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The Spectator

Instant political analysis from the Spectator's top team of writers, including Fraser Nelson, Isabel Hardman, Katy Balls, James Heale and many others.

  • 12 minutes 13 seconds
    Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 24/11/24
    Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning’s political shows. 

    The vote on the Assisted Dying Bill is approaching. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall gives her view, and Belgian health minister Frank Vandenbroucke argues that assisted dying doesn’t lead to a ‘slippery slope’. We also hear about the government’s upcoming changes to the welfare system, whether the UK should arrest Netanyahu if he comes to the country, and if there are any limits to France’s support for Ukraine.

    Produced by Joe Bedell-Brill. 

    24 November 2024, 1:13 pm
  • 16 minutes 30 seconds
    Is the Tory psychodrama over?

    Tim Shipman, chief political commentator at The Sunday Times, joins Katy Balls to discuss his new book, Out: How Brexit Got Done and the Tories Were Undone. The final instalment in Shipman's Brexit quartet, the book goes behind the scenes in Westminster to reveal the warring factions at the heart of Boris Johnson's government. Considering all of this, has the Tory party left this era of controversy and backstabbing behind? Or, with a new leader, is there a whole new chapter to come? 


    23 November 2024, 10:00 am
  • 10 minutes 31 seconds
    Is Keir Starmer really going to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu?
    The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants against Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defence minister Yoav Gallant as well as – separately – for Hamas military leader, Mohammed Deif.

    They are all wanted for alleged war crimes, but specifically regarding Netanyahu and Gallant the ICC say that, 'each bear criminal responsibility for ... the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.' So why have these warrants been issued now? And what are the implications for Labour's relationship with Israel?  

    Oscar Edmondson speaks to James Heale and Tom Gross, commentator on the Middle East.  
    22 November 2024, 6:00 pm
  • 17 minutes 31 seconds
    Starmer's Streeting problem
    A vote on assisted dying was supposed to be one of the easiest reforms for Keir Starmer’s government. To many, including the Prime Minister himself, a law allowing terminally ill patients to choose to die would be a self-evidently progressive and historically significant change. But he has faced unexpected pushback from his Health Secretary, the very cabinet member who would have to enforce the legislation. Streeting has not only said that he will be voting against but that he is doing so because he fears the bill could harm existing health services. Where does Starmer go from here? Could we be looking at a reshuffle?

    Also today we had the news of the sad passing of John Prescott, a titan of the Labour movement. How will he be remembered?

    James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Paul Goodman, senior fellow at Policy Exchange.

    Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
    21 November 2024, 5:15 pm
  • 10 minutes 33 seconds
    Is Rachel Reeves running out of luck?
    An unexpected rise in inflation today takes the rate to higher than the Bank of England's target, and adds to Rachel Reeves's worries. James Heale talks to Katy Balls and The Spectator's data editor Michael Simmons about the latest figures, and they also discuss the shadow minister Alex Burghart's performance at Prime Minister's Questions.

    Produced by Cindy Yu. 
    20 November 2024, 2:19 pm
  • 11 minutes 51 seconds
    Farmers won't be quick to forgive Labour
    Thousands of farmers descended on Westminster today to protest the inheritance tax changes proposed in Labour’s Budget. Amidst a sea of tweed and wellington boots, speeches and support came from the likes of Kemi Badenoch, Ed Davey, Nigel Farage and Jeremy Clarkson. To what extent is this just a fringe issue that the government will be able to brush off? Or has the issue exposed a rural blind spot for Labour? And how lasting could the damage be? Katy Balls and Spectator editor Michael Gove discuss with James Heale. 

    But first, William Moore has been out and about getting the views of farmers directly from the protest...

    Produced by Patrick Gibbons, Cindy Yu and Megan McElroy. 
    19 November 2024, 4:02 pm
  • 13 minutes 52 seconds
    Labour's Trump-Xi balancing act
    Keir Starmer today will become the first British leader to meet China's Xi Jinping since 2018. The two leaders will meet on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Brazil, and under the shadow of a looming second Trump presidency. Can Starmer strike the right balance? James Heale talks to Cindy Yu and Katy Balls.

    Produced by Cindy Yu.
    18 November 2024, 12:11 pm
  • 16 minutes 9 seconds
    Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 17/11/2024
    Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning’s political shows.

    Transport Secretary Louise Haigh’s defends the government’s new increased bus fare cap, and Labour’s (lack of) plans for social care. Ed Davey explains his opposition to the upcoming assisted dying bill. Meanwhile, farmers are in revolt over the changes to inheritance tax, the Bishop of Newcastle says there is a ‘culture of silence and fear’ in the Church of England, and Ukraine’s environment minister speaks about the strategic importance of COP29. 

    Produced by Joe Bedell-Brill. 

    17 November 2024, 5:55 pm
  • 1 hour 2 minutes
    Taxes, tariffs and Trump: What lies ahead for Labour?
    The Spectator's Michael Gove, Katy Balls, and Kate Andrews are joined by Paul Abberley, Chief Executive of Charles Stanley, to discuss and unpack Labour's first budget in 14 years. Now the dust has settled from the policies, key questions continue to arise. Can Labour create the growth it desperately needs? Why are farmers so upset with the budget? And can they define a working person yet?
    16 November 2024, 10:00 am
  • 11 minutes 51 seconds
    Making sense of non-crime hate incidents
    The government has announced a review into how to properly police non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs). This follows the experience of Allison Pearson who, on Remembrance Day morning, was doorstepped by Essex Police demanding an interview about a long-forgotten tweet. Reports of NCHIs have dramatically increased in the last year, with 13,200 recorded in the 12 months to June (around 36 a day). What qualifies as an NCHI and how can the police be expected to enforce them? Is this police overreach or a necessary measure to tackle the rise in instances of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia?

    Oscar Edmondson speaks to James Heale and Danny Shaw, former adviser to Yvette Cooper.

    Produced by Oscar Edmondson. 
    15 November 2024, 4:00 pm
  • 12 minutes 47 seconds
    Will Reeves's pensions shake-up really boost growth?
    The Chancellor is giving her first Mansion House address tonight, and she will be majoring on pensions, suggesting that public sector pension funds need to be expanded. But is this the road to growth? James Heale talks to Katy Balls and Kate Andrews.

    Produced by Cindy Yu.
    14 November 2024, 4:41 pm
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