Kate Andrews is deputy editor of The Spectator’s World edition.
It’s hard to imagine the housing crisis getting much worse. But according to the front page of today’s Times, the prospect of buying one’s first home may get pushed even further out of reach. According to the newspaper, officials in No.10 and the Treasury are working on plans to revive ‘Help to Buy’. This was
The four-times delayed gambling white paper has finally surfaced – and it’s another win for nanny state enthusiasts. The paper is set to usher in huge breaches in privacy at a relatively low threshold. The overhaul of gambling legislation will be centred around ‘financial vulnerability checks’ as highlighted by Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer in the Times today:
14 min listen
Prime Minister’s Questions was a punchy affair today. Rishi Sunak fought back against accusations that the Conservatives have failed on tackling crime, calling Keir Starmer ‘Sir Softy’ to turn the attack back around on Starmer, for his track record as the Director of Public Prosecutions. But was it an effective attack? Cindy Yu talks to
The rate of inflation has come down, barely. This morning’s update from the Office for National Statistics shows inflation fell to 10.1 per cent on the year in March, down from 10.4 per cent in February. The rate remains in the double digits, where it has hovered since September 2022. Today’s update takes the rate back down
As the battle of the economic forecasts rages on, it’s useful to note that (right now, anyway), the predictions aren’t all that different. The more optimistic scenarios, like the one published by EY ITEM Club today, suggest the UK will see minuscule growth this year but avoid technical recession. The pessimistic scenarios, like the IMF’s
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Striking junior doctors are demanding a 35 per cent pay rise. Is that realistic? And are junior doctors really underpaid? Lucy Dunn is joined by economics editor Kate Andrews and Spectator contributor James Kirkup.
February was a no-growth month, according to the latest update from the Office for National Statistics, published this morning. A rise in construction was offset by a fall in services, resulting in zero headline growth. The strikes are taking their toll. The biggest contribution to the fall in services came from education and public administration, as striking
How much money do junior doctors really earn? If you’ve been listening to the British Medical Association – the trade union which represents junior doctors – this week you will have seen comparisons made between their salaries and the wages of Pret A Manger employees. The union talks about members having to ‘cut back on
As Joe Biden tours Northern Ireland this week to mark the 25-year anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, the big question is not what he might say or do while abroad, but rather what he will decide to do back at home. Will he be running for president again? The question emerged after Biden told
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On the day that junior doctors begin a four-day strike over pay and working conditions, Lucy Dunn, The Spectator’s social media editor and qualified doctor speaks to Kate Andrews and Fraser Nelson. Will public support for the strikes turn if patient safety is put at risk? Also on the podcast, Kate takes a look at the latest
Yesterday’s announcement that the UK has joined the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership brought with it a unique sense of unity within the Conservative party, with very different Tory factions praising the new trade bloc. But yesterday is behind us. Now it’s back to business as usual. Today ushers in the corporation tax hikes that
Even the most ardent Brexiteers would likely admit that the UK has been slow to embrace one of the biggest benefits of leaving the European Union: the quick and nimble pursuit of trade deals. There are understandable reasons for the delay. It made sense for trade secretaries to start with the bi-lateral deals which could
One of the most remarkable things about the National Health Service is the extent to which it avoids national criticism. Only a few years ago it was borderline blasphemy to point out problems with the NHS; for politicians, to do so was to dig your own political grave. For the first time in the survey’s
Who, or what, is responsible for the UK’s sky-high inflation rate? Not me, says the Bank of England’s governor. Andrew Bailey has pointed the finger at a number of causes: pandemic and lockdowns, Russia’s war against Ukraine and Britain’s tight labour market. But he singled out one group in particular – early retirees – as
18 min listen
Britain’s high energy prices, insecure supply, and climate change commitments mean people’s relationship with energy will need to change. How could consumers change their attitude to energy consumption so that they use less? Will doing so give them a worse standard of living? On this podcast, Kate Andrews, The Spectator’s economics editor, is joined by Dan
13 min listen
Keir Starmer today seemed to change his party’s stance on self-identification for transgender people. Before, Starmer said Labour would update the Gender Recognition Act so transgender people could self-identify as whatever gender they wanted. Today, he said that ‘if you’re going to make reforms, you have to carry the public with you.’ What’s changed? Max
There was no easy option for the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) this week. Raising interest rates, even by a small amount, could add to financial instability following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and takeover of Credit Suisse over the past few weeks. But holding the base rate at 4 per cent
For the past few months, the debate over inflation in Britain has centred around just how fast the rate might fall. Both the Bank of England and the Office for Budget Responsibility’s most recent forecasts have been very optimistic, showing inflation falling back down to something approaching the Bank’s target of 2 per cent by
To what extent have the public finances really been brought under control? This morning’s update from the Office for National Statistics reveals that public sector net borrowing reached £16.7 billion in February. This is more than double the figure from February 2022 of £7.1 billion, and also well above the consensus estimate of around £11 billion.
Has a full-scale banking crisis been avoided? UBS has announced a takeover of rival Credit Suisse for just over $3 billion – half of its valuation on Friday and a tenth of its valuation just two years ago. The deal, timed to conclude before the Asian markets opened, is intended to stop any domino effect
