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Sun, 10 December 2023

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Tali Fraser

Tali Fraser

Hard to swallow: Westminster's appetite for the I'm a Celeb jungle
Culture
By Tali Fraser
Hard to swallow: Westminster's appetite for the I'm a Celeb jungle
Watching politicians eat Australasian offal has become a light entertainment staple. Tali Fraser explores Westminster’s appetite for the jungle
The Laura Farris interview: ‘My politics were a little more left leaning when I was young’
Communities
By Tali Fraser
The Laura Farris interview: ‘My politics were a little more left leaning when I was young’
Following her father as Conservative MP for Newbury, new minister Laura Farris tells Tali Fraser she won’t let tribal loyalty – or anything else – stop her from working to help victims of crime. Photography by Louise Haywood-Schiefer
Sajid Javid and the Samaritans: 'Suicide prevention training for MPs will save lives'
Health
By Tali Fraser
Sajid Javid and the Samaritans: 'Suicide prevention training for MPs will save lives'
“I really, genuinely think this kind of training for MPs will save lives,” says Sajid Javid, ahead of his event with the emotional support charity Samaritans in Speakers House tomorrow morning.
The Sir John Armitt interview: ‘I’m not sure the government is really serious about nuclear’
Home affairs
By Tali Fraser
The Sir John Armitt interview: ‘I’m not sure the government is really serious about nuclear’
Britain’s infrastructure tsar heavily criticised the cancellation of the second phase of HS2. Now Sir John Armitt intensifies his attack on the ‘governance’ holding Britain back in an interview with Tali Fraser
The John Glen interview: 'I am alarmed at the amount of tax'
Economy
By Tali Fraser
The John Glen interview: 'I am alarmed at the amount of tax'
Repairing public finances to cope with future shocks means Tories must endure the ‘discomfort’ of a rising tax burden, insists John Glen. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury talks to Tali Fraser about AI in public services, why the NHS needs to explain ‘intolerable’ variations in productivity, and his love of Peloton. Photography by David Bebber
Trussworld: What is life like for the former PM?
Home affairs
By Tali Fraser
Trussworld: What is life like for the former PM?
Liz Truss will take her place among other former PMs at the Cenotaph, unabashed at the brevity of her time in No 10 or the manner of her departure. Tali Fraser reports on the former Tory leader’s plans for the future
Why Britain’s AI minister isn’t a tech bro
Foreign affairs
By Tali Fraser
Why Britain’s AI minister isn’t a tech bro
Viscount Camrose, the government’s AI minister, has high hopes for the benefits of the technology. Tali Fraser asks what makes him so optimistic. Photography by Louise Haywood-Schiefer
The Bridget Phillipson interview: 'I don't believe life should come down to luck'
Education
By Tali Fraser
The Bridget Phillipson interview: "I don't believe life should come down to luck"
She became an MP aged only 26 – and then spent 13 years in opposition, much of it on the ‘wrong’ side of Labour’s factional conflicts. Now Bridget Phillipson is at the front of Labour’s stated ambition to smash the ‘class ceiling’. She tells Tali Fraser about her plans to help children reach their full potential from early years to university. Photography by Louise Haywood-Schiefer
The James Cleverly interview: 'Trump's particular style can be surprisingly effective'
Foreign affairs
By Tali Fraser
The James Cleverly interview: "Trump's particular style can be surprisingly effective"
Having entered government under Theresa May, James Cleverly is one of the Conservative Party’s great survivors. In an increasingly fraught world, he is having to call on all his political experience as Foreign Secretary. He talks Ukraine, the Global South and China with Tali Fraser. Photography by Louise Haywood-Schiefer
Church v State: how the Tories and the Bishops began to spar
Social affairs
By Tali Fraser
Church v State: how the Tories and the Bishops began to spar
For many years the Church of England and the Tory Party have had a strong bond. But as Tali Fraser reports, recent policies have set these two grand institutions on a collision course. Can the two sides agree to disagree? Illustration by Tracy Worrall
Who are the Liberal Democrats?
Political parties
By Tali Fraser
Who are the Liberal Democrats?
Buoyed by a succession of by-election wins, the Liberal Democrats have set their sights on becoming the third largest party in the Commons at the next general election. But as they grow in popularity, the question of what the party really stands for is becoming more pressing. Tali Fraser tries to answer it. Illustration by Tracy Worrall
The Daisy Cooper interview: 'Our only focus is winning as many seats as possible'
Home affairs
By Tali Fraser
The Daisy Cooper interview: "Our only focus is winning as many seats as possible"
Daisy Cooper thinks the time has come for the Liberal Democrats to change British politics; and says it will only come if the party takes the Tories head-on. She talks to Tali Fraser about what the party really stands for, its stance on Europe, and why she’s approaching the election with an athletic mindset. Photography by Louise Haywood-Schiefer
The Liz Kendall interview: “I don’t want to go back to 1997, let alone 1945”
Health
By Tali Fraser
The Liz Kendall interview: “I don’t want to go back to 1997, let alone 1945”
As shadow care minister, Liz Kendall has to come up with answers to an ageing society. She tells Tali Fraser about her mission to put social care on an equal footing with the NHS, why certain Conservatives have made her furious and what it’s like talking to your parents about death. Photography by Louise Haywood-Schiefer
