Fraser Nelson

Fraser Nelson

Fraser Nelson is a Times columnist and a former editor of The Spectator.

Why Boris u-turned on Huawei

21 min listen

Much as expected, the government has u-turned on Huawei, though the new government policy doesn’t go as far as some of the most hardline Tory MPs would wish. On the podcast, Cindy Yu talks to James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson about the UK’s China policy in the years to come. Also on the episode: masks

Does anyone know the truth about face masks?

15 min listen

In recent days, more supportive noises have been made by those on the top of government about the wearing of face masks indoors, especially in shops. Scotland has already made it compulsory. But it wasn’t long ago when the government was saying that face masks may even harm efforts to control the virus. So does

The Spectator is growing – and hiring

The Spectator is recruiting, which doesn’t happen often. Our sales have grown in a way that we did not expect during the Covid crisis which is why we are returning our furlough money to the government. Our growth has continued: a quarter of our current subscribers signed up in the past three months. Most have opted for the print magazine but

Fraser Nelson

The government’s inconsistent messaging on lockdown easing

11 min listen

New lockdown easing measures have been announced, so later this month swimming pools, gyms, and outdoor theatres will be reopening in England. At the same time, the government advice on offices is still to work from home and do not travel by public transport. So are offices and trains really much less safe than beauty

Will Super Saturday prove a washout?

12 min listen

One day to go until ‘Super Saturday’, when pubs and restaurants in England (except Leicester) will reopen. But polls show that only a small minority of Brits will go back to the pubs. Katy Balls talks to James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson about what this would mean for post-pandemic recovery.

Will the ‘whack-a-mole’ approach of local lockdowns work?

16 min listen

Leicester is set to lock down locally. It’s an approach that the Prime Minister has dubbed ‘whack-a-mole’, referring to clampdowns on local clusters that will inevitably arise in the coming months. All eyes are on Leicester’s experience now as it signals whether or not the national lockdown is a thing of the past. Katy Balls

The new common sense phase of lockdown

13 min listen

Boris Johnson has announced further measures to ease the lockdown, and from the 4th July, more venues will be open than not, including restaurants, pubs, and galleries. It also marks a new phase in the lockdown, when social distancing will be guidelines, not law. But does the public actually want the lockdown to be eased?

What’s behind the brewing Sunday trading Tory rebellion?

15 min listen

There’s a rebellion brewing on the backbenches – MPs claim that there are over 50 backbenchers who oppose the government’s proposal to loosen Sunday trading laws. On the podcast, Katy Balls talks to James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson about whether there might be more to this rebellion than initially meets the eye.

What the new alert level means for lockdown easing

15 min listen

The government has downgraded the coronavirus alert level from 4 to 3, with the support of its scientific advisers. So is it about time to ease lockdown even further? Katy Balls talks to James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson about this and the discovery of the magic money tree, as debt is now worth more than

Is Boris Johnson’s week starting to look up?

21 min listen

At Prime Minister’s Questions, Boris Johnson cornered Keir Starmer on the Labour party’s ambivalent position on schools reopening. After a bumpy start to the week, is the Prime Minister’s luck turning? Katy Balls talks to James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson about this, the 1922 committee meeting, and Westminster reopening.

Is toppling a statue an act of performance art?

14 min listen

Has the statue of Churchill been improved by being enclosed in a protective casing? Was Colston’s toppling one of the greatest acts of performance art? Or is this all a sad indictment of the state of British politics? Fraser Nelson talks to The Spectator’s arts editor Igor Toronyi-Lalic and Coffee House contributor and writer Claire

The Tory fightback against identity politics

14 min listen

Late last night, the statue of Winston Churchill on Parliament Square was boarded up over fears the monument could again be targeted by Black Lives Matter protestors. This morning, Boris Johnson intervened saying that it is ‘shameful that this national monument should today be at risk of attack’. Katy Balls talks to Fraser Nelson and

Why aren’t schools reopening?

12 min listen

The government has shelved its aim of reopening primary schools before the end of term amid growing pressure from parents and unions. But how will that affect the poorest students? Katy Balls talks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth.

The politics of toppling a statue

17 min listen

Thousands of protesters took to the streets this weekend as part of the Black Lives Matter movement. In Bristol, a statue of the slaver Edward Colston was toppled and thrown into the city’s docks. But are we now seeing a change in the government’s response? Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth.

Fraser Nelson

The Spectator, war and slavery: a note on our history

The Spectator is the world’s oldest weekly, so we have quite a history to defend. But what sets us apart from other long-running magazines is that our values have not changed much since we were founded in 1828 – or, indeed, since the The Spectator appeared in its original form in 1711. When I made