Podcast
Daily political analysis from The Spectator’s top team of writers, including Tim Shipman, James Heale, Michael Gove, Isabel Hardman and many others.
Daily political analysis from The Spectator’s top team of writers, including Tim Shipman, James Heale, Michael Gove, Isabel Hardman and many others.
Coffee House Shots
The second tranche of messages related to the vetting of Peter Mandelson to be UK ambassador to the US were released on Monday – the gift that keeps on giving. Tim Shipman joins Patrick Gibbons to discuss his political column, which reveals some of the messages from Darren Jones MP which should have been included…
Play 16 mins
Coffee House Shots
In PMQs today, Kemi Badenoch strategically chose not to talk about the Henry Nowak case given the sensitivity surrounding the subject. Instead she opted for welfare – asking the PM why spending has grown during Labour’s government. A statistic some Labour MPs seemed proud of… Nigel Farage however didn’t hold back and clashed with Keir
Play
Coffee House Shots
Canvassing in Makerfield continues at pace ahead of the by-election in two weeks time, so we dispatched Megan McElroy and James Heale to the north to report from the ground. They discuss each party’s ground game, why it looks like a Labour–Reform shoot-out, whether Restore will split the vote on the right and – most
Play 8 mins
Coffee House Shots
As Parliament returns from recess, the latest files related to Peter Mandelson’s appointment as UK ambassador to the US are due to be released today. How bad could they be for Labour? Tim Shipman joins James Heale to discuss – has the self-styled ‘Prince of Darkness’ proven to be more a ghost of Christmas past
Play 21 mins
Coffee House Shots
There have been a number of critiques of Tony Blair’s 5,000-word intervention on Labour and the country this week, but none more astute than Lord Wood’s. One of Labour’s foremost thinkers, Lord Wood joins James Heale for this special edition of Saturday Shots to discuss where Blair is right, where he is wrong, and why
Play 18 mins
Coffee House Shots
When it comes to political vision, Keir Starmer’s premiership has been something of a vacuum – and power abhors a vacuum. So cue Tony Blair, who this week has rushed in with a 5,000-word essay on what is wrong with Labour and, depending on who you listen to, either an outdated or radical view of
Play 15 mins
Coffee House Shots
More than 600,000 16 to 24-year-olds are neither in work nor looking for a job. Youth worklessness is now costing Britain £125 billion a year – almost double the country’s entire defence budget. Those are the findings of Alan Milburn’s new review into youth worklessness, who warns that the UK is facing an ‘urgent national
Play 13 mins
Coffee House Shots
Andy Burnham is the man on everyone’s lips in Westminster. As he campaigns to return to parliament in the Makerfield by-election, Tim and James bring you the definitive guide to Burnham – and what could happen next. They’re joined by Joshi Herrmann, founder and editor of Mill Media, whose profile of Burnham had Westminster buzzing
Play 30 mins
Coffee House Shots
Peter Murrell, the SNP’s former chief executive and Nicola Sturgeon’s estranged husband, has admitted embezzling £400,000 in party funds. The guilty plea has revived questions about what senior figures in the SNP knew, how long the scandal had been going on, and what happens next. To discuss the story, including some of the ridiculous purchases
Play 12 mins
Coffee House Shots
Andy Burnham has officially launched his campaign today to be MP for Makerfield (read: Prime Minister). But what does he actually stand for? We’ve had briefings that, despite being the candidate of the soft left, he will stick to Rachel Reeves’s fiscal rules and keep Shabana Mahmood’s immigration reforms. He’s flirted with nationalisation of utilities,
Play 16 mins
Coffee House Shots
For nearly two decades, net zero has sat at the heart of Britain’s policy agenda. Once framed as a clear moral imperative, it saw political parties promising to slash carbon emissions and ministers racing to position the UK as a leader on the international stage. But as economic pressures and global instability mount, that consensus
Play 22 mins
Coffee House Shots
After a turbulent few weeks, Westminster is in limbo. Keir Starmer appears safe – for now – after Wes Streeting’s underwhelming resignation speech, and all eyes are turning to the Makerfield by-election on 18 June. Until then, the drama seems to have temporarily gone out of Labour’s leadership turmoil. Isabel Hardman and Noa Hoffman join
Play 15 mins
Coffee House Shots
Andy Burnham’s campaign for Makerfield is already gathering pace, complete with Oasis soundtrack to a new campaign video. But as Labour’s would-be challenger tries to pitch himself as the man to replace Keir Starmer, questions remain over his economic credibility. Michael Simmons and Tim Shipman join Noa Hoffman to Burnham, the bond markets, and if
Play 13 mins
Coffee House Shots
The by-election in Makerfield is shaping up to be one of the most consequential contests in recent political history. On paper, the seat should be fertile ground for Reform: heavily Leave-voting, older than average and exactly the sort of ‘left behind’ constituency Nigel Farage hopes to win. But there is one complicating factor: Andy Burnham.
