Coffee House Shots

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 05/06/22

05 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman hosts the highlights from Sunday morning’s political programmes, with contributions coming from Grant Shapps, Sadiq Khan and Sir Howa...

Politics and the monarchy: a look back at the Queen's reign

02 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As this week marks the Queen's platinum jubilee, we take a look back at her greatest political achievements in her role as head of state. How importan...

Is the SNP more conservative than the Conservatives?

01 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There is a lot of news to cover on Coffee House Shots before the celebrations for the Jubilee begin. First in Westminster with Lord Geidt threatening ...

Why is Boris cutting the civil service?

31 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The government wants to cut the civil service by over 90,000 people to 2016 levels. Part of the plan is to suspend the Fast Stream recruitment scheme,...

Could Boris be toppled by accident?

30 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Sue Gray report came in last week, but we haven't seen a coordinated effort to either stand behind the Prime Minister, or kick him out. Instead, t...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 29/05/22

29 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman presents the highlights from Sunday morning's political shows. This podcast contains clips featuring Andrei Kelin, Brandon Lewis, Annel...

Have the Tories lost their way?

28 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson, James Forsyth, and Kate Andrews about Rishi Sunak's latest support package to aid with the cost of living, includi...

Will Rishi's stimulus backfire?

27 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There have been mixed opinions following Rishi Sunak's plans to help the cost of living crisis. The £15 billion budget is targeted to help the whole ...

Is the windfall tax justified?

26 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Rishi Sunak has announced a new tranche of economic measures designed to help ease the cost of living crisis in the UK. The new payments will be funde...

Did the Sue Gray report move the dial?

25 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The long-awaited Sue Gray report is finally published today. It included new photographs (including of the birthday bash, though James Forsyth describ...

How will Boris Johnson respond to the Gray report?

24 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sue Gray's report into Downing Street parties during lockdown is set to be released on Wednesday morning. The tone Boris Johnson takes will be vital t...

What do we know about the Sue Gray report?

23 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's finally happening! This is the week the infamous Sue Gray report into partygate will be released. Details are few and far between, although we do...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 22/05/22

22 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman presents the highlights from Sunday morning's political shows. Today's best bits come from Nadhim Zahawi, Pat McFadden and Michael Lewi...

Should the Tories try to lose the next election?

21 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Some Tories want to lose the next election. Conservative policies and ideologies are stale, they say, and the party could do with a period in oppositi...

Has Boris won back Tory MPs?

20 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Given that Boris Johnson escaped the latest and final set of party fines from the police yesterday, does this mean partygate is over? Sue Gray's repor...

Is Boris Johnson out of the woods on partygate?

19 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Met police have today announced that their investigation into No. 10 parties is now over, and No. 10 have confirmed that neither the Prime Ministe...

Is a windfall tax inevitable?

18 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With the cost of living crisis looming large, pressure is on the government to come up with effective solutions. With Labour snapping at their heels f...

Will the new Brexit bill spark a trade war with the EU?

17 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Liz Truss made a speech in the House of Commons today laying out the government's plans to scrap parts of the Northern Ireland protocol. James Forsyth...

Will Boris break the Stormont deadlock?

16 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Boris is in Belfast today in an attempt to repair relations between the DUP and Sinn Fein. In a 2000 word article for Belfast Telegraph, the Prime Min...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 15/05/22

15 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman rounds up the highlights from Sunday's political shows, with Kwasi Kwarteng and Ed Miliband. Become a Spectator subscriber today to ac...

What is the future of Nato?

14 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Finland this week has expressed its wish to join Nato and Sweden is expected to follow suit. But with an America more focused on China, an ever aggres...

Why is the government planning to cull the civil service?

13 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jacob Rees-Mogg has said that the government plans to axe 91,000 posts within three years from the civil service. The argument for it is that the redu...

What's the point of a cost of living cabinet?

12 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Boris Johnson met Conservative MPs in Stoke-on-Trent for a Cabinet away day. The focus is on how new legislation would level up the UK and protect peo...

What's behind the Swedish security pact?

11 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today Boris Johnson pledged his support to protect Sweden and Finland in a mutual defence pact. As non Nato members, the deal is intended to protect t...

What did the Queen's Speech reveal?

10 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Inside the Lord's Chamber, Prince Charles delivered the Queen's Speech in his mother's absence. The key themes of the Prime Minister's legislative age...

