Women With Balls
131 episodes - English - Latest episode: 11 days ago - ★★★★★ - 20 ratingsKaty Balls speaks to women at the top of their respective games, about their passions, their battles, and what makes them tick.
Katy Balls is Deputy Political Editor of The Spectator.
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Episodes
The Nadine Dorries Edition
April 28, 2022 06:00 - 45 minutes - 42.1 MBNadine Dorries is the Secretary of State for the Department of Culture, Media and Sports and MP for Mid Bedfordshire. After leaving school at 16, Dorries went on to become a nurse and an entrepreneur before entering politics at the age of 49. She was a minister in the Department of Health during the pandemic, and in her current role is leading five bills at DCMS through Parliament, including the controversial Online Safety Bill. On the podcast, she talks to Katy Balls about her plans for t...
Generation spent: can renters be better protected?
April 22, 2022 06:00 - 34 minutes - 31.3 MBThe cost of living is rising, as is the cost of renting. Zoopla estimates that rents are rising at the fastest rate in 14 years, which means that the average rent in the UK is now over £1000 a month. This is partly a pandemic effect, especially in London as people return to offices. But Covid has also shaken people’s financial security - the Citizens Advice Bureau found that more than one in three renters felt insecure about their ability to stay in their tenancy during the pandemic. And wo...
The Arlene Foster Edition
April 08, 2022 06:00 - 35 minutes - 32.8 MBArlene Foster is the former first minister of Northern Ireland and was leader of the Democratic Unionist Party from 2015 to 2021. She was the first woman to hold either position. Arlene moved into politics after joining the Ulster Unionist Party as a Law student at Queen’s University Belfast. Having grown up in conflict during the Troubles, she remembers an attempted murder of her father by the IRA. During her long career in politics, Arlene has consistently fought for the Union between Gr...
The Anji Hunter Edition
March 25, 2022 07:00 - 48 minutes - 44.6 MBAnji Hunter is the former gatekeeper to Tony Blair's Labour government. She was once described as the most influential non-elected person in Downing Street and became one of Blair's closest confidantes. Acting as an alliance broker, Anji worked across businesses and the media, including Murdoch's empire. After decades by Blair's side, Anji moved to the private sector to take up various roles across industries from BP to the Royal College of Engineering. As Boris Johnson welcomes the new Anj...
The Suella Braverman Edition
March 11, 2022 07:00 - 37 minutes - 34.4 MBSuella Braverman is the Conservative MP for Fareham and became the first female elected Attorney General in 2020. Formerly known as one of the Brext Spartans, she talks on the podcast, about growing up surrounded by politics where she first lay the foundations for a career as a Conservative politician. As a young woman, she studied law in Cambridge, the US and in Europe where she could excel as a linguist. Since taking her role as Attorney General, she made history by rewriting the law to ...
Online fraud: how best to fight back?
March 08, 2022 21:00 - 27 minutes - 25.2 MBDuring the pandemic, we spent more time online than ever before and this has seen a boom in online fraud. It's estimated that scam adverts have tricked 1 in 10 people on the biggest online platforms into paying for fake products. In 2020, almost 150,000 fraud cases were recorded with losses reported of up to £500 million. For the scammers, they will do anything to convince you to key in your card details and this problem has shown no sign of slowing down. The online safety bill is expected ...
The Fiona Hill Edition
February 25, 2022 07:00 - 43 minutes - 40.2 MBFiona Hill is the former director for European and Russian Affairs on the United States National Security Council. She has advised presidents Donald Trump, Barack Obama and George Bush. In November 2019, she testified at Trump's first impeachment hearing. On the podcast, she tells Katy about growing up in the North East and moving the America, meeting Vladimir Putin, working in Trump's White House, and why getting a perm was such a bad idea.
The Carolyn Harris Edition
February 11, 2022 07:00 - 26 minutes - 24 MBCarolyn Harris is a Welsh Labour Party politician serving as the Deputy Leader of Welsh Labour since 2018, and has been the Member of Parliament for Swansea East since 2015. On the podcast she talks to Katy about her three successful campaigns, menopause, and the time she accidentally turned on the No.10 Christmas lights.
The Emma Gormley Edition
January 28, 2022 07:00 - 29 minutes - 27.3 MBEmma Gormley is managing director of daytime at ITV studios, where she controls flagship shows on the channel such as Good Morning Britain, Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women. On the episode, she talks to Katy about what got her into broadcast journalism, the pressures of looking after some of the most popular shows on TV ('Having those four shows, which are juggernauts and are always in the press scrutiny, have A-lister talent... The role is everything'), and what it was like to work wi...
