gift to the Reform party.