Coffee House Shots

Burnham vs Reform: why Makerfield matters

18 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 fer...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 17/05/2026

17 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows.Lisa Nandy backs Keir Starmer, as ministers resign and potential leadership c...

'It's an orgy of chaos': Steve Baker on how to oust a Prime Minister

15 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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...

LIVE: Steve Reed on Streeting, Burnham & what happened to levelling up?

15 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Wesignation: does Streeting have a plan?

14 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 Secr...

Waiting for Wes: inside Labour’s leadership crisis

14 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

If it’s not Keir, it’s Carns | Mike Tapp MP

13 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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....

Starmer says put up or shut up

12 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Keir Starmer’s big pitch is ... more of the same

11 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 ton...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 10/05/2026

10 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows.The results are in, and it's not looking good for Labour.How long will Keir S...

Should he stay, or should he go? | with Maurice Glasman

09 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

The local elections winners & losers, in 10 mins

08 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Local elections briefing: what you need to know as Reform sweeps the country

08 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 Hartlep...

The greatest political books ever: how many have you read?

07 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 b...

Are the Greens repeating Corbyn's mistakes?

06 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 epis...

Who will survive the local elections?

05 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 03/05/2026

03 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows.Politicians react to potential bans on Palestine marches, in the wake of the ...

LIVE: The Fight for the Right | Nick Timothy & Claire Coutinho vs Danny Kruger & Matt Goodwin

01 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 e...

Why did the assisted dying bill fail? | Lord Moore vs Lord Falconer

30 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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...

The end of the peer show

30 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Starmer vs the basics of politics

29 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Does Keir Starmer have confidence in Rachel Reeves? Kemi Badenoch pressed the Prime Minister on his Chancellor’s future at PMQs – and he declined ...

Morgan McSweeney faces the music

28 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a blockbuster day in parliament today. To kick things off, we had Philip Barton pleading ignorance; to close the proceedings tonight we have a ...

Can the King handle Trump?

27 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

King Charles is about to travel to Washington to visit President Trump. The brief? Fix the strained relationship. No pressure! Can royal diplomacy ste...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 26/04/2026

26 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows.President Trump survives another potential assassination attempt, as shots ri...

'I used to be Labour. No more.' – who will win Wales?

25 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Is Labour about to lose Wales? That’s what the polling suggests. After 27 years, Wales is seeking change. The beneficiaries look to be the outsiders...

Is Lord Hermer fit to be Attorney General?

24 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The long-debated assisted dying bill is expected to fail in the House of Lords today – described by the bill's leading advocate Lord Falconer as fai...

‘Worse than the worst of Boris Johnson’ – are Labour turning on Starmer?

23 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Somewhere in the documents surrounding Peter Mandelson’s ambassadorial appointment, the Spectator's political editor Tim Shipman reveals, is a text ...

'When, not if' – who will move against Starmer?

22 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It will come as no surprise that Keir Starmer appears to have heard a very different evidence session from Sir Olly Robbins to the one everyone else t...

Why Olly Robbins testimony is 'quietly devastating' for Starmer

21 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

'The most gripping testimony' since Dominic Cummings which could prove 'extraordinary and quietly devastating' for Keir Starmer. That's the verdict of...

'They expect us to believe this?' – Starmer’s Mandelson story doesn’t add up

20 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Westminster is braced ahead of two key interventions in the Mandelson scandal. This afternoon, the prime minister will give a statement in which we un...

'When not if': why the Lib Dems are aiming for second – with Al Pinkerton MP & Mark Pack

19 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Liberal Democrat peer Mark Pack and MP for Surrey Heath Al Pinkerton join James Heale to explain that it is a matter of 'when not if' the party become...

Danny Kruger: Reform’s plan to tear up the system

18 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Danny Kruger joins James Heale to set out Reform’s plan to overhaul the British state – from taking on the civil service to restoring ministerial ...

Mandelson latest: can we trust Starmer's ignorance?

17 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Peter Mandelson scandal just got more scandalous. Last night the story broke that Mandeslon actually failed his enhanced vetting before being made...

Inside parliament’s ‘summer of sex’ | Cindy Gallop & Cleo Watson

16 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It is a hard time to be a Labour MP. The polls are flagging, the economy is stagnating and the Middle East remains in crisis. But facing electoral arm...

Why won't Starmer answer the question!?

15 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

PMQs is back and – predictably – Lord Robertson’s intervention on the state of the armed forces dominated proceedings. The Prime Minister gave s...

Are the Treasury & the MOD at war?

14 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

George Robertson (pictured), a former defence secretary and former NATO secretary-general, has accused the government of 'corrosive complacency' towar...

Keir Starmer thinks he's Henry VIII

13 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Two big stories to chew over on today’s podcast, starting with Viktor Orban’s landslide defeat in Hungary. The left have been celebrating this as ...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 12/04/2026

12 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows.No end in sight to the conflict in the Middle East, as negotiations in Pakist...

Will Labour lose Wales?

11 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

With one month to go until the local and regional elections, Megan McElroy and James Heale have hit the road with Luke Tryl and Louis O'Geran of More ...

