Coffee House Shots

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...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 09/07/23

09 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Allegations involving the sexual misconduct of a BBC presenter. The US agrees to supply cluster bombs to Ukraine. The Conservative view on UK debt and...

Humza Yousaf's first 100 days

08 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

James Heale speaks to John Ferry and Iain Macwhirter about Humza Yousaf's first 100 days in Holyrood. Plagued by Sturgeon's arrest, does the Scottish ...

Was booting Boris a mistake?

07 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It is one year since Boris Johnson announced his resignation as prime minister. That day, Labour held an 11 point lead in the polls but new YouGov pol...

Chris Pincher’s suspension spells more trouble for Rishi Sunak

06 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A year on from allegations that Chris Pincher groped two young men at the Carlton Club (allegations that ultimately triggered the downfall of Boris Jo...

Did the NHS need a service at Westminster Abbey?

05 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The NHS marks its 75th anniversary today, and in Westminster, both Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer attended a service at Westminster Abbey in honour of t...

Rishi Sunak’s Tory approval ratings turn negative

04 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rishi Sunak’s personal approval rating among Tory members has turned negative for the first time in his premiership. Why is the Prime Minister becom...

Who are the New Conservatives?

03 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A group of 25 Tory MPs, calling themselves the New Conservatives, have launched a plan that they say will cut net migration from 606,000, last year's ...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 02/07/23

02 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The government unveils its plans for the future of the NHS. But its progress on the healthcare problems of today is called into question. Can the NHS ...

Why is the NHS in such a bad way?

01 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Next week is the NHS's 75th birthday. Why is the health service in such a poor state? Are the Tories selling it off? And is there any hope for its fut...

Does Zac Goldsmith's resignation matter?

30 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Zac Goldsmith has resigned as a minister, and says he quit because Rishi Sunak is 'simply uninterested' in the environment. It comes a day after Golds...

Is Rishi's Rwanda plan dead?

29 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It never rains but it pours for Rishi Sunak, as the Court of Appeal has today ruled against his Rwanda plan, raising concerns about the safety of asyl...

Korski drops out after groping claims. Now what?

28 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel Korski, the former David Cameron aide who was standing to be the Conservative candidate for London mayor, has dropped out of the race after a w...

What happened at Hancock’s Covid grilling?

27 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Hancock gave evidence at the Covid inquiry today. The former health secretary said that ‘the doctrine was wrong’, care home preparation was ‘...

Is the economy wearing Rishi Sunak down?

26 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As mortgage rates surge and a new Opinium poll finds Labour’s lead has jumped to 18 points, Rishi Sunak appeared on Laura Kuenssberg’s BBC show to...

The Wagner coup: what we know so far

24 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Fraser Nelson is joined by Svitlana Morenets and Mark Galeotti as Vladimir Putin faces an armed insurrection from the Wagner mercenary group – what ...

The case for capitalism

24 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kate Andrews is joined by Fraser Nelson and Johan Norberg, author of The Capitalist Manifesto: why the global free market will save the world. On the ...

Do Brits regret Brexit?

23 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today is the seven years' anniversary of the Brexit referendum, and new polls find that a majority of Brits would prefer a closer relationship with th...

Shock as interest rates hiked to 5 per cent

22 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

James Heale speaks to Isabel Hardman and Kate Andrews as the Bank of England announced it has hiked interest rates to 5 per cent. Faced with inflation...

Could Britain turn into a stagflation nation?

21 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Natasha Feroze speaks to Kate Andrews and Katy Balls about today's inflation figures, stuck at 8.7 per cent despite predictions it would fall. As a fl...

Parliament votes to ban Boris

20 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In last night's vote on the Privileges Committee's report into whether Boris Johnson misled parliament, just six MPs backed the former prime minister....

How bad is the mortgage time bomb?

19 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Katy Balls speaks to Kate Andrews and Fraser Nelson about the developments in the mortgage markets and how Tory MPs are expected to vote on Partygate....

Will Ulez be the undoing of Sadiq Khan?

17 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In his politics column for The Spectator this week James Heale profiles the three candidates that the Tories have shortlisted for London mayor. With t...

How will MPs vote on the Partygate report?