How much trouble is Keir Starmer in?

09 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As pressures mount over claims that Keir Starmer broke lockdown rules, the Labour leader has just pulled out of a keynote speech he is due to give tod...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 08/05/22

08 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman hosts the highlights from Sunday's political shows, with Dominic Raab, Lisa Nandy, Sir Ed Davey and Jukka Siukosaari.Become a Spectator...

Could Boris win another election?

07 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Katy Balls, James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman delve into the 2022 local election results and discuss how the Conservatives will adapt their strategy to...

Can the Lib Dem's declare victory?

06 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We've had more election results in and it looks like the Lib Dems will be celebrating tonight, encroaching on many Tory seats around the country. But ...

Who are the ‘winners’ in the local elections?

06 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The results are coming in! While the Tories seem to have done quite badly in the capital, Labour have not made the gains in the rest of the country th...

Is the UK headed towards recession?

05 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Monetary Policy Committee has just raised interest rates again. This is the fourth consecutive rise, the first time this has happened within a qua...

Could Labour overtake the Tories in Scotland?

04 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A new poll from ComRes has shown Scottish Labour taking second place in tomorrow's local elections, overtaking the Scottish Conservatives. On the podc...

What does victory look like in the local elections?

03 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Campaigning in the local elections is entering its final few days. But what are the expectations for the Tories and Labour and can they be met? Both ...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 01/05/22

01 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman rounds up the best bits from Sunday's political shows, with Kwasi Kwarteng, Sir Keir Starmer, David Lammy, Adrian Bailey and Sir Ed Dav...

Why is it so hard to become a British citizen?

30 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A big congratulations to Linda Nelson who has just become a British citizen. Fraser details the long and taxing journey it took for his wife to reach ...

Will Starmer get a Covid fine?

29 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Labour has admitted that deputy leader Angela Rayner, was also at an event where Keir Starmer was pictured drinking a beer. Could the pair be fined? C...

Is Pestminster back?

28 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This has been a bad week for the reputation of the House of Commons. From inappropriate comments toward female MPs, three cabinet ministers facing sex...

Will MPs be hit by another sleaze scandal?

27 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The chief whip Chris Heaton-Harris has started an investigation after a female Tory MP reported that she had seen a male colleague watching pornograph...

Can the Cabinet really solve the 'cost of living' crisis?

26 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today a pre-briefing on what Boris Johnson plans to say to the Cabinet about the cost of living crisis was released. He wants them to brainstorm ideas...

What does Macron's victory mean for Anglo-French relations?

25 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

French President, Emmanuel Macron secured victory over the weekend. But with the election over, will we see a reset in relations between the UK and Fr...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 24/04/22

24 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman rounds up the highlights from Sunday's political shows, with Sir Keir Starmer, Oliver Dowden and Jamie Wallis.Become a Spectator subscr...

Why are most Tory MPs so quiet over partygate?

23 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

At the beginning of the year, letters from Conservative MPs looked to be reaching the 54 threshold needed to trigger a no-confidence vote in Boris Joh...

What's behind Boris's trip to India?

22 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Boris Johnson has met his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to discuss defence, energy and trade ties. Will he be able to secure a trade deal with Indi...

Why did No. 10 U-turn on the vote?

21 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The government's response to Labour wanting to refer the Prime Minister to the Privileges Committee – who could then rule that he mislead the Common...

Will Tory MPs rebel in partygate vote?

20 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Tomorrow there will be a vote in the Commons where Labour is pushing for an investigation into whether Boris Johnson is in contempt of Parliament over...

Boris says sorry. Is it enough?

19 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Boris Johnson faced MPs today for the first time since he was issued a fine for breaking lockdown rules. He apologised in the Commons, but maintained ...

What is the secret to Boris Johnson's political survival?

15 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Cindy Yu, Isabel Hardman and Katy Balls discuss the Prime Minister's remarkable ability to keep his head above the surface of even the choppiest water...

Is the government's Rwandan immigration plan viable?

14 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week the government has announced a pilot scheme meant to address the increasing number of asylum seekers dangerously crossing the English Channe...

Has Boris got away with it?

13 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After the news of the fixed penalty notices, Boris Johnson, his wife Carrie Johnson and Rishi Sunak paid their fines and issued a public apology. For...

Boris and Rishi fined: what happens now?

12 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have been told that they are going to be fixed penalty notices by the Metropolitan Police over parties held in Downing S...

