The Edition

It's been a somewhat bonkers week in Westminster. The government seems to be going into a full Brexit meltdown and it's likely that Brexit will be delayed. So, where do we go from here (00:40)? We also take a look at the Democratic Party's anti-Semitism problem (17:30) and at the end, Lara Prendergast is given a tarot reading (26:05). With Katy Balls, James Forsyth, Peter Foster, Freddy Gray, Kate...

This week, we look at the rise of woke corporations, and how concepts like 'microaggressions', 'allyship', and 'toxic masculinity' are starting to enter the workplace (00:30). We also hear about Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau - he's fallen from grace, and does he have anyone to blame but himself (13:35)? Plus, we hear about Shanghai's marriage market (20:00), and there's even an apology fr...

This week: May and Corbyn were dragged reluctantly to new positions on Brexit. So, have they lost control of their parties? And what does this mean for a timely Brexit, or indeed, Brexit at all (00:40)? Lara also talks to our Literary Editor, Sam Leith, on the joys of videogaming. What’s behind the success of this £4 billion industry (21:15)? With Katy Balls, James Forsyth, Nick Boles MP, Sienna R...

This week, a new centrist party has finally been formed. So what does this mean for British politics (00:25)? Plus, we talk about the merits of artificial intelligence and ask, is it something to fear (21:50)? And last, do hen parties have to be so crass (32:10)? With Katy Balls, James Forsyth, Gavin Shuker MP, Joe Twyman, Chris Duffey, Jamie Bartlett, Sophia Money-Coutts and Dan Harley. Presented...

Despite the shambolic Tory government, Labour is still trailing in the polls. This week we ask: is Corbyn cracking up (00:25)? Plus, is wearing a hijab necessarily oppressive (17:10), and last, have younger members of the Royal family bought in to a narrative of victimhood (22:20)? With Nick Cohen, Stephen Bush, Soutiam Goodarzi, Jan Moir, and Victoria Murphy. Presented by Isabel Hardman. Produced...

This week, we talk to journalist Zoe Strimpel about whether apps have ruined dating (00:30). Plus, what does the case of disappeared horses and how the RSPCA is more powerful than you think (19:50). Finally, the debate over neurodiversity and why it's dividing the autistic community (30:00). With Zoe Strimpel, Dr. Cath Mercer, Laura James, Matt Tunstill, and Melissa Kite. Presented by Lara Prender...

This week, May prepares for her last shot with Brussels, but can she get what she wants (0:30)? We also talk to Stephen Gibbs, a journalist on the ground in Caracas, about the nightmare in Venezuela (14:25). And last, we take a look at another big issue of the day - are induction hobs simply reinventing the wheel (25:30)?  With James Forsyth, Peter Foster, Stephen Gibbs, Joanna Rossiter, Ysenda Ma...

Have vegans and vegetarians won the moral argument in the war on meat (0:55)? Plus, are Anglicans hoping to reconcile with Catholics (11:20)? And last, why is Michael Gove crusading against the wood-burning stove (25:35)? With Jenny McCartney, Dominika Piasecka, Peter Hitchens, Damian Thompson, James Delingpole and Fraser Nelson. Presented by Lara Prendergast. Become a Spectator subscriber today t...

It’s another crazy week in Westminster, and the question on everyone’s minds – what happens next? We talk to Paul Mason, Henry Newman, and Katy Balls (00:45). Plus, should councils turf out the social housing tenants whose circumstances improve (23:40)? With Paul Mason, Henry Newman, Katy Balls, Mark Piggott, and Luke Doonan. Presented by Isabel Hardman. Produced by Cindy Yu and Alastair Thomas. B...

Lorries backing up in Kent, a Mars bar shortage, and no more Rome city breaks – these are just some of the things that we have been warned about when it comes to a no deal Brexit. But what will really happen (00:40)? Plus, is China a greater force to be reckoned with than Russia (22:30)? And last, what is it with Brits and obsessing over aristocratic sex scandals (33:10)? With Lord Peter Lilley, I...

As we move into 2019, two big elections could shake up the rest of the year. In May, the European elections could see an unprecedented populist surge. What would that mean for the European Union (00:45)? And back home, a potential general election, and Corbyn’s chances at government have never looked better (11:10). We discuss both of these. And last, is it ever okay to call a woman ‘a girl’ (24:3...

So, it’s the end of the year, and we can safely say 2018 hasn’t been any less loopy than its recent predecessors. In this year’s final Spectator Podcast, we’ll be taking a look at some of the major political and cultural events of the year, with a star-studded cast of commentators and experts, and casting a look forward at 2019. We’ll be talking about Labour – it hasn’t had a great year, but is it...

