# Why MPs must be whipped | Simon Hart

An episode of [Coffee House Shots](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1101754136), 17 Jul 2026, 18 min.

Audio: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68359028e1abc4be6b032cd1/e/6a58ba8de743c698003e47bd/media.mp3?tk=eyJ0ayI6ImRlZmF1bHQiLCJhZHMiOnRydWUsInNwb25zIjp0cnVlLCJzdGF0dXMiOiJwdWJsaWMifQ==&sig=zVCw_Kd4geeIBQVOY4oWNFZlFdXBQmYrFM2rCfrbwT4

Andy Burnham has promised to turn the whips’ office into an ‘HR department’ – but the former chief whip Simon Hart warns that the approach is ‘naive’ and could leave the new prime minister unable to control his party. Hart explains why large majorities can be harder to manage than small ones, what Keir Starmer got wrong and why Burnham will begin making enemies as soon as he appoints his first cabinet. He also defends Kemi Badenoch’s crackdown on Tory dissenters, arguing that there must be consequences when private disagreement becomes public disloyalty. Plus: does Parliament take MPs’ safety seriously enough? Hart argues that security has improved significantly in recent years, and that the idea MPs are routinely left unprotected is a ‘myth’. Noa Hoffman speaks to Simon Hart, the former government chief whip and author of Ungovernable: The Political Diaries of a Chief Whip. Produced by Oscar Edmondson. 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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