The Michelle Donelan Edition
January 14, 2022 07:00 - 23 minutes - 21.7 MBMichelle Donelan was elected in 2015 as a Conservative MP for Chippenham. Since then, she has been re-elected twice and has risen in her political roles. Starting as a member of the education select committee and becoming a whip, to then being appointed a minister, first of children and families, and then in the latest cabinet reshuffle, becoming minister of state for higher and further education. On the episode, Michelle talks about how she had decided on a career in politics at the age of ...
The Camilla Tominey Edition
December 31, 2021 11:51 - 35 minutes - 32.9 MBCamilla Tominey is known on both sides of the pond as one of the world's go-to Royal correspondents. She began her career in journalism at the Hemel Hempstead Gazette before moving to cover the Royals for the Daily Express and is now the associate editor at the Telegraph. On the episode, she talks to Katy about how studying law ended up inspiring her to get into journalism, the differences between coving politics and the Royal family and the perils of engaging on social media. 'I've been ac...
The Tzipi Hotovely Edition
December 17, 2021 07:00 - 29 minutes - 27.3 MBTzipi Hotovely is the current Israeli Ambassador to the UK. She was formerly a politician in Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, having climbed the ranks to become deputy foreign minister. On the episode, she talks to Katy about her 2,500 strong wedding reception, campaigning for mother's rights in Israel and what modern-day anti-Semitism look like. They also discuss the time when she had to be escorted out of the LSE for her own safety, in the face of an aggressive student protest. She refle...
The Bridget Phillipson Edition
December 03, 2021 07:00 - 27 minutes - 25.2 MBBridget Phillipson is the shadow education secretary and MP for Houghton and Sunderland South. On this episode, recorded just before Labour's last reshuffle where Bridget was promoted, she talks to Katy about what it was like to go to Oxford from a humble upbringing, how Labour can win the next election, and why she didn't take career advice from school telling her to be a fence-builder.
The Sarah Vine Edition
November 19, 2021 07:00 - 34 minutes - 31.5 MBSarah Vine is a columnist for the Daily Mail and formerly wife of Cabinet minister Michael Gove. On the podcast, Sarah talks to Katy about growing up in Italy, working her way up tabloid journalism (including what it was like to work for Paul Dacre), and her reflections on being a columnist with a politician (ex-)husband.
The Ruth Davidson Edition
November 05, 2021 06:00 - 35 minutes - 32.9 MBRuth Davidson is the former leader of the Scottish Conservatives and now sits in the House of Lords as the Baroness of Lundin Links. On the episode, she speaks to Katy about her happy upbringing as an active tomboy despite a near-death car accident at the age of five; her mother's reaction when she left the BBC to join the Scottish Tories ('she was appalled'); and gave a punchy defence of Theresa May ('I absolutely think the Party did her wrong').
The Nikki da Costa Edition
October 22, 2021 05:00 - 43 minutes - 39.5 MBNikki da Costa is the former director of legislative affairs at No 10 Downing Street. She served under Theresa May and Boris Johnson and was pivotal in the government's wrangles with Parliament over Brexit. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about why she and David Davis didn't quite get on; why she quit May's government and rejoined under Johnson; and what it was like to carry through her brainchild - the prorogation of Parliament - under scrutiny from the entire country and, eventually, the...
The Dehenna Davison Edition
October 08, 2021 05:00 - 30 minutes - 28 MBDehenna Davison is the MP for Bishop Auckland, and a rising star in Boris Johnson's 2019 'red wall' intake. On this episode, recorded just after Conservative party conference, Dehenna tells Katy about what it was like to lose her father to a pub brawl so young, getting her work marked in Latin by Jacob Rees-Mogg and her plans to go to a Taylor Swift concert with the Foreign Secretary Liz Truss.
The Sarah Rainsford Edition
September 24, 2021 09:40 - 35 minutes - 32.6 MBSarah Rainsford was a BBC foreign correspondent stationed in Moscow for 20 years until August when the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) declared Rainsford a national security threat. They expelled her from Russia and gave her only three weeks to pack up her things, bring home her husband and their dog. On the podcast, Sarah goes back to her youth to share how she fell into learning Russian and the adventures she got up to as a Cambridge student during her year abroad in St Petersburg d...
