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 4 of 6
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Exclusive: Nigel Farage's Desert Island Discs revealed
Canvassing in Makerfield continues at pace ahead of the by-election in two weeks time, so we dispatched Megan McElroy and James Heale to the north to report from the ground. They discuss each party’s ground game, why…
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How Mandelson continues to haunt Labour
As Parliament returns from recess, the latest files related to Peter Mandelson's appointment as UK ambassador to the US are due to be released today. How bad could they be for Labour? Tim Shipman joins James Heale to…
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Why politics hasn’t recovered from 2008 | with Lord Wood
There have been a number of critiques of Tony Blair’s 5,000-word intervention on Labour and the country this week, but none more astute than Lord Wood’s. One of Labour’s foremost thinkers, Lord Wood joins James Heale…
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Who has a winning vision for Labour – Blair, Burnham or Starmer?
When it comes to political vision, Keir Starmer’s premiership has been something of a vacuum – and power abhors a vacuum. So cue Tony Blair, who this week has rushed in with a 5,000-word essay on what is wrong with…
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Is it too late for Britain's 'lost generation'?
More than 600,000 16 to 24-year-olds are neither in work nor looking for a job. Youth worklessness is now costing Britain £125 billion a year – almost double the country’s entire defence budget. Those are the findings…
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Can Andy Burnham really do it?
Andy Burnham is the man on everyone’s lips in Westminster. As he campaigns to return to parliament in the Makerfield by-election, Tim and James bring you the definitive guide to Burnham – and what could happen next.…
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What did Nicola Sturgeon know?
Peter Murrell, the SNP’s former chief executive and Nicola Sturgeon’s estranged husband, has admitted embezzling £400,000 in party funds. The guilty plea has revived questions about what senior figures in the SNP knew,…
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Can Kemi really save the Tories? | with Lee Cain
The Labour leadership contest may be rumbling on in the background, but today Coffee House turns to the Conservatives – and whether Kemi Badenoch can really revive a party still reeling from electoral collapse. Her…
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Which Andy Burnham will we get this time?
Andy Burnham has officially launched his campaign today to be MP for Makerfield (read: Prime Minister). But what does he actually stand for? We’ve had briefings that, despite being the candidate of the soft left, he…
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LIVE: The Net Zero Debate | Liam Halligan & Lord Lilley vs Bob Ward & Shahrar Ali
For nearly two decades, net zero has sat at the heart of Britain’s policy agenda. Once framed as a clear moral imperative, it saw political parties promising to slash carbon emissions and ministers racing to position…
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The calm before Labour’s next storm
After a turbulent few weeks, Westminster is in limbo. Keir Starmer appears safe – for now – after Wes Streeting’s underwhelming resignation speech, and all eyes are turning to the Makerfield by-election on 18 June.…
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Will the bond markets undo Burnham?
Andy Burnham’s campaign for Makerfield is already gathering pace, complete with Oasis soundtrack to a new campaign video. But as Labour’s would-be challenger tries to pitch himself as the man to replace Keir Starmer,…
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Burnham vs Reform: why Makerfield matters
The by-election in Makerfield is shaping up to be one of the most consequential contests in recent political history. On paper, the seat should be fertile ground for Reform: heavily Leave-voting, older than average and…
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Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 17/05/2026
Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows. Lisa Nandy backs Keir Starmer, as ministers resign and potential leadership challengers circle. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access…
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'It's an orgy of chaos': Steve Baker on how to oust a Prime Minister
On today’s Saturday shots, James Heale is joined by former Conservative MP Steve Baker to discuss the fallout from Wes Streeting’s resignation and the ‘orgy of chaos’ that has ensued. Steve takes James inside the dark…
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LIVE: Steve Reed on Streeting, Burnham & what happened to levelling up?
In today’s podcast, Michael Gove is joined by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed, at a Spectator event titled ‘Levelling Up vs Pride in Place’, sponsored by Autodesk. They…
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Wesignation: does Streeting have a plan?
After days of deliberation, Wes Streeting has finally quit Keir Starmer’s government. At the stroke of 1 p.m., the Ilford MP resigned as Health Secretary in a two-page letter that laid out his differences with the…
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All eyes on Wes: inside Labour's leadership crisis
Wes Streeting is/was expected to make his move today for the Labour leadership – but does he have the numbers? There was some frantic briefing last night, with competing claims about who has the required number of MPs…
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If it’s not Keir, it’s Carns | Mike Tapp MP
In this special edition of Coffee House Shorts, Noa Hoffman is joined by Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Home Office minister Mike Tapp. On a day of high drama in Westminster, with Wes Streeting widely…
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Starmer says put up or shut up
The Prime Minister is digging his heels in. Keir Starmer has told his cabinet that he is not going anywhere, despite a growing list of MPs calling for him to go. At 9.30 a.m., Starmer was greeted by his senior…
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Keir Starmer’s big pitch is ... more of the same
Keir Starmer has given what was billed as a make-or-break having spent the weekend under fire from his own party. He tried to strike a more urgent tone, promising bigger arguments, closer ties with Europe (which is…
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Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 10/05/2026
Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows. The results are in, and it's not looking good for Labour. How long will Keir Starmer last? Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this…
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Should he stay, or should he go? | with Maurice Glasman
As the full picture of the local elections emerges, Labour faces a dilemma: stick with Keir Starmer, or put forward an alternative. Calls for Starmer to resign have intensified, and we are braced for MPs to stick…
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The local elections winners & losers, in 10 mins
This is your evening local elections update delivered by James Heale, Tim Shipman and Noa Hoffman – all in just 10 minutes. As results come in across the country, they take each party in turn. Have the Greens done as…
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Local elections briefing: what you need to know as Reform sweeps the country
It’s results day, and Nigel Farage is the local elections winner – again. A wave of teal has swept the country, stealing Labour seats from Hartlepool to Havering. This election was sold by insurgent parties as a…
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The greatest political books ever: how many have you read?
