Katy Balls

Katy Balls is Diary Editor at The Spectator.

The rebel alliance has taken control of parliament – and Brexit. What happens next?

14 September 2019 9:00 am

Every Monday, a group of unlikely bedfellows meet in Jeremy Corbyn’s parliamentary office. Jo Swinson, Liberal Democrat leader; Ian Blackford,…

Boris Johnson’s path to an early election

6 September 2019 3:32 am

Although Downing Street has heralded today the ‘first day of the election campaign’, Boris Johnson is yet to be able…

Boris Johnson denied election request – but snap poll remains likely

5 September 2019 6:42 am

Boris Johnson has lost his third government vote – and his first bid for an early election. MPs voted against…

Tories lose vote – Boris Johnson looks to early election

4 September 2019 8:09 am

Boris Johnson tonight suffered his first government defeat in his first Commons vote since becoming Prime Minister. Tory rebels joined forces…

It’s time to talk about what no deal really means

24 August 2019 9:00 am

The main reason Conservative MPs prefer Boris Johnson’s government to Theresa May’s is because of its clarity of message. The…

Boris Johnson and Angela Merkel’s optimistic press conference

22 August 2019 3:17 am

When Theresa May held press conferences with European leaders over Brexit, they were often a painful affair – with her…

How No. 10 is taking back control

17 August 2019 9:00 am

Every Friday at 6 p.m. government aides are summoned to No. 10 Downing Street for a meeting with Dominic Cummings,…

The Brecon by-election result raises difficult questions for the Tories

2 August 2019 5:31 pm

As expected, the Liberal Democrats have won the Brecon and Radnorshire by-election – thereby reducing Boris Johnson’s majority to one. The…

European Research Group divisions over Boris Johnson’s Brexit tactics

2 August 2019 4:28 am

With Boris Johnson currently refusing to meet with any EU leaders for Brexit talks unless they agree to abolish the…

The Lib Dem revival could be the Tories’ best hope of winning an election

27 July 2019 9:00 am

When the leadership result was announced, Jeremy Corbyn’s keyboard warriors swung into action. Behold, they said: a new party leader…

How much bother will the Gaukeward squad cause Boris Johnson?

22 July 2019 4:42 pm

How much bother will the Gaukeward squad cause Boris Johnson? Barring one of the biggest political upsets of the past…

The court of Boris Johnson: the factions competing for approval

10 July 2019 1:06 am

How will Boris Johnson govern? With even Jeremy Hunt allies privately braced for defeat in two weeks’ time when the…

The Tory leadership contest is entering its most important week

1 July 2019 8:56 am

Although there’s three weeks until the next Tory leader is announced, the contest is entering what is the most important…

Could Boris Johnson command the confidence of the Commons?

25 June 2019 2:44 am

Could Boris Johnson command the confidence of the Commons? That’s the question being asked in Westminster this week as various…

Jeremy Hunt capitalises on Boris Johnson’s troubles

24 June 2019 4:57 pm

When Jeremy Hunt was announced as the candidate who would join Boris Johnson in the final two for the Tory…

The Boris campaign get the leadership final they hoped for

21 June 2019 4:24 am

There will be sighs of relief in the Boris Johnson camp this evening after Jeremy Hunt won the second spot…

Raab’s departure is good news for Boris

19 June 2019 3:28 am

The results of the second ballot are in and it’s Dominic Raab who has been knocked out of the race.…

Matt Hancock’s Boris endorsement irks One Nation Tories

17 June 2019 6:50 pm

Is Boris Johnson’s route to No. 10 now unstoppable? The former foreign secretary has more MPs backing him than any…

Tory leadership hopefuls turn on one another in Channel 4 debate

17 June 2019 6:17 am

The first televised Tory leadership debate drew as much attention for who wasn’t there as who was. After Boris Johnson…

How Rory Stewart derailed his Cabinet colleagues’ campaigns

16 June 2019 11:40 pm

When Rory Stewart first announced his intention to enter the race to be the UK’s next prime minister, he was…

An early election is beginning to look inevitable for the next Tory leader

15 June 2019 9:00 am

There’s a joke going around the various warring tribes in the Tory leadership contest. They might not win this time,…

Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson’s clear lead increases the chances of a short contest

13 June 2019 10:43 pm

Boris Johnson has today confirmed his place as the frontrunner to be the next prime minister. In the first voting…

Hunt gains momentum over Gove ahead of crunch week

10 June 2019 7:08 am

Which two candidates will make the final two of the Tory leadership contest? At the moment, the race is Boris…

How the Parliamentary stage of the Tory leadership contest works

10 June 2019 6:12 am

This week, the Conservative leadership content enters the Parliamentary stage. The various contenders – at the time of writing there…

‘I have spent my life with people underestimating me’: Jeremy Hunt interviewed

8 June 2019 9:00 am

When a head of state flies in for a state visit, it’s traditional for the Foreign Secretary to lead the…