Coffee House Shots
The Spectator
300 episodes
Daily political analysis from The Spectator's top team of writers, including Michael Gove, Tim Shipman, Isabel Hardman, James Heale and many others.
More about the show
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Episodes page 1 of 6
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Kwasi Kwarteng: what could go wrong for Burnham's budget
Former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng joins Tim Shipman and James Heale to discuss the challenges facing the government ahead of tomorrow’s Budget. How close is the relationship between Number 10 and Number 11? And how much…
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Burnham's first budget – trick or treat?
Budget week is finally here but it's also the week of Hallowe'en so Patrick Gibbons asks James Heale and Michael Simmons: will Burnham's first budget be one of tricks or treats? There have been a drip-feed of…
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Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 25/10/2026
Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows. The Budget is fast approaching, and Andy Burnham wants to talk about freedom of movement. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this…
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SAS witch hunt: is Britain betraying its own special forces?
Just days after The Sunday Times revealed that five SAS soldiers were sent back into the war zone while under a three-year murder investigation, MPs passed the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill, which the SAS Regimental…
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EXCL: Andy Haldane turns on Burnham’s Budget plans
Andy Burnham’s first Budget as Prime Minister is approaching – but have higher borrowing costs already made the sums more difficult for the Prime Minister and his Chancellor, John Healey? Former Bank of England chief…
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24 hours with Nigel Farage
On today’s Coffee House Shots, James Heale reports back after spending 24 hours with Reform leader Nigel Farage. It’s a fascinating time to get access to Reform HQ: the party has been rocked by a succession of sting…
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Drill Andy drill! – Burnham's small victory
A week before the budget, and hours after ministers approved drilling at the Jackdaw gas field, Andy Burnham faced off with Kemi Badenoch at Prime Minister’s Questions in what James Heale reckons was the PM’s first win…
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The Tories are back in the conversation
Kemi Badenoch has delivered a major speech on the economy ahead of next week's Budget, calling for welfare cuts to fund higher defence spending. But with some encouraging economic figures, is her attack on Labour…
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LIVE: Who won conference season? | with Scarlett Maguire
For this live edition of Coffee House Shots, James Heale and Lara Brown are joined by pollster and strategist Scarlett Maguire at the Battle of Ideas Festival to unpack the party conference season and look ahead to the…
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Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 18/10/2026
Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows. Ministers react to Donald Trump's latest interventions in the war Russia-Ukraine conflict. And Zack Polanski is unapologetic in his reaction to…
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Does Britain still have free speech? | with Jonathan Sumption & Kellie-Jay Keen
This week, The Spectator hosted a debate on the motion: This house believes Britain no longer has free speech. Chaired by The Spectator’s Assistant Editor Isabel Hardman, the debate saw former Sun editor Kelvin…
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Will John Healey tax the banks?
With the Budget fast approaching, is Labour about to pick a fight with the City? Could a new bank tax help John Healey plug the fiscal black hole – or would it risk damaging one of Britain’s most successful industries?…
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Does Burnham have a foreign policy?
As Andy Burnham rolls out the red carpet for Volodymyr Zelensky in Downing Street, he has publicly sided with Kyiv against the Trump administration, days after the US President called for Zelensky to be replaced. Noa…
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Ed Davey sees off a coup
After last night’s botched coup against the Liberal Democrat leader, Sir Ed Davey, and a rather temperate Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons today, James Heale is joined by Isabel Hardman and Tim…
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Where are all the ‘Waitrose women’?
