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PODCAST

Coffee House Shots

Daily political analysis from The Spectator"s top team of writers, including Michael Gove, Tim Shipman, Isabel Hardman, James Heale and many others. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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All Episodes

11:43

What will Nicola Sturgeon's legacy be?

Coffee House Shots ·

2025/03/12

Nicola Sturgeon has announced her intention to step down at the next Scottish Parliament election in May 2026. One of the original MSPs elected to Holyrood in 1999, Sturgeon has dominated Scottish and UK politics over the past two decades. The Salmond-Sturgeon era began in 2004 and she went on to serve as First Minister for the best part of a decade.Stewart McDonald, former SNP MP for Glasgow South 2015-24, and Lucy Dunn join James Heale on this special Coffee House Scots to discuss Sturgeon's

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11:36

Has Ukraine called Putin’s bluff?

Coffee House Shots ·

2025/03/12

Last night there was a huge breakthrough in Ukraine peace talks, with Zelensky accepting a US proposal for a ceasefire and placing ‘the ball in Putin’s court’, according to Marco Rubio. While getting Zelensky to accept is a huge diplomatic win, the proposal hinges on Putin agree to the terms of the ceasefire – which will last for 30 days but can be extended by mutual agreement. ‘I’ll talk to Vladimir Putin. It takes two to tango,’ said Donald Trump. Can Putin afford to reject the deal? And could

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14:49

Starmer facing welfare rebellion

Coffee House Shots ·

2025/03/11

There is a row on the horizon over welfare cuts. Yesterday’s meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) was packed, with many lobby journalists expecting fireworks. The Prime Minister got a positive reaction for his message on Ukraine, with MPs impressed by his strong response since Trump took office, but there was some scepticism in the room about his plan to make £6 billion in welfare cuts. This is a difficult topic that cuts to the heart of the Labour Party and its position as the party of

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17:37

Have Reform blown it?

Coffee House Shots ·

2025/03/10

Loyal listeners will remember that just three months ago we released a podcast asking: Is 2025 Farage’s year? The answer was ‘yes’, provided Reform UK can keep their five MPs in line... As predicted – and despite all the talk of professionalisation – Nigel Farage’s latest political outfit is following the pattern of the parties that came before: infighting. On Friday night, the Reform party stripped Rupert Lowe of the whip after referring him to the police. Lowe stands accused of workplace

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13:03

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 09/03/2025

Coffee House Shots ·

2025/03/09

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows.Pat McFadden addresses Starmer's 'coalition of the willing', and incoming reforms at Whitehall, somewhat elusively. Richard Tice defends the timing of Reform MP Rupert Lowe's suspension, and Chris Philp speaks about the Tories' suggestion to ignore the Human Rights Act when judges make decisions on immigration. Meanwhile, the Latvian President argues that other European nations should be considering conscription.

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24:55

Who would be a Conservative? – Kate Andrews vs...

Coffee House Shots ·

2025/03/08

It’s a special (and emotional) edition of Coffee House Shots this Saturday because it is the last with Kate Andrews on this side of the Atlantic. She joins our editor Michael Gove and political correspondent James Heale for a debate on ideology. Kate – a liberal, in the classical British sense – explains exactly why she is not a Conservative and the various tenets that distinguish liberalism from conservatism, whilst Michael makes the case for being a 'pessimistic' conservative. So, what makes a

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10:29

How long will Starmer’s ‘war bounce’ last?

Coffee House Shots ·

2025/03/07

Trump has been stealing the headlines when it comes to Ukraine this week, but Europe – and whether it can stay united in the face of the US pulling its support – remains an important subplot. At a summit yesterday, 27 countries backed the plan to increase spending on defence, but when will the cracks start to show?Thankfully, it seems that the Prime Minister is good in a crisis. Back at home, he has seen a modest bounce in popularity and he is making a good impression in Brussels, coming across as

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11:18

Labour's 'two tier policing' headache

Coffee House Shots ·

2025/03/06

Labour have found themselves facing accusations of enabling ‘two tier policing’ following new guidelines from the Sentencing Council. Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick has been quick to criticise the government, but Labour’s Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has also urged the council reconsider their recommendations. Yvette Cooper’s former adviser Danny Shaw joins Katy Balls and James Heale to discuss the row. While Danny points out that the issue is more nuanced than the row makes out, to

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14:32

Could spending cuts herald a ‘winter of discontent...

Coffee House Shots ·

2025/03/05

With reports of ‘billions’ of spending cuts earmarked for the Chancellor’s Spring Statement, taking place later this month, Michael Gove and Kate Andrews join Katy Balls to discuss what exactly Rachel Reeves could cut. With little fiscal headroom and sluggish forecasts of growth, Reeves doesn’t appear to have many options. It’s likely that welfare will be targeted, and there are reports that Labour’s opposition to new North Sea oil & gas licences may be relaxed to stimulate growth. One area that

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12:45

Where does Trump's suspension of Ukraine aid leave...