With just days to go till the meaningful vote, the government looks set to lose it by a humiliating margin. What next for Theresa May? We ask one of the MPs opposing her deal – former universities minister, Sam Gyimah (00:45). And over on the continent, France buckles down for another weekend of riots from the gilet jaunes – can Macron give them what they want (19:00)? And last, has Britain become...

This week the Treasury and the Bank of England gave their forecasts for the post-Brexit economy, but is a Jeremy Corbyn government more threatening to economic growth (00:45)? In Italy, growth is a distant memory, as the economy stagnates and youth unemployment is at 35%. The government and the EU are at loggerheads over how to solve it. Is Italy the next Eurosceptic time bomb (19:35)? And last, w...

This week, Theresa May is putting the final touches on her Brexit deal – but is this a point to celebrate, or has she left behind an irrevocably toxic legacy (00:35)? We also take a look at the Democratic Party’s new darling – Beto O’Rourke (13:05); and last, are British parents too obsessed with their children’s education (25:55)? With James Forsyth, Lord Heseltine, Freddy Gray, Karin Robinson, L...

We’re bringing you this podcast from the midst of the Brexit omni-shambles, and this episode contains a special Brexit edition (15:00). But before that, something just as monumental is happening on the other side of the world. China is developing a social credit system to rate its own citizens and their social behaviour. Just how dangerous is this idea (00:35)? With James O'Malley, Cindy Yu, James...

As Theresa May prepares to unveil her Brexit deal, we ask: just how bad is it, and what happened to ‘no deal is better than a bad deal’ (00:45)? In the American midterms, the Blue Wave didn’t happen, but Democrats did take control of the House of Representatives – what next for Trump’s presidency (17:10)? And last, as we approach Remembrance Sunday, who are the lives we are remembering, and is it...

As Angela Merkel steps down as party leader – what was her legacy and can the EU project survive without her (00:35)? We also discuss whether WhatsApp has made it harder for MPs to plot (12:20); and last, should Brits be allowed to forage wild mushrooms (22:45)? With Douglas Murray, Sophie Pedder, Katy Balls, Paul Staines, Stewart Jackson, Daniel Butler, and Josh Barrie. Presented by Lara Prenderg...

Somehow it has already been two years into a Trump presidency, and America is facing midterm elections. Will Democrats win in a landslide (00:40)? We also delve a little deeper at the political faultlines behind the Jamal Khashoggi story – is Turkey taking advantage of his death (15:10)? And last, is the use of wild animals in circuses really the great injustice that campaigners say it is (25:35)?...

This week, Brexit negotiations grind to a halt again as Brussels and the UK draw mutually exclusive red lines on the Irish border problem. We talk to James Forsyth and Dan Hannan on what next for Brexit (00:40). We also look a little deeper into the methods and mission of Bellingcat, the investigators that unveiled the true identities of the Salisbury suspects (13:20). And last, we investigate a s...

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has disappeared at his country's consulate in Istanbul, with reports emerging of his brutal murder. But who was Jamal Khashoggi, why did this happen to him and what should happen next (00:38)? Also on this podcast, the Irish may harbour more anti-EU opinion than commonly thought. Is there the prospect of an 'Irexit' (12:48)? And finally, with three top public schoo...

The debate over rights for transgender people rumbles on in the wake of proposed reforms to the Gender Recognition Act. Is there a so-called ‘trans orthodoxy’ shutting down debate on this issue (00:30)? Meanwhile, across the channel, French socialist Jean-Luc Mélenchon is aiming to unseat an increasing unpopular Emmanuel Macron. Does Mélenchon have a chance of becoming president (20:10)? With Made...

As we head into Conservative Party Conference, Theresa May has never looked more alone. We talk to Iain Duncan Smith and James Forsyth about a Prime Minister abandoned (1:25). And while chaos reigns in the Conservative Party, Labour is gearing up, led by a pragmatic but radical Shadow Chancellor. Just who is John McDonnell (18:50)? And last, why is Tesco’s new discount retailer so Brexity (38:10)?...

It seems that everyone, young or old, has a smartphone these days. But why are the brightest in Silicon Valley taking screen time away from their children (00:40)? Also on this podcast, Tory MEPs recently voted in favour of the Viktor Orban government in European Parliament. Are British Tories flirting with the far right (9:25)? If they are, it could be because the Conservative Party has no attrac...

This week, Tory in-fighting comes to the fore, but could the party be even more divided than we thought (00:35)? Meanwhile, across the Pond, Donald Trump continues to cause backlash. Is he to blame for an ideological shift to the left in the country (14:25)? Thankfully, our own Head of State isn’t on Twitter, though that doesn’t stop people speculating about her Majesty’s personal opinions. Is the...