Play 25 mins
Coffee House Shots
On today’s Saturday shots, James Heale is joined by former Conservative MP Steve Baker to discuss the fallout from Wes Streeting’s resignation and the ‘orgy of chaos’ that has ensued. Steve takes James inside the dark arts of a Westminster coup: why numbers matter, why you should pay attention to individual grievances, the importance of
Play 12 mins
Coffee House Shots
In today’s podcast, Michael Gove is joined by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed, at a Spectator event titled ‘Levelling Up vs Pride in Place’, sponsored by Autodesk. They discuss the evolution of government plans to empower local communities – from Big Society to Levelling Up and now Pride
Play 20 mins
Coffee House Shots
After days of deliberation, Wes Streeting has finally quit Keir Starmer’s government. At the stroke of 1 p.m., the Ilford MP resigned as Health Secretary in a two-page letter that laid out his differences with the Prime Minister. He details, at length, the results the pair have achieved in government and says they offer ‘good
Play 17 mins
Coffee House Shots
Wes Streeting is/was expected to make his move today for the Labour leadership – but does he have the numbers? There was some frantic briefing last night, with competing claims about who has the required number of MPs and who might be prepared to give up their seat to Andy Burnham. It almost takes us
Play 16 mins
Coffee House Shots
In this special edition of Coffee House Shorts, Noa Hoffman is joined by Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Home Office minister Mike Tapp. On a day of high drama in Westminster, with Wes Streeting widely expected to challenge Keir Starmer for the leadership tomorrow, Mike sets out exactly why he’s sticking with the Prime
Play 20 mins
Coffee House Shots
The Prime Minister is digging his heels in. Keir Starmer has told his cabinet that he is not going anywhere, despite a growing list of MPs calling for him to go. At 9.30 a.m., Starmer was greeted by his senior ministers, many of whom now believe the game is up. So is this his ‘put
Play 13 mins
Coffee House Shots
Keir Starmer has given what was billed as a make-or-break having spent the weekend under fire from his own party. He tried to strike a more urgent tone, promising bigger arguments, closer ties with Europe (which is basically already happening) and action on British Steel (subject to consultation). But with Labour still haemorrhaging votes on
Play 23 mins
Coffee House Shots
As the full picture of the local elections emerges, Labour faces a dilemma: stick with Keir Starmer, or put forward an alternative. Calls for Starmer to resign have intensified, and we are braced for MPs to stick their heads above the parapet this weekend. The message from the Prime Minister is that he ‘will not
Play 11 mins
Coffee House Shots
This is your evening local elections update delivered by James Heale, Tim Shipman and Noa Hoffman – all in just 10 minutes. As results come in across the country, they take each party in turn. Have the Greens done as well as we all thought they would? Is this proof that Reform have not reached
Play 10 mins
Coffee House Shots
It’s results day, and Nigel Farage is the local elections winner – again. A wave of teal has swept the country, stealing Labour seats from Hartlepool to Havering. This election was sold by insurgent parties as a referendum on Keir Starmer and the story of Labour’s election so far is that they’re haemorrhaging votes on
Play 33 mins
Coffee House Shots
It’s polling day! Tim and James take the opportunity to go through their favourite political books ever, fiction and non-fiction. They discuss the books that have shaped their understanding of politics and make the case for the top spot. Is your favourite on the list? Have you read their number one? And which rankings would
Play 40 mins
Coffee House Shots
As voters prepare to go to the polls in a set of local elections that could redraw the political map, we examine the ‘outsiders’ on today’s episode – starting with the Greens. After Zack Polanski’s grilling on the Today programme, are the Greens facing the same scrutiny that once engulfed Labour under Jeremy Corbyn? Also
Play 18 mins
Coffee House Shots
The local elections are nearly upon us. Political editor Tim Shipman and deputy political editor James Heale bring you the one-stop shop podcast with everything you need to know ahead of the day. What could happen to Keir Starmer, what will a really bad day look like for Labour, and is the political map about
Play 12 mins
Coffee House Shots
The Conservative party was once the natural political home for those on the right. No longer. The Tories’ vote share collapsed at the 2024 general election and the party, under new leadership, has since been outflanked by Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. Earlier this week, The Spectator pitted the Conservatives, represented by Nick Timothy and Claire
Play 28 mins
Coffee House Shots
The assisted dying bill has stalled in the House of Lords – but is it dead, or merely delayed? After weeks of fraught debate, multiple amendments and accusations of filibuster, supporters of the bill are considering whether it could return to the Commons – and whether the Parliament Act might ultimately be used to force
Play 30 mins
Coffee House Shots
Hereditary peers have left their red leather benches for the final time. The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act became law earlier this year, which removes all hereditary peers’ right to speak and vote in Parliament by virtue of their family ties. Critics have described their role as indefensible, but others accuse Labour of political
Play 16 mins