Coffee House Shots

Did Boris's No. 10 have a women problem?

01 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today the Covid inquiry heard from Helen McNamara, former deputy cabinet secretary (who infamously supplied a karaoke machine for one of the governmen...

Did anything new come from the Covid inquiry?

31 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Fraser Nelson speaks to Michael Simmons about the second phase of the Covid inquiry, looking at political governance. Attending the inquiry today was ...

What’s the point of the Covid inquiry?

30 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Covid inquiry enters its most dramatic week, questioning Martin Reynolds (a.k.a. 'Party Marty'), as well as former No. 10 advisors Lee Cain and Do...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 29/10/23

29 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows. Israel's ground invasion has begun. We hear the latest response from the go...

Can Conservatism fix its pathway of decline?

28 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As the government faces a general election defeat, is there a home for traditionally conservative thinkers? An international branch of new right Conse...

Will Starmer cave in to calls for a Gaza ceasefire?

27 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Keir Starmer is under mounting pressure from his party to back a call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Palestine conflict. The week began with the Labour...

Can Starmer change the subject?

26 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Keir Starmer has had a difficult week, trying to keep his party on message over the war in Israel and Gaza. The official position is that Israel has a...

Keir Starmer’s Israel problem is growing

25 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today, Keir Starmer held a long meeting with some Muslim Labour MPs over their concern on his stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict, first ignited by co...

Labour's foreign policy problem

24 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Natasha Feroze speaks to Stephen Bush and Katy Balls about some of the geopolitical problems that lie ahead for Labour. Will David Lammy have to roll ...

One year on: does Sunak have anything to celebrate?

23 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week marks one year since Rishi Sunak entered No.10. Faced with the weekend's double by-election defeat, Labour's lead in the polls and another b...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday roundup - 22/10/2023

23 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from this week's political shows. Some aid has been allowed into Gaza, but the situation is still dire. We hear fr...

What can we hope to learn from the Covid inquiry?

21 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week there have been some interesting developments in the public Covid-19 inquiry where scientists and mathematical modellers have been giving te...

Are the Tories facing a 97’ style defeat?

20 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Labour has overturned the Tamworth and and Mid Bedfordshire by-election results, overturning the biggest majority in by-election history. Is there any...

Sunak tells Israel: ‘We want you to win’

19 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today Rishi Sunak joined Benjamin Netanyahu for a joint press conference in which he pledged support to Israel. Netanyahu thanked him for his, ‘stro...

Has inflation stuck?

18 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

September's inflation data was released today, and showed that it was at the same level as August. Is inflation getting stuck a problem? Cindy Yu talk...

Has Humza Yousaf turned things around?

17 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

At his first speech as SNP leader at the party's conference, Humza Yousaf gave a policy-filled address. He hasn't had an easy start to his leadership,...

How long can the cross-party consensus on Israel hold?

17 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

So far, both major parties in the UK have aligned on their approach to the Israel-Gaza conflict, but can the Labour party really hold their position, ...

What does the government mean by 'Texas-style justice'?

16 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk has been talking about bringing 'Texas-style justice' to the UK in his latest proposals for reform of the prisons system....

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 15/10/23

15 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from today's political shows.This week it's all about the Israel-Palestine conflict. An Israeli government adviser ...

What is Israel's army capable of?

14 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

James Heale speaks to foreign policy expert Sophia Gaston and defence correspondent Sean Rayment about what could be Israel's next steps, the strength...

The winners and losers of this year’s conference season

13 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Conference season is over, so we thought that we’d run through this year’s winners and losers. Did Rishi Sunak manage to present himself as the Ac...

Why did Lisa Cameron defect to the Tories?

12 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Lisa Cameron MP has quit the SNP to join the Conservative party, just days before the SNP holds its party conference in Aberdeen. What does this say a...

Can Labour really overhaul the NHS?

11 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, said in a speech today that this NHS must ‘modernise or die’. But will a Labour government under Keir ...

If not the Tories, why Labour?

10 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Keir Starmer's leadership speech today in Liverpool didn't get off to the best start after a protestor ran onto the stage and dumped glitter all over ...

Rachel Reeves goes for growth

09 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It was Rachel Reeves's moment on day two of Labour party conference. Addressing the hall she detailed her ambitious plans for growth and vowed to stic...

How's the mood at Labour conference?

08 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's the first day of Labour party conference and whilst the mood is buoyant the story that has dominated the weekend is of course the Hamas attack on...