“I would be a lot less forgiving if I were a student': The Lord Blunkett interview
Education
By Tali Fraser
“I would be a lot less forgiving if I were a student": The Lord Blunkett interview
As a former education secretary, and now a university professor, Lord Blunkett’s involvement in the education sector has spanned many decades. He talks to Tali Fraser about university strikes, his plans for a skills revolution, and the need for a long term consensus to do right by the next generation
The Gillian Keegan interview: 'People have the right to their own identity'
Education
By Tali Fraser
The Gillian Keegan interview: "People have the right to their own identity"
Gillian Keegan is not your typical Tory. A Liverpudlian who left school at 16, she has moved on from a successful career in business to become the Education Secretary. She talks to Tali Fraser about strikes, gender identity and how to disagree agreeably. Photography by Louise Haywood-Schiefer
Military to Member of Parliament: The experience of veterans in Westminster
Defence
By Tali Fraser
Military to Member of Parliament: The experience of veterans in Westminster
What is it like to transition from military service to being an MP? Tali Fraser meets parliamentarians from the network of veterans in Westminster to talk camaraderie, slang and safety concerns
The John Healey interview: 'We are falling short on our Nato obligations'
Defence
By Tali Fraser
The John Healey interview: "We are falling short on our Nato obligations"
Shadow defence secretary John Healey is determined to do better by our armed forces. He tells Tali Fraser it’s time for Britain to reboot defence plans, improve spending and restore the nation’s moral contract with its military. Photography by Wilde Fry
Cultivated meat: The potential future of food risks ruin from regulation
Environment
By Tali Fraser
Cultivated meat: The potential future of food risks ruin from regulation
Cultivated meat has been making headlines as a possible way to make food production more environmentally friendly, but as Tali Fraser discovers, those working on this innovation say they are being stymied by regulation
The deepfake dilemma: What happens when AI is used against politicians?
Social affairs
By Tali Fraser
The deepfake dilemma: What happens when AI is used against politicians?
AI-generated deepfakes are on the rise – and experts are warning that government is behind the eight-ball when it comes to legislating for the tsunami of disinformation that could follow. (All images are AI generated by Tali Fraser using Midjourney)
The Baroness Benjamin interview: 'When you smile, you are a winner'
Home affairs
By Tali Fraser
The Baroness Benjamin interview: "When you smile, you are a winner"
Arriving in Britain as a young girl from Trinidad, much-loved children’s TV presenter Baroness Floella Benjamin never expected to have any kind of relationship with the King, let alone play a key role in his coronation ceremony. She tells Tali Fraser about their connection to the Commonwealth, being let down on Windrush and why it pays to keep smiling. Photography by Louise Haywood-Schiefer
Health select committee chair: CAMHS failings break my heart
Health
By Tali Fraser
Health select committee chair: CAMHS failings break my heart
The chair of the commons select committee has said the state of child mental health services in the UK “breaks his heart” after an investigation by The House Magazine exposed severe delays and a de facto postcode lottery facing those seeking care.
Octopus boss Greg Jackson: The UK is going backwards on renewables
Communities
By Tali Fraser
Octopus boss Greg Jackson: The UK is going backwards on renewables
Greg Jackson has been working 14 days straight but he is not complaining. “This is what no one tells you about trying to launch an international company,” he jokes, “but I don’t mind by the way, I love my job.”
The Jonathan Reynolds interview: 'Vulnerability could and should be a universal standard'
Economy
By Tali Fraser
The Jonathan Reynolds interview: "Vulnerability could and should be a universal standard"
Jonathan Reynolds talks to Tali Fraser about a universal standard of vulnerability when it comes to energy policy – and his faith as a Christian where, he says, ‘questions of poverty and vulnerability are central’. Photography by Baldo Sciacca
The Kwajo Tweneboa interview: 'We’re meant to be in 2023. This is like Victorian slum housing”
Communities
By Tali Fraser
The Kwajo Tweneboa interview: "We’re meant to be in 2023. This is like Victorian slum housing”
Kwajo Tweneboa was forced to become an activist after watching his father die in a flat that was not fit to live in. He tells Tali Fraser about the pressure he’s under as he fights for a good home for all – and why he feels let down by Labour.
The Tristram Hunt interview: 'If people want to rewrite a museum label, great!'
Culture
By Tali Fraser
The Tristram Hunt interview: "If people want to rewrite a museum label, great!"
Director of the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum and former Labour MP Tristram Hunt talks to Tali Fraser about rewriting gallery labels, turning off Netflix and the lack of tech billionaire donors.
Photography by Louise Haywood Schiefer
The Mel Stride interview: 'In a tight labour market, every worker is really important'
Economy
By Tali Fraser
The Mel Stride interview: "In a tight labour market, every worker is really important"
A core member of the Prime Minister’s leadership campaign, Mel Stride, now Department of Work and Pensions Secretary, tells Tali Fraser about his review into why so many people have dropped out of the workforce – and how to bring them back.

