Thursday

3 Mar 2022

Friday

25 Feb 2022

Friday

14 Jan 2022

Tuesday

11 Jan 2022
Coffee House Shots
Can Boris survive another Partygate scandal?
13 min listen

Another day, another party scandal. ‘Bring your own booze’ said Martin Reynolds, the Prime Minister's private secretary in a leaked email to around 100 staff in May 2020, inviting them to a picnic at 10 Downing Street. At the same time, the rest of the country was limited to socialising within household bubbles or one other person outdoors. 'This is the most serious party allegation yet when it comes to Boris Johnson specifically' - Katy BallsNo.10 have refused to respond to the leaked email whilst Sue Gray's investigation into other Downing Street parties are ongoing. Can this line of response last through to PMQ’s tomorrow? Boris Johnson can expect challenging questions from Keir Starmer as the crisis unravels.

Can Boris survive another Partygate scandal?

Saturday

18 Dec 2021
Ben Wallace: Britain is ‘highly unlikely’ to send troops to Ukraine

Russia is readying for an invasion of Ukraine. Kiev says that 100,000 Russian troops have now amassed at their eastern border, and the CIA thinks that Putin could have 175,000 soldiers stationed for an offensive by the end of January. If conflict comes, it now seems certain that Ukraine will be fighting alone. Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, told Andrew Neil on Spectator TV this week that it is ‘highly unlikely’ that Britain will send troops to defend the country. The Defence Secretary said:  ‘It’s a fact it’s not a member of Nato, so it is highly unlikely that anyone is going to send troops into Ukraine to challenge Russia… We shouldn’t kid people on that we would.’ Previously, Wallace had been ambiguous about military intervention, saying only that we could use ‘defence capabilities’ against Putin.

Ben Wallace: Britain is ‘highly unlikely’ to send troops to Ukraine

Saturday

27 Nov 2021

Monday

22 Nov 2021
Could Iran come between Israel and its new Gulf ally?

When Israel and the United Arab Emirates first started speaking in 1994, the meetings were kept secret. The Emiratis publicly supported the Palestinian cause. Israel was supposed to be the enemy. But last year, with the signing of the Abraham Accords that re-established official diplomatic ties between the two countries, that changed. In Dubai this week, the strength of this now open relationship was clear. Israel and Jordan have signed a deal to trade water for solar energy. It’s the biggest agreement ever struck between Israel and one of its Arab neighbours, and it was brokered by the Emiratis. It wouldn’t have been possible without the Accords. In the last year, the UAE has become Israel’s closest partner in the Middle East.

Could Iran come between Israel and its new Gulf ally?

Tuesday

16 Nov 2021
Coffee House Shots
What do the new lobbying rules mean for MPs?
12 min listen

The Prime Minister has written to the Commons Speaker to propose new lobbying rules for MPs. While some may welcome the measure, like former PM Theresa May, who gave a blistering critique of the way the Owen Paterson affair was handled, others in his party might not be so happy. ‘The challenge for him is that it is going to worsen relations with a bit of the Parliamentary party that he already finds it difficult to deal with.’ – James Forsyth Max Jeffery sits down with James Forsyth and Katy Balls to discuss these possible changes and what they could mean for parliament. As well as looking at the issues of racism in cricket and the suspension of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

What do the new lobbying rules mean for MPs?

Saturday

13 Nov 2021

Friday

12 Nov 2021
Coffee House Shots
Can British troops fix Poland’s migrant crisis?
17 min listen

British troops have been deployed to the Polish border as part of a ‘reconnaissance’ mission, as Poland tries to stop migrants crossing from Belarus. Belarus’s president, Alexander Lukashenko, backed by Russia, is flying Syrian, Iraqi and Yemeni citizens into his country and encouraging them to cross the border into Poland. As the United States turns away from Europe and the Middle East and towards Asia, does Britain think it can to take its place?Meanwhile, Britain is having its own migrant crisis, with 1,185 people crossing the English Channel by boat yesterday – a record number. It brings the number of people crossing the Channel this year to more than 23,000, three times higher than the total last year. Why can’t the government get a grip on this? Max Jeffery speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth.

