Coffee House Shots
Episodes
Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 19/09/21
19 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Isabel Hardman presents the highlights from Sunday's political shows, with Alok Sharma, Sir Ed Davey, Caroline Lucas and Gerard Araud. Become a Spect...
Can Gove remake conservatism?
18 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Michael Gove has been tasked with transforming levelling up from a soundbite to an agenda. What will this look like? And what Michael Gove will we get...
Boris chairs the new Cabinet - what's next?
17 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As Boris Johnson today chairs the first meeting of his new cabinet, he's focused on delivering on his levelling up agenda. What's the plan? To discuss...
What the Aukus pact says about Britain’s foreign policy
16 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
With the Commons still reeling from the reshuffle, the UK, US, and Australia have formed a new security alliance, the Aukus pact. Many have seen this ...
What to make of the reshuffle?
15 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Boris Johnson has reshuffled his cabinet. Gavin Williamson is gone. Dominic Raab is no longer Foreign Secretary, but is now the Deputy Prime Minister,...
What are Javid's winter Covid plans?
14 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Health Secretary Sajid Javid today laid out his two plans for dealing with Covid this winter. The first, Plan A, proposes a booster shot for everyone ...
Why has the government ditched vaccine passports?
13 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Over the weekend, the Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced that the government would be scrapping plans for a vaccine passport system - at least for...
Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 12/09/21
12 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Isabel Hardman rounds up the highlights from Sunday's political shows. Today's best bits come from Sajid Javid, Jonathan Ashworth and Nicola Sturgeon....
Twenty years on, what is the lingering impact of 9/11?
11 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's been 20 years since the 11 September attacks and their effect has had a lasting impact on the world. Katy Balls talks to Fraser Nelson and James ...
Should the Tories be concerned by their drop in the polls?
10 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Labour are ahead of the Conservatives in a poll for the first time since January. It comes just days after Boris Johnson announced his government's pl...
What do the Tory abstentions mean for Boris?
09 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Boris Johnson has got his social care payment plan past the Commons, but there were a fair number of Tory abstentions, who still have a philosophical ...
How is Boris keeping the Tories so unified?
08 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the first session of PMQ's completely Covid restriction free, Keir Starmer proved that the Prime Minster wouldn't commit to definitely getting rid ...
Will a broken manifesto promise to fund social care pay off?
07 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Boris Johnson admitted in the House of Commons today that he is breaking the manifesto promise of not raising taxes in order to get rid of the NHS wai...
Are the Conservatives still a low tax party?
06 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
With the vaccine secretary Nadhim Zahawi declaring on the radio that the Conservatives were a 'party of fair taxation', could the government be lookin...
Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 05/09/21
05 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Isabel Hardman rounds up the highlights from Sunday's political shows, with today's podcasts featuring Nadhim Zahawi, Lord Philip Hammond, Lisa Nandy,...
Are Britain and America drifting apart?
04 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In a speech this week, Joe Biden said America will focus more on threats from Russia and China and less on foreign interventions. The US President sig...
Is Boris Johnson about to betray his manifesto?
03 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Despite pledging not to raise taxes in the 2019 manifesto, rumours abound in Westminster that Boris Johnson is about to increase National Insurance in...
Why isn't No 10 stopping the Wallace-Raab war of words?
02 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In an interview for the latest issue of The Spectator, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace hits back at Dominic Raab's suggestion that it was military inte...
Raab faces Afghanistan grilling from MPs
01 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dominic Raab was hauled before the Foreign Affairs Committee today to answer questions about how the government handled the withdrawal from Afghanista...
Who is to blame for Afghanistan exit failures?
31 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Pentagon says the UK pushed to keep Abbey gate at Kabul airport open, which was later the site of a terrorist attack that killed 13 US soldiers an...
What if vaccines can't end the pandemic?
28 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
New data from Israel shows that the Delta variant is getting through the protection offered by double jabs, even though the vaccines do lessen symptom...
What does the Kabul attack mean for Biden?
27 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
After the attack on Kabul's airport by Isis, President Biden addressed the world last night and mourned for the 13 US marines who were killed. But wit...
The last days of the Kabul airlift
26 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Chaos surrounds the Hamid Karzai airport today as two explosions and a potential knife attack has left at least 13 dead. The attacks are suspected to ...
Why Raab's holiday answers only raised more questions
25 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In his first broadcast round since coming back from Crete, Raab's handling of the questions surrounding his holiday have only managed to fuel the conv...
