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Coffee House Shots

The Spectator

Daily political analysis from The Spectator's top team of writers, including Michael Gove, Tim Shipman, Isabel Hardman, James Heale and many others.

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Today · 22 min
What makes a great politician? | Thérèse Coffey & Michael Gove
What does it take to become a successful political leader – and are Britain’s politicians getting the training they need? At Conservative Party Conference, Michael Gove was joined by former deputy PM Thérèse Coffey to ask how Britain can develop politicians fit for the future. The conversation was organised in collaboration with the Institute for Government and was chaired by director of the IfG Academy, Vicky Elliott. 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.
Yesterday · 15 min
REACTION: Kemi’s conference speech – has she found ‘the right way’?
Kemi Badenoch has just delivered her conference speech, bringing Conservative Party Conference 2026 to a close. She very nearly almost announced the inheritance tax policy many had expected – instead beefing up the Tory offer to homeowners with a pledge to abolish inheritance tax on the family home. Beyond that, it was relatively light on new announcements: Kemi could hardly be accused of ‘policymaxxing’. What was clear from the Leader of the Opposition’s rhetoric, however, was that there is now plenty of clear blue water between the main parties – setting British politics up for an intriguing run-in. Has Kemi finally found ‘the right way’? Oscar Edmondson speaks to Tim Shipman, James Heale and Lara Brown. Produced by Oscar Edmondson. 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.
Tuesday · 12 min
A bonfire of regulations & Kemi's iron dome
James Heale is joined by Tim Shipman, Michael Simmons and Lara Brown from the second day of Conservative Party conference in Birmingham. They discuss shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith’s pitch for a low-tax, low-regulation economy, Kemi Badenoch’s new ‘Britannia Shield’ defence proposal and whether the Tories are starting to recover some confidence. As Kemi seeks to assemble a more credible frontbench team, to what extent is this conference the beginning of a genuine Tory revival? 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.
Monday · 33 min
LIVE: Antisemitism, Man City & abolishing the Triple Lock
James Heale, Tim Shipman and Tali Fraser record live from Conservative Party conference in Birmingham. As we pass the two year mark of Kemi Badenoch's leadership of the Tory Party, the panel discuss whether she has done enough to win voters over and whether the party is ready for an early general election. Did Kemi miss a trick in not pressuring new Prime Minister Andy Burnham for one – and could Kemi survive an election defeat? Plus, the panel answer a variety of audience questions including: how to make Conservatism more attractive to younger people, how much the Manchester City scandal could tarnish Brand Burnham – and whether the pensions triple lock should be abolished. Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Oscar Edmondson. 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.
Sunday · 13 min
Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 04/10/2026
Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows. Andy Burnham wants to scrap the pensions triple lock, and he's reopening the Brexit debate. 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.
Sunday · 13 min
Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 04/10/2026
Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows. Andy Burnham wants to scrap the pensions triple lock, and he's reopening the Brexit debate. 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.
Sunday · 20 min
Can Kemi win the battle for the right?
James Heale is joined by Tim Shipman and Liam Halligan, Telegraph columnist and the new director of the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS), to look ahead to Conservative party conference, which kicks off today. Kemi Badenoch’s latest attempt to draw clear dividing lines with Andy Burnham was through a tougher welfare offer aimed at the under-25s – as exclusively revealed by Tim in the Spectator this week. Will this, alongside tougher fiscal restraint and general plain speaking, appeal to the wider public? Plus: how do the Conservatives outflank Reform while seeking to appeal to those in the centre-ground who may have turned to Labour at the next election? The panel also discuss the state of public finances, the role of think-tanks such as the CPS and what to watch for in Birmingham – from party donors and business representatives, to the mood of younger activists. 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.
Saturday · 16 min
Can the Greens survive Burnham?
James Heale reports from Green Party conference in Brighton, joined by More in Common’s Luke Tryl and Noa Hoffman. After a year in which the Greens appeared to be challenging Labour on the left, has their momentum begun to stall – and how much of that is down to Zac Polanski himself, compared to Andy Burnham winning progressive voters back to Labour? They discuss the tensions within the Greens’ increasingly broad coalition plus look ahead to next week's Holborn and St Pancras by-election. Will Polanski survive losing in London? 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.
October 1 · 43 min
Suella Braverman on imposter syndrome, 'breaking up' with the Tories and why she’ll never go back
Suella Braverman joins Tim Shipman to discuss her new memoir Patriot, from growing up with imposter syndrome to her battles inside the Conservative Party and eventual defection to Reform. She reflects on immigration, Brexit and patriotism, her clashes with Rishi Sunak, and explains why she believes she could never work with the Tories again. Produced by Oscar Edmondson. 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.
October 1 · 14 min
EXCLUSIVE: work or face benefits ban, Kemi tells under-25s