Left turn: who should Reform target?

10 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Gawain Towler, Reform UK board member and their former director of communications, sits down with James Heale to talk about Reform's appeal ahead of t...

The 'Anglo-Gaullism' debate | Ben Judah

09 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In the magazine this week, Ben Judah – former adviser in the Foreign Office – makes the case for ‘Anglo-Gaullism’. He says that Britain should...

Antonia Romeo takes on the civil service

08 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The new cabinet secretary, Antonia Romeo, has published a list of objectives setting out her vision for what the civil service will look like under he...

Iran deadline: is it too late for Trump to back down?

07 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We are hours away from Donald Trump’s deadline for Iran to reopen the strait of Hormuz. The President has ‘chickened out’ many times before and ...

Hero voters: who should Labour target? with Chris Curtis MP & Deborah Mattinson

06 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Labour won the 2024 general election in part by focusing on ‘hero voters’ – so called because they may have voted Labour in the past but felt th...

Why is Starmer so unpopular? with Lewis Goodall

04 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Opinion polls consistently show Keir Starmer as one of the most unpopular Prime Ministers in history. His critics point to inertia and a lack of visio...

Conservative radicalism: who should the Tories target? with Jack Rankin MP

03 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Can the Conservatives win back voters' support through a new kind of 'conservative radicalism'? Jack Rankin, Conservative MP for Windsor, joins James ...

EU déjà vu: the emergency brake is back!

02 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Charles Grant from the Centre for European Reform and Tim Shipman join James Heale to reflect on the rumours about Britain's latest set of negotiation...

Will Trump pull the US out of NATO?

01 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump has said he is 'strongly considering' pulling the US out of NATO, in comments made to the Telegraph – and it doesn't appear to be an Ap...

Why is Britain so exposed to rising energy prices?

31 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The IMF has warned Britain is particularly vulnerable to another spike in energy prices, and is more exposed than many of its European neighbours. Why...

Where does Labour's centre of gravity lie?

30 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Patrick Maguire, chief political writer at The Times, sits down with Tim Shipman for a reflection on Labour's odd year so far. From potential leadersh...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 29/03/2026

29 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows.The Iran conflict has reached its second month. Figures from across the polit...

LIVE: Should we defund or defend the BBC? | Michael Gove & Jon Sopel v Charles Moore & Allison Pearson

28 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Should we defund – or defend – the BBC?Live from London, the Spectator hosted a debate on the future of this iconic British institution,...

Energy crisis: are we in 1973 territory?

27 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The panic has set in around the cabinet table about this energy crisis, and fears of history repeating itself. Tim Shipman writes in the magazine abou...

The curious case of Morgan McSweeney's missing phone

26 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Questions are being asked about Morgan McSweeney's missing phone, which he reported stolen to police last year. What might seem like a minor case of p...

To drill or not to drill, that is the question

25 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In the final Prime Minister's Questions before Easter recess, Kemi Badenoch pushed Keir Starmer to commit to new oil & gas drilling licences. The Cons...

Should we brace for another financial shock?

24 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Britain’s response to the conflict in Iran is dominating Westminster – but is Keir Starmer really keeping the country out of war? After a tense Li...

It’s Ed Miliband’s world – and we’re living in it

23 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Three big stories are on the agenda this morning: the war in Iran has dominated over the weekend, with Trump now failing to conceal his feelings towar...

On the road with Nigel Farage

21 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This week James Heale and Tim Shipman share a byline to tell the story of Reform since the 2024 election, and where they are going. Nigel Farage revea...

LIVE: is it time for a Tory-Reform pact?

20 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

As Reform chips away at the Tory vote, the Conservatives face a stark choice – join forces with Nigel Farage or fight alone. James Heale, ...

Britain’s decline – and how to reverse it | with John Bew

19 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this special edition of Coffee House Shots, our political editor Tim Shipman is joined by historian, biographer and foreign policy adviser to four ...

Is Angela Rayner staging a coup?

18 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Angela Rayner has entered the chat. Last night she gave a speech to Labour members which many are reading as the soft launch of her leadership bid. Sh...

Net Zero vs AI: can Reeves convince Miliband?

17 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Chancellor will deliver the annual Mais lecture today and is expected to focus on closer alignment with the EU, AI and improving Britain's economi...

Is Labour sleepwalking back to the EU?

16 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 ev...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 15/03/2026

15 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows.As the queue of stationary oil tankers builds up around the Strait of Hormuz,...

Is the government right to restrict jury trials?

14 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The government's plan to restrict jury trials passed its first parliamentary hurdle this week. It is one measure, amongst many, in a Bill designed to ...

The Mandelson scandal exposes Starmer’s greatest flaw | with Gabriel Pogrund

13 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today we are delighted to be joined by the Sunday Times’ Gabriel Pogrund, whose book – Get In, which details Starmer’s rise to power – is out ...

How will the Iran war end? | with Shashank Joshi

12 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In a 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 ...

Starmer should be honest about why he picked Mandelson

11 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Is the special relationship over?

