Coffee House Shots

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 03/11/2024

03 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows.New eras begin for both major parties, as Rachel Reeves' budget becomes reali...

Badenoch wins: what next?

02 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kemi Badenoch has won the Tory leadership election. She beat Robert Jenrick in a tight race, winning 53,806 votes against his 41,318. What will a Bade...

Can Labour save its Budget?

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The fallout from Labour's Budget continues. On the media round this morning, Darren Jones, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, admitted that it will hit ...

Reeves's Budget: the morning after the night before

31 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kate Andrews is joined by Katy Balls and the OBR's Prof David Miles to discuss the day two reactions to Rachel Reeves's Budget. Who were the losers, a...

Labour's low growth Budget

30 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel Reeves has announced that taxes will rise by £40 billion in Labour’s first Budget for 14 years. The headlines include: an increase in employ...

The problem with Labour's 'sticking plaster politics'

29 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Wes Streeting has been out on the airwaves this morning, giving us a better idea of what will be in the Budget when it comes to the NHS. In an attempt...

Budget week: Labour braced for backlash

28 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's Budget week (finally)! How this week goes will set the tone for Labour’s first year in office. It’s fair to say that expectations are relativ...

Should Britain pay reparations to Commonwealth countries?

26 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Keir Starmer has been in Samoa for a summit with delegations of the 56 nations which make up the Commonwealth. Between having to answer que...

Labour's 'working people' muddle

25 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Who exactly are 'working people'? The Labour party's use of this phrase during the election raised questions over who they will really be levying taxe...

How many Tories will defect to Reform?

24 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After Nigel Farage's overture to Tory councillors to 'defect', one already has. Farage has also been on manoeuvres, piling on the criticism against La...

Trump's crusade against Labour

23 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump has made the extraordinary move to file an official complaint against the British Labour party for their volunteers campaigning for the D...

Michael Gove on prisons: Starmer is in the position of Bane

22 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Another 1100 prisoners have been released today through the early-release scheme. How has this measure landed? With the news that former Conservative ...

Does Streeting’s NHS plan amount to anything?

21 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This morning, Health Secretary Wes Streeting launched the ‘biggest consultation in NHS history’ in a bid to get public input into how to save the ...

Labour budget: are we heading for austerity?

20 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Labour’s first Budget in 14 years will be delivered at the end of the month. The Prime Minister and Chancellor have already been warning that the pu...

Should bishops be booted out of the Lords?

19 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The House of Lords contains 26 Church of England archbishops and bishops who possess an automatic right to sit and vote in the House, as established b...

Tory leadership debate: who came out on top?

18 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch, the final two candidates for the Tory leadership, went up against each other on a special GB News show last night. K...

Did Labour make its own Budget trap?

17 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A scoop from Bloomberg has revealed that a number of Cabinet ministers have written formally to the Prime Minister to complain about the budgetary dec...

Starmer denies being soft on China

16 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Starmer and Sunak debated Labour's position on China at today's PMQs, with Starmer denying going soft on the Asian superpower. Did Sunak draw inspirat...

National Insurance: Starmer’s first big U-turn?

15 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Budget is not due for a fortnight, yet with every day that passes its contents seem to become clearer. This morning Keir Starmer gave an interview...

Is Labour's investment summit back on track?

14 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This morning is the government's big investment summit. They pledged to have the summit within their first 100 days in an attempt to hit the ground ru...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 13/10/2024

13 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning’s politics shows.Jonathan Reynolds says Transport Secretary Louise Haigh’s comments are ‘...

100 Days of Starmer: the verdict

12 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today marks Labour’s 100th day in office. But they are unlikely to be popping champagne corks in Downing Street – even if Lord Alli offered to pay...

Is Keir Starmer the new Harold Wilson?

11 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's another busy few days for the Prime Minister as he chairs the inaugural meeting of the Council of Nations and Regions today, marks 100 days in of...

The ‘Green Budget’ could leave Rachel Reeves red-faced

10 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Institute for Fiscal Studies has published its yearly Green Budget, weeks ahead of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s first fiscal event. It’s grim re...

Tory leadership: what on earth just happened?

09 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Westminster is reeling from the shock result that James Cleverly has been knocked out of the Conservative Party leadership race, only a day after comi...

The final three: Cleverly storms ahead

08 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Conservative party has narrowed down the leadership candidates to the final three, with James Cleverly taking a surprise lead over both of his mor...

