Best of the Spectator

The Tories will not stand a candidate against Nigel Farage in the Clacton by-election – and on today’s podcast Conservative party chairman Kevin Hollinrake explains why. Hollinrake also reveals what is behind the turnaround in the Conservatives’ fortunes and their bump in the polls, as well as how the party plans to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past: namely, talking right but governing left...

For this week’s Edition, Lara Prendergast is joined by The Spectator’s political editor Tim Shipman, deputy editor of the US edition Gus Carter and the Mail on Sunday’s restaurant critic Tom Parker Bowles. This week: Nigel Farage’s greatest gamble. After resigning as MP for Clacton to trigger a by-election, Farage has tried to turn questions over his finances into a referendum on the establishment...

Gavin Newsom has spent the last two years building a national profile for himself beyond his controversial leadership of California as its Governor. But is he equipped to take on the challenges that would be faced by a Presidential run in 2028, that go beyond the left-wing political bubble of The Golden State? Freddy Gray speaks to Christopher Rufo, author of the Christopher Rufo Substack, and a S...

Nigel Farage has resigned as MP for Clacton and will fight a by-election in an attempt to turn questions over his finances into a referendum on ‘the people vs the establishment’. Is this a political masterstroke or a mistake? Has Farage taken back control of the narrative, or will the row over undeclared money continue to plague Reform? Michael and Maddie also discuss whether Dominic Cummings’s pr...

Andy Burnham has laid out his plans to 'level up the North'. Something we have heard with almost every Prime Minister pledge to do – but with very little clarity over how this will be achieved and what success looks like. It's true there is a clear divide when it comes to economic outcomes between London and the North. Michael Simmons takes a look at the data and discusses a left-wing levelling up...

On this week’s  Spectator Out Loud : Max Jeffery explains the truth about how the British Empire is taught in schools; Gavin Mortimer asks why Giorgia Meloni is courting Emmanuel Macron; James Delingpole reviews the World Cup; after 25 years, Aidan Hartley bows out as the Spectator’s  Wild life  columnist; and finally, the Spectator’s new restaurant critic Angus Colwell ponders how...

It might be 250 years since the Declaration of Independence but the document continues to prove controversial, with political groups arguing over the intention behind the document – just watch any Supreme Court case. To mark the 4th of July, Professor Gregg Frazer joins Damian Thompson to talk about the intention of the founding fathers in terms of religion – did they really want America to become...

As Americans mark the 250th anniversary of the 1776 Declaration of Independence, Anthony Scaramucci joins the Spectator to provide his assessment of the health of the nation. As we approach the halfway point of the second Trump presidency, what's his impact been on America's reputation? Will the Democrats' attempts to emulate Trump help or hinder them? And why are American conservatives so obsesse...

For this week’s  Edition , Lara Prendergast is joined by the  Spectator ’s deputy editor Freddy Gray, assistant content editor John Power and former Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt. This week: Labour’s lame duck period drags on, with Keir Starmer searching for a legacy before he leaves office. This week he has announced more money for Defence, though with several caveats, t...

My guest in this week's Book Club podcast is the former Obama speechwriter Ben Rhodes, talking about his new book All We Say: A History of the United States in 15 Speeches. Ben tells me why a debate between two visions of what makes the US special has been playing out since the nation's conception, what Frederick Douglass has to say to the America of the 21st century, and why Ben Franklin didn't t...

As the nation holds its breath to see if England will be progressing in the World Cup, the bottles of Pol Roger are on ice for the post-match after party: the Spectator 's summer party, taking place this evening. Opening the doors of the Spectator to listeners of Coffee House Shots , James Heale, Freddy Gray, Noa Hoffman and Tim Shipman talk about their favourite memories, how to survive events li...

This week: Burnham’s strategy – or lack of one – a ‘number ten of the North’ and why immigration is the real test. What is so wrong with the South: Andy Burnham thinks devolution is the answer to Broken Britain, but does his diagnosis amount to an actionable plan for government? And does his focus on the North come at the expense of some of Britain’s most deprived areas? Michael knows the machiner...