Is Rishi Sunak right about Rwanda?

08 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Cindy Yu is joined by immigration minister Robert Jenrick, Fraser Nelson and Kate Andrews to discuss the Rwanda plan and whether it can truly stop the...

Has Brexit Failed?

07 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Seven years after the Brexit vote, Katy Balls is joined for a fringe panel from the Conservative Party Conference to discuss if voting to leave the EU...

Scottish Labour moves right – and wins

06 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Labour has secured a resounding win against the SNP in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election with a swing of 20.4%. Fraser Nelson speaks to Kat...

What's behind the PM's plan to axe A-levels?

05 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

One of the announcements made in Rishi Sunak's conference speech was to scrap A-levels in favour of a qualification which includes compulsory English ...

Rishi Sunak's conference speech gamble

04 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After spending most of his conference refusing to say much at all, Rishi Sunak used his speech to make three big policy announcements on HS2, smoking ...

What's going on with HS2?

03 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's day three at Tory conference and the story that won't go away is HS2. Rishi Sunak insisted in his media round this morning that a decision has no...

Are the Tories preparing for opposition?

02 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman and James Heale discuss day two of the Conservative party Conference. From Jeremy Hunt's speech, to Mark Harper's Hs2 dodge and a swell...

Coffee House Shots Live: Who would vote Tory?

02 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Spectator’s Fraser Nelson, Katy Balls and Kate Andrews are joined by special guest Frank Luntz for a live recording of Coffee House Shots from T...

How's the mood at Tory conference?

02 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's day two at Tory conference and the mood seems muted and lacking in energy. This is in direct contrast to Rishi Sunak who appeared to have fire in...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 01/10/23

01 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows. Rishi Sunak is in the limelight as the Conservative party conference begins...

When conferences go wrong

30 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Conservative party conference begins in Manchester this weekend. Where have conferences gone wrong for previous Tory party leaders, and what will ...

Is the UK doomed to be a high tax country?

29 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tax levels in the UK are at their highest since records began 70 years ago and are unlikely to come down, or so says the Institute for Fiscal Studies ...

What’s behind Labour’s private school U-turn?

28 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Another day, another U-turn. But this time it's Labour, who have changed tack on their plans to end charitable status for private schools. Labour lead...

Would Labour grant more oil licences?

27 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The UK's largest untapped oil and gas field has been given the green light in a move that has been criticised by Labour, although Keir Starmer has sai...

Is Suella after the Tory leadership?

26 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Suella Braverman is in Washington today, giving a speech to a think tank on illegal migration in which she will argue that seeking asylum and seeking ...

Is Sunak helping Starmer on HS2?

25 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rishi Sunak is on his tour of hard truths, saying the unsayable on areas of policy where he believes his predecessors didn't want to be honest with th...

Is it time to take the Lib Dems seriously again?

24 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Conference season has kicked off this weekend with the Liberal Democrat conference in Bournemouth. Buoyed by their success in the recent by-elections,...

What’s next for the Murdoch empire?

23 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rupert Murdoch stepped down as chairman of News Corp and Fox News this week. But is this really the end of Murdoch’s career? ‘I can guarantee you ...

Why can’t Hunt cut taxes?

22 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jeremy Hunt said yesterday that it would be ‘virtually impossible’ to cut taxes in 2023. James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Kate Andrews about w...

What is Sunakism?

21 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rishi Sunak is being attacked by Conservative and Labour politicians for choosing to delay some of Britain’s climate commitments. But is his new app...

Why Sunak wants to dilute net zero

20 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rishi Sunak is set to give a speech this week outlining changes to the government's environmental policies. The plans to phase out new petrol and dies...

Will Starmer soften Brexit?

19 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Keir Starmer is in Paris today. It's a bid to 'look statesman-like', Katy Balls says, but also underlines where a Labour government would take British...

What Liz Truss’s big speech was really about

18 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Liz Truss took the stage this morning for her first major intervention on the economy since leaving No. 10. Her speech at the Institute for Government...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 17/09/23

17 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman hosts highlights from Sunday morning's political shows. Electoral campaigns are soon to begin in earnest, and Labour is talking tough o...

How America’s 2024 election will affect Britain’s

16 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For the first time since 1992 the US and the UK will have elections in the same year, and – for the first time since 1964 – there is a real chance...

Is it right to cut back HS2?

