The Spectator

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Channel • 9 Shows

News Commentary

News Commentary

Updated daily
News Commentary

News Commentary

Updated weekly
Politics

Politics

Updated twice weekly
Politics

Politics

Updated weekly
Daily News

Daily News

Updated daily
Books

Books

Updated weekly
Religion

Religion

Every two weeks

2 DAYS AGO

Americano: what will happen in the mid terms?

The midterm elections in November is shaping up to be one of the most expensive elections yet. Freddy Gray and Ryan Girdusky, author of National Populist Substack to discuss how inflation, crime, and immigration are shaping voter patterns, whether the Trump coalition remains as strong as he claims, and what impact Trump's recent focus on international affairs will have with his American voter base. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2 days ago

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36 min
6 FEB

AI will bring down Keir Starmer – if Peter Mandelson doesn’t first

Is Britain ready for Artificial Intelligence? Well, bluntly, 'no'; that's the verdict if you read several pieces in this week's Spectator – from Tim Shipman, Ross Clark and Palantir UK boss Louis Mosley – focused on how Britain is uniquely ill-placed to take advantage of the next industrial revolution. Tim Shipman's cover piece focuses on how the Labour government is approaching AI – there are some positives but, overall, Britain's creaky bureaucracy is blocking progress. To discuss this week's Edition, features editor William Moore is joined by political editor Tim Shipman, commissioning editor Lara Brown and the Daily Mail columnist Sarah Vine. Are you a tech-optimist or part of the 'analogue resistance' that Sarah professes to head? Also on the episode: why is Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel obsessed with the antichrist – and is he the Isaac Newton of the 21st century; what does the Peter Mandelson scandal reveal about politics – and has Sarah Ferguson fallen further than the Prince of Darkness; is the new documentary Melania a genius PR move or a vain symptom of Trump's love of classic Hollywood; and finally, have you experienced 'elder-speak'? 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.

6 Feb

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43 min
6 DAYS AGO

How deep does Epstein's network go?

Freddy Gray is joined by historian Andrew Lownie, to react to the latest release of Epstein emails - and how they are bringing down a global network of elites. They discuss whether Epstein was a Soviet spy, the renewed pressure on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and if politicians will hide behind 'national security' to prevent the release of more files. 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.

6 days ago

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24 min
6 FEB

The Edition: AI will bring down Keir Starmer – if Peter Mandelson doesn’t first

Is Britain ready for Artificial Intelligence? Well, bluntly, 'no'; that's the verdict if you read several pieces in this week's Spectator – from Tim Shipman, Ross Clark and Palantir UK boss Louis Mosley – focused on how Britain is uniquely ill-placed to take advantage of the next industrial revolution. Tim Shipman's cover piece focuses on how the Labour government is approaching AI – there are some positives but, overall, Britain's creaky bureaucracy is blocking progress. To discuss this week's Edition, features editor William Moore is joined by political editor Tim Shipman, commissioning editor Lara Brown and the Daily Mail columnist Sarah Vine. Are you a tech-optimist or part of the 'analogue resistance' that Sarah professes to head? Also on the episode: why is Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel obsessed with the antichrist – and is he the Isaac Newton of the 21st century; what does the Peter Mandelson scandal reveal about politics – and has Sarah Ferguson fallen further than the Prince of Darkness; is the new documentary Melania a genius PR move or a vain symptom of Trump's love of classic Hollywood; and finally, have you experienced 'elder-speak'? Produced by Patrick Gibbons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

6 Feb

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43 min
4 FEB

Mandelson scandal: ‘from tawdry friendship to something sinister’

This week: Michael and Maddie examine the fallout from the Epstein files and ask how a story of questionable judgment became a far more serious test of trust at the top of British politics. As new revelations emerge about Peter Mandelson’s links to Jeffrey Epstein, has a tawdry association escalated into a question of the national interest? And what does the affair reveal about Keir Starmer’s judgment – and the risks of relying on political experience over proper scrutiny? Then: the growing generational backlash over student loans. With graduate repayment thresholds frozen and interest rates soaring, are younger voters being systematically squeezed to prop up an unsustainable system? Finally: the countryside culture war. From Defra’s diversity targets to mounting regulation of rural life, Michael and Maddie ask whether policymakers fundamentally misunderstand the countryside – and whether independence, not prejudice, is what really makes it a target. Produced by Oscar Edmondson. To submit your urgent questions to Michael and Maddie, visit spectator.co.uk/quiteright. 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.