Can British troops fix Poland’s migrant crisis?

Thursday

11 Nov 2021
What did Tzipi Hotovely make of the LSE protest?

Footage of Tzipi Hotovely, Israel’s ambassador to the UK, being confronted by pro-Palestinian protesters outside the London School of Economics spread around the world this week. A video shared on Twitter showed the Ambassador, who was giving a speech at the university, being rushed into a car by her security team as police held back protesters. But what did Hotovely make of it? Speaking on Spectator TV this week, Hotovely said her team were told about ‘a big pressure to cancel the lecture’ beforehand, and that the protests were ‘outrageous’ and ‘shouldn’t have happened’. Hotovely is on the right of Israeli politics, but the grim scenes that unfolded outside the LSE united the Tories and Labour here. Home Secretary Priti Patel said she was ‘disgusted’ at the protests, and gave her backing to a police investigation into what happened at the LSE.

What did Tzipi Hotovely make of the LSE protest?

Tuesday

9 Nov 2021

Saturday

30 Oct 2021

Thursday

28 Oct 2021
In Israel, there’s never an easy fix

From an Israeli army base on the border with Lebanon, I can see the village of Maroun al-Ras. An Iranian flag flies from the dome of the mosque. Nearby, strapped to a post, is a 20ft cutout of the late Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, which was put there earlier this year by Hezbollah after he was killed by an American air strike. His right arm and index finger are stretched out, pointing menacingly over the valley at Israel. Hezbollah, backed by Tehran, control Maroun al-Ras, and I can hear the buzz of a drone watching them. Some Israeli officials say Iran could have enough enriched uranium for a nuclear bomb in just a few weeks. I’m here with Bicom, the Britain-Israel Communications and Research Centre. In Tel Aviv our small group of journalists meet Issawi Frej, the second Muslim minister in Israel’s history, who is tasked with improving relations with the country’s Arab neighbours.

In Israel, there’s never an easy fix

Thursday

23 Sep 2021

Saturday

18 Sep 2021

Saturday

21 Aug 2021

Saturday

17 Jul 2021

Saturday

8 May 2021

Saturday

24 Apr 2021
The strange tale of NEOM: Saudi Arabia’s struggling desert megacity

Prince Mohammed bin Salman is desperate to shake Saudi Arabia’s addiction to oil. Its price has still not recovered from an American fracking boom seven years ago, and decades of excess have left the world’s largest exporter now needing £55 a barrel to balance the books — more than Iraq, Libya, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE. Looking to reinvent his kingdom, MBS is building a new city, NEOM. Sold as a rival to neighbouring Dubai, which has long been the capital of business and tourism in the Middle East, the city will cost £360 billion, will be the size of Belgium and is expected to be completed by 2030. Or at least that's the idea. From the very beginning, the project has been surrounded by controversy over who is working on it, how it will be built, and whether it is even physically possible.

The strange tale of NEOM: Saudi Arabia’s struggling desert megacity

Thursday

6 Sep 2018
Four things we learnt from Raab and Robbins’ committee appearance

After the long summer recess, it was back to school for Dominic Raab and Olly Robbins as they appeared together before the European Scrutiny Committee on Wednesday. The meeting couldn't be described as ideal timing for either thanks to an unfortunate set of circumstances. With the government's Brexit plan slammed by Brexiteers and Remainers alike, Raab and Robbins – the Government’s two most senior negotiators – had to defend a plan which has been heralded as less popular than the poll tax. The second underlying tension of yesterday’s meeting was the tricky relationship between the Brexit Secretary and the PM’s Europe advisor. Only two weeks after Raab was appointed in July, Theresa May delivered a written statement to the Commons, saying that she would lead negotiations with the EU with Raab ‘deputising’.

Four things we learnt from Raab and Robbins’ committee appearance
Useful links
More from The Spectator
About us
Subscribe
Useful links
About us
More from The Spectator
Subscribe