Is the 'gentler, kinder' Taliban already gone?
24 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As many had expected, President Biden has not agreed to extend the August 31 deadline despite pleas from Nato allies in today's G7 call. Meanwhile, th...
Will Biden agree to Boris's Afghanistan request?
23 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Prime Minister has requested Washington to extend the August 31 deadline for the withdrawal of US troops from Kabul. But will Joe Biden acquiesce,...
Can ministers ever go on holiday?
21 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
With Dominic Raab in the firing line for his £40,000 Crete holiday, the Coffee House Shots team reflects: can ministers ever go on holiday? And if th...
Is Raab the victim of a witch hunt?
20 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
While Dominic Raab continues to weather charges of incompetence and call for resignation, it is the Health Secretary Sajid Javid who might not have an...
Should Dominic Raab be sacked?
19 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Pressure on the Foreign Secretary is piling up after the Daily Mail revealed today that Raab had rejected the strong advice of Foreign Office civil ...
Have Tory backbenchers lost faith in Boris?
18 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This morning was the first time that we saw the chamber of the House of Commons full since the pandemic began. MPs were called back from recess to dis...
What will the British Parliamentary response be to Afghanistan?
17 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
With Parliament being called back from recess tomorrow, including the Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab who maybe stayed on the beach a touch too long gi...
What will the West response be to the Taliban takeover?
16 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Defeat in Kabul now means that the Taliban have effectively taken over Afghanistan. Katy Balls talks to Fraser Nelson and Isabel Hardman to discuss th...
Is the West in retreat?
14 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The south of Afghanistan is now under Taleban control, after the group took the cities of Kandahar and Lashkar Gah this week. Meanwhile, Britain and A...
Will Britain regret the Afghanistan withdrawal?
13 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
With things on the ground in Afghanistan accelerating from bad to worse so fast that the Americans are now even worried about the safety of their em...
Is the Taleban's success a surprise?
12 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Taleban are continuing their advance through Afghanistan, and are on the cusp of taking control in the major cities of Herat and Kandahar. The gro...
Will Williamson be moved from education?
11 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Equalities minister Kemi Badenoch could replace Gavin Williamson as education secretary in the next reshuffle, according to reports today. Should he b...
What's wrong with grade inflation?
10 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A record number of students got As or A*s in their A levels this year. After last year's fiasco, teachers were given the responsibility of grading the...
How deep is the Boris/Rishi divide?
09 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
With the Chancellor's leaked letter to the Prime Minister (which apparently he'd never seen) showing some disagreement about COVID policy, is this an ...
Will a Scotland 'love bomb' woo voters?
07 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Boris Johnson and Nicola Sturgeon seem to be battling for the position of most amiable leader. The First Minister invited Johnson to meet with her on ...
Will Johnson's mining misstep cost him?
06 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Prime Minister joked yesterday that thanks to Margaret Thatcher closing coal mines, the UK 'had a big early start and we're now moving rapidly awa...
What if Covid was leaked?
05 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
US intelligence agencies are combing through reams of documents from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, according to reports from CNN, which could provi...
Why has Boris snubbed Sturgeon?
04 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Boris Johnson is visiting Scotland today, but has declined an offer from Nicola Sturgeon for a meeting. Why doesn't the PM want to meet with the First...
Why are 16-year-olds being given a vaccine?
03 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Nicola Sturgeon said she expects that the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation will soon be recommending that those aged 16 and above will ...
Boris Johnson’s popularity problem
02 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In a ConservativeHome poll on who should replace Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak came out on top. It comes as the Chancellor is reportedly pushing the PM t...
Should Britain boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics?
31 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Team GB has had a brilliant start in Tokyo - can the government learn lessons on how to pick and nurture talent? And looking to the Beijing Winter Oly...
What's the point of the 'amber plus' list?
30 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A row is brewing with France over the government's decision to put the country on an 'amber plus' list, where restrictions on quarantine are tighter. ...
Is there a 'cunning plan' behind vaccine passports?
29 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
With over two thirds of young people now vaccinated, does the messaging on how to reach the final third need to shift? And are the government putting ...
Is quarantine-free travel a risk?
28 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Fully vaccinated travellers from the EU and US could be allowed to come into the Uk without quarantining, under plans being discussed by the governmen...
Are vaccine refusers 'selfish'?
27 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On a visit to Glasgow today, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove went further than other politicians have in saying that those who refuse the vaccine...
What will make young people get vaccinated?