4 Feb

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47 min
23 JAN

Trump's Arctic madness, political treachery & banning social media

Another week, another foreign policy crisis – this time over Greenland. America's European allies watched as Trump increased the tension over the Arctic territory, only to announce he 'won't use force' in a set-piece speech in Davos. For the Spectator's cover this week, Paul Wood examines the strategic role of the Arctic, both against Russia and China and from nuclear energy to the space race. With a deal supposedly done between Denmark and the US, is there method in Trump's madness? For this week’s Edition, host William Moore is joined by deputy editor Freddy Gray, online commissioning editor Lara Brown and broadcaster Miriam Cates. Saying she feels sorry for Keir Starmer, the former Conservative MP argues that Britain is a 'vassal state' and needs to wake up to the fact America is not benevolent. Is Britain's attitude towards the special relationship realistic or naive? The also discuss: how 'Brand Britain' is losing its value by cosying up to the Chinese; how – despite the defection of Robert Jenrick – Reform is still very vulnerable to an anti-Farage pact; the merits of banning social media for children under the age of 16; and finally, how concerned the global west should be about the radicalisation of young women. 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.

23 Jan

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45 min
30 JAN

‘No-one voted for them’ – Douglas Murray on the men actually running Britain

Who really runs Britain: the government, foreign courts or international lawyers? This question is at the heart of Michael Gove’s cover piece for the Spectator this week, analysing the role of those at the centre of Labour’s foreign policy. Attorney general Lord Hermer, national security adviser Jonathan Powell and internationally renowned barrister Philippe Sands may seek to uphold international law but is this approach outdated as we enter an era of hard power? For Gove, they are the three ‘guilty men’ who are undermining Britain’s national interest at the expense of a liberal international law that never really existed. For this week’s Edition, host Lara Prendergast is joined by deputy editor Freddy Gray, columnist Douglas Murray and editor of the Spectator’s Life section Arabella Byrne. The also discuss: whether Labour’s reset can really work ahead of next month’s by-election; how taking in so many disaffected Tories could backfire for Reform; why people care more about ICE in America than Iran – and if this proof that society has become conditioned; whether we should bemoan the demise of the landline; and finally, how parents should approach the issue of their children drinking. 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.

30 Jan

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43 min
5 FEB

The Book Club: The Rise of the Mafia and the Struggle for Italy’s Soul

My guest in this week’s Book Club podcast is Caroline Moorehead, whose new book A Sicilian Man: Leonardo Sciascia, the Rise of the Mafia and the Struggle for Italy’s Soul tells the remarkable story of one of Italy’s best-known writers – who used the pulp detective novel to shine a light on the social and political rot of his native land. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5 Feb

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39 min
4 FEB

Quite right!: the Peter Mandelson problem just got worse

To hear this week's episode in full, search 'Quite right!' wherever you are listening now. This week: Michael and Maddie examine the fallout from the Epstein files and ask how a story of questionable judgment became a far more serious test of trust at the top of British politics. As new revelations emerge about Peter Mandelson’s links to Jeffrey Epstein, has a tawdry association escalated into a question of the national interest? And what does the affair reveal about Keir Starmer’s judgment – and the risks of relying on political experience over proper scrutiny? Then: the growing generational backlash over student loans. With graduate repayment thresholds frozen and interest rates soaring, are younger voters being systematically squeezed to prop up an unsustainable system? Finally: the countryside culture war. From Defra’s diversity targets to mounting regulation of rural life, Michael and Maddie ask whether policymakers fundamentally misunderstand the countryside – and whether independence, not prejudice, is what really makes it a target. Produced by Oscar Edmondson. To submit your urgent questions to Michael and Maddie, visit spectator.co.uk/quiteright. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

4 Feb

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21 min
4 FEB

The Mandelson scandal could spell the end for Starmer

Another impressive PMQs from Kemi Badenoch – but she had plenty of ammunition to deploy after the Peter Mandelson scandal took a bleaker turn this week. The Prime Minister clearly wanted to make a strong statement in his first answer to Kemi Badenoch, saying that ‘Mandelson betrayed our country, our parliament and my party’. He added: ‘He lied repeatedly to my team when asked about his relationship with Epstein before and during his tenure as ambassador. I regret appointing him.’ He then listed the actions he had taken to strip Mandelson of his title, remove him from the Privy Council, and refer material to the Metropolitan Police. The whole thing exposed Starmer’s biggest weaknesses: his over-reliance on process and his inability to consider how the public see him. There is a lot of support for a full public inquiry, which seems more fitting to the magnitude of this scandal. As the evidence piles in and the scandal rumbles on, is this the beginning of the end for the prime minister – or are we even further along than that? James Heale speaks to Tim Shipman and Isabel Hardman. Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Megan McElroy. 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.

4 Feb

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14 min

The Spectator's mission is to entertain, inform, delight and infuriate our audience. Here you can find our free podcasts, tackling issues from UK politics, the US and China, to religion, literature, food and drink and more.