Photography by Louise Haywood-Schiefer
Broken Britain: why Liverpool Walton is the Levelling Up frontline
Communities
By Tali Fraser
Broken Britain: why Liverpool Walton is the Levelling Up frontline
Liverpool Walton spans the city’s two football clubs and is home to a myriad of problems which makes the constituency the most deprived in the country. Tali Fraser reports
The Jonathan Ashworth interview: “We're going to shift power and resources out of Whitehall”
Economy
By Tali Fraser
The Jonathan Ashworth interview: “We're going to shift power and resources out of Whitehall”
Following his keynote speech setting out Labour’s plans for jobs and welfare, Jonathan Ashworth tells Tali Fraser about linking together health and employment services, his childhood experience of benefits and his determination to not become addicted to work.

Photography by Louise Haywood-Schiefer
The Treasury's Non-Functioning Token
Economy
By Tali Fraser
The Treasury's Non-Functioning Token
When the Treasury announced plans to launch its own non-fungible token, it caused a sensation on social media. Now, however, Tali Fraser hears the scheme may have hit the buffers
The Nusrat Ghani interview: 'It is more difficult now being an MP than it has been for a long time'
Parliament
By Tali Fraser
The Nusrat Ghani interview: "It is more difficult now being an MP than it has been for a long time"
From her background as a poorly child in Kashmir, industry minister Nusrat Ghani tells Tali Fraser how technology and medical innovation can have a tangible impact on people’s lives. Photography by Baldo Sciacca
The Chris Bryant interview: 'It is a bizarre irony that I am chair of the Committee on Standards'
Political parties
By Tali Fraser
The Chris Bryant interview: "It is a bizarre irony that I am chair of the Committee on Standards"
Chris Bryant has been through a few political scrapes, so recognises the irony that he is now chair of the Standards Committee. He tells Tali Fraser about the recent furore in the division lobbies, trying to hold his tongue and surviving cancer. Photography by Louise Haywood-Schiefer.
The Nadine Dorries interview: 'If I didn’t have a thick skin, I would be dead by now'
Political parties
By Tali Fraser
The Nadine Dorries interview: "If I didn’t have a thick skin, I would be dead by now"
Newly returned to the backbenches, former culture secretary Nadine Dorries tells Tali Fraser there are plenty more political scraps to come - and that she’s still Boris Johnson’s biggest cheerleader. Photography by Baldo Sciacca.
How disabled people face broken air travel - and broken wheelchairs
Social affairs
By Tali Fraser
How disabled people face broken air travel - and broken wheelchairs
The shine has come off air travel for most of us since the pandemic, but for disabled people wishing to take to the skies, flying is increasingly a frustrating ordeal. Tali Fraser reports.
Ed Davey interview: ‘I made my priority very clear and it is to beat Conservative MPs’
Political parties
By Tali Fraser
Ed Davey interview: ‘I made my priority very clear and it is to beat Conservative MPs’
As both leader of the Liberal Democrats and a carer to his son, Ed Davey has a lot on his plate. But, he tells Tali Fraser, he’s ready for a general election any time. Photography by Baldo Sciacca.
Lord McFall first Lord Speaker to visit Irish parliament
Parliament
By Tali Fraser
Lord McFall first Lord Speaker to visit Irish parliament
Lord McFall has become the first Lord Speaker to make an official visit to the Irish parliament and address their senate, the Seanad Éireann.
Parliament to host stem cell drop-in
Parliament
By Tali Fraser
Parliament to host stem cell drop-in
The blood cancer and disorder charity Anthony Nolan is holding a parliamentary drop-in as part of its drive to recruit stem cell donors.