The Joanna Scanlan Edition
July 30, 2021 05:00 - 38 minutes - 35.1 MBJoanna Scanlan, an actress best known for her role of Terri in the The Thick of It, had a long and winding road before becoming a star of stage and screen. Born in Cheshire and moved to Wales aged three, she went to two convent schools before an Anglican school where she broke every possible rule she could. On the podcast she talks about her dreams of becoming an actor, working first at the arts council and as a lecturer whilst pursuing her love of acting. In her new film After Love, she pla...
The Trudy Harrison Edition
July 09, 2021 06:00 - 37 minutes - 34.4 MBTrudy Harrison is the Conservative MP for Copeland and currently works as the Prime Minster's Parliamentary Private Secretary. On the podcast, she talks about how when she was younger she always thought she'd be a nanny and how that maternal nature developed into her own childcare business, then local politics and finally the House of Commons. Trudy also bought in a bunch of her own home grown flowers for the podcast team, making her one of our favourite guests ever.
The Katie Perrior Edition
June 25, 2021 06:00 - 35 minutes - 32.4 MBKatie Perrior is a public relations expert who co-founded inHouse Communications. She's worked for two prime ministers and several senior Tory MPs, and today her clients include the spiritsmaker Diageo and the football Super League. On the podcast, she talks about leaning into Boris Johnson's rambunctious style on the London mayoralty campaign; coming into blows with Theresa May's chief advisors Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill; and, reflecting on the Super League disaster, how there are more lia...
The Polly Morgan Edition
June 11, 2021 05:00 - 34 minutes - 31.4 MBPolly Morgan is an artist whose trade is taxidermy. She recently won the First Plinth Award, and in her time has sold to celebrity clients including Kate Moss and Courtney Love. On the podcast, she tells Katy about her unusual childhood growing up on a farm with ostriches, goats and llamas; why she got fired by Prue Leith; and the ins and outs of taxidermy.
Saving for a rainy day: building financial resilience
May 28, 2021 06:00 - 37 minutes - 34.5 MBThe past year has served as a reminder how quickly one's personal circumstances can change. In uncertain times such as these, financial resilience is more important than ever. But whilst savings for some Brits have surged in the pandemic, it's not been the case for everyone. 41pc of UK households could not last more than three months without their main source of income. If you are in a bad place, what are the best steps? Katy Balls is joined by Tracey Crouch, Conservative MP and former mini...
The Katy Searle Edition
May 14, 2021 06:00 - 30 minutes - 27.8 MBKaty Searle is the Executive Editor of Politics at BBC News. She is known for overseeing numerous blockbuster political moments, including the infamous kitchen interviews with Ed Miliband and David Cameron, where the Labour leader showed off his two kitchens. On the podcast, she talks to Katy Balls about leaving school at 16, working with Rod Liddle on the Today programme and what it's like to produce interviews with prime ministers.
What's the solution to unaffordable housing?
April 30, 2021 06:00 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MBOver the last year of intermittent lockdowns, most of us have spent more time staring at the four walls of our living room than we ever thought possible. One of the biggest factors affecting someone's pandemic experience is the type of accommodation they're in, and 8.4 million people in England are living in unaffordable, insecure or unsuitable homes. There are, however, attempts being made to help fix the problem, with promises to build new homes, a stamp duty holiday, and a new mortgag...
The Nus Ghani Edition
April 16, 2021 06:00 - 36 minutes - 33.8 MBNusrat Ghani is the Conservative MP for Wealden, having previously served as a transport minister under the May then Johnson governments. On the podcast, she tells Katy Balls about her upbringing under a father who was a headteacher; how she narrowly escaped arranged marriage through university; and how it feels to be one of nine Brits to be sanctioned by the Chinese Communist Party.
Can apprenticeships solve the Covid jobs crisis?
April 02, 2021 06:00 - 36 minutes - 33.6 MBThe pandemic has changed many aspects of our lives but one of the biggest is the way we work– with 46% of people working from home last year. Perhaps no group has been more impacted by this than the young - from unemployment to the mental health pressures of working from small homes and a tough jobs market, this generation has been dubbed 'the Covid generation'. But at the same time there are also opportunities – could apprenticeships be part of the solution? On this sponsored podca...
The Elif Shafak Edition
March 19, 2021 06:00 - 39 minutes - 35.9 MBElif Shafak is an award-winning Turkish-British novellist, essayist and activist. On the episode, she talks to Katy about what it was like to grow up in conservative Ankara under the strong women in her family; her prosecution by the Turkish government; and why she thinks too much information is not necessarily a virtue.
