This is Spectator Radio and you're listening to Women with Balls, presented by Katie Balls.

Hello and welcome to Women with Balls, where I, Katie Balls, talk to today's trailblazers.

Today I'm delighted to be joined by Claire Fox. Fox is a writer and broadcaster, director and founder of the Academy of Ideas, regular

panellist on the BBC's moral maze, and as of the weekend, the Brexit Party MEP for the

North West England. A libertarian, Fox has spoken out frequently on the need for free speech

and minimal government control in all parts of our lives. She has drawn criticism in her quest

to do this, once suggesting that the government should not ban people from watching ISIS

videos. A former member of the revolutionary Communist Party, Fox has spoken of how surprised she

was to find herself in the same party as former UKIP leader Nigel Farage when she joined the Brexit party.

I've spent my whole life fighting for left-wing causes, so I can tell you no one is more

surprised than me to be standing as a candidate for Nigel Farage's Brexit party.

To be honest, Nigel and I are unlikely to agree on a range of issues, workers, women's rights,

immigration, public services.

But, and it's a crucial but, on the key question of implementing Brexit, no ifs, no buts.

On the crucial issue of honouring democracy, Nigel and I agree wholeheartedly.

So thank you very much for joining us, Claire.

Before we move on to the main bulk of the podcast, you've obviously had quite a weekend.

As of Bank Holiday Monday, you are now an elected politician and you were going to Brussels

somewhere where I wouldn't say you

particularly have much of a soft spot for what's it like to be an elected politician well first of all

I love Brussels the city so that'll be exciting and it's got some great museums but no I have never

been in the European Parliament and I never wanted to go and I wanted to leave so the idea that I'm not going to have to spend some time there is peculiar.

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