Katy Balls is The Spectator’s former political editor.
46 min listen
In this special edition of Coffee House Shots Katy Balls speaks to Lord Liam Booth-Smith, Rishi Sunak’s former chief of staff. In his first interview since leaving government: Liam takes us inside Rishi’s No. 10 and the characters that made it tick; sets the record straight on the infamous Sunak–Johnson arm wrestle to decide who would run
32 min listen
Kirsty McNeill is a new Labour MP but certainly not new to the Labour movement. She is perhaps best known for hr time working as an advisor to the Browns; firstly in Number 10 during Gordon Brown’s time as Prime Minister, and later for both Gordon and Sarah Brown on their charity projects. Following her
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There is a feeling of deja-vu in Westminster today as Keir Starmer unveiled his plan for change and six ‘milestones’ (not pledges) to turn the country around. They are: raising living standards in every part of the UK; rebuilding Britain with 1.5 million homes and fast-tracking planning decisions on major infrastructure projects; ending hospital backlogs
37 min listen
This week: are we drowning in a sea of twee? Gareth Roberts writes the cover article this week, arguing against what he sees as the hideous triviality of our times. ‘The British have lost their aversion to glutinous sentimentality,’ he declares. How did we get here, and who are the worst offenders? Gareth argues that
Arriving on stage to accept ‘Newcomer of the Year’ at The Spectator’s Parliamentarian of the Year awards, Nigel Farage gave a warning to the Westminster establishment. ‘I’ve got a bit of a shock for you,’ he said. ‘If you think that I and four other people – the newcomers into parliament this year in the
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Last night was The Spectator’s Parliamentarian of the Year Awards. Politicians of every stripe were in attendance, with Wes Streeting, Robert Jenrick and Stephen Flynn among those present. There were a number of notable speeches – including a fiery opening monologue from the Health Secretary – but none caused as much of a stir as
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The government is trailing a major policy speech ahead of Thursday, in which the Prime Minister will set out key ‘milestones’ that he wants to hit, in terms of healthcare, living standards, the climate and so on. It’s all sounding a little like a previous prime minister… Cindy Yu talks to Katy Balls and James
Keir Starmer is only 150 days into his premiership and his team are already planning a reset. Officially, no one in Downing Street is using the R word when it comes to the speech the Prime Minister is due to give on Thursday. But the plan to use the event to signal a new phase
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The controversial assisted dying bill has passed its second reading in the House of Commons with a majority of 55 after just hours of debate. It now heads to committee stage for further scrutiny. What does the bill’s passing at this stage mean for its likelihood of eventually becoming law? And will Labour’s front bench
The assisted dying bill has passed its second reading. After an emotionally charged debate, MPs have voted 330 to 275 in support of private members bill – a majority of 55. It means that Labour backbencher Kim Leadbeater will now take her bill to committee stage for further scrutiny as parliament edges closer to giving
11 min listen
In the small hours of this morning Louise Haigh resigned as Transport Secretary following the revelation that she had pleaded guilty to a criminal offence in 2014. Haigh admitted fraud by false representation at a magistrates’ court after she incorrectly told the police that a work mobile had been stolen in 2013. She was then
Keir Starmer is one cabinet minister down. This morning Louise Haigh resigned as Transport Secretary following the revelation that she had pleaded guilty to a criminal offence in 2014. Haigh admitted fraud by false representation at a magistrates’ court after she incorrectly told the police that a work mobile had been stolen in 2013. She
36 min listen
Former prime minister Boris Johnson joins The Spectator’s political editor Katy Balls to divulge the contents of his new book, Unleashed. He reflects on his premiership as PM during the pandemic, describing the time as a ‘nightmare’ for him. He also details how he managed to suppress the force of Nigel Farage, and gives advice to Keir Starmer
Boris Johnson is enjoying himself back at The Spectator. ‘My place of former employment,’ the former editor booms as he sits down, stands up, and starts re-ordering items around the wood-panelled office. ‘I like this book-lined air that you’ve given me – very, very grand.’ ‘I found the pandemic a nightmare because I was genuinely
12 min listen
Kemi Badenoch has signalled that she could change her position on the ECHR. At a conference today, she said “we will review every policy, treaty and part of our legal framework – including the ECHR and the Human Rights Act.” What could this mean for the Conservatives going forward? Katy Balls discusses with Michael Gove
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The government have announced their latest effort to get Britons back into work. A series of benefit changes intend to tackle the fact that Britain is the only major economy where the employment rate has fallen over the past five years, largely because more people are out of work due to long-term ill health. Why
Today the Prime Minister is attempting to get back on the front foot with the publication of an employment white paper, aimed at reducing unemployment in light of the soaring number of Britons out of work since the pandemic. Starmer has declared that his government inherited a country that ‘isn’t working’. However, the question many
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Today is the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) conference, at which Rachel Reeves has laid out her plan to ‘Get Britain Working’ and prove Labour as the party of business … despite what the recent Budget and the employers national insurance increase might suggest. What’s the mood of big business today? Also on the podcast,
At the beginning of the year, Rachel Reeves was being praised all round for her efforts repairing relations between the Labour party and business. In February, the Chancellor hosted a business conference – attended by leading figures – where she pledged to cap the headline rate of corporation tax at its current rate of 25
What is a working person? This question dominated the lead-up to Labour’s first Budget in over 14 years. After Rachel Reeves stood at the despatch box and announced tax rises for farmers, business owners and entrepreneurs, it’s at least become clearer who Keir Starmer doesn’t mean when he talks about working people. Since then, the