26 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
University students could need to be double-vaccinated if they want to attend lectures or stay in halls, according to reports today. Young people have...
Was the government right to delay 'freedom day'?
24 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's our first 'freedom' weekend, but it was only a few weeks ago when our own Fraser Nelson and Kate Andrews clashed heads over the most sensible way...
Could cases have peaked?
23 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Daily cases have fallen again today, leading to cautious optimism that - perhaps - cases in this exit wave have peaked. Cindy Yu talks to Katy Balls a...
Can No. 10 stem the 'pingdemic'?
22 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today the CBI gave a stern warning that the test and trace app is 'closing down the economy'. Despite this, the government's key workers list - promis...
Why isn't Starmer properly scrutinising the government?
21 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On the 80th anniversary of Prime Minister's Questions, viewers were treated to a distinctly lacklustre performance today. James Forsyth argues that St...
How much vaccine coercion will Boris use?
20 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's the day after 'freedom' day and it's not entirely clear just how free we are, with the prime minister last night say that from September nightclu...
Does it feel like Freedom Day?
19 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Yesterday in what was the quickest public turnaround in government history. The prime minister and the chancellor are now in isolation after getting p...
Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 18/07/21
18 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Isabel Hardman hosts the highlights from Sunday's interview shows, with Robert Jenrick, Jonathan Ashworth and Professor Neil Ferguson. Become a Spect...
When will restrictions end for good?
17 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In our last Coffee House Shots before the so called 'Freedom Day' on Monday, James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson share their thoughts on just how free i...
What is the point of Starmer's listening tour?
16 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
After a year and a half of Zoom speeches held in empty rooms, opposition leader Keir Starmer is heading out on a listening tour to connect with voters...
Is it up to the state to tackle obesity?
15 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The government has been advised by Henry Dimbleby, founder of LEON food chain, to introduce a new tax on sugary and salty foods. While the Prime Minis...
Have Conservatives lost the culture wars?
14 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Prime Minister looked visibly uncomfortable at Prime Minister's Questions today, as Keir Starmer accused him of 'giving racism the green light' wi...
What does the foreign aid win mean for the government?
13 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Boris Johnson and his government won the vote today to cut foreign aid spending, but there were rebels and some very prominent ones, including former ...
Can social media stamp out racist comments?
12 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The new Health Secretary Sajid Javid addresses the Commons this afternoon ahead of Boris Johnson's 5pm remarks about the lifting of restrictions on Ju...
Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 11/07/21
11 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Isabel Hardman rounds up the best bits from Sunday's interview shows. Highlights today come from Nadhim Zadhawi, Kate Green, Professor David Spiegelha...
What does the NHS look like post pandemic?
10 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
James Forsyth talks to award winning journalist Isabel Hardman about her brand new Spectator podcast Building Back. In it first episode, out now, sh...
Will masks ever go?
09 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Polling released yesterday revealed that a surprisingly large minority of the British public support not only just a permanent mask mandate but also t...
Will Sunak scrap the pensions triple lock?
08 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
State pensions may rise by 8pc this year due to the Conservative policy of the pensions triple lock. But can the government keep to it, given the extr...
Boris warned as Tory MPs re-elect Brady
07 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Tory MPs today re-elected Graham Brady as chair of the 1922 Committee - the group that represents backbench Conservatives to the government. Brady, wh...
Javid's lockdown balancing act
06 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sajid Javid today said there could be 100,000 Covid cases a day in summer. He said the government would be focusing on hospitalisation and death figur...
How free will July 19th feel?
05 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In a bonus Coffee House Shots, James Forsyth and Katy Balls breakdown the announcement from the Prime Minister this evening about the end of Covid res...
What to expect from the big bang reopening
05 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Boris Johnson will announce details of the 19 July reopening later today. According to reports over the weekend, masks will be ditched, social distanc...
Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 04/07/21
04 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Isabel Hardman rounds up the highlights from Sunday's political shows, which today featured Robert Jenrick, Rachel Reeves and Sir Jeffrey Donaldson. ...
What comes after 19 July?
03 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Life might feel normal when nightclubs reopen and masks are tossed aside, but worries about unemployment and inflation will persist. What will happen ...
What should Keir Starmer do with the Batley and Spen win?
02 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In an extremely close race Labour candidate and sister to the late Jo Cox Kim Leadbeater has won her by-election with a majority of just 323. What wil...
What happens if Starmer loses Batley and Spen?
01 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Reports emerged overnight that Angela Rayner's allies are ready to mount a leadership challenge if Keir Starmer loses Batley and Spen tomorrow. What w...