After success in the New York democratic primaries for far-left candidates, President Trump says 'the game is on. Enjoy Watching.' Freddy Gray speaks to Spectator columnist, Roger Kimball, about how Trump plans to deal with the radical left, the lawlessness of New York under Mamdani, and how artificial intelligence is changing politics.  Learn how to earn yield on gold, paid in gold, at Monet...

On this week’s  Spectator Out Loud : Richard Madeley wonders if anyone in the media still drinks; Michael Simmons asks if the UK is ready for Andy Burnham’s first Budget; Gus Carter explains the Spectator’s role in the birth of America; and finally, Arabella Byrne provides her notes on coconut water.    Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privac...

Vice President JD Vance is returning from the Swiss Alps having concluded the opening phase of the Iran talks with a view to achieving a peace deal. Are critics right to claim that the whole war has been a humiliation for America? Freddy Gray speaks to Stanford Professor Victor Davis Hanson about MAGA foreign policy, the midterms, why oil is so important to the American voter & the right wing real...

We are on course for yet another prime minister – our seventh in just ten years. With statistics like that, and after watching the now-familiar pattern of leaders arriving with promises of hopeful change only to collapse into inertia and scandal, it is little wonder that many assume Britain has become ungovernable. But is that really true? Or have we simply had a uniquely bad crop of prime ministe...

For this week’s  Edition , William Moore is joined by the  Spectator ’s political editor Tim Shipman, the drinks writer Henry Jeffreys and the founder and chair of  iNHouse Communications  – and former director of communications for Theresa May – Katie Perrior. This week: another year, another prime ministerial resignation – it’s all becoming a little too common in British...

In this week's Book Club podcast, I'm joined by the theoretical physicist and writer Carlo Rovelli to discuss his new book 85 Seconds to Midnight: A Physicist's Argument Against Rearmament , where in imitation of Einstein and Bertrand Russell, he uses his platform as a public intellectual to speak against the logic of nuclear escalation. He tells me what the Nazis got right and the US got wrong in...

This week: Starmer’s exit, Burnham’s rise – and the court of King Andy. As Keir Starmer resigns after less than two years in office, Michael and Madeline ask what really brought his premiership to an end. Was Starmer simply overtaken by events, or did his downfall reveal something deeper: a disdain for politics, a mishandling of Southport and the grooming gangs scandal, and a growing gulf between...

Illegal tobacco is estimated to cost the UK around £2 billion a year in lost tax revenue, while undercutting legitimate retailers and providing a lucrative market for organised crime. Sarah Connor, UK director of communications at JTI, Rohan Pike, an international illicit trade expert and former police officer, and Andrew Boff, Conservative chair of the London Assembly, join The Spectator ’s econo...

On this week’s  Spectator Out Loud : Freddy Gray asks whether the Iran deal will destroy J.D. Vance; Matt Ridley argues that Britain must finally embrace gene editing; Peter Parker explains the problem with ‘queer art'; and finally, Lloyd Evans says the NHS treats everyone fairly – with contempt.   Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...

For Christians and non-Christians alike, Mormons remain a bit of an enigma – especially in the UK. In the US however there are almost 7 million and they punch above their weight in terms of political influence; notable members of congress include former senator, and one-time presidential candidate, Mitt Romney. This influence meant that a row erupted in the past fortnight when the Pentagon release...

Andy Burnham has won what may come to be seen as the most consequential by-election in recent memory. Political journalism has a tendency towards hyperbole, but the situation is clear: Burnham is on his way to Westminster with significant backing to take on Keir Starmer; he has proved that he can beat Reform on a ‘stop Starmer’ ticket and will now look to translate that message nationally; he also...

For this week’s  Edition , William Moore is joined by the  Spectator ’s assistant editor Isabel Hardman and the editor of  The New Statesman  Tom McTague. Plus, in a special episode this week, the  Spectator ’s economics editor Michael Simmons joins for the first half of the episode, before political editor Tim Shipman jumps in later on. This week: was Brexit worth it...

My guest on this week’s Book Club podcast is the Children’s Laureate, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, whose new book, A British Childhood: How Our Children Live Now , describes what he discovered from the travels he undertook during his work with BookTrust and the Laureateship. He tells me what he learned about what really happens when a parent reads to a child, why the crisis in childhood reading is down t...