Blog
Quick Reaction to Kwasi Kwarteng's "Mini" Budget
- 23 Sep 2022
I was on a plane to Jersey (no, not visiting my money!) when Kwasi Kwarteng was on his feet in the Commons. It wasn't exactly a "mini" budget, more of a "We don't care if you don't like us, we're going to do it anyway" budget. "Courageous", as Sir Humphrey might say. Timing...
We Can Be Proud Of Our Country
- 19 Sep 2022
Today really will mark the end of one era and the beginning of another. I'm so proud of the way the country has reacted to the death of Her Majesty. With very few exceptions, a huge amount of respect has justly been shown to her memory. The sight of the queues of people to pay...
A Few Reflections on the Last Few Days
- 12 Sep 2022
Harold Macmillan once said ‘Events, dear boy, events, when asked what the most troubling things about his premiership were. Liz Truss would no doubt sympathise. She won the Tory leadership on Monday, traveled to Balmoral to be appointed by the Sovereign to be Prime Minister. O...
My Memory of September 11 2001
- 11 Sep 2022
Twenty one years ago today, Al Qaeda committed a terrible act of terrorism in the United States, something which has gone down in history as 9/11. I think we all remember where we were when we found out about it. I was sitting at my desk on the balcony at Politico’s talking...
Goodbye Boris, Hello Liz
- 4 Sep 2022
I’ve been of voting age for 42 years. I’m used to having prime ministers who are in office for a long time. For 35 of those 42 years we had prime ministers who served for at least six years. Latterly we’ve had three PMs who’ve only managed only three each. Historically, this i...
When Podcasts Interview Iain... My Podcast Archive!
- 25 Aug 2022
Someone said to me I should collate all my different podcast interviews in one place, so here goes. These are all appearances I have made on other people's podcasts, not my own! I've added links to listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, but if you use another podcast platfor...
'Iain Dale All Talk' Podcast Episode List
- 25 Aug 2022
In August 2019 I launched a new podcast called IAIN DALE ALL TALK. During my Edinburgh Fringe show I was inundated with people asking if they could listen to the interviews if they weren't able to attend the shows themselves, so we decided to release them all on a podcast. And...
Iain Dale's Book Club Podcast - Episode List
- 25 Aug 2022
Iain's Book Club podcast was launched in September 2018. Each week (sometimes twice a week) Iain interviews some of the most interesting authors in the country with new books out. And there's the occasional bonus episode or an author interviews from the archives. ...
Edinburgh Fringe Diary Days 6-10
- 19 Aug 2022
I dubbed the Wednesday of my Edinburgh run, ‘Super Wednesday’, as it involved hosting three shows rather than two. I was actually quite anxious about it as two of the interviews involved Nicola Sturgeon and Jeremy Corbyn, both of who have the ability to be quite tricky intervi...
What I Really Said About Nicola Sturgeon & Her Critics
- 16 Aug 2022
I don't know what has got into the water supply but for the last week I have been under attack for things I haven't said and don't believe.. That's Twitter for you, I suppose, but it's incredibly frustating to read stuff which is simply a lie. It all stems from the interview I...
Edinburgh Fringe Diary: Days 4 & 5
- 12 Aug 2022
Monday proved to be quite a day here at the Fringe. The first show was with Rory Bremner, who was everything I knew he would be. In fact, I barely had to ask a question! He was an absolute joy to listen to, and his impressions were as spot on as ever. He also talked about ...
Edinburgh Fringe Diary Days 1-3
- 7 Aug 2022
My Edinburgh experience started early on Friday morning. I finished doing my regular stint with Jacqui Smith on Good Morning Britain at 7am and was then driven to Kings Cross station to get the 8.30 train to Edinburgh. I normally fly, but thought this time I’d let the train ta...
Have We Misjudged Liz Truss?
- 31 Jul 2022
It’s been quite a week in the Tory leadership contest with Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss continuing to knock ten bells out of each other. Sometimes the person who wants something most is the person who prevails, at least that is how it seemed last Sunday in the ITV debate. Rishi S...
Taking the Plunge Into an Orchestra Pit [UPDATED]
- 24 Jul 2022
I’ve spoken at quite a few literary festivals over the last couple of years, but Buxton International Festival is my favourite. Buxton is a sublimely beautiful town and the organizer of the books side of the festival, Victoria Dawson, is a delight to deal with...
Tips for the Conservative Leadership Hustings
- 24 Jul 2022
The way some people are talking, the Tory leadership campaign is already over. They seem to believe that Tory members have made up their minds that Liz Truss is the woman who can win them a fifth general election. I would suggest that is far from the case. My experience fro...
60th Birthday Photo Gallery
- 22 Jul 2022
Fr Friday 15 July marked my 60th birthday. It started at Good Morning Britain, then Jeremy Vine, and at lunchtime I held a drinks and canapes reception on the roof terrace at The Hippodrome. After that a small group of us went for afternoon tea at the Clermont, and then on ...
Second Tory Minister Confirms Penny Mordaunt Was Never in Favour of Self-ID & My Analysis of the Tory Leadership Contest So Far
- 17 Jul 2022
The Character Assassination of Penny Mordaunt Continues... In all my years in politics I have never seen such an attack on a British politician in a leadership contest. The whole of the right of centre press has, with the encouragement of several of the other candidates, tr...
Celebrating my 60th Birthday
- 17 Jul 2022
I had been dreading July 15 2022 for quite a few years. And then it came. On Friday. I turned 60. Why was I dreading it? After all, we’re told that 60 is the new 40. If only… Part of me was intending to just ignore it. Treat it as just another day, no party, no celebration,...
The Tory Leadership Runners & Riders: My Take for The Telegraph
- 10 Jul 2022
Party leadership contests often come down to being between a ‘change’ candidate and one who promises more of the same. This time, a key dividing line maybe between candidates without a huge amount of government experience and those who have been vocal adherents of the policies...
Reflections on the Vote of Confidence in Boris Johnson
- 6 Jun 2022
Tonight’s vote is a numbers game. That may seem like a statement of the bleedin’ obvious, but it’s not just about the Prime Minister winning a majority of one. Churchill once said a win is a win and one is enough. In normal circumstances that might be true, but we are not in n...