Coffee House Shots

The Spectator

4,4 (137)
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Instant political analysis from the Spectator's top team of writers, including Michael Gove, Katy Balls, Isabel Hardman, James Heale, Cindy Yu and many others.

-22 H

Reform in 'poll' position

It's happened. Reform are now ahead of Labour, according to a voting intention poll by YouGov. Reform leads the landmark poll with 25 points, with Labour languishing all the way down in second place on 24 points. Meanwhile, the Conservatives place third on 21 per cent, the Liberal Democrats are on 14 per cent and the Greens on 9 per cent. While there have been a handful of polls to date putting Reform in the lead, they have so far been regarded as outliers. It's a slim lead, but does it point to a long term shift in UK politics – or can it be dismissed as a blip? Does this make a Tory-Reform pact more likely? Oscar Edmondson speaks to Katy Balls and James Heale. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

13 min
-2 J

Trump vs Europe

Trump's tariff spree continues... After making good on his election promise to opt for another round of tariffs – a 25 per cent tax on imports from Canada and Mexico and a 10 per cent levy on Chinese goods – Trump has now turned his attention to Europe. In an interview with the BBC, the president said that while the UK would likely avoid tariffs, the EU might not be so lucky and described the trade relationship with Europe as an ‘atrocity’. This comes on the day that Keir Starmer is in Brussels and will likely be trying to smooth the road ahead of a post-Brexit ‘reset’. Can Labour continue to play both sides? Katy Balls speaks to Kate Andrews and Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

15 min
-2 J

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 02/02/2025

This week, Cindy Yu presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows. The day before Keir Starmer is set to meet with European leaders, we hear contrasting views on Brexit and the UK's relationship with Europe from Yvette Cooper, Ed Davey and Andrew Griffith. Plus, Cooper talks about AI's dangerous involvement in the production of child abuse material.

11 min
-4 J

Was Peter Mandelson the right pick for ambassador to the US?

‘An absolute moron’ – those were the words used by Chris LaCivita, a senior campaign advisor to Trump, to describe Peter Mandelson. Lord Mandelson is Keir Starmer’s choice for the next ambassador to the US, but Trump may yet refuse his letters of credentials. How wise is this appointment at the dawn of an uncertain era of US-UK relations? Cindy Yu talks to James Heale and Sophia Gaston, UK foreign policy lead at the security think tank ASPI. Produced by Cindy Yu.

22 min
-4 J

John Prescott's legacy, plus Labour & the Tories grapple with migration

Labour heavyweight John Prescott's funeral took place yesterday with former Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown leading the tributes. What is Prescott's legacy? And does the current Labour Party have politicians that emulate his appeal? Lucy Dunn speaks to James Heale and former Blair adviser John McTernan about how Prescott was the glue that held Labour together during the Blair-Brown years. Also on the podcast, they discuss the borders and migration bill which Labour published this week. The bill sees the government adopt many measures that they voted against when in opposition. Does this show that Labour have what it takes to tackle immigration? Meanwhile the Conservatives still haven't come to terms with their own legacy on migration, as shown by shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel's comments to Talk TV... Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

15 min
-5 J

Can Reform turn more Tory donors?

Tuesday night's Reform fundraiser was designed to spook the Conservative party, says Conservative peer and journalist Paul Goodman on today's episode. He talks to Cindy Yu and James Heale about whether Kemi Badenoch can keep her cool under Reform's domination of the airwaves. Produced by Cindy Yu.

15 min
-6 J

'Props to Rachel'

Today was the day for Rachel Reeves, as she delivered her big growth speech in Oxfordshire. This was not this government’s first attempt to pivot towards a more business-friendly, growth-generating narrative, but it was its best effort. The headline announcement is, of course, a third runway at Heathrow, throwing her support behind the ‘badly needed’ expansion. However, a lot of what was announced will sound familiar to recently departed Tories, who laid the groundwork for Labour’s plans to properly connect the South East (or the ‘Oxford–Cambridge Arc’, as it has been repackaged). Will Rachel Reeves get her growth? Katy Balls speaks to Michael Gove and Kate Andrews. Produced by Oscar Edmondson. For tickets to our first Coffee House Shots live event of 2025, go to: spectator.co.uk/coffeehouselive

12 min
28 JANV.

Labour's Richard Hermer problem

Richard Hermer was one of the surprise announcements from Keir Starmer’s first Cabinet, and one of the most controversial since. Starmer’s old pal came with some notable baggage: his former clients include Sri Lankan refugees to the Chagos Islands and ex-Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams, as well as British-Bangladeshi Isis bride Shamima Begum. In government, Hermer has played a key role in several contentious decisions, such as the government’s withdrawal of the UK’s objections to the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu, and his involvement in the Chagos Islands deal. And today he admitted that he has had to recuse himself ‘from certain matters’ due to potential conflicts of interest. Is the government hamstrung by Hermer? James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Rajiv Shah, former special adviser to the Attorney General and to Number 10. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

13 min

Tout afficher (500)

4,4

sur 5

137 notes

Get better Americans

01/10/2024

lrhhrl

Great show but Sarah Elliot is a total waste. What a poor advocate for conservatism. Typical of the talent pool currently in Republican circles.
Volume modulation?

03/08/2022

Visigoth1066

Like the show but where is the producer? Volumes range all over the place. Sounds like some are close to their mikes and others are miles away. Irritating.
Lawfare? Come on..

01/06/2024

qwwwwwwtfuifer

Had just discovered this podcast and have enjoyed the right leaning but even handed thoughtful analysis for the past few weeks. Today's episode on kier starmer handling trump, however, adopted the language of the American right and kept referring to independent US state court proceedings as “lawfare.” And then claimed that starmer is an expert in “lawfare.” It's a nonsense. You either believe in the rule of law and respect the process even when it's politically inconvenient or not. If the judcilliciary is fundamentally flawed on both sides of the pond, that should be the lead story! But its not flawed, it's just politically inconvenient for the right. I expected the UK analysis to be more even handed but to hear adoption of the vocabulary that undermines key social institutions is problematic.
Short and sweet.

02/12/2022

Domic57

And surprisingly even-handed to both political wings. Good job!

Instant political analysis from the Spectator's top team of writers, including Michael Gove, Katy Balls, Isabel Hardman, James Heale, Cindy Yu and many others.