# Why won't Starmer answer the question!?

An episode of [Coffee House Shots](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1101754136), 15 Apr 2026, 14 min.

Audio: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68359028e1abc4be6b032cd1/e/69dfacc32fdc372bd1739bb7/media.mp3?tk=eyJ0ayI6ImRlZmF1bHQiLCJhZHMiOnRydWUsInNwb25zIjp0cnVlLCJzdGF0dXMiOiJwdWJsaWMifQ==&sig=YJIDZPKrnDvvVwnrnJUphex4hjt0VNpVGCHkhQ8xsYw

PMQs is back and – predictably – Lord Robertson’s intervention on the state of the armed forces dominated proceedings. The Prime Minister gave six responses to questions about defence spending, none of which addressed the criticism properly. While it was not a painful session for Starmer, it did show how little he has to say and how little authority he seems to have over such a serious matter. Why can’t he just answer the question? Does he want to be back in opposition? Megan McElroy speaks to Tim Shipman and Isabel Hardman. Produced by Megan McElroy and 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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