Will Starmer’s No.10 reset work?

07 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Who’s in charge in Downing Street? Until recently, the answer to that question would tend to reveal whether you were a Sue Gray or Morgan McSweeney ...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 06/10/2024

06 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning’s political shows.Conflict in the Middle East reaches a new crisis point as Israel bombs Leba...

Sue Gray out, Morgan McSweeney in

06 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Keir Starmer has not yet reached the 100 day mark but already he has lost his Chief of Staff. This afternoon, Downing Street has confirmed that Sue Gr...

Where is the Brexit dividend? Live at Conservative conference

05 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this special Saturday shots we hear from a panel discussion on Brexit, originally recorded at Conservative Party conference. Four years on there a...

Assisted dying and Chagos row overshadow Starmer’s carbon capture pledge

04 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What Keir Starmer wants to be talking about today is his landmark £22 billion investment into carbon capture. Flanked by Ed Miliband and Rachel Reeve...

Should we be optimistic about the next ten years?

03 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Loyal listeners will know that as well as our concise daily political analysis, Coffee House Shots often delves deeper into the issues of the day. We ...

Who was the winner from today’s Tory leadership speeches?

02 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The final day of the party conference saw all four candidates take to the stage in a bid to have a David Cameron moment. Back in 2005, Cameron managed...

Coffee House Shots live: the struggle for the future of conservatism

01 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The mood at Conservative conference has been surprisingly jubilant considering the turmoil that the party finds itself in. Labour's misfortunes may ha...

Have the Tory leadership candidates got a Truss problem?

30 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jeremy Hunt is one of the few Tories at Conservative Party Conference willing to take the fight to Labour. In the second day, he sat down for an on-st...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 29/09/2024

29 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning’s political shows.Tory leadership candidates set out their visions for the party at the Conse...

Did Kemi Badenoch really call maternity pay ‘excessive’?

29 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The final four leadership candidates have arrived at Conservative Party Conference to make their final pitches. However, day one and Kemi Badenoch has...

Is Labour's 2030 clean power target achievable? Live at Labour conference

28 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Decarbonising power by 2030 is one of the flagship policies for Keir Starmer’s government. Whether this is achievable and how we go about the green ...

Inside Starmer's dinner with Donald Trump

27 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The political equivalent of the Rumble in the Jungle happened last night when Starmer sat down for a two-hour dinner with Donald Trump, following the ...

Are we on the brink of ‘all out war’ in the Middle East?

26 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Events have moved on fast since Labour conference with the mounting prospect of ‘all out war’ in the Middle East. This comes after reports that Is...

Michael Gove is the new editor of The Spectator

25 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We've had quite the day at 22 Old Queen Street. All Westminster politics seem small in comparison to the news that Fraser Nelson will step down as edi...

What did we learn from Keir Starmer's speech?

24 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sir Keir Starmer has declared 'change has begun' in Liverpool. He defended the cuts to the winter fuel payments, announced a Hillsborough Law, and saw...

Who was the real audience for Rachel Reeves’s speech?

23 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has just finished her speech at Labour conference. After a brief interruption by hecklers, she addressed austerity, the pande...

Is Labour going through its own Partygate?

23 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Labour's first party conference since entering government has opened under the shadow of the 'Frockgate' scandal. James Heale and Katy Balls report fr...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 22/09/2024

22 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning’s political shows.The Labour conference begins with the party’s honeymoon period seemingly ...

Will Starmer clash with the unions?

21 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's easy enough to keep both business and the unions on side when you are vague about your policies – and when your opponent is messing up so badly...

Farage's next move

20 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Party conference season continues as Reform UK’s kicks off today in Birmingham. Katy Balls has been at the NEC hearing from Richard Tice, Lee Anders...

What the Sue Gray row is really about

19 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's been a sticky week for Labour. Whilst they will have hoped to spend the run up to this weekend's conference talking about the policy wins of thei...

Should Labour ditch the ‘doom and gloom’ narrative?

18 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We have some new inflation figures today. Inflation rose 2.2 per cent in the 12 months to August. This is pretty much in line with the Bank of England...

Where do the Lib Dems go next?

17 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Liberal Democrat Conference wraps up today in Brighton. It could well be the happiest conference we visit this season with the party riding high after...

Do the Starmers need a personal shopper?