15 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The government is reportedly looking into whether it should cut the second phase of HS2. But with so much money having already been pumped into the pr...

What is Starmer’s small boats plan?

14 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Keir Starmer today unveiled Labour’s plan to stop illegal migration. Trying to deport migrants to Rwanda is a waste of money, he said – the millio...

Is Labour the party of the pensioner?

13 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

At PMQs, neither Labour nor the Tories wanted to commit to keeping the state pension triple lock. Have the two parties, awkwardly and unofficially, re...

Will Rishi axe the pensions triple lock?

12 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rishi Sunak has refused to commit to keeping the pensions triple lock in the next Conservative manifesto. What’s behind his equivocation? And, if th...

'Chinese spy' arrest – what we know so far

11 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Over the weekend, it was reported that a parliamentary researcher was arrested on suspicion of spying for China. The accused has released a statement ...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 10/09/23

10 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman hosts highlights from Sunday morning’s political shows. After Daniel Khalife's escape from HMP Wandsworth this week, the focus is on ...

Is Humza Yousaf a people-pleaser?

09 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Lucy Dunn for the latest update on Scottish politics. Humza Yousaf has been on a 'reset'. But critics claim the S...

India trade deal: is this what Brexit was for?

08 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rishi Sunak has landed in Delhi ahead of the G20 summit this weekend. He will be hoping to smooth the way for a new free trade deal with India. What d...

Tories face ninth by-election – are they ruined?

07 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Conservative MP Chris Pincher has resigned following the Commons decision to refuse his suspension appeal. Follow Nadine Dorries's most recent res...

Was Truss doomed to fail?

06 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It was the first PMQs since the summer recess today and Labour were on the attack, comparing the Tory government to 'cowboy builders' over the ongoing...

Who’s to blame for the concrete crisis?

05 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The government is struggling to change the story. After Gillian Keegan yesterday said, about the concrete crisis, that ‘everyone else has sat on the...

Who's in and who's out as Keir reshuffles his shadow cabinet?

04 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has reshuffled his shadow cabinet but just who has made it in and who has been moved aside?James Heale speaks to Katy B...

How did the Tories not see the school concrete crisis coming?

04 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Parliament is back from recess and the row which will be dominating MPs inboxes is the school concrete crisis, which has disrupted the start of term f...

What does Theresa May want?

02 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Theresa May's new book, Abuse of Power, will not be a gossip-fuelled account of her time in No. 10. Instead, it'll be an account of how powerful peop...

Who is Claire Coutinho?

31 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rishi Sunak may have shelved his plan for a big reshuffle but we have had some cabinet changes today. Grant Shapps has taken his fifth cabinet positio...

Can Cleverly handle China?

30 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

James Cleverly is in Beijing, a decision which he has been pushed to defend in a clip given to the BBC. Much has changed in the five years since a Bri...

Who will take Nadine Dorries’s seat?

29 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Nadine Dorries’s seat in Mid Bedfordshire has a majority of 25,000. With the Boris Johnson ally now leaving Parliament, the seat is set to be a thre...

Does Nadine Dorries have a point?

28 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Nadine Dorries resigned from Parliament over the weekend, writing in a letter to Rishi Sunak that the Conservatives have been ‘corrupted’, and acc...

The problem with the Tories’ ‘local heroes’

26 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Are the Tories right to pick local candidates, over Westminster favourites, to be their next generation of MPs?Cindy Yu speaks to Fraser Nelson and Ja...

Why is Rishi delaying his reshuffle?

24 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rishi Sunak is reportedly going to delay a planned major reshuffle. A Cabinet switch-up was expected next month, but it now seems that only ministers ...

Would Starmer’s government have any cash to spend?

22 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If Labour wins the next election, will Keir Starmer have any money to spend on his programme of government? In a piece for the Times yesterday, journa...

Should Rishi host MBS?

19 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Downing Street has extended an invite to Mohammed bin Salman to visit the UK in Autumn. Five years after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, is it time to ...

Results day: is the worst of the pandemic over for students?

17 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As A-level students receive their exam results, Cindy Yu speaks to Isabel Hardman and Mary Curnock Cook who is the former chief executive of UCAS. In ...

Will Rishi hit his inflation target?

16 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today we had the – seemingly – good news that the headline rate of inflation for July has come down to 6.8%. This is in line with Bank of England...

Public sector pay pushes wage growth to record high

15 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Natasha Feroze speaks to Fraser Nelson and Isabel Hardman about today's wage growth figures which have reached a 22-year high due to public sector pay...

