Katy Balls is The Spectator’s former political editor.
Can Kemi Badenoch reach the final two of the Tory leadership contest? So far this has been the key question at Conservative party conference. Of the leadership candidates, Badenoch has had the bumpiest conference so far, with criticism of her comments on maternity pay and business regulation more generally. The argument from the Badenoch camp
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The final four leadership candidates have arrived at Conservative Party Conference to make their final pitches. However, day one and Kemi Badenoch has found herself in an online row over comments made about maternity pay. Katy Balls, Kate Andrews and Fraser Nelson take a look at what was really said, and whether there is a
Conservative party conference is underway. The conference centre in Birmingham is covered in photos of the four remaining leadership hopefuls and each campaign team is handing out stash – including Tugend-Tats (temporary tattoos). Already there are signs of friction. I understand some of the candidates were surprised on check-in at the conference hotel to discover
Keir Starmer is yet to hit the hundred day mark but he is already one MP down. This evening Rosie Duffield has written to the Prime Minister to inform him that she is resigning the whip ‘with immediate effect’. Duffield, who was known to have strained relations with the party leadership, cites the recent rows
33 min listen
Labour’s Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson returns to Women With Balls in a special live edition of the podcast, recorded at Labour Party conference. The MP for Houghton and Sunderland South since 2010, Phillipson joined Keir Starmer’s shadow cabinet in 2020, and was appointed Shadow Education Secretary the following year. She retained her brief following the general election,
43 min listen
This week: who’s on top in the Conservative leadership race? That’s the question Katy Balls asks in the magazine this week as she looks ahead to the Conservative Party conference. Each Tory hopeful will be pitching for the support of MPs and the party faithful ahead of the next round of voting. Who’s got the
In recent years, the Conservative party conference has become something of an irrelevance. Often it is little more than a networking event, filled with dull speeches, all carefully stage-managed by No. 10. But next week’s gathering in Birmingham will be one of those rare Tory conferences that decide the party’s future. The leadership race has gone
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We’ve had quite the day at 22 Old Queen Street. All Westminster politics seem small in comparison to the news that Fraser Nelson will step down as editor of this publication, with Michael Gove taking charge on October 8th. Hear Fraser’s thoughts on what this new chapter will mean for The Spectator, on the podcast.
14 min listen
Sir Keir Starmer has declared ‘change has begun’ in Liverpool. He defended the cuts to the winter fuel payments, announced a Hillsborough Law, and saw off a heckler. But did we learn anything from the speech in terms of policy? Is he leaving conference in a better or worse position than he entered? Isabel Hardman
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Chancellor Rachel Reeves has just finished her speech at Labour conference. After a brief interruption by hecklers, she addressed austerity, the pandemic, and winter fuel payments. How was the speech received, and who does it really speak to? Elsewhere, Sue Gray’s lack of appearance in Liverpool hasn’t done anything to slow down discussion of recent
11 min listen
Labour’s first party conference in government has opened under the shadow of the ‘Frockgate’ scandal, which continues to rumble on. James Heale and Katy Balls report from Liverpool on what the mood is like – and the big topics for the party this week. Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Cindy Yu.
Rachel Reeves had to deal with unexpected turbulence in her party conference speech, after anti-Israel protesters interrupted her. But that was the easy bit, since she just opted to go for the Labour line for stage disruption: ‘We are a changed Labour party that represent working people – not the party of protest’. That response
To Liverpool for Labour’s first party conference since Keir Starmer triumphed in the general election. On paper, this ought to be a jubilant affair for all involved. The party has returned to power after 14 years with a large majority, which ought to pave the way for a second term. Yet few in the party
A week is a long time in politics. Keir Starmer began the week sending out his senior ministers to defend his decision to accept donations of clothing for both himself and his wife Lady Victoria Starmer from Waheed Alli, the Labour peer. On Sunday, David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, suggested these donations were necessary, for
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Party conference season continues as Reform UK’s kicks off today in Birmingham. Katy Balls has been at the NEC hearing from Richard Tice, Lee Anderson and leader Nigel Farage, amongst others. What’s been the mood? And, after a remarkable few months, what could be next for the party? With Labour conference starting at the weekend,
Nigel Farage has just finished his keynote speech at the Reform party’s annual conference. In a performance enhanced by Eminem, balloons and pyrotechnics, the Reform leader received a rapturous response from the packed NEC arena on the outskirts of Birmingham. Farage used the speech to argue that his party is only just beginning. He said
45 min listen
This week: Nigel’s next target. What’s Reform UK’s plan to take on Labour? Reform UK surpassed expectations at the general election to win 5 MPs. This includes James McMurdock, who Katy interviews for the magazine this week, who only decided to stand at the last moment. How much threat could Reform pose and why has
14 min listen
It’s been a sticky week for Labour. Whilst they will have hoped to spend the run up to this weekend’s conference talking about the policy wins of their first 100 days in power, Labour MPs are instead having to defend the Prime Minister for accepting freebies and talk down speculation of a rift at the
At this weekend’s Reform conference in Birmingham, the opening speech will be given by a man who wasn’t even a member of the party until four months ago. James McMurdock stood in what was once a Tory safe seat. Against the odds and after three recounts, he won, and is now Reform’s accidental member of
Another day, another story about Sue Gray. Today the BBC reports the details of Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff’s salary. Gray is paid the handsome sum of £170,000 a year – £3,000 more than her boss, the prime minister. She therefore earns more than any cabinet minister or Tory predecessor in the role. In