16 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This weekend we had another twist in the story involving Labour donor Lord Alli, who was caught up in a 'cash for access' scandal a couple of weeks ba...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 15/09/2024

15 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning’s political shows.The foreign secretary talks up support for Ukraine, but won’t comment on ...

Is Gordon Brown back?

14 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, there was a surprise visitor to the Treasury: Gordon Brown. The former prime minister and chancellor secretly returned to his old digs for ...

Will Starmer call Putin’s bluff?

13 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Keir Starmer and David Lammy are in the Washington for a planned foreign policy summit with Joe Biden. They will principally be talking about a new de...

Keir Starmer: the NHS will get 'no more money without reform'

12 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Prime Minister has described the NHS as in 'critical condition' in a speech this morning after the release of Lord Darzi's damning independent rep...

Trump vs Harris debate: who won?

11 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last night saw the first Trump vs Harris debate and the consensus seems to be that Harris came out on top. She managed to avoid sticky issues about he...

Tory leadership latest: 'Melmentum' runs out

10 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's been a busy day in Westminster today. Labour avoided a large scale rebellion on the winter fuel allowance and Mel Stride was eliminated from the ...

Will Rachel Reeves soften the winter fuel cut?

09 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tomorrow MPs will vote on Rachel Reeves’ decision to cut winter fuel payments for pensioners who aren’t eligible for pension benefits. We spoke on...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 08/09/2024

08 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning’s political shows. Keir Starmer says his government will ‘have to be unpopular’ and take...

Coffee House Shots live: the Starmer supremacy

07 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Join Fraser Nelson, Katy Balls and Kate Andrews, along with special guest Jonathan Ashworth, for a live edition of Coffee House Shots recorded earlier...

Does Rachel Reeves need an 'escape route' on winter fuel?

06 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Fraser Nelson and Katy Balls join James Heale to look ahead to a crucial week for Labour. On Tuesday, Parliament will hold a binding vote on the chang...

Tory leadership race latest: Priti out

04 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The first round of the Conservative leadership race has seen Dame Priti Patel eliminated with the fewest votes. Robert Jenrick came out on top but, wi...

Grenfell report: why did it take so long?

04 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Seven years after the tragedy, the inquiry into the Grenfell fire has published its report. What did we learn from it and who bears responsibility? An...

Is the UK still a 'staunch ally' of Israel?

03 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The fallout continues from the UK's decision to suspend some arms sale licenses to Israel. Defence Secretary John Healey insists the UK remains a 'sta...

Is Keir right to scrap one-word Ofsted verdicts?

02 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s back to school day for kids up and down the country, and also back to school for our politicians who have returned from summer recess. To celeb...

Which Conservative leader could be a problem for Keir Starmer?

31 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Tory leadership contest is still rumbling on, and we're lucky enough to still have weeks to go! In this Saturday episode, we assess which of the c...

Why has Starmer taken down a portrait of Thatcher?

30 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Keir Starmer's biographer Tom Baldwin has revealed that the PM has removed a portrait of Margaret Thatcher from No 10. The portrait was originally com...

How far will Starmer’s smoking ban go?

29 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Keir Starmer has confirmed that the government is looking at plans to revive Sunak's smoking ban legislation. They may go even further - reports sugge...

What's behind Starmer's 'reset' with Europe?

28 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Keir Starmer has been in Germany today visiting Chancellor Olaf Scholz, before heading to Paris to meet President Macron. This is part of his plan to ...

Just how ‘painful’ will Starmer’s October Budget be?

27 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Winter is coming. That’s the message from Keir Starmer’s set-piece speech this morning from the No. 10 rose garden. After a tricky few weeks for t...

What could a Kamala Harris presidency mean for the UK?

24 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As the Democratic National Convention draws to a close in Chicago this week, Patrick Gibbons is joined by James Heale and Gerry Baker, editor at large...

Is the energy price cap hike bad news for Labour?

23 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ofgem, the energy regulator, has announced that the price cap will rise by 10% in October. Is this bad news for Labour, or will they be successful in ...

Can Labour crack apprenticeships?

22 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today's GCSE results show an exams system that has largely returned to pre-Covid norms. It has also given the government a chance to talk about skills...

Labour cronyism claims continue

21 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The government seems to have appointed another party-political advisor to the civil service – this time Labour Together's Jess Sargeant to the role ...

Can Starmer reinvigorate Welsh Labour?