Are Tories faced with another sleaze scandal?

12 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Crispin Blunt, a Conservative MP, was forced to apologise today after he tweeted support last night for Imran Ahmad Khan, another Tory MP who was foun...

Have Tory MPs turned on Rishi?

11 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Rishi Sunak has referred himself to Boris Johnson’s ethics advisor to investigate whether he followed the rules on ministers' interests. After the r...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 10/04/22

10 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman presents the highlights from Sunday's politics shows. Today's podcast features Kit Malthouse, Yvette Cooper, Caroline Lucas and Ihor Zh...

Is Macron in for a surprise?

09 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ahead of the first round of France's presidential elections on Sunday, Katy Balls asks whether Emmanuel Macron will be able to justify his apparent di...

Can the Chancellor recover?

08 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Rishi Sunak star seems to be falling further every day. The latest revelation is that he and his wife, Akshata Murthy held American green cards fo...

Is the energy strategy a missed opportunity?

07 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The government is publishing its long-awaited energy security strategy today, but Labour has criticised it for the strategy's lack of action on onshor...

What’s behind Sunak’s poll slide?

06 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The National Insurance hike comes into effect today which is going to hit doubly hard when coupled with the ever-increasing cost of living. While we a...

Should Channel 4 be privatised?

05 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There has been a wave of backlash against the government's announcement that it intends to privatise Channel 4. What's behind their decision? Some arg...

Could Boris ditch net zero?

04 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The government will publish its long-awaited energy security strategy this Thursday. The plan, which has been repurposed since Putin's invasion of Ukr...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 03/04/22

03 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman hosts the highlights from the day's political shows, with Sergey Nikiforov, Grant Shapps, Jonathan Reynolds, Alicia Kearns, Herman Halu...

What does victory for Ukraine look like?

02 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week it looks like the war in Ukraine is turning. The Ukrainian resistance has moved from the defensive to the offensive against their invaders a...

Does national security need to be redefined?

01 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The cost of living crisis became a reality as millions today face a £700 per year price hike to their energy bills. What can the government do to sup...

Can Boris convince Nato to send tanks?

31 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We've learnt from a speech this morning from GCHQ director Jeremy Fleming that the Russian army is in even more disarray than was previously thought. ...

Have the Tories forgiven Boris for partygate?

30 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Despite the fines issued yesterday, Keir Starmer's attacks at Prime Minister's Questions today failed to land on Boris Johnson. In part, this was down...

Will we find out who got fined?

29 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Partygate is back in the news with fines being issued by the Metropolitan Police to twenty individuals. But this is not the end of the matter, this is...

Can the UK become energy independent?

28 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

During the tail end of his Europe trip, President Biden stated of Vladimir Putin 'for God's sake, this man cannot remain in power.' This was quickly w...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 27/03/22

27 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman rounds up the best bits from Sunday's politics shows, with today's guests Nadhim Zahawi, Jonathan Ashworth, Mariia Mezentseva and Franc...

Are Rishi's No. 10 dreams dashed?

26 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For the last two years, Rishi Sunak has appeared the frontrunner in any future Tory leadership election. But has his spring statement and damaged his ...

Is Nato still unified?

25 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Prime Minister has just returned from a Nato meeting in Brussels. So far, the alliance's members have been unified in their response to Russia, bu...

Did the spring statement go far enough?

24 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Well the papers haven't been too kind about Rishi Sunak's spring statement. To unpack if it truly deserves this level of vitriol Cindy Yu talks to Jam...

Is there a stealth tax hidden in the spring statement?

23 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

While on the surface there might seem like a lot to like in Rishi Sunak's spring statement. Yes, the NI tax increase is still there, but the tax thres...

What are Sunak’s motives on the NI rise?

22 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Tomorrow is the spring statement. The proposed NI rise set to be outlined in it has been described by the Labour leader Keir Starmer as a 'cynical' mo...

Was Boris’s Ukraine/Brexit comparison a mistake?

21 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Over the weekend, Boris Johnson sparked a wave of criticism after he linked the Ukraine crisis to Brexit. During his speech at the Conservative Party'...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 20/03/22

20 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman rounds up the highlights from Sunday's political shows, ahead of the Chancellor's Spring Statement on Wednesday, with Rishi Sunak, Rach...

Is a boost to defence spending feasible?

