{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/9a03fe9e-1ff0-4dcc-b3f6-50bd1f016ea4/6929e0ce-ce72-44e6-9bdb-3a320fee9c31?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Is Boris Back?","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/6195701f2eacc3a36070252a/619570bccb3c660012e3ce2f.jpg?height=200","description":"<p>David and Helen talk to Nick Timothy, former chief of staff in Downing Street under Theresa May, about the future for Boris Johnson's government.&nbsp;Is he now safe from leadership challenges?&nbsp;Can he hold together the coalition that won the 2019 election?&nbsp;Is Keir Starmer the one under pressure?&nbsp;Plus we discuss where the next big destabilising threat to this government might come from: Scotland, Northern Ireland, the EU, China?</p><p><br></p><p>Talking Points:</p><p><br></p><p>Is Johnson’s political position more secure now?</p><ul><li>If the government can end on a high note with the vaccine rollout, that might be what people remember.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Boris probably doesn’t want to be an austerity prime minister.</p><ul><li>Sunak wants to get the economy moving and send some signals to the market that there’s fiscal responsibility.</li><li>Sunak may also want to create a fiscal dividing line with Labour.</li><li>But without financial market pressure, it’s hard to see how Sunak is going to win this argument about fiscal probity.</li><li>Political reality, and new voters, may push the Tories toward more spending against the instincts of many MPs.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Starmer still faces serious structural problems: Labour is in trouble in Scotland and the increasing importance of cultural issues create problems for Labour in the Red Wall.</p><ul><li>Although the government has made mistakes with the pandemic, public opinion has been fairly understanding.</li><li>Starmer hasn’t really been able to talk about anything other than the pandemic.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Who is in the biggest trouble in Scotland?</p><ul><li>Johnson faces big issues around the union, but in terms of electoral outcomes, it’s probably Starmer.</li><li>What would happen if a government without an English majority has to act as an English government again due to a crisis?&nbsp;</li><li>Johnson is particularly unpopular in Scotland.&nbsp;</li></ul><p><br></p><p>The Tories are worried about the union, but there aren’t obvious solutions.&nbsp;</p><ul><li>Northern Ireland is at the center of these problems.&nbsp;</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Mentioned in this Episode:</p><ul><li><a href=\"https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2021/01/uk-pandemic-deaths-100k/617811/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Tom McTague in <em>the Atlantic</em>, ‘Britain’s pandemic story can still be rewritten’</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/nick-timothy/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Nick Timothy in The Telegraph</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>Further Learning:</p><ul><li><a href=\"https://ukandeu.ac.uk/mps-values-out-of-sync-with-voters/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Are MPs out of sync with their voters?&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.talkingpoliticspodcast.com/blog/2021/304-what-is-the-union\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">What is the Union?&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.politico.eu/article/loathing-of-boris-johnson-fueling-surge-in-support-for-scottish-independence-poll/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">On Johnson’s unpopularity in Scotland</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/explainers-53724381\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">More on the Northern Irish Protocol&nbsp;</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>And as ever, recommended reading curated by our friends at the LRB can be found here: </strong><a href=\"http://lrb.co.uk/talking\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>lrb.co.uk/talking</strong></a></p>","author_name":"David Runciman and Catherine Carr"}