Tim Shipman has interviewed Kemi Badenoch ahead of Tory party conference this weekend. In the interview, the Conservative party leader exclusively reveals the Tories plan to ban benefits to under 25s who have never worked before. For this special episode of Coffee House Shots, here is an extract from the Spectator's Edition podcast, where Tim sat down with the Spectator's Lara Prendergast and Angus Colwell and the Telegraph's Poppy Coburn. 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.
September 30 · 16 min
Can Andy keep up with his promises?
Andy Burnham delivered his first conference speech as Prime Minister in Liverpool yesterday, promising a sweeping expansion of public services and a fresh look at Brexit, to warm reviews from the hall. Patrick Gibbons is joined by Isabel Hardman and Claire Ainsley, Sir Keir Starmer's former director of policy, to weigh up what was promised and how the party is taking it. Produced by Henry Lloyd 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.
September 29 · 22 min
Hope again: do you buy Burnham's big pitch?
Andy Burnham has used his Labour conference speech to set out his clearest vision yet for the country and it was a strikingly ambitious one. Noa Hoffman is joined in Liverpool by Tim Shipman and Michael Simmons to unpack a speech that ranged from a new National Care Service and reform of the pension triple lock to electoral reform, water and Britain’s future relationship with the European Union. How radical is Burnham’s programme in practice and is the ambition matched in the detail? And what was missing from the speech? 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.
September 28 · 15 min
Can Labour really reindustrialise Britain?
Noa Hoffman is joined from Labour conference in Liverpool by James Heale and economics editor Michael Simmons to discuss Chancellor John Healey’s keynote speech. They discuss his attempt to sell fiscal discipline in distinctly Labour language, whether the government’s reindustrialisation plans add up and what the speech tells us about the economic argument Andy Burnham wants to make. Plus, as the bars begin to swell on day two of the conference, can Labour's united front continue for Shabana Mahmood's speech? 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.
September 27 · 22 min
Immigration, Europe and tax: the questions Burnham is avoiding | LIVE
Live from Labour conference in Liverpool, Noa Hoffman is joined by Tim Shipman and James Heale to discuss the questions Andy Burnham still needs to answer. Can Labour tighten immigration controls while edging closer to Europe? How will Burnham pay for his social care ambitions? And is the party already thinking about an early election... despite what the PM might say. Produced by Oscar Edmondson. 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.
September 27 · 8 min
Labour conference day 1 – what's the mood in the bar?
It’s Labour conference day one, and Oscar Edmondson and James Heale report live from the Pullman hotel bar. What’s the mood of conference so far? Will it be a dour affair like previous years, or will new measures to shorten the beer queues do anything to quell the gossip and plotting? Andy Burnham has taken the opportunity this morning to announce a major policy on social care, proposing a system more closely aligned with the principles of the NHS with a free at the point of use model. But how would Labour pay for it? Produced by Oscar Edmondson. 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.
September 27 · 14 min
Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 27/09/2026
Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows. At the Labour conference, Andy Burnham has big plans for social care. But how will he pay for it? 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.
September 25 · 24 min
'The return of the prodigal son'? – Labour conference lookahead | with Jonathan Ashworth
Ahead of Labour Party conference, Tim Shipman is joined by former shadow cabinet minister Jonathan Ashworth to discuss the mood inside the party, Andy Burnham’s growing authority and whether he could be tempted to call an early general election. They also consider the pressures facing Burnham on tax, welfare, Europe and the North Sea – and why, sooner or later, he will have to start making enemies. Produced by Oscar Edmondson. 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.
September 25 · 10 min
Is the AI dream over for Andy?
Andy Burnham pitched Britain to the UN this week as an 'honest broker' on artificial intelligence, only for Washington to ask OpenAI and Anthropic to make Britain's AI Security Institute wait its turn. Michael Simmons is joined by James Heale and Tim Shipman to discuss James's column on the backlash, data centres and whether Burnham's Makerfield test will make room for AI innovation. Produced by Henry Lloyd 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.
September 24 · 13 min
Can Kemi hoover up votes with benefits reform?
After fresh polling from YouGov put the Tories ahead of Reform UK today, the leader of the opposition has set out plans to get people off of unemployment benefits, and limit what successful claimants can spend it on. James Heale is joined by Tim Shipman and Michael Simmons to weigh up the policy proposal, another poll from Survation, and whether Andy Burnham will go to the country for an early election. Produced by Henry Lloyd. 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.
September 23 · 14 min
Chagos U-turn: has Burnham seen sense?
Donald Trump has forced a rethink of the Chagos deal, after publicly criticising the agreement during his meeting with Andy Burnham. Is Labour preparing to abandon one of Keir Starmer’s most controversial foreign policy decisions? And, with Labour conference approaching, could Burnham be tempted to call a general election? Oscar Edmondson speaks to Noa Hoffman and Tim Shipman. Produced by Oscar Edmondson. 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.

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