Michael Gove

Michael Gove

Michael Gove is editor of The Spectator.

Q&A: Do the Tories need a bigger kicking?

30 min listen

To submit your urgent questions to Michael and Maddie, visit spectator.com/quiteright. In this week’s Q&A: do the Conservatives need an even bigger kicking? After their worst defeat in generations, they debate whether the party has really changed – or whether voters still see a gap between what it says and what it does. Also this

The truth about England’s ‘New Towns’

At the end of last week, the government suggested there should be resonant names – that evoked the grandeur of past heroes – for seven magnificent New Towns to be built across England. Just as Clement Attlee had envisioned a new Jerusalem after years of Tory neglect, so Labour would once again build the wholly

Coexistence or ‘dominance’? The political Islam debate

50 min listen

This week: the row over political Islam and a bigger question beneath it. After Nick Timothy’s comments on public prayer in Trafalgar Square caused a political firestorm, Michael and Madeline ask whether Britain can still have an honest debate about faith, free speech and the public square. Where is the line between coexistence and an

Q&A: The Greens’ secret weapon – and what happened to liberalism?

30 min listen

To submit your urgent questions to Michael and Maddie, visit spectator.com/quiteright. In this week’s Q&A: the Green party and the rise of new MP Hannah Spencer. Does a softer, more appealing political style mask something more radical beneath the surface – and is that precisely the secret of the party’s growing success? Also this week:

What’s the point of Keir Starmer? – and the Lords vs the Commons

42 min listen

This week: the stark question of Keir Starmer’s leadership. After a bruising week in Westminster – from fresh revelations about the Mandelson appointment to renewed scrutiny of the Prime Minister’s governing style – they debate whether Starmer’s cautious, process-driven approach is becoming a political liability. Will Labour move to replace him? Also on the podcast:

Q&A: Has the Equality Act created a ‘hierarchy of victimhood’?

35 min listen

To submit your urgent questions to Michael and Maddie, visit spectator.com/quiteright. In this week’s Q&A, Michael and Maddie ask whether Britain is driving its young and ambitious abroad. As more professionals head to places like Dubai in search of opportunity, they debate whether the real problem lies not with those who leave, but with the

‘MPs are just not good enough’ – Munira Mirza on Boris, Starmer and Britain’s leadership crisis | part two

42 min listen

This is the second part of Michael Gove’s conversation with Munira Mirza. After reflecting in part one on multiculturalism and the fractures in modern Britain, this second instalment turns to the question of leadership, and the lessons both Boris and Starmer should learn. Munira reflects on Boris Johnson’s premiership, describing him as ‘a better man

‘MPs are just not good enough’ – Munira Mirza on Boris, Starmer and the need for leadership | part two

Reform’s succession plan – and should Palestine Action be banned?

53 min listen

This week, Michael and Maddie consider Reform UK’s succession plan. With Nigel Farage unveiling his new shadow cabinet, attention shifts to the bigger question: who comes after him? Is Reform preparing for life beyond its founder – and if so, who stands ready to inherit the crown? Also this week, they examine the fallout from

Nigel Farage unveils his shadow cabinet

Q&A: Should Britain abolish the monarchy?

27 min listen

To submit your urgent questions to Michael and Maddie, visit spectator.com/quiteright. In this week’s Q&A, Michael and Maddie ask whether Britain should abolish the monarchy. In the wake of fresh controversy surrounding members of the royal family, they debate whether scrapping the institution would be a long-overdue democratic correction – or a profound strategic mistake.

Labour crisis: ‘Starmer is more like Boris than people admit’

45 min listen

This week: Michael and Maddie examine the crisis engulfing the Labour party and ask whether Keir Starmer is facing a Boris-style collapse of authority. They explore what could be to come in the continued fallout from the Peter Mandelson affair, the rebellion over the release of government files, and what Starmer’s pattern of scapegoating aides

Q&A: Is Rishi Sunak English – or British?

25 min listen

To submit your urgent questions to Michael and Maddie, visit spectator.com/quiteright. In this week’s Q&A, Michael and Maddie unpack the controversy over whether Rishi Sunak is English or British – and why a debate about national identity has become so politically charged. Is Englishness a civic identity, an ethnic one, or something more elusive? And

Q&A: Why Rwanda failed – and were the Tories serious about migration?

28 min listen

To submit your urgent questions to Michael and Maddie, visit spectator.com/quiteright. In this week’s Q&A: Michael and Maddie tackle Labour’s uneasy majority and ask why a government with a 174-seat majority already looks so skittish. Are backbench rebellions a sign of weakness – or a rational response from MPs who expect to be out in