It’s polling day! Tim and James take the opportunity to go through their favourite political books ever, fiction and non-fiction. They discuss the books that have shaped their understanding of politics and make the…
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Are the Greens repeating Corbyn's mistakes?
As voters prepare to go to the polls in a set of local elections that could redraw the political map, we examine the ‘outsiders’ on today’s episode – starting with the Greens. After Zack Polanski’s grilling on the…
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Who will survive the local elections?
The local elections are nearly upon us. Political editor Tim Shipman and deputy political editor James Heale bring you the one-stop shop podcast with everything you need to know ahead of the day. What could happen to…
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Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 03/05/2026
Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows. Politicians react to potential bans on Palestine marches, in the wake of the Golders Green stabbings. Become a Spectator subscriber today to…
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LIVE: The Fight for the Right | Nick Timothy & Claire Coutinho vs Danny Kruger & Matt Goodwin
The Conservative party was once the natural political home for those on the right. No longer. The Tories’ vote share collapsed at the 2024 general election and the party, under new leadership, has since been outflanked…
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Why did the assisted dying bill fail? | Lord Moore vs Lord Falconer
The assisted dying bill has stalled in the House of Lords – but is it dead, or merely delayed? After weeks of fraught debate, multiple amendments and accusations of filibuster, supporters of the bill are considering…
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The end of the peer show
Hereditary peers have left their red leather benches for the final time. The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act became law earlier this year, which removes all hereditary peers' right to speak and vote in Parliament…
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Starmer vs the basics of politics
Does Keir Starmer have confidence in Rachel Reeves? Kemi Badenoch pressed the Prime Minister on his Chancellor’s future at PMQs – and he declined to answer, twice. Westminster (and Twitter) is now awash with reshuffle…
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Morgan McSweeney faces the music
It’s a blockbuster day in parliament today. To kick things off, we had Philip Barton pleading ignorance; to close the proceedings tonight we have a vote on a possible Privileges Committee probe. But in between we have…
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Can the King handle Trump?
King Charles is about to travel to Washington to visit President Trump. The brief? Fix the strained relationship. No pressure! Can royal diplomacy steady relations? Will the trip be awkward given Trump's recent words…
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Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 26/04/2026
Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows. President Trump survives another potential assassination attempt, as shots ring out at the White House correspondents' dinner. Become a…
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'I used to be Labour. No more.' – who will win Wales?
Is Labour about to lose Wales? That’s what the polling suggests. After 27 years, Wales is seeking change. The beneficiaries look to be the outsiders, Plaid Cymru and Reform UK. Why is it this moment in particular that…
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Is Lord Hermer fit to be Attorney General?
The long-debated assisted dying bill is expected to fail in the House of Lords today – described by the bill's leading advocate Lord Falconer as failing 'not on its merits' but 'due to procedural wrangling'. Natasha…
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‘Worse than the worst of Boris Johnson’ – are Labour turning on Starmer?
Somewhere in the documents surrounding Peter Mandelson’s ambassadorial appointment, the Spectator's political editor Tim Shipman reveals, is a text Keir Starmer sent the night before the announcement. ‘You’ll be…
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'When, not if' – who will move against Starmer?
It will come as no surprise that Keir Starmer appears to have heard a very different evidence session from Sir Olly Robbins to the one everyone else thought the ex Foreign Office mandarin gave yesterday. The Prime…
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Why Olly Robbins testimony is 'quietly devastating' for Starmer
'The most gripping testimony' since Dominic Cummings which could prove 'extraordinary and quietly devastating' for Keir Starmer. That's the verdict of the Spectator's political editor Tim Shipman following sacked…
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'They expect us to believe this?' – Starmer’s Mandelson story doesn’t add up
Westminster is braced ahead of two key interventions in the Mandelson scandal. This afternoon, the prime minister will give a statement in which we understand he will convey his ‘anger’ at being kept in the dark about…
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Why the Lib Dems are aiming for second – with Al Pinkerton MP & Mark Pack
Liberal Democrat peer Mark Pack and MP for Surrey Heath Al Pinkerton join James Heale to explain that it is a matter of 'when not if' the party become the second biggest in local government. Overtaking the…
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Danny Kruger: Reform’s plan to tear up the system
Danny Kruger joins James Heale to set out Reform’s plan to overhaul the British state – from taking on the civil service to restoring ministerial control – and why he believes the system will resist change. Become a…
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Mandelson latest: can we trust Starmer's ignorance?
The Peter Mandelson scandal just got more scandalous. Last night the story broke that Mandeslon actually failed his enhanced vetting before being made US Ambassador. Number 10 are pleading ignorance. Their defence sits…
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Inside parliament’s ‘summer of sex’ | Cindy Gallop & Cleo Watson
It is a hard time to be a Labour MP. The polls are flagging, the economy is stagnating and the Middle East remains in crisis. But facing electoral armageddon in three weeks’ time, one brave backbencher has taken it up…
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Why won't Starmer answer the question!?
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…
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Are the Treasury & the MOD at war?
George Robertson (pictured), a former defence secretary and former NATO secretary-general, has accused the government of 'corrosive complacency' towards defence, which puts the UK 'in peril'. This is all the more…
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Keir Starmer thinks he's Henry VIII
Two big stories to chew over on today’s podcast, starting with Viktor Orban’s landslide defeat in Hungary. The left have been celebrating this as a victory over populism, but have they misunderstood Peter Magyar’s…
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Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 12/04/2026
Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows. No end in sight to the conflict in the Middle East, as negotiations in Pakistan between the US and Iran end without an agreement. Become a…
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