The IMF has upgraded its forecast for UK growth – but is the good news all it seems? Michael Simmons explains why the assumptions underpinning Britain’s economic outlook may be far shakier than they first appear, as…
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Russian interference: what really happened with Brexit
On this episode of Coffee House Shots, James Heale and Tim Shipman examine claims of Russian interference in the Brexit referendum. What do we actually know about Moscow’s attempts to influence the vote – and did they…
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LIVE: Why aren't Britain's young people working? | with Laura Trott
For this special edition of Coffee House Shots, economics editor Michael Simmons hosts a panel from Conservative Party conference on Britain’s growing NEETs crisis: the hundreds of thousands of young people not in…
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Is Polanski finished? – Labour crushes Green challenge in North London
Labour has held Holborn and St Pancras in the first major electoral test of the post-Starmer era – but what does the result tell us about the state of the left? James Heale is joined by Tim Shipman and More in…
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What makes a great politician? | Thérèse Coffey & Michael Gove
What does it take to become a successful political leader – and are Britain’s politicians getting the training they need? At Conservative Party Conference, Michael Gove was joined by former deputy PM Thérèse Coffey to…
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REACTION: Kemi’s conference speech – has she found ‘the right way’?
Kemi Badenoch has just delivered her conference speech, bringing Conservative Party Conference 2026 to a close. She very nearly almost announced the inheritance tax policy many had expected – instead beefing up the…
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A bonfire of regulations & Kemi's iron dome
James Heale is joined by Tim Shipman, Michael Simmons and Lara Brown from the second day of Conservative Party conference in Birmingham. They discuss shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith’s pitch for a low-tax,…
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LIVE: Antisemitism, Man City & abolishing the Triple Lock
James Heale, Tim Shipman and Tali Fraser record live from Conservative Party conference in Birmingham. As we pass the two year mark of Kemi Badenoch's leadership of the Tory Party, the panel discuss whether she has…
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Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 04/10/2026
Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows. Andy Burnham wants to scrap the pensions triple lock, and he's reopening the Brexit debate. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this…
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Can Kemi win the battle for the right?
James Heale is joined by Tim Shipman and Liam Halligan, Telegraph columnist and the new director of the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS), to look ahead to Conservative party conference, which kicks off today. Kemi…
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Can the Greens survive Burnham?
James Heale reports from Green Party conference in Brighton, joined by More in Common’s Luke Tryl and Noa Hoffman. After a year in which the Greens appeared to be challenging Labour on the left, has their momentum…
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Suella Braverman on imposter syndrome, 'breaking up' with the Tories and why she’ll never go back
Suella Braverman joins Tim Shipman to discuss her new memoir Patriot, from growing up with imposter syndrome to her battles inside the Conservative Party and eventual defection to Reform. She reflects on immigration,…
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EXCLUSIVE: work or face benefits ban, Kemi tells under-25s
Tim Shipman has interviewed Kemi Badenoch ahead of Tory party conference this weekend. In the interview, the Conservative party leader exclusively reveals the Tories plan to ban benefits to under 25s who have never…
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Can Andy keep up with his promises?
Andy Burnham delivered his first conference speech as Prime Minister in Liverpool yesterday, promising a sweeping expansion of public services and a fresh look at Brexit, to warm reviews from the hall. Patrick Gibbons…
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Hope again: do you buy Burnham's big pitch?
Andy Burnham has used his Labour conference speech to set out his clearest vision yet for the country and it was a strikingly ambitious one. Noa Hoffman is joined in Liverpool by Tim Shipman and Michael Simmons to…
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Can Labour really reindustrialise Britain?
Noa Hoffman is joined from Labour conference in Liverpool by James Heale and economics editor Michael Simmons to discuss Chancellor John Healey’s keynote speech. They discuss his attempt to sell fiscal discipline in…
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Immigration, Europe and tax: the questions Burnham is avoiding | LIVE
Live from Labour conference in Liverpool, Noa Hoffman is joined by Tim Shipman and James Heale to discuss the questions Andy Burnham still needs to answer. Can Labour tighten immigration controls while edging closer to…
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Labour conference day 1 – what's the mood in the bar?
