# Starmer, Mandelson & HMT: why Gordon Brown has never been more relevant

An episode of [Coffee House Shots](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1101754136), 14 Feb 2026, 17 min.

Audio: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68359028e1abc4be6b032cd1/e/698fa6474d911476d84865f2/media.mp3?tk=eyJ0ayI6ImRlZmF1bHQiLCJhZHMiOnRydWUsInNwb25zIjp0cnVlLCJzdGF0dXMiOiJwdWJsaWMifQ==&sig=dvpxQ68-eGBxDWe4F93k6BQKVb-_3ezFdS_-Bj8RNDs

James Macintyre joins James Heale to discuss his new biography of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown: Power With Purpose. While the book has been years in the making, little did James know that it would end up published at the same time that its themes and subjects could never be more relevant. James tells our deputy political editor about the relationship between Brown and Blair, what the Labour leader makes of Keir Starmer’s problems today and his reflections – with hindsight – about bringing the now-disgraced Peter Mandelson back into government in 2008. Produced by Patrick Gibbons. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more. For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts. Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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