Was that Starmer's best PMQ's so far?
30 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Katy Balls and James Forsyth dissect the back and forth from today's session in the House of Commons. Does Boris really think he can sell his 'I fired...
What's happening in Batley and Spen?
29 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A bizarre flourish of tactics are on display in the run up to the Batley and Spen by-election. And are we already feeling the new Health Secretary's i...
Will Javid handle Covid differently?
28 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's Sajid Javid's first day in the office as health secretary. The former chancellor's comments last year that he would 'run the economy hot' have le...
Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 27/06/21
27 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Isabel Hardman rounds up the best from Sunday's political shows. Highlights come from Brandon Lewis, Lucy Powell, Sadiq Khan and Dr Chaand Nagpaul. B...
Hancock out, Javid in
26 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Hancock has resigned as health secretary this evening following this week's scandal and his replacement has already been appointed: former chance...
Westminster sex scandals: Why do we care?
26 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Cindy Yu talks to Fraser Nelson and Guido Fawkes blogger Paul Staines about the Matt Hancock revelations and how reporting on sex scandals has changed...
Is Hancock's position under threat?
25 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Sun broke the news this morning that Health Secretary Matt Hancock has seemingly been up to some extra-marital exploits with his aide Gina Coladan...
Will Brits be welcomed abroad this summer?
24 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Daily new cases are just under 17,000 today, and Angela Merkel has advised other EU leaders to make British tourists quarantine upon entry to the bloc...
Five years later will we ever truly move on from Brexit?
23 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's the five year anniversary of when the UK decided to leave the European Union and while the opposition are looking to try and put the referendum b...
Who's being hurt by 'white privilege'?
22 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
While Labour are shuffling people round yet again and the DUP are getting ready to welcome in their third leader in less than a month, a new report se...
What's the plan for planning reform?
21 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
With the Conservatives still taking stock after their loss in the recent by-election, it seems the governments ambitions for planning reform are now f...
Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 20/06/21
20 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Isabel Hardman rounds up the highlights from Sunday's interview shows. Today's guests included John Bercow, Robert Buckland, Andy Burnham, Sir Ed Dave...
Will Boris Johnson face more southern rebels?
19 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The surprise result of Friday's Chesham and Amersham by-election has led to questions over why the Conservative lost just so badly - and why no one sa...
How do you explain the Lib Dems' stunning victory?
18 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In a political upset the Liberal Democrats have won the by-election in Chesham and Amersham in a massive poll swing from the Tories. And in other pol...
How much trouble is the DUP in?
17 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
New DUP leader Edwin Poots faces his first challenge today as he tries to push through a controversial candidate for First Minister. How much trouble ...
Is Matt Hancock Hopeless?
16 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Another day another Dom Bomb. In Cummings latest release, a number of WhatsApp messages reveal communications between himself and the Prime Minister, ...
Will the Australia trade deal really make a difference?
15 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The government has agreed its first post-Brexit bespoke trade deal. But the agreement with Australia has already caused consternation among Conservati...
How long will political and public patience last?
14 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It seems Freedom Day is no longer June 21st. The writing was clearly on the wall this morning, but now the Prime Minister has officially told the publ...
How can Boris justify delay?
14 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Boris Johnson is expected to announce a delay to reopening later today. How will the Prime Minister make his case, and will his backbenchers support h...
Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 13/06/21
13 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Isabel Hardman hosts the highlights from Sunday's political shows. Featured today are Dominic Raab, Gordon Brown, Emily Thornberry, Micheál Martin an...
Should we delay 21 June?
12 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On Monday, the Prime Minister will announce whether the 21 June unlocking is to go ahead. Because of the increased transmissibility of the Indian Covi...
Can the G7 beat Russia and China's vaccine diplomacy?
11 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As the G7 rolls on and the world leaders learn where their peers stand on certain issues post Covid, the wealthy western nations need to decide how be...
Could Brexit scupper the G7?
10 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The long-anticipated G7 meeting in Cornwall has got off to a rocky start today, as it transpired that the US had lodged a 'demarché' - a diplomatic u...
Are Brexit talks back to the bad old days?
09 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today, talks between David Frost and the EU's negotiator Maroš Šefčovič ended with little agreement about how to move forward on the Northern Irel...
Is the foreign aid row a sign of things to come?
08 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Though the amendment on foreign aid was not selected by the Speaker yesterday, the row over the budget cut is not over yet. Today MPs will have an eme...