Michael Gove

Nigel Farage has resigned as MP for Clacton and will fight a by-election in an attempt to turn questions over his finances into a referendum on ‘the people vs the establishment’. Is this a political masterstroke or a mistake? Has Farage taken back control of the narrative, or will the row over undeclared money continue to plague Reform? Michael and Maddie also discuss whether Dominic Cummings’s prophecy – that the establishment would try to destroy Farage by fair means or foul – has come true. Plus: Prince Harry has suffered a bruising defeat in court against the Mail. What does the ruling tell us about press freedom? Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

In this week’s Q&A: as Bridget Phillipson and Kemi Badenoch clash over Labour’s education policy, Michael asks whether he is a ‘spiteful class warrior’ too. He has written before about his scepticism over the charitable status of some of the country’s elite academic institutions, arguing that they should do more to earn it – but does he regret his comments? Also this week: as Britain edges closer to life under Burnham, Michael and Maddie discuss who is really pulling the strings behind the famous black door. What is a chief of staff: a vital part of the machinery of government, or a civil servant with an inflated sense of importance? Plus: Ken, Boris or Sadiq – who will be remembered as the best mayor of London? Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

This week: Burnham’s strategy – or lack of one – a ‘number ten of the North’ and why immigration is the real test.What is so wrong with the South: Andy Burnham thinks devolution is the answer to Broken Britain, but does his diagnosis amount to an actionable plan for government? And does his focus on the North come at the expense of some of Britain’s most deprived areas? Michael knows the machinery of levelling up better than anyone and Madeline was in the room as Burnham made his big pitch – they give their verdict. Plus: Shabana Mahmood’s immigration muddle. After a row with junior minister Mike Tapp, the Home Office has announced plans for new safe and legal routes for asylum seekers, modelled on the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

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.