Instant political analysis from the Spectator's top team of writers, including Michael Gove, Katy Balls, Isabel Hardman, James Heale, Cindy Yu and many others.
How do you solve a problem like Elon? We have spent much of the past week talking on the podcast about Labour vs Musk, and the tech billionaire’s vocal criticism of how the government is dealing with the grooming gang scandal. But Reform UK are having their own issues with the volatile owner of X. There have been questions over whether Musk could still bankroll the party after he called for Farage to step down following a disagreement over Musk’s support for the far-right activist Tommy Robinson – but in the last 24 hours, it seems the tech billionaire has rowed back a little on his stance and has returned to reposting Farage’s tweets.
Musk seems to be playing those on the right of British politics against each other, dishing out endorsements – retweets – to a different politician each day. Can anyone trust Musk? And what has the response to the grooming gang scandal revealed about parties on both sides of British politics?
James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Tim Stanley, columnist for the Telegraph.
Produced by Megan McElroy, Natasha Feroze and Oscar Edmondson.
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17:47
Grooming gang row overshadows Starmer's big NHS speech
In a speech this morning, the Prime Minister unveiled his plans to tackle the NHS backlog, and hit back at comments Elon Musk has made regarding grooming gangs, the government's response to them, and about the Prime Minister’s own role in their prosecution.
Whilst the Prime Minister's speech was plagued by the familiar platitudes about the NHS it was shortly followed by the government's NHS elective recovery plan, which does include some interesting proposals to shift healthcare away from hospitals – for example, giving cash incentives to GPs each time they consult with a specialist to see if there is an alternative to hospital visits. Is this plan the miracle cure the NHS needs? And will Starmer's robust response to Elon Musk finally put their spat to bed?
Oscar Edmondson speaks to Isabel Hardman and James Heale.
Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
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16:57
Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 05/01/2025
Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows.
The fallout from Elon Musk's attacks continues. Wes Streeting calls Musk's comments 'a disgraceful smear', while Nigel Farage has a rather more sympathetic view. Chris Philp blames Labour local authorities for the grooming gangs cover-up, but a former Conservative advisor says Robert Jenrick could become the most divisive figure in British political history.
Produced by Joe Bedell-Brill.
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16:21
Elon Musk and the outrage about Britain's grooming gangs
The grooming gangs scandal is back in the news this week after Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips rejected calls for a government inquiry into historic child abuse in Oldham, prompting a conservative backlash. Robert Jenrick, the Shadow Justice Secretary, called it ‘shameful’; Liz Truss, the former Prime Minister, labelled Phillips’s title ‘a perversion of the English language.’ Even Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter/X, has piled in, arguing that the Home Office minister ‘deserves to be in prison.’
As the grooming gangs story continues to gather traction, will we see an inquiry? And how should we assess the Home Secretary’s success six months into the job?
Cindy Yu speaks to James Heale and Danny Shaw, a former adviser to Yvette Cooper.
Produced by Cindy Yu and Oscar Edmondson.
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18:46
Is Labour serious about social care reform?
Happy New Year and – of course – happy new long-term social care plan. Not only has Labour announced a ‘longer-term’ solution to a problem the party itself has acknowledged is urgent by setting up a commission that won’t report until 2028, but it has also taken steps to make that reform even harder to realise by saying it is looking for a ‘cross-party solution’. Should we interpret this as Labour kicking the can down the road? And is Labour developing a reputation for shirking its responsibility when it comes to the most vulnerable in society?
Oscar Edmondson speaks to Isabel Hardman and James Heale.
Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
Instant political analysis from the Spectator's top team of writers, including Michael Gove, Katy Balls, Isabel Hardman, James Heale, Cindy Yu and many others.
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