Katy Balls

Katy Balls is Diary Editor at The Spectator.

A warning from Germany on lockdown easing

29 April 2020 4:01 am

Those ministers hoping Boris Johnson’s return to work will herald an imminent easing of lockdown measures face an uphill struggle.…

Predictable politics returns as Brexit talks stall

25 April 2020 4:32 am

Although the coronavirus pandemic means that we are living in uncertain times, some things remain predictable. As is the case…

Why ministers are reluctant to change face mask guidance

21 April 2020 8:33 pm

‘Will the public be asked to wear face masks in public?’ This is a topic of debate today for the…

Boris Johnson leaves hospital – and heads to Chequers to recover

12 April 2020 11:21 pm

Boris Johnson has been discharged from hospital. After being moved out of intensive care on Thursday, the Prime Minister is…

Boris Johnson moved out of intensive care

10 April 2020 4:23 am

The Prime Minister has this evening been moved out of intensive care but remains in hospital. After being moved on…

Keir Starmer's first challenge as Labour leader

4 April 2020 9:16 pm

As expected, Sir Keir Starmer has been announced as the new leader of the Labour party. The former shadow Brexit…

Will Boris Johnson's popularity last?

3 April 2020 2:00 am

Another day, another set of dreary headlines for the government over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic. As well as…

What Boris Johnson's coronavirus diagnosis means for the government

27 March 2020 10:31 pm

Boris Johnson has tested positive for coronavirus. The Prime Minister took a test for the virus on Thursday at the…

The original Teesside Tory

7 March 2020 9:00 am

What can Ben Houchen teach Johnson’s Conservatives?

What would a Keir Starmer Labour party look like?

29 February 2020 9:00 am

What would a Keir Starmer Labour party look like?

The Budget will show how the Tories plan to win the next election

21 February 2020 9:49 pm

It’s only a few weeks until Budget day and the papers are filled with reports of the various revenue-raising measures…

Boris Johnson’s lead Brexit negotiator sets out his red lines

18 February 2020 10:02 am

What are the UK’s red lines in the upcoming trade talks with the EU? Although Boris Johnson has said publicly…

Is the Labour leadership contest already a done deal?

12 February 2020 11:57 pm

Labour’s leadership contest has been attracting less and less media interest as it goes on. Despite this, Jeremy Corbyn’s successor…

The motivation behind the government’s plans for the BBC

6 February 2020 6:21 am

Since Boris Johnson returned to No. 10 with a majority of 80, there’s been a growing sense that the Prime…

Emergency terror laws set to end early prisoner release

4 February 2020 4:46 am

The government has this afternoon unveiled its response to the Streatham terrorist incident on Sunday – which saw a man recently…

Why Australia-style deal is the new Brexit buzzword in government

2 February 2020 10:56 pm

As the second round of Brexit negotiations loom with the EU, there’s already talk of an early bust-up coming up…

Boris Johnson won’t dance to the tune of big business on Brexit

24 January 2020 9:02 pm

Now that the Withdrawal Agreement Bill has received royal assent and become law, the UK will leave the EU at…

The Labour candidates the Tories are worried about

11 January 2020 9:00 am

When a Labour politician or aide stops to chat in the corridors of parliament these days, they only have one…

Cummings offers a glimpse of the incoming Whitehall revolution

3 January 2020 6:33 am

Over the parliamentary recess, there’s been much speculation over what the government’s mooted Whitehall revamp will mean in practice. Part…

Indyref2 could be the biggest headache of Boris’s premiership

21 December 2019 9:00 am

Nicola Sturgeon is the only opposition leader who survived the general election. She has emerged far stronger. The Tories had…

Why Boris Johnson is talking about ‘ten years’ time’

20 December 2019 3:47 am

One of the most striking things about the government’s Queen’s Speech was Boris Johnson’s focus on where the country could…

Inside Labour’s post-election PLP meeting – ‘We lost the f—ing election’

18 December 2019 7:04 am

The first meeting of the parliamentary Labour party since the party’s disastrous election defeat began with a round of applause.…

The battle for the soul of the Labour party

14 December 2019 9:00 am

In the days before the election, senior Labour people were already discussing how to replace Jeremy Corbyn should the party…

Tory lead more than halved in final YouGov MRP poll

11 December 2019 9:22 am

When the first YouGov MRP poll of the election campaign was published last month, it was a cause of anxiety…

How the Conservative strategy is faring across the country

9 December 2019 11:18 pm

It’s the week of the election and Boris Johnson is to spend the final days of the campaign visiting every…