10 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said today will be the most intense day yet of American strikes on Iran. Over the weekend, Donald Trump clai...

Is Keir Starmer good in a crisis?

09 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 re...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 08/03/2026

08 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows.Is the UK already too implicated in an illegal war? Or does Keir Starmer’s ...

Why we quit the Foreign Office | Ben Judah & Ameer Kotecha

07 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 Ame...

Green surge: could Labour lose London?

06 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Deputy political editor James Heale and deputy editor of The House magazine Sienna Rodgers join Patrick Gibbons to discuss the challenge the Greens po...

Iran: has Starmer alienated Britain's allies?

05 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

As the conflict in the Middle East escalates, the British government continues to face questions about its response. Was the UK too slow to act, and i...

Labour humiliated by Chinese spy arrests

04 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Spring statement: everything you need to know

03 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel Reeves has today delivered her much anticipated spring statement, her opportunity to address the looming energy crisis, the uncertainty in the ...

Iran: is Starmer doomed to repeat Blair's mistake?

02 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 ac...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 01/03/2026

01 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows.Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is dead, as the US and Israel continue to strike targe...

LIVE: The Spectator’s Alternative Covid Inquiry

28 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

As the official Covid Inquiry comes to an end, the Spectator has convened a panel of our own experts to ask the questions that the Inquiry didn’...

How Gorton & Denton changed British politics | with Luke Tryl

27 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In the end, it was not even that close. The Green party has stormed to victory in Gorton and Denton, winning their first ever parliamentary by-electio...

Green victory in Gorton and Denton

27 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Greens have taken Gorton and Denton, defeating both Labour and Reform in the early hours of this morning. Hannah Spencer’s victory marks th...

Spring statement: Reeves' last throw of the dice?

26 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Polls are open in Gorton and Denton for the by-election but as we eagerly await the result we thought we’d discuss economics, because looking ahead ...

Badenoch rattles Starmer – but are they as bad as each other?

25 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Megan McElroy unpacks a rowdy PMQs with Tim Shipman and Isabel Hardman. Kemi Badenoch made Keir Starmer uncomfortable over student loans but – at a ...

Peter Mandelson haunts Labour

24 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Overnight, Peter Mandelson has been released on bail after being arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.He has not commented publicly in...

SEND plans: 'cost-cutting or reform'?

23 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Bridget Phillipson has unveiled Labour’s long-awaited overhaul of the special educational needs and disabilities system – a £4 billion reform des...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 22/02/2026

22 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows.The Jeffrey Epstein fallout continues, Trump rebukes the Supreme Court with n...

Why by-elections matter – with Iain Dale & Jon Craig

21 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Two titans of broadcasting – LBC’s Iain Dale and Sky's Jon Craig – join deputy political editor James Heale for a whistle-stop tour of British b...

Andrew's arrest spells trouble for Labour

20 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been released under caution after he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office – the image of him sat ...

How prepared is Britain for war? – with Gen Sir Nick Carter

19 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

General Sir Nick Carter, former chief of the defence staff, joins Tim Shipman to discuss Britain's military preparedness – or rather, lack thereof. ...

Is Reform now part of the ‘orthodoxy’?

18 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It is Robert Jenrick’s big day out today. The newly-minted Reform ‘shadow chancellor’ made his first speech this morning, where he had the chanc...

Nigel Farage unveils his shadow cabinet

17 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Reform UK is no longer a one-man band. Nigel Farage has unveiled Reform's four spokesmen for the “great offices of state” at a press conference in...

Can Starmer protect the country (and himself)?

16 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Following a weekend at the Munich Security Conference, there have been reports that the Prime Minister is set to sign off on a huge increase in defenc...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 15/02/2026

15 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows.European allies say Russia is responsible for Alexei Navalny's death. And the...

Starmer, Mandelson & HMT: why Gordon Brown has never been more relevant

14 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

James Macintyre joins James Heale to discuss his new biography of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown: Power With Purpose. While the boo...

Can Starmer escape his problems in Munich?

13 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Keir Starmer has headed to Germany for the Munich Security Conference to meet allies and discuss defence, NATO and the war in Ukraine. He is expected ...

Is Antonia Romeo what the civil service needs?

12 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When a PM is in crisis, what do they do? Sack the head of the civil service. Having lost both his Chief of Staff and Director of Communications at the...

Keir Starmer gets angry

11 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

PMQs today and – as predicted – Keir Starmer came out worst in a pretty unpleasant session. Kemi Badenoch pinned the Prime Minister on the continu...

Is Starmer back from the brink?

10 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

After a dramatic day in Westminster, the threat to Starmer appears to have receded – at least in the short term. But with the Gorton and Denton by-e...

McSweeney resigns – is Starmer next?

09 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Morgan McSweeney resigned yesterday as Keir Starmer’s chief of staff and – while it was not a surprise, given his role in appointing Peter Mandels...

Morgan McSweeney quits - Sunday Roundup

08 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows.Morgan McSweeney has resigned as Keir Starmer's chief of staff, just hours af...