20 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Keir Starmer has been meeting the new First Minister Eluned Morgan as part of a two day trip to Wales. While the trip included a visit to a wind farm,...

Prison overcrowding triggers emergency measures

19 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The fallout from the riots continues as the numbers being processed by the justice system have led to emergency measures being triggered by the govern...

What are Sue Gray's plans for the civil service?

17 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Labour is planning to reform the civil service into five 'missions' that will lead the agenda, moving away from the purely departmental way of arrangi...

Can Labour really tame the unions?

16 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Less than 48 hours after Transport Secretary Louise Haigh hailed a new deal with train drivers... the rail union Aslef announced further strike action...

Has GDP growth come at the wrong time for Labour?

15 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The broader story this morning paints a positive picture for the UK economy. While growth in June took a pause, growth in Q2 for this year is estimate...

Why has the inflation rate gone up again?

14 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We've got some news today on the inflation rate, which rose to 2.2 per cent in July, slightly up from the Bank of England’s target of 2 per cent, wh...

Keir Starmer’s first foreign policy tests

13 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After successful showings at NATO and Blenheim Palace Keir Starmer is facing his first foreign policy tests, with big developments in Ukraine and in t...

Labour goes to war with the Nimbys

12 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Over the weekend we have had some news on Labour’s housing policy. The Times have splashed on the news that in order to meet their pledge to build 1...

The politics of prime ministerial holidays

10 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Should Keir Starmer go on holiday whilst the country is still grappling with violent disorder? In a YouGov poll on Thursday 71% of those surveyed said...

Keir vs Elon: round II

09 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk has it in for the Labour government, his latest tweet screenshotting a racist comment Labour MP Lauren Edwards made over a decade ago. On th...

How the Tory candidates have responded to the riots

08 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The last week has been dominated by rioting, and last night was expected to be a particularly explosive night. How did it measure up against expectati...

Will Starmer crack down on social media?

07 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Courts have started giving out severe sentences to those involved in the riots today, but there is a continued clamouring for Keir Starmer to do more....

Keir Starmer slaps down Elon Musk over ‘civil war’ comment

06 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Prime Minister has clashed with billionaire owner of ‘X’ Elon Musk over comments that Musk made claiming that – in light of the violent diso...

Can our prisons take these 'thugs'?

05 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Keir Starmer will be chairing his first Cobra meeting, as the government continues to grapple with the rioting that has broken out across the country....

Is Starmer’s response to the riots enough?

02 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Police are bracing themselves for more violent disorder this weekend. This is in the aftermath of the tragic stabbings in Southport and unrest in Lond...

Could Robert Jenrick overtake Kemi Badenoch?

02 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kemi Badenoch is the favourite in the Tory leadership race at the moment, which is partly why she's been subject to a fair amount of scrutiny and some...

Sunak's gift to Labour

01 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today the Bank of England has cut rates for the first time in four years, bringing more good economic news to the Labour government. On the episode, C...

How should Starmer respond to the Southport riots?

31 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rioters in Southport have clashed with police after three young girls were fatally stabbed outside a Taylor Swift themed dance class on Monday. The cr...

Winter for boomers

30 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel Reeves wakes to mixed headlines today after she announced a range of spending cuts to part fill a £22 billion ‘shortfall’ in public spendi...

How will Labour fill the surprise £20bn ‘black hole’?

29 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Chancellor Rachel Reeves has today been providing covering fire for a raft of unpopular policies, including changes to the winter fuel allowance a...

What's next for Suella Braverman?

29 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's a busy day in Westminster as we await the new Chancellor's ‘spending audit’ of the financial challenges Labour has ‘discovered’ on enteri...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 28/07/2024

28 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning’s politics shows.Tax rises might be on the horizon, as Labour prepare to reveal a £20bn hole...

Who might replace Simon Case as Cabinet Secretary?

27 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The rumour swirling around Westminster is that there will soon be a new Cabinet Secretary, the most senior civil servant position. Politico reported t...

Labour's '£20 billion black hole' strategy

26 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to give a statement to Parliament on Monday outlining the state of public finances, including a '£20 billion...

Tory leadership race latest: who's declared?

25 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As more Conservative MPs declare their intentions to run for the Tory leadership, James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Conservative peer Paul Goodman ...

Starmer’s plan to deal with Labour’s hard left

24 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Three weeks in for the new government and we have had our first Labour rebellion. In a vote last night on an SNP amendments to axe the two child benef...