Coffee House Shots ·

2025/03/04

Overnight President Trump made another extraordinary move in his ongoing attempt to broker a deal between Ukraine and Russia, suspending all U.S. military aid to Ukraine. Katy Balls talks to James Heale and geopolitical analyst Mark Galeotti about how serious this development is and where it leaves Ukraine's European supporters.Produced by Natasha Feroze and Cindy Yu.

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14:45

Can Starmer stick to his promises to Ukraine?

Coffee House Shots ·

2025/03/03

Along with the French President Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer seems to be spearheading Europe's diplomatic efforts to secure a lasting peace deal for Ukraine in light of the new American administration's animosity towards Zelensky. Among the proposals being discussed are a peace-keeping force in the country, as a part of efforts to show the Trump administration that Europe is taking responsibility, as it were, for its own security. But will Starmer really get the Americans on board? And if not, does

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18:05

Was Zelensky ambushed at the White House?

Coffee House Shots ·

2025/03/01

Zelensky's much anticipated meeting at the White House finished in an angry clash between the Ukrainian President, JD Vance and Donald Trump. The Vice President accused Zelensky of leading 'propaganda tours' and culminated in the Ukrainian President leaving the White House without a signed minerals deal. Was Zelensky ambushed? European leaders quickly scrambled to show their solidarity for Ukraine, whilst attempting to maintain good relations with America. How high are the stakes for Starmer ahead

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70:14

Coffee House Shots Live with Robert Jenrick and...

Coffee House Shots ·

2025/03/01

The Spectator’s Katy Balls, Michael Gove and Kate Andrews were joined by special guests Robert Jenrick and Jonathan Ashworth for a live podcast, recorded at the Emmanuel Centre in Westminster.The main topic of discussion is, of course, Donald Trump, whose inauguration has ushered in a new world disorder. His ‘shock and awe’ foreign policy has sent Europe scrambling as it tries to work out who will be responsible for ensuring its security in the future. We have seen a move away from the idealism

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13:53

How Starmer won over the Donald

Coffee House Shots ·

2025/02/28

Unbelievably, Keir Starmer arrives back from Washington today after a successful meeting with Donald Trump. In fact, it’s hard to see how it could have gone much better. Top of the list of victories: it looks like some headway was made in avoiding tariffs on the UK and, on Ukraine, the pair discussed the prime minister’s call for a security backstop for any deal. Starmer described that part of the talks as ‘productive’ and said that a ‘deal has to come first’. There will also be a second state visit

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11:35

Can Starmer charm Trump?

Coffee House Shots ·

2025/02/27

Keir Starmer is in D.C. for what will probably be one of the most important bilateral meetings of his premiership. The goal is to charm Trump and secure some guarantees for Ukraine's security after a negotiated peace in the war. Can he succeed? Cindy Yu talks to James Heale and Peter Quentin, Rusi Associate Fellow and former policy adviser to Ben Wallace.Produced by Cindy Yu.

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11:46

Why is Kemi struggling at PMQs?

Coffee House Shots ·

2025/02/26

For the second week in a row, the leader of the opposition seemed to struggle at Prime Minister's Questions, ending up accusing Keir Starmer of being 'patronising' after having a couple of her questions rebuffed. Cindy Yu talks to James Heale and Isabel Hardman.Produced by Cindy Yu.

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14:52

Is Kemi Badenoch a 'realist'?

Coffee House Shots ·

2025/02/25

Kemi Badenoch has today given a major speech outlining the Conservatives’ commitment to ‘realism’ in their foreign policy. She said, ‘You cannot help others if you cannot help yourself’, and that the sovereignty and strength of Britain matters 'above all'. She also pressed Keir Starmer to push defence spending north of the 2.5 per cent target and – as if it was all choreographed – the prime minister dutifully has, announcing in the Commons that defence spending will reach 3 per cent of GDP by the

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13:16

Ukraine war, three years on

Coffee House Shots ·

2025/02/24

Today marks three years since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. From early fears of a swift Russian victory to the Kharkiv offensive and the slow war of attrition that has played out since, each stage of this war has been hard to predict. None more so than this stage, with the USA drastically changing tack and tearing up the transatlantic alliance by pursuing back-channel peace talks with Putin. Europe has been left scrambling. Where do we go from here? And with an isolationist

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11:50

Cindy Yu's Sunday Roundup - 23/02/2025

Coffee House Shots ·

2025/02/23

Cindy Yu presents highlights from Sunday morning’s political shows.After an extraordinary week of anti-Zelenskyy attacks by Trump, the UK government is standing firmly behind Ukraine, with Starmer announcing new sanctions against Russia. Education Secretary stops short of criticising Trump though, saying she welcomes the US bringing Russia to the table. Meanwhile, Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge and Estonia Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna urge Labour to ramp up defence spending past the

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34:46

How the Whips' office really works

Coffee House Shots ·

2025/02/22

Simon Hart joins James Heale to talk about his new book Ungovernable: The Political Diaries of a Chief Whip. Having stepped down at the 2024 election, Simon has become the first former Chief Whip to publish his diaries. What are his reflections on the Conservatives' time in office? Simon explains why his decision to resign under Boris Johnson was so difficult, why the Rwanda vote under Rishi Sunak was their finest hour, and why the Whips' office is really the government's HR department. Just how

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