The Rachel Reeves Edition
March 05, 2021 07:00 - 40 minutes - 36.9 MBRachel Reeves is the Labour MP for Leeds West and the shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about being a teen chess champion (pictured playing), going to a school where her mum worked and what Labour needs to do to turn its losing streak.
The Suzanne Moore Edition
February 19, 2021 06:00 - 44 minutes - 40.5 MBSuzanne Moore is a journalist. On the podcast, she tells Katy about interviewing to work for Marxism Today, feeling out of place at The Guardian, and standing to be an independent MP.
The Mims Davies Edition
February 05, 2021 06:00 - 36 minutes - 33.3 MBMims Davies is the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Employment and the MP for Mid Sussex. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about how her family became lifelong carers when her dad was attacked at work, about why she didn't come out as a Tory in her student days at Swansea University and why her change of seat in the 2019 election was not all that it seems.
The Claire Williams Edition
January 22, 2021 06:00 - 37 minutes - 34.2 MBClaire Williams OBE is the former Deputy Team Principal of Williams, family-run the Formula One racing team set up by her father, Frank Williams. On the podcast, she talks about what it was like to be seen as 'Frank's daughter', the struggles of trying to turn around an ailing F1 team and how none of her family actually passed their driving test, first time.
The Christina Lamb Edition
January 08, 2021 06:30 - 54 minutes - 50.2 MBChristina Lamb is an award-winning journalist who has reported on conflicts and politics across the world for more than three decades. Her latest book is Our Bodies, Their Battlefields, highlighting especially the treatment of women in war.
The Barbara Amiel Edition
December 11, 2020 06:00 - 58 minutes - 54 MBBarbara Amiel, Baroness Black, is a journalist, writer and socialite. She's been married four times - her fourth to the newspaper proprietor Conrad Black. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about her difficult childhood (which she describes as 'slightly unorthodox'), establishing her journalistic career in Toronto and London, comparing bathrooms with Ghislaine Maxwell, her glamorous marriage to Black and their fall from grace when he was jailed for fraud. Her new book, Friends and Enemies: A ...
The Gillian Keegan Edition
November 27, 2020 07:00 - 41 minutes - 38.4 MBGillian Keegan is the minister for apprenticeships and skills, and Conservative MP for Chichester. She previously worked at Natwest, Mastercard, Travelport and Amadeus.
The Alice Bunn Edition
November 13, 2020 15:53 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MBDr Alice Bunn is a scientist and international director at the UK Space Agency. She tells Katy about falling in love with the stars, finding the right career and the threat of space debris.
The Anneliese Dodds Edition
October 30, 2020 06:00 - 39 minutes - 36.5 MBAnneliese Dodds is the shadow chancellor. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about protesting tuition fees in a university exams hall, life before politics, forcing Rishi Sunak into the Commons on his birthday, and whether the Conservatives are spending too much money.
The Rachel Johnson Edition
October 16, 2020 06:00 - 37 minutes - 34.1 MBRachel Johnson is a journalist, author and broadcaster. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about what it was like to go to a boys' boarding school, why university had been so eye-opening after her childhood, her brief foray into politics for Change UK, and the worst pieces of advice she's ever got (both from her mother).
The Louise Haigh Edition
October 02, 2020 05:00 - 31 minutes - 29 MBLouise Haigh is the shadow secretary of state for Northern Ireland. On the podcast, she talks to Katy Balls about her family's political roots; quitting university after not fitting in; her reflections on nominating Jeremy Corbyn for Labour Party leader; and being offered a job with a spider on her shoulder. Presented by Katy Balls
The Emily Sheffield Edition
September 25, 2020 05:00 - 39 minutes - 36.5 MBEmily Sheffield is the editor of the Evening Standard. She was formerly deputy editor at Vogue, and has started her own journalistic venture at This Much I Know. She also happens to be sister of Samantha Cameron. On the podcast, she talks about the real story behind why she was kicked out of Marlborough as a teenager (spoiler: it was unrequited love gone wrong); battling sexism on her first day at the Guardian; and her two pennies on Sasha Swire's diary. Presented by Katy Balls.