Blair is back

12 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been 16 years since Tony Blair walked away from frontline politics, but rather than retiring to Fife to write his books – like another Labour...

What is the point of Lee Anderson?

11 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Katy Balls and editor of Conservative Home Paul Goodman join Natasha Feroze to discuss the troublemaker Lee Anderson. This week, his inflammatory comm...

Tories split over stopping the boats

09 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This morning the UK’s electoral watchdog The Electoral Commission said that it had been the victim of a 'complex cyber attack' by 'hostile actors'. ...

Should Team Truss accept resignation honours?

07 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Bibby Stockholm, the government's first migrant barge opened this morning. Intended to house up to 500 migrants, will this plan to cut the costs of pu...

Do chess players make for better politicians?

05 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rishi Sunak is apparently looking to expand the teaching of chess in schools, and to install chess sets in public parks, and will unveil the policy al...

If Rishi halves inflation, will you feel richer?

04 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rishi Sunak is likely to hit his target of halving inflation by the end of the year, according to the latest Bank of England forecasts. But is that en...

Can Labour take back Rutherglen and Hamilton West?

02 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A by-election is on the cards for Rutherglen and Hamilton West, after former SNP MP Margaret Ferrier was recalled by her constituents. She'd flouted l...

What’s behind the Tory selections?

01 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As the Conservative candidate selections are underway, how will the associations balance the need for a local champion to win back constituency suppor...

Should the Tories abandon green politics?

29 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Since the Tories retained Uxbridge in the by-election a fortnight ago by campaigning against Ulez, some Conservative MPs have been questioning whether...

Sadiq’s Ulez expansion gets the green light

28 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The High Court has ruled that Sadiq Khan can expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone, after five Tory councils challenged the proposed policy. Will Keir St...

NatWest boss Alison Rose resigns. Why now?

26 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Natasha Feroze speaks to Kate Andrews and Fraser Nelson about the sudden decision for the NatWest boss Alison Rose to hand in her resignation. Prompte...

Is Labour disunity a problem for Starmer?

24 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Katy Balls and Fraser Nelson speak to James Heale about Labour rows over issues such as ULEZ and the child benefits cap. Whilst not in government yet,...

What can we learn from the Uxbridge by-election result?

22 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The dust has settled after yesterday's by-election results. Having narrowly avoided a triple by-election defeat there seems to be little sign of Conse...

Sunak narrowly avoids triple by-election defeat

21 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There was something for everyone in the by-elections with each of the three big parties getting a seat. The Tories lost Somerton and Frome to the Lib ...

Who is Susan Hall?

19 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Katy Balls speaks to Kate Andrews and James Heale about today's inflation figures and the latest news about the Conservative Mayoral candidate for Lon...

Has Starmer become the villain?

18 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Katy Balls speaks to Isabel Hardman and former Labour advisor John McTernan to discuss the ongoing Labour row over the child benefits limit. Reactions...

Labour row brews over two-child benefit cap

17 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Keir Starmer has said that Labour will not be reversing the two-child benefits cap, after Angela Rayner said it was ‘obscene and inhumane’. But wi...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 16/07/23

16 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Keir Starmer sets out his vision and is grilled on specifics. He claims Labour's green plans have not been delayed. Business Secretary and Equalities ...

How do we fix Britain's stagnant economy?

15 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Advanced economies are not seeing the economic growth that they once did, and none more so than the UK where there has been little productivity or rea...

Will Sunak lose three by-elections in a day?

14 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Tories are defending three seats next week, and could lose them all. Boris Johnson's old seat, Uxbridge and South Ruislip, Nigel Adams's old seat,...

Is the public sector pay offer all it seems?

13 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It looks like the summer could be about to get a whole lot easier after the government announced that millions of public sector workers will get a pay...

Illegal Migration Bill survives mammoth voting session

12 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tory whips will be smiling today after a mammoth three and a half hour voting session on amendments to the Illegal Migration Bill last night. All the ...

What does Starmer's Labour stand for?

11 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It has been a mixed start to the week for Labour. Rachel Reeves has been criticised for 'following the same tram lines' as the Tories on spending. Mea...

Are Biden and Sunak really 'rock solid'?

10 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Biden was in London today to meet with Rishi Sunak. The pair had discussions in No. 10, and Biden described US-UK relations as ‘rock solid’. B...