Tim Shipman

In this special edition of Coffee House Shots, our political editor Tim Shipman is joined by historian, biographer and foreign policy adviser to four different prime ministers, John Bew. In his 7,000-word essay published in the New Statesman last week, John sets out the historical context which has contributed to the malaise and decline of the British state – and hypothesises that we are currently living in the ‘fourth great disruption’ to the political and economic order. He takes Tim through the previous three disruptions and the lessons that government needs to learn from them in order to stop the rot. Does the secret to forging a new place in the world order lie in fixing the machinery of government? Which figures from the past should we take inspiration from?

Two big topics on the agenda today as Keir Starmer has his pitch – again – on the cost of living. He told us towards the start of the year that every minute not spent tackling the cost of living was a minute wasted, so what has he been doing in all that time? Also today, ahead of her Mais Lecture this week, Rachel Reeves has been laying the groundwork for closer ties with the European Union. This does seem like a change of rhetoric from the Chancellor, who is openly suggesting that Brexit was a mistake. So what would closer ties look like? And is this the only lever that remains for her to deliver growth? James Heale and Tim Shipman discuss. Produced by Megan McElroy.

In this special edition of Coffee House Shots, Tim Shipman is joined by defence editor at the Economist, Shashank Joshi. Two weeks in to the conflict in Iran, they give the definitive take on where we are at, the range of scenarios that the UK government are preparing for, and – crucially – how it could all end. Produced by Megan McElroy and Oscar Edmondson.

This afternoon we have had the first tranche of documents released by the government relating to the process by which Peter Mandelson was chosen to be US ambassador. Whilst we have got a clearer picture on the big question – how much Starmer and the government knew about Mandelson’s association with Epstein – Labour are not out of the woods. Quotes from Jonathan Powell reveal that the vetting process was rushed and that – he thought – they didn’t dig deep enough. There is also the small matter of Peter Mandelson’s request for a payout of over half a million pounds. Oscar Edmondson, Tim Shipman and Isabel Hardman discuss. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

Tim Shipman is joined by Isabel Hardman to discuss the domestic fallout from the conflict in Iran – from oil prices surging past $100 a barrel to renewed pressure on Britain’s cost-of-living crisis. They examine how the rising price of energy could derail Labour’s economic plans, why Rachel Reeves may face difficult choices on fuel duty and support for households, and whether Keir Starmer has the political authority to navigate another economic shock ahead of the May elections.

Does Britain still have a coherent foreign policy? James Heale and Tim Shipman are joined by Ben Judah, former special adviser to David Lammy, and Ameer Kotecha, who recently resigned from the Foreign Office. Together they discuss why Britain’s diplomatic establishment is under growing criticism – from accusations that the department has become bloated and distracted by DEI, to Chagos and deeper concerns that Whitehall no longer has the expertise or strategic clarity needed in an increasingly unstable world. With wars raging from Ukraine to the Middle East and tensions rising with China, they ask whether Britain has adapted to a more chaotic global order – or whether the country is still operating with the assumptions of a different era.

It was a bad tempered PMQs today – Kemi Badenoch attacked Starmer over his involvement, or lack thereof with the Iran conflict. And Starmer hit back at Badenoch over her questions. Not the type of unity you'd want to see on the major foreign policy issue of the day. Also today, three more arrests have been made related to Chinese spy allegations. One of them is the partner of a Labour MP Joani Reid, who has said she is 'not part of' her husbands business activities. James Heale speaks to Tim Shipman and Isabel Hardman.

The fallout from America's audacious attack on Iran continues, and there are a whole host of questions for Keir Starmer. The prime minister has been accused of being slow to react, having initially confirmed that ‘the United Kingdom played no role in these strikes', Labour since agreed to allow the Diego Garcia and RAF Fairford bases to be used for ‘defensive’ strikes on Iranian missiles sites. This came after Tehran began to hit back at Britain’s regional allies. Is Britain about to be sucked into another costly war in the Middle East? Should the PM stand up to Donald Trump? And will America's attack result in regime change, or are things only going to get worse? James Heale speaks to Tim Shipman and Michael Stephens, Middle East expert.