Katy Balls

Katy Balls is Diary Editor at The Spectator.

Rishi Sunak’s political naivety

16 April 2022 9:00 am

Before the war in Ukraine, ministers and Tory MPs believed a fixedpenalty notice for the Prime Minister would mean the…

The new plan to stop Channel migrants

14 April 2022 6:30 pm

How best to move attention away from the Prime Minister receiving a fine over partygate? An eye-catching government announcement to…

Rishi Sunak breaks his silence

13 April 2022 5:17 am

After Boris Johnson issued an apology (along with a pool clip) over the fixed penalty notice he received for attending a…

The changing face of No. 10

9 April 2022 9:00 am

David Canzini has made quite an impression since he joined No. 10 as the Prime Minister’s deputy chief of staff…

Rishi’s wife changes tack on tax

9 April 2022 4:20 am

This evening Rishi Sunak’s wife Akshata Murty has announced that she will pay UK taxes on her overseas income, following a public backlash…

Pressure on Sunak grows over his wife’s non-dom status

8 April 2022 6:53 pm

Rishi Sunak goes into the weekend facing questions from the media, Labour and some Tories over the tax status of…

Tory backlash over Channel 4 privatisation

6 April 2022 1:20 am

Downing Street’s plan to privatise Channel 4 is already facing a Tory revolt – less than 24 hours after the…

No. 10 prepares decades-long energy plan

4 April 2022 7:05 pm

The government’s delayed energy strategy is finally due to be released this week. The Prime Minister is due to unveil…

Do the No. 10 partygate fines spell trouble for Boris?

29 March 2022 7:43 pm

Partygate is back in the news as Downing Street braces itself for a bumpy few weeks. This morning, Scotland Yard…

No. 10 is gearing up for the next election

19 March 2022 9:00 pm

As the Conservative party’s Spring Forum gets underway in Blackpool, attention is turning back to domestic politics, with cabinet ministers…

Kemi Badenoch: the curriculum does not need ‘decolonising’

18 March 2022 6:34 am

When the government published a report last year by the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities (CRED) into racism in the…

How the Foreign Office secured Zaghari-Ratcliffe's release

17 March 2022 5:25 am

There was a rare display of unity in the Commons chamber this afternoon when Liz Truss gave a statement on…

Zaghari-Ratcliffe's release will be a big relief for Boris Johnson

16 March 2022 10:11 pm

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been released from custody in Iran, according to Iranian government officials. Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the 43-year-old British-Iranian woman, was…

Nadhim Zahawi: how I escaped Saddam’s Iraq

12 March 2022 9:00 am

The Education Secretary has come a long way since his Baghdad schooldays

Abramovich sanctioned for ‘destabilising Ukraine’

10 March 2022 9:42 pm

Following criticism in recent weeks that the UK government has lagged behind both the US and the EU when it…

‘We will fight in the forests, the fields, the shores and in the streets’: Zelensky addresses the Commons

9 March 2022 4:38 am

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was greeted with applause and a standing ovation this evening when he appeared before the House…

Boris Johnson is operating in a new political reality

7 March 2022 8:20 pm

Boris Johnson is attempting to carve out a role for himself as the figure who can lead the West in…

Johnson under pressure on offer to Ukraine refugees

1 March 2022 4:25 am

What help will the government offer to Ukrainians seeking shelter in the UK? While the Prime Minister has been talking…

Boris Johnson promises more sanctions

24 February 2022 11:22 pm

Following Vladimir Putin’s decision to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Boris Johnson has addressed the nation. Speaking from 10…

Will Boris Johnson's big week be undone by partygate?

21 February 2022 7:46 pm

When Boris Johnson gave an interview on Sunday to the BBC’s Sophie Raworth, he was not keen to talk about…

No one has done more to save Boris than Keir Starmer

19 February 2022 9:00 am

Boris Johnson has a lot of people to thank for his survival in 10 Downing Street, but Keir Starmer should…

The battle for the Tory party’s soul

12 February 2022 9:00 am

When news broke over the weekend that former minister Nick Gibb had become the 14th Tory MP to publicly call…

Boris buys himself a reprieve

11 February 2022 8:35 pm

After a difficult few weeks, Boris Johnson has made it to parliamentary recess. Given few expect a no confidence vote to…

Boris's reshuffle reveals his weakness

9 February 2022 1:15 am

Boris Johnson’s attempted reset is underway, with a mini-reshuffle announced this afternoon. The Prime Minister has made a number of changes to…

Boris announces a new look No. 10 team

6 February 2022 6:22 am

Boris Johnson has this evening unveiled the second stage of his Downing Street shake-up. After the Prime Minister rushed forward…