16 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The release of The Privileges Committee's report into whether Boris Johnson knowingly misled parliament has caused a war of words in the press. Severa...

How damning is the Privileges Committee's report?

15 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We have finally got the results of the Privileges Committee's report into whether Boris Johnson deliberately misled parliament, and it doesn't make fo...

Nadine's revenge

14 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Having said she'll step down, Nadine Dorries has now said that she won't formally resign as an MP until later this year... It's hard to see this as an...

Are 'sinister forces' conspiring against Nadine Dorries?

13 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Nadine Dorries has hit out on various platforms saying that 'sinister forces' stopped her from receiving her peerage, as promised to her by former pri...

Sunak comes out fighting over Boris honours row

12 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This morning Rishi Sunak has delivered a direct rebuke of Boris Johnson over the resignation honours row, during an interview at London Tech Week. Is ...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup

11 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Boris Johnson's resignation provokes contrasting reactions. The honours system is called into question. Nigel Farage claims an insurgency could be on ...

Nicola Sturgeon arrested in SNP finance investigation

11 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Nicola Sturgeon has been arrested in connection with the probe into SNP finances.A spokesperson for Nicola Sturgeon confirmed: ‘Nicola Sturgeon has ...

What's behind Labour's green U-turn?

10 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Natasha Feroze speaks to Katy Balls and former Labour advisor John McTernan about Labour's announcement that they are watering down their green invest...

Is this the end of Boris Johnson?

10 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kate Andrews, Katy Balls and Fraser Nelson react to the news that Boris Johnson has decided to stand down as an MP. Will the former Prime Minister go ...

Is Boris's honours list a lesson in cronyism?

09 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Boris Johnson has published his resignation honours list, proposing a number of supporters, long time loyalists and even young staffers to be given pe...

How far can the Green Party go without Caroline Lucas?

08 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Green Party's first and only MP, Caroline Lucas, has announced today that she'll be stepping down at the next election. On the episode, Katy Balls...

Should Rishi be worried about Covid inquiry messages?

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It was prime ministers questions today and while Rishi Sunak is away in the US Oliver Dowden stood in. The Covid inquiry was a hot topic of debate. Ri...

Can Sunak and Biden crack AI regulation?

06 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Prime Minister will be flying stateside tonight to visit Joe Biden. Top of the agenda will be AI regulation (they may also talk about Ben Wallace'...

Is Andy Burnham a problem for Starmer?

05 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

James Heale is joined by Isabel Hardman and Katy Balls to discuss Rishi Sunak's visit to Dover in a bid to tackle small boats. Also, following a clash...

Who will be on the candidates list?

03 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Lord Stewart Jackson, regional chairman of the Conservative Democratic Organisation. On the podcast they discuss ...

Is the government heading for a court defeat?

02 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Cabinet Office has officially triggered a judicial review against the Covid Inquiry – but is this a misstep, if eventually they will lose their ...

When will Pestminster end?

01 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Natasha Feroze speaks to Isabel Hardman and James Heale about Geraint Davies, a Labour MP who has been suspended from the party amid allegations of se...

Do the Tories really hate 'the Blob'?

31 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Boris Johnson's team today suggested that they would be happy to hand over his WhatsApp messages from during the pandemic to help the Covid enquiry. W...

Should Rishi Sunak ban vapes?

30 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Natasha Feroze is joined by James Heale and Fraser Nelson to discuss the Covid inquiry's requested release of Boris Johnson's unredacted Whatsapp mess...

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup

28 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Russian Ambassador has his own opinions about the war in Ukraine. Kuenssberg questions the Health Secretary over the government's pledge to build ...

What's wrong with lots of immigration?

27 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week's net migration figures were lower than expected, but still far higher than the 'tens of thousands' first promised by David Cameron. What's ...

Why are borrowing costs surging?

26 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

James Heale speaks to Fraser Nelson and Kate Andrews about the news that borrowing costs are back to being the highest since last Autumn. Are markets ...

What's behind the latest migration figures?

25 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

James Heale speaks to Fraser Nelson and Robert Colvile from the Centre for Policy Studies about today's migration figures, which hit a record high yet...