It’s Labour conference day one, and Oscar Edmondson and James Heale report live from the Pullman hotel bar. What’s the mood of conference so far? Will it be a dour affair like previous years, or will new measures to…
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Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 27/09/2026
Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows. At the Labour conference, Andy Burnham has big plans for social care. But how will he pay for it? Become a Spectator subscriber today to…
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'The return of the prodigal son'? – Labour conference lookahead | with Jonathan Ashworth
Ahead of Labour Party conference, Tim Shipman is joined by former shadow cabinet minister Jonathan Ashworth to discuss the mood inside the party, Andy Burnham’s growing authority and whether he could be tempted to call…
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Is the AI dream over for Andy?
Andy Burnham pitched Britain to the UN this week as an 'honest broker' on artificial intelligence, only for Washington to ask OpenAI and Anthropic to make Britain's AI Security Institute wait its turn. Michael Simmons…
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Can Kemi hoover up votes with benefits reform?
After fresh polling from YouGov put the Tories ahead of Reform UK today, the leader of the opposition has set out plans to get people off of unemployment benefits, and limit what successful claimants can spend it on.…
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Chagos U-turn: has Burnham seen sense?
Donald Trump has forced a rethink of the Chagos deal, after publicly criticising the agreement during his meeting with Andy Burnham. Is Labour preparing to abandon one of Keir Starmer’s most controversial foreign…
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Will Trump give Burnham the time of day?
Andy Burnham is off to meet Donald Trump. What can he expect from his first face-to-face with the US president? Tim Shipman and Freddy Gray discuss the diplomatic choreography behind the meeting, the issues likely to…
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What's the mood at Lib Dem conference?
Patrick Gibbons is joined from Liberal Democrat conference in Brighton by deputy political editor James Heale and Michael Stephens, a senior associate fellow at RUSI and who is now the party’s prospective parliamentary…
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Calum Miller on growth, Burnham & closer EU defence ties
From the hallways of the Liberal Democrat conference in Brighton, the Spectator's deputy political editor James Heale speaks to foreign affairs spokesman Calum Miller MP about the party’s pitch on growth, what Andy…
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Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 20/09/2026
Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows. Ed Davey talks popularity contests, and Bridget Phillipson defends the government ahead of Andy Burnham's first meeting with Donald Trump.…
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Is Burnham ready to talk about war?
Military and intelligence chiefs across Europe are sounding increasingly stark warnings about the threat posed by Russia, from cyber attacks and sabotage to drones and hybrid warfare. But is Britain taking the danger…
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Have women ever had it so good? | with Julie Bindel & Miriam Cates
In this episode, we return to a live Spectator event asking: have women ever had it so good? The Spectator’s commissioning editor Lara Brown is joined by Zoe Strimpel, author of Good Slut; Spiked columnist Ella…
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Have we found Reform's achilles heel? – with Luke Tryl
More voters than ever before say they are willing to vote tactically at the next election, according to new polling from More in Common, and the trend is not running Reform's way – even Conservative supporters are more…
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How bad is the economy, Healey?
New inflation figures – showing the highest increase for several months – have done little to insulate John Healey from the stormy weather of the British economy. James Heale is joined by Michael Simmons and Tim…
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The battle for (rural) Britain
Labour is facing growing criticism from rural Britain, with the Countryside Alliance calling for a ‘rural reset’ between the government and the countryside. Noa Hoffman and James Heale are joined by Tory peer and…
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Reform's £72m donation – how will they spend it?
Reform UK received a record-breaking £72 million in donations over the weekend from two crypto billionaires – meaning the party has received almost twice as much in 24 hours as all political parties combined have…
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Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 13/09/2026
Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows. Reform have newfound riches. What does this mean for the future of political donations in the UK? Become a Spectator subscriber today to…
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Holy Smoke: Catholic Burnham barred – should the law change?
Andy Burnham has announced his intention to change a law which bars him from advising the King on appointments to the Church of England. The Victorian-era law explicitly bars Catholics like Burnham, as well as Jews –…
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Laura Trott: 'Labour are kowtowing to the unions'
England's 15-year-olds came eighth in the world for science, ninth for reading and tenth for maths in Tuesday's Pisa results, though it took the education secretary, Lucy Powell, hours to send the congratulatory…
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