Michael Gove

Watch The Brexit Debate in full at https://www.spectator.com/brexit Ten years on from the Brexit referendum, Britain is far from taking flight. Was Brexit a mistake – or are its promised freedoms simply yet to be realised? With the government unwilling to act boldly, smoothing Brexit’s edges rather than seizing its opportunities, are we quietly edging back into Europe’s embrace? This is a section of our special live event marking ten years since the referendum. Prominent critics of Brexit – barrister and former Conservative MP Dominic Grieve KC, and Spectator columnist Matthew Parris – will propose the motion ‘This house believes Brexit was a mistake’, with leading advocates, former Brexit Party MEP Baroness Claire Fox and Spectator Editor Michael Gove, opposing.

In this special edition of Quite right!, Michael Gove and Rachel Johnson revisit the argument that divided British politics – and their own families – as the tenth anniversary of the Brexit referendum approaches. Rachel, who campaigned for Remain, gives her verdict on what Brexit has really delivered: not the buccaneering liberation Leavers promised, nor the apocalypse warned of by Project Fear, but something she calls ‘a bit meh’. Michael, makes the case that the benefits of sovereignty are still accumulating – from AI and gene editing to financial services and regulation. Have either of them changed their mind?  Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

This week: Keir Starmer’s legacy, Andy Burnham’s next move – and should there be a general election? With the Makerfield by-election just days away, Michael Gove is joined by Rachel Johnson to ask whether an Andy Burnham victory would spell the end of Keir Starmer’s premiership. Could Starmer really fight on – or is the Labour party heading for a regicidal ‘bloodbath’? They discuss Starmer’s record in government, whether Labour has become the ‘welfare party’, and if Burnham could offer the party anything more than a political glow-up. Also on the podcast: Kemi Badenoch’s revival, the threat from Reform, and whether the right is actually ready for a general election. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

This week: the Henry Nowak case, two-tier policing – and what the latest Mandelson files reveal about Labour. After the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak, Michael and Madeline ask whether the police response exposed something deeply wrong in British policing. Has the fear of being accused of racism distorted the way institutions respond to victims? And does this case reveal a wider crisis of confidence in whether the police can act without fear or favour? They also discuss the latest revelations from the Mandelson files. What do the messages tell us about Labour’s welfare problem, Pat McFadden’s private frustrations and Wes Streeting’s views inside government? Has Labour become ‘the Benefits Party’ – and are there still secrets buried in the Mandelson files?

This week: what makes a great battle? From Waterloo, Trafalgar, the Battle of Britain to Stalingrad, Michael and Maddie discuss what separates a decisive victory from a merely dramatic one, and why great military leaders still matter. Also on the podcast: after Dominic Cummings claimed the Manchester mayor was not a formidable opponent, Michael reflects on facing Burnham across the despatch box. Can Burnham survive the leap from local hero to national leader? And finally: do celebrity endorsements actually move the dial?

Maurice Glasman returns for the second part of his conversation with Michael and Maddie – this time to ask whether the Makerfield by-election could write Labour’s obituary notice. As Andy Burnham prepares to take on Reform in one of Labour’s old heartlands, Maurice explains why this contest will reveal whether working-class affection for the party still survives. He discusses Nigel Farage’s rise, why Reform has been able to make such deep inroads into Labour territory and whether Burnham can really persuade voters that he speaks for them. They also discuss the future of the Labour leadership, why Maurice thinks Shabana Mahmood is ‘head and shoulders’ above the other contenders and whether the party can escape what he calls its ‘progressive palsy’.

Maurice Glasman, Labour peer and founder of Blue Labour, has spent years warning that Labour has lost touch with the people it was created to represent. In the first of a two-part conversation on Quite right!, he joins Michael and Maddie to explain why he thinks Keir Starmer’s project was never really Labour at all – and why the party’s working-class traditions have been replaced by progressive liberalism.They discuss Labour’s roots in community, sovereignty and the dignity of work; how Brexit exposed the divide between Labour and liberalism; and whether Starmer’s response to Southport marked a turning point.

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 in Place – the challenges they face, the lessons that Labour is trying to learn from Conservative mistakes, and why continuity matters when it comes to governing.

This week: Keir Starmer’s leadership is in crisis. As pressure builds on the Prime Minister, Michael and Madeline ask whether Starmer can survive the rebellion now gathering pace in his own party. They discuss the runners and riders who could replace him, from Wes Streeting and Angela Rayner to Andy Burnham – and the risks each would pose for Labour. Could Burnham find a safe seat? Would Streeting trigger open warfare with the left? And would a change of leader mean anything beyond a change of name? Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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 all sides – including to the Tories in Westminster. So what can we interpret so far? Will Starmer get the message and will the herd move against him? Michael Gove speaks to Tim Shipman, James Heale and Charlotte Pickles, chief executive of thinktank Re:State, at this morning’s Coffee House Shots breakfast briefing.

Katie Lam is one of the brightest lights of the Conservative party. Frequently tipped as a future leader, her interventions in the House on immigration and the grooming gangs scandal have won her a large following on social media – and, inevitably, led to constant links with a defection to Reform. On Quite right!, Katie sets out why she is a Conservative and why the Tory party is still the best vehicle for change. She gives her reaction to the defection of Rob Jenrick – who she backed as Tory leader in 2024 – and explains why they are not speaking any more. They also discuss the grooming gangs and why Westminster flinched from tackling this scandal, before considering immigration and the million-pound question of how many will actually have to leave.