Isabel Hardman is assistant editor of The Spectator and author of Why We Get the Wrong Politicians. She also presents Radio 4’s Week in Westminster.
14 min listen
Today was meant to be the day that Rishi Sunak presented his Northern Ireland Protocol plans to parliament, instead he told the cabinet that intensive negotiations continue with the EU. Is he doomed to repeat Theresa May’s Brexit mistakes? Will he need the backing of the DUP for any agreement? Also on the podcast, as
Do over-fifties need to get back off the golf course and into work? That’s the narrative that ministers have been pushing recently, with Jeremy Hunt saying later life ‘doesn’t just have to be about going to the golf course’. Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride is conducting a review of the factors keeping people out
14 min listen
Scotland’s finance secretary, Kate Forbes has formally declared her campaign to be leader of the SNP. Currently the bookies’ favourite – what direction would she take the party in? Also on the podcast, will there be more news on the Northern Ireland protocol this week?
13 min listen
As it looks like the government is about to agree a new deal with the European Union on the Northern Ireland Protocol, Rishi Sunak is in Belfast today meeting with the DUP. Will they accept a compromise? Max Jeffery speaks to Isabel Hardman and Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform. Produced by
12 min listen
Nicola Sturgeon has announced her resignation as First Minister of Scotland. James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Isabel Hardman about her decision to leave and Sturgeon’s nine years as leader.
Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed her ‘intention’ to resign as First Minister, staying in office until her successor is elected. She said she had been wrestling with the decision for ‘some weeks’. Sturgeon sounded emotional as she opened by saying First Minister was ‘the best job in the world’ and a privilege that had ‘sustained’ her.
Nicola Sturgeon is expected to quit as First Minister of Scotland at a press conference later this morning. She has come under increasing pressure in recent weeks over the case of convicted rapist Isla Bryson, but also over her government’s handling of the NHS crisis and striking workers. This is an unsurprising surprise: Sturgeon had
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The chatter in Westminster has been dominated by comments the new deputy chairman of the Conservative Party gave to James Heale, The Spectator’s diary editor, in an interview published today. When asked if he was in support of the death penalty, Lee Anderson said: ‘Yes. Nobody has ever committed a crime after being executed. You know that,
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President Zelensky was in Westminster today to address Parliament. The Ukrainian leader came to London to ask MPs to give Ukraine fighter jets. Will Rishi Sunak agree to? Max Jeffery speaks to Svitlana Morenets and Isabel Hardman. Produced by Max Jeffery.
Prime Minister’s Questions was very much not the main event today, with MPs looking forward to Volodymyr Zelensky’s address in Westminster Hall afterwards. Keir Starmer kept his questions to the theme of UK political unity in supporting Ukraine in their fight against Russia, while SNP leader Stephen Flynn used his two questions to ridicule the
Should ex-MPs get a medal thanking them for their service? That’s the suggestion of the Commons Administration Committee, which has today published a report called ‘Smoothing the cliff edge’ about what happens when MPs leave parliament, either of their own accord or because voters have turfed them out. It’s an interesting piece of work, with
Tories in Red Wall seats are in a mixed mood after Rishi Sunak’s reshuffle. They are pleased that Lee Anderson has been made deputy chair of the party, though this is in part to counterbalance the appointment of a south-west London MP as party chairman. There are also some wry smiles from Conservatives who had
13 min listen
Rishi Sunak announced a reshuffle of his cabinet this morning. Among other changes, Greg Hands will become the Tory party chair, and Michelle Donelan will become the culture secretary. Why is Sunak making these changes just 18 months before an election? Will they make any real difference to how his government works? Max Jeffery speaks
Rishi Sunak’s reshuffle has confirmed a new set of government departments focused on science and business, and a new party chair. That’s all well and good: the Prime Minister is very keen to make Britain a science superpower and wants to put the right people in the right jobs as he prepares for the next
Rishi Sunak has been blessed with interventions from two out of the three former prime ministers who are serving in the Commons today. Only one will be welcome: Boris Johnson made an unusually helpful contribution from the backbenches this afternoon at Home Office Questions when he asked about the Rwanda deportation policy. He said: Isn’t
The biggest round of NHS strikes is taking place this week, and there isn’t much hope of a resolution. This is despite, as Kate Andrews explores, a widespread acceptance that the strikes are detrimental to patient safety. There is also widespread public sympathy for striking healthcare workers, which surely suggests that a deal should come
Have Conservative ministers lost the battle on sewage? Once again, Tory MPs have been engulfed by a tide of fury from campaigners and constituents who say they’ve ‘voted in favour of dumping sewage’ in rivers and the sea. This is not the first, or indeed the second, time they’ve been on the end of these
Will Dominic Raab fall on his sword? That’s the chatter in Westminster, though it doesn’t seem particularly to be based on the Justice Secretary’s attitude towards the inquiry into allegations he bullied civil servants. He remains determined to clear his name, and denies the claims made against him. But there is a growing belief among
Rishi Sunak was clearly not on a fasting day of his diet when he stood up at Prime Minister’s Questions this afternoon. He seemed to have consumed all the Weetabix in SW1, with more energy behind his attacks on Keir Starmer than he’s had for weeks. This didn’t mean the session veered away from its
Why haven’t ministers sent their submissions to the independent pay review bodies for their sectors? That’s the question being asked of Education Secretary Gillian Keegan and Health Secretary Steve Barclay, both of whose departments have missed their deadlines for submissions on next year’s pay settlement. Some hope that a more generous pay settlement for next