Katy Balls

Katy Balls is Diary Editor at The Spectator.

Tories divided over leadership contest rules

19 July 2024 10:40 pm

There had been hope that the Tories would announce the rules and timetable for the party’s leadership contest before the…

Will Keir Starmer’s EU ‘reset’ pay off?

18 July 2024 10:27 pm

Keir Starmer is at Blenheim Palace today for the gathering of the European Political Community, the forum created by Emmanuel…

The race to replace Rishi as Tory leader is about to begin

17 July 2024 8:32 pm

Who will lead the Conservative party in opposition? By Tory party conference, we should have the answer. After much debate…

Is JD Vance really good news for Labour?

16 July 2024 10:13 pm

Donald Trump put an end to speculation on Monday over who would be his pick for vice president, with the…

What change will Labour’s Justice Secretary bring?

16 July 2024 5:07 am

There has been much attention over the past week over how new MPs have chosen to be sworn in. This…

David Lammy calls for Gaza ceasefire

16 July 2024 12:22 am

David Lammy is visiting Israel and the Palestinian Territories – his first trip to the Middle East as Foreign Secretary.…

Starmer must move fast without losing his head

13 July 2024 9:00 am

When Keir Starmer’s Labour party gathered on Monday to celebrate their election victory, the difficulty was finding a big enough…

Starmer’s most radical prisons shake-up is still to come

12 July 2024 7:35 pm

When Keir Starmer gave his first Downing Street press conference last weekend, he warned that ‘tough decisions’ were coming shortly.…

Why MPs are braced for an ‘extremely turbulent few years’

8 July 2024 8:34 pm

Four days on from Keir Starmer’s landslide victory, Westminster is still soaking up the results of the general election. With…

What ‘tough decisions’ does Starmer have in mind?

7 July 2024 12:37 am

How long will Keir Starmer’s honeymoon last? The Prime Minister is basking in election glory after leading his party to…

‘I have to forge my own path’: Rachel Reeves on her plans for the economy

6 July 2024 9:00 am

Outside a café on the outskirts of Reading, Rachel Reeves is listening to the concerns of small-business owners. ‘Something that…

What Keir Starmer’s first Downing Street speech reveals

5 July 2024 11:27 pm

Keir Starmer has given his first speech as prime minister. Labour’s seventh leader to make it to 10 Downing Street…

The Tory blame game begins

5 July 2024 3:40 pm

As Labour declares victory in the general election, Rishi Sunak is on course to preside over the Tories’ worst ever general…

Labour majority of 170, says exit poll

5 July 2024 8:16 am

The polls have closed and the exit poll is in. The BBC exit poll projects that Labour will win a…

Last YouGov election poll points to Tory wipeout

4 July 2024 4:08 am

The final polls are rolling in ahead of voters going to the polls tomorrow. On Tuesday night, Survation published its…

Will there be an election upset on Thursday?

2 July 2024 8:19 pm

In just two days, voters will head to the polling booth to cast their vote in the 2024 general election.…

What’s the worst that can happen for the Tories?

29 June 2024 9:00 am

When Rishi Sunak stunned his cabinet colleagues by calling a snap election, they feared the worst. Fast forward a month…

Sunak withdraws support for gamble-gate Tory candidates

25 June 2024 9:49 pm

It never rains but pours for Rishi Sunak. After a weekend of negative headlines over the Tory gambling scandal and…

Is the Farage ‘Putin ally’ row putting off Reform voters?

25 June 2024 8:35 pm

So far in this election campaign the consistent theme has been Tory turmoil. A large part of this has been…

The betting scandal spells trouble for Sunak

24 June 2024 6:57 pm

Is the Tory campaign cursed? After Rishi Sunak battled through the pouring rain when he called the election, suffered the…

Meet Surrey’s ‘M&S movers’

22 June 2024 9:00 am

On a street in Camberley, Surrey, a pensioner stands in the doorway, rollers in her hair, staring with some bemusement…

Poll puts Tories on lowest seat total in history

20 June 2024 3:56 am

How is the Conservative campaign going? Well, according to the latest YouGov poll, things are looking worse for Rishi Sunak…

Can Rishi Sunak reduce the Tories’ losses?

17 June 2024 11:15 pm

Every morning in Conservative Campaign Headquarters, Tory aides kickstart the day by blasting out Elvis Presley’s ‘a little less conversation’…

The return of Douglas Alexander

15 June 2024 9:00 am

It’s a sunny Friday afternoon in Gullane, an affluent seaside town on the Firth of Forth. For political campaigners, golden…

Reform overtakes Tories in new poll

14 June 2024 7:05 am

Here we go. This evening the Reform party has overtaken the Tories according to a new YouGov poll. The survey…