Coffee House Shots

It's Liz Truss's first full day as prime minister and, backed by a fully assembled cabinet, she has conducted her first Prime Minister's Questions with Labour leader Keir Starmer. Who came out on top?  Cindy Yu speaks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls.  Produced by Cindy Yu and Oscar Edmondson.  Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree...

Liz Truss has appointed her cabinet. Allies of Rishi Sunak are out, and the former foreign secretary's closest allies are in. What does this mean for her government? Katy Balls speaks to James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman. 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/podca...

Boris Johnson finally departed Downing Street early this morning, but left the door slightly ajar on the prospect of a comeback. What will this mean for Liz Truss?  Also on the podcast, as Truss makes her way to Balmoral to meet with the Queen, what will the rest of the day look like for the new prime minister?  Isabel Hardman speaks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls.  Produced by Max Jeffery and Os...

Liz Truss has won the Conservative leadership race, and will become Britain's prime minister tomorrow. In a speech in Westminster this morning, after finding out the result, Truss paid tribute to Boris Johnson, promised to 'govern as a conservative' and said she would 'deliver, deliver, deliver'. What should we expect from the first days of the Truss premiership?  Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelso...

Isabel Hardman is back with the highlights from the Sunday interviews. Featured today are clips from Liz Truss, Nicola Sturgeon, Rishi Sunak, Emily Thornberry and Lord Edward Lister.  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.c...

James Forsyth speaks to Anthony Seldon, historian and biographer, about how the incoming PM can make their mark before the next general election.   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/...

Boris Johnson has released legal advice that he received from Lord Pannick about the Commons investigation into partygate, where the lawyer said the investigation in its current form would be 'unlawful' if it were taking place in the courts. Can Boris really get off the hook?  Max Jeffery speaks to James Forsyth and James Heale.  Produced by Max Jeffery. Become a Spectator subscriber today to acce...

Despite a relatively quiet summer from the government, Boris Johnson has waded finally waded into the energy crisis, announcing £700 million of funding for Sizewell C, the nuclear plant. On the podcast, Cindy Yu talks to James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman about what's behind this development (and whether it could be anything to do with Johnson trying to establish some kind of legacy, in the last day...

Today rail union leaders announced another round of strikes, this time to coincide with the Labour party conference. Is there a message here that they are trying to send to Kier Starmer? Should we expect similar disruption during the Conservative Party Conference?  Also on the podcast, after the death of the last leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, who was instrumental in ending the Col...

Boris Johnson is on his farewell tour but is remaining coy about the possibility of a political comeback. What problems will this throw up for the next prime minister? Will Boris be friend or foe?  Also on the podcast, after Liz Truss pulled out of her BBC interview with Nick Robinson, is she trying to avoid scrutiny of her plan to tackle the cost of living?  Katy Balls speaks to James Forsyth and...

Kate Andrews and Isabel Hardman discuss the challenges facing the NHS and whether the incoming government will be able to tackle these burdens when it takes office.  Produced by Matt Taylor. 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@spec...

Today Ofgem announced that household energy bills will climb to an average of £3,549 a year, starting in October. Have the government prepared Brits for how bad the crisis could get? How do Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak plan to reach those that need help the most urgently?  Also on the podcast, there are reports that Liz Truss plans to trigger Article 16, suspending parts of the Northern Ireland Proto...

Rishi Sunak has today confirmed that he will stay on as an MP if he loses the leadership contest, and that he will also vote for a Liz Truss budget. Will this help the Tory party heal? Also, Rishi Sunak told The Spectator  that scientists had too much power during lockdown. What has their response been?  Max Jeffery speaks to Katy Balls and Kate Andrews.  Produced by Max Jeffery and Oscar Edmondso...

In the latest leadership hustings, Liz Truss promised to take money away from the NHS to put into social care. But as Kate Andrews points out in this episode, given that Truss is also planning on scrapping the National Insurance rise, Truss'll need to find more money in order to fund this latest pledge. On the episode, Kate talks with Fraser Nelson and Katy Balls. 'This is the second time in her c...

There are only three hustings left in the Tory leadership race, after six weeks which have seen the party tear itself apart. What will fix the party? Is Jeremy Corbyn the solution?  Max Jeffery speaks to Fraser Nelson and Katy Balls. Produced by Max Jeffery. 'Liz Truss is going to have a short window to give the good news of a tax cut. After that, I suspect it'll be bad, after bad, after bad.' – F...

The focus is on Liz Truss's planned emergency budget. Over the weekend it was revealed that she wouldn't consult the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) before announcing her plans. Could this backfire politically?   Also on the podcast, investment bank Citi have warned that inflation could hit 18 per cent come January: Were the Bank of England's projections too optimistic?  Katy Balls speaks t...

Isabel Hardman discusses the latest A level results and the impact on university places, with Fraser Nelson and student Lella Halloum. What more can the government do? Produced by Matt Taylor. 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@sp...

The UK has been hit by another round of rail strikes today with rising inflation and falling wages a recipe for continued disruption in the public sector. Labour rebels such as Sam Tarry are fast becoming celebrities among the unions, could this leave Starmer in another predicament?  Also on the podcast, as Liz Truss remains ahead in the leadership polls: is the special relationship safe in her ha...

It seems like Labour has a problem when it comes to the size of its membership. It lost 91,000 members last year and recorded a £4.8 million deficit. Is this the Keir Starmer effect on the Corbyn membership? Also on the podcast, Rishi Sunak has gone viral after sharing his McDonald's breakfast order on This Morning today. Katy Balls tells us why it was such a controversial choice.  Cindy Yu speaks...

The UK inflation rate is now at 10.1 per cent according to the Office for National Statistics. Is there much that the government can do to relieve its effects? Also on the podcast, the leadership contenders are in Belfast for the next hustings: how will the audience respond to the candidate's position on The Northern Ireland Protocol? Katy Balls is joined by Kate Andrews and Isabel Hardman. Produc...

New figures released this week show that wages have fallen significantly behind the rising cost of living. Are we yet to see the extent of the impacts of inflation? Should we brace ourselves for more disruption in the public sector? Also on the podcast, as Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss attend hustings in Scotland: which candidate is favoured the most north of the border? Katy Balls is joined by Kate A...

Keir Starmer has unveiled a £29 billion plan to freeze energy bills for six months. Under his proposals, the Labour leader said Brits would not face the enormous price hikes anticipated in October and January.  But is his idea a serious one? Where would the money come from? And how have the Tories responded? Isabel Hardman speaks to Fraser Nelson and Katy Balls. Produced by Max Jeffery. Become a S...

Katy Balls speaks to Isabel Hardman and James Forsyth about why Sir Keir Starmer and his frontbench have been seemingly missing in action during the Tory leadership race and the ongoing cost of living crisis.  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 . Conta...

'Profit is not a dirty word', Liz Truss said at last night's leadership hustings. The Foreign Secretary has made clear that she would prefer to cut taxes than take money from energy firms and give it directly to struggling Brits. But, if Truss makes it into No. 10, could she really reverse the windfall tax? Isabel Hardman speaks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls. Produced by Max Jeffery. Become a Sp...

Thirty thousand people waited 12 hours or more in A&E, new figures showed today – the highest number on record. The NHS usually runs into trouble during the cold winter weather, but it looks like the annual crisis has already arrived. Is there any solution? Max Jeffery speaks to James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman. Produced by Max Jeffery.  Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast w...