The Sarah Sands Edition
September 11, 2020 06:00 - 37 minutes - 34.2 MBSarah Sands is the former editor of the Today programme. On the podcast, she talks to Katy Balls about her departure from the Sunday Telegraph after just nine months as Editor; giving John Humphreys a pay cut; and what it was like to find out on election night that the Boris Johnson government intended to boycott Today. Presented by Katy Balls.
Women in finance: can technology help bridge the gap?
July 17, 2020 05:00 - 36 minutes - 33.9 MBAs technology becomes ever more part of our daily lives, banking is no different. You might have already used some ‘fintech’ innovations like Monzo and Klarna. The flexibility of fintech can particularly help women in their day-to-day lives, but if that’s the case, why is some fintech mostly used and created by men? In this special episode of Women With Balls, Katy Balls is joined by her panel to discuss these issues and more. With Nicky Morgan, Baroness of Cotes, a former Conservative ...
The Chloe Smith Edition
July 03, 2020 05:00 - 27 minutes - 24.9 MBChloe Smith is the Conservative MP for Norwich North and minister at the Cabinet Office. She entered parliament at the age of 27 and rose through the ranks quickly. In 2012, she was interviewed by Jeremy Paxman in what has been described as a 'car crash interview' when she was sent out to defend then-Chancellor George Osborne's U-turn on fuel duty. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about what it was like to do that interview and the aftermath, why she proposed to her husband, and what it was...
The Joanna Trollope Edition
June 19, 2020 05:00 - 29 minutes - 26.6 MBJoanna Trollope is an award-winning novelist, whose books have sold more than eight million copies worldwide. She's known best for her novel, The Rector's Wife, which was adapted into a TV series. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about the expectations on her as a girl growing up in the 40s, how stay at home mums can still be feminists, and how, as she gets older, she finds she gets her way more. Click here to try 12 weeks of the Spectator for £12 and get a free £20 Amazon gift voucher.
The Sunetra Gupta Edition
June 05, 2020 05:00 - 29 minutes - 27.2 MBSunetra Gupta is Professor of Theoretical Epidemiology at the University of Oxford. An expert in the fight against infectious diseases, she is the lead scientist behind the Oxford study that disputed Imperial College's dire coronavirus predictions. She is also a novelist and translator. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about her writing and how it was inspired by her intellectual father; her dispute with the mentor of Imperial College's Neil Ferguson; and how she has found being in the publ...
The Kate Forbes Edition
May 22, 2020 05:00 - 36 minutes - 33.6 MBKate Forbes is an SNP MP and the Scottish Finance Secretary. She stepped in at the last minute when her predecessor, Derek MacKay, was suspended from the party on the day of the Budget. On the podcast, she talks about her international upbringing and how that relates to her nationalism, what it was like to step in for the Budget on that day, and how she squares her faith with politics. Get a month's free trial of The Spectator and a free wireless charger here. Presented by Katy Balls.
Time to start saving – how to make the best of uncertainty
May 08, 2020 05:00 - 32 minutes - 29.8 MBThe economic impact of coronavirus is already felt keenly by many people. A large chunk of the population is having to dig into its savings to cover for lost income. But what if you don't have much in the piggy bank in the first place? Often, the discipline to save gets overtaken by events. With two fifths of adults having less than £500 in savings, what can be done to encourage people to think about their lifetime savings more? With Mims Davies, Minister for Employment; Lord David Willetts...
The Ruby Wax Edition
April 24, 2020 05:00 - 26 minutes - 24.3 MBRuby Wax is an actress, comedian, and mental health campaigner, for which she received an OBE. On the podcast, she tells Katy about her difficult upbringing which put Carrie Fisher's to shame, the moment she realised she couldn't act, and her campaigning work, especially during these stressful times. Presented by Katy Balls.
Controlling lives, controlling money: how to tackle financial abuse
April 10, 2020 05:00 - 34 minutes - 31.6 MBDomestic abuse services are braced for an avalanche of new cases as a result of social distancing. Of these cases, not all have or will be physically violent - instead, Women's Aid reports a significant proportion of cases in which access to money was used as a form of control. In the government's Domestic Abuse Bill, economic abuse will be for the first time recognised as a form of coercive control. So how can it be identified, and how can the women and men who are its victims be helped? ...
The Lisa Nandy Edition
March 27, 2020 06:00 - 30 minutes - 27.7 MBLisa Nandy is the Labour MP for Wigan and former shadow energy secretary. She is one of the remaining three contenders for Labour leader. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about her childhood ambitions, cross-party friendships, and the worst advice she's ever been given. Presented by Katy Balls.