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The Conservative majority of 23,000 was wiped out overnight in North Shropshire, with Liberal Democrat Helen Morgan winning the by-election by nearly 6,000 votes. Tory MPs are already making their frustrations known, with Roger Gale saying Boris Johnson has 'one more strike and he's out', and John Redwood saying it's 'Time to listen to Conservatives.' Is Boris Johnson's leadership in danger? Isabe...

Today saw record numbers of Covid cases with infections higher than the January 2021 lockdown. In reaction to soaring cases, Boris Johnson held a press conference yesterday. Although nothing new was announced, he pushed further on the booster program and encouraged the public to rethink their socialising ahead of Christmas. Many people believe the PM is encouraging a lockdown by stealth, with hosp...

Last night Boris Johnson suffered the biggest rebellion of his Tory premiership. But, unlike his predecessor, he still managed to get his vote through with Labour's support. Nearly 100 Conservative MPs voted against the government's plans for vaccine passports. Their reasons for rebelling varied. For some, they want to send a message to the PM that he cannot take his majority for granted. For othe...

Christopher Whitty has told the public he expects a 'significant increase' in Omicron hospitalisations over the next few weeks. The chief medical officer is concerned about the pressures this new variant will put on the NHS. Could he be overreacting? In contrast, there are encouraging signs coming from South Africa that continue to show that Omicron is less severe than Delta.  The Commons vote on...

Cindy Yu talks to Katy Balls, James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson about the contents of - and the potential fallout from - Boris Johnson's address to the nation last night.  Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more. For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts . Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on...

Cindy Yu hosts the highlights from Sunday's political shows, with today's guests including Sir Keir Starmer, Nadhim Zahawi, Steve Baker and Dr Susan Hopkins.  Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more. For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts . Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See...

Isabel Hardman talks to Katy Balls and the New Statesman 's Stephen Bush about the possibility of an upset next Thursday in the seat recently vacated by Owen Paterson.  Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more. For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts . Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on...

Boris Johnson's problems are not going away anytime soon and he is facing extreme pressure on several fronts going into the weekend. Hypocrisy charges from the media and the Labour Party, more scandal regarding the No. 10 flat refurbishment, and a massive Tory rebellion regarding his Plan B measures. Not to mention his recent announcement that it is time to have a serious conversation about vaccin...

Cindy Yu speaks to Isabel Hardman and Kate Andrews about the level of Conservative support for the Prime Minister after his latest Covid restrictions, and the Electoral Commission's findings about the refurbishment of the flat above No. 11. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more. For more Spectator podcasts, go to s...

Cindy Yu talks to Kate Andrews, Katy Balls and Fraser Nelson about the contents of the Prime Minster's latest Covid press conference. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more. For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts . Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mo...

It is all kicking off in Westminster.  A leaked video has emerged where the former Prime Minister's spokesperson is seen laughing when questioned about a Christmas party at 10 Downing Street last year. In yet another blow, many Conservatives shared their dismay at the leaked footage. At PMQs, Boris Johnson said that he is furious about the video but remains adamant that no lockdown rules were brok...

A new 40-page document written by Raphael Marshall, a former desk officer at the Foreign Office, depicts a disorganised mess in the handling of this year's Afghanistan withdrawal.  'I think the picture that is painted of chaos... it raises a whole slew of questions.' - James Forsyth  Katy Balls and James Forsyth dissect some of the key accusations in this report and give us an update on tensions b...

Boris Johnson is launching a week of crime-related government announcements. Tackling middle-class drug use tops the agenda today, and the Prime Minister watched police raid a home in Liverpool this morning as part of 'Operation Toxic' to infiltrate county lines drug dealing. But with a report from the Sunday Times  revealing that traces of cocaine were found in several of Parliament's lavatories,...

Isabel Hardman rounds up the highlights from Sunday's political shows. Today's best bits come from Dominic Raab, Dame Rachel de Souza and Jim McMahon. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more. For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts . Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.c...

With the Omicron variant putting everyone on edge, there has been quite a bit of mixed messaging from the government about how we should all be conducting ourselves this festive period. With a bizarre emphasis placed on snogging - some preaching caution, others saying snog away. 'I don't think I've ever heard people say the word snogging this much in my entire life.' - Isabel Hardman Katy Balls ta...

The by-election last night was a result for the Tories. However, their majority for this seat fell dramatically. Labour tried to badge it as good news for them, claiming that they are 'back in business'. But the poor voter turnout was more likely the reason for the fall in Tory votes rather than a swing in Labour's direction. With this win, will the Conservatives move on from the difficult month t...

A lot of news coming out of Europe this week. From French President Emmanuel Macron calling Boris Johnson a clown, to more extreme Covid prevention methods rolling out in Germany. Will Anglo-French tensions cool, boil or simmer? Are we going to see the return of talks about Covid passports and vaccine mandates?  Isabel Hardman looks for answers to these questions with James Forsyth and Katy Balls....

Keir Starmer went on the attack today at PMQs. The controversy over last years Christmas party resurfaced, with accusations that No.10 breached lockdown rules. He then went on to criticise the government's new hospitals program.  Boris was dealt another blow, this time from his own side. Tory MPs are in uproar about the threats of growing restrictions. Yesterday, two votes in the commons over the...

Yesterday Keir Starmer's Labour Party announced a new reshuffle of its shadow cabinet. It just coincidentally happened on the same day Angela Rayner gave a big speech on Tory sleaze, leading some to speculate on friction within the party. 'What you can't avoid is that they ultimately decided to do the reshuffle on a day where Angela Rayner, the deputy leader was trying to make a big statement that...

We are slowly learning more and more about this new Covid variant, but it could be weeks before we know just how contagious and harmful it could be. Wasting no time, over the weekend the government has banned travel from certain countries and tightened domestic Covid measures. 'It's fair to say that ministers are anxious enough to bring back things that they have developed a personal resistance to...

Isabel Hardman hosts the highlights from Sunday's political shows. Guests today include Sajid Javid, Nicola Sturgeon and Lisa Nandy. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more. For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts . Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mor...

The migrants that tragically lost their lives in the English Channel has caused Anglo- French relations to further deteriorate. There is a theory however, that it suits Macron’s purpose to be in a perpetual war with the Brits. Could this be the case when migrants are still in the hands of the traffickers? ' These people-smuggling gangs are becoming more sophisticated in their operations' - James F...

A new Covid variant dubbed 'Nu' has been discovered in South Africa and the UK has already put travel restrictions in place. Though early tests have shown that Nu is more transmissible, we don't know conclusively if it is any more deadly or can evade vaccines.  'We don't know yet, whether this variant is more severe or not.' - James Forsyth  With people already worrying if this, if handled poorly,...

The 27 migrants that tragically lost their lives whilst trying to cross the English Channel have sparked urgent appeals for Priti to resolve the migrant crisis. However, there is still no stopping some migrants attempting to flee their homes. ‘By 8.30 this morning, three more boats had arrived on the coast, even after the news had broken’ - James Forsyth How can this problem be solved within the c...

With multiple weeks of bad publicity and rumours of some Conservative MPs sending in letters of no confidence, today’s PMQs witnessed much more noise than last week’s. However, is the Prime Minster hitting back at critics, including a more confident Keir Starmer, effectively? ‘Today I thought Keir Starmer looked like he was actually really enjoying himself, and that is a sign of a shifted politica...