19 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As Rishi Sunak finalises his Spring Statement, how can he resolve the trilemma of an ageing society, no peace dividend and low growth? Meanwhile, ther...

Is partygate no longer an issue for Boris Johnson?

18 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Tory spring conference is this weekend. Before the invasion of Ukraine, when partygate dominated the headlines, it was predicted to have the feel ...

Why has P&O ferries laid off its staff?

17 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today P&O ferries announced to 800 staff that they were being made redundant with immediate effect as security mounted to ferries to escort the staff ...

Why has Iran finally released Zaghari-Ratcliffe from prison?

16 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After 6 years in jail, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been released and will return home from Iran to her husband and their seven-year-old daughter. Th...

Will Saudi oil really fix Britain's energy crisis?

15 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Boris Johnson is travelling to the Middle East tonight, where he'll be meeting Gulf leaders and trying to convince them to pump more oil. With Britain...

Will Boris Johnson charm the Saudis?

14 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine has caused the prices of oil and gas to skyrocket. One of the Prime Minster's strategies to combat this appears to be ...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 13/03/22

13 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman rounds up the highlights from Sunday's interview shows, with Michael Gove, Sir Keir Starmer and Polish president Andrzej Duda. Become ...

Why isn't the UK doing more to help Ukrainian refugees?

12 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Kate Andrews and Fraser Nelson discuss the government's feet-dragging response to allowing Ukrainians easier entry to the UK.Become a Spectator subscr...

What’s the point of the latest sanctions?

11 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

While the world is hearing mummers that Vladimir Putin is considering using chemical weapons in Ukraine, the UK government has imposed sanctions on hu...

What is the significance of the sanctioning of Roman Abramovich?

10 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After seemingly dragging its heels for weeks, the government is ramping up its individual sanction measures against those close to the Kremlin. When R...

What’s behind the Tory revolt on refugee relief?

09 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

While Europe opens its arms up to the Ukrainians fleeing war, the UK is taking a much slower approach. While people are allowed to come in relatively ...

Will Zelensky's intervention change the mood among MPs?

08 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Former Speaker of the House, John Bercow has been banned from the Commons after the publishing of a review that reveals the extent of his bullying beh...

Ukraine: how bad will UK energy prices get?

07 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As the Russian invasion enters its twelfth day, fuel prices hit new records in the UK. Global leaders are preparing for the worst, is the UK braced fo...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 06/03/22

06 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman rounds up the highlights from Sunday's political shows, which today featured Dominic Raab, Sir Keir Starmer, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, ...

Will Europe remain united against Putin?

05 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Kate Andrews talks to James Forsyth and the historian Orlando Figes about whether Europe's united response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine will hol...

Russia's invasion: One week on

04 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's been just over a week since Vladimir Putin began his invasion of  Ukraine and in that time we have seen some truly unprecedented events: A forme...

Why is the UK so slow in sanctioning oligarchs?

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Though Britain has been sending weapons to Ukraine, and led Europe's push to get Russia taken out of the Swift banking system, the government has been...

What cards does the West have left to play?

02 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

PMQs began with a rather unorthodox but touching round of applause to welcome the Ukrainian ambassador to the chamber. While the Commons was united in...

Why is a no-fly zone a no go?

01 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

During a press conference in Poland today, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was confronted by Ukrainian journalist and campaigner Daria Kaleniuk, who took...

Has Putin underestimated the West?

28 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Over the weekend, the West unveiled further measures to punish Russia for invading Ukraine. The European Union said it would put limits on the Russian...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 27/02/22

27 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman rounds up the highlights from today's political shows, featuring Liz Truss, David Lammy and Sir Chris Deverell. Become a Spectator sub...

What is Sunak's economic vision?

26 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Katy Balls speaks to Kate Andrews and Tony Danker, the director general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), about the Chancellor's Mais le...

Are Russia's oligarchs the key to stopping Putin?

25 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Russian forces are attempting to take Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, said he would be spending the day trying to co...

Ukraine under siege - what now?

24 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Vladimir Putin has launched an attack on multiple fronts across Ukraine. In a televised speech, the Russian leader announced a 'military operation' in...

Are UK sanctions all bark no bite?

23 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For the last few weeks, the UK has condemned Putin and promised a strong response in the face of more Russian aggression. But when Boris Johnson annou...

Russia invades: what comes next?

22 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Last night Vladimir Putin gave an hour-long television address to the Russian people over his decision to move troops into Ukraine. Amid international...