‘It will be a bloodbath’ – why Starmer won’t go quietly

‘It will be a bloodbath’ – why Starmer won’t go quietly

This week: Keir Starmer’s legacy, Andy Burnham’s next move – and should there be a general election?  With the Makerfield by-election just days away, Michael Gove is joined by Rachel Johnson to ask whether an Andy Burnham victory would spell the end of Keir Starmer’s premiership. Could Starmer really fight on – or is the Labour party heading for a regicidal ‘bloodbath’? They discuss Starmer’s record in government, whether Labour has become the ‘welfare party’, and if Burnham could offer the party anything more than a political glow-up. Also on the podcast: Kemi Badenoch’s revival, the threat from Reform, and whether the right is actually ready for a general election. Produced by Oscar Edmondson. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree [https://www.spectator.co.uk/follow-your-podcasts/] to find out more. For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts [https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/]. Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

‘DEI mindset is killing people’ – Henry Nowak & Britain’s two-tier policing crisis

This week: the Henry Nowak case, two-tier policing – and what the latest Mandelson files reveal about Labour. After the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak, Michael and Madeline ask whether the police response exposed something deeply wrong in British policing. Has the fear of being accused of racism distorted the way institutions respond to victims? And does this case reveal a wider crisis of confidence in whether the police can act without fear or favour? They also discuss the latest revelations from the Mandelson files. What do the messages tell us about Labour’s welfare problem, Pat McFadden’s private frustrations and Wes Streeting’s views inside government? Has Labour become ‘the Benefits Party’ – and are there still secrets buried in the Mandelson files? Produced by Oscar Edmondson. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree [https://www.spectator.co.uk/follow-your-podcasts/] to find out more. For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts [https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/]. Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

When was Britain’s finest hour? – and how to beat Burnham

This week: what makes a great battle? From Waterloo, Trafalgar, the Battle of Britain to Stalingrad, Michael and Maddie discuss what separates a decisive victory from a merely dramatic one, and why great military leaders still matter. Also on the podcast: after Dominic Cummings claimed the Manchester mayor was not a formidable opponent, Michael reflects on facing Burnham across the despatch box. Can Burnham survive the leap from local hero to national leader? And finally: do celebrity endorsements actually move the dial?  Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree [https://www.spectator.co.uk/follow-your-podcasts/] to find out more. For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts [https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/]. Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Peter Murrell's mafia-style SNP – and inside the Reform-Restore feud

This week: the Peter Murrell scandal and the collapse of the SNP’s moral authority. After Nicola Sturgeon’s estranged husband and the party’s former chief executive pleaded guilty to embezzling more than £400,000 from SNP funds, Michael and Madeline ask what this reveals about the party that dominated Scottish politics for more than a decade. Was this simply one man’s disgrace – or a symptom of a political machine that had grown too powerful, too closed and too complacent? Also on the podcast: the growing split on the right. As Rupert Lowe’s Restore threatens to divide the Reform vote in the Makerfield by-election, could Andy Burnham be saved by a battle between Nigel Farage and his former allies? And finally: the rise of the well-worriers. From Zoe and Oura rings to sleep scores, glucose monitors and heart-rate variability, the middle classes are no longer just trying to be healthy – they are trying to measure every flicker of human existence. Is all this self-tracking making us fitter, or just more neurotic? Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree [https://www.spectator.co.uk/follow-your-podcasts/] to find out more. For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts [https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/]. Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

If Burnham loses Makerfield, Labour is finished – Maurice Glasman | Part two

Maurice Glasman returns for the second part of his conversation with Michael and Maddie – this time to ask whether the Makerfield by-election could write Labour’s obituary notice. As Andy Burnham prepares to take on Reform in one of Labour’s old heartlands, Maurice explains why this contest will reveal whether working-class affection for the party still survives. He discusses Nigel Farage’s rise, why Reform has been able to make such deep inroads into Labour territory and whether Burnham can really persuade voters that he speaks for them. They also discuss the future of the Labour leadership, why Maurice thinks Shabana Mahmood is ‘head and shoulders’ above the other contenders and whether the party can escape what he calls its ‘progressive palsy’. Plus: the Greens, the failures of universities and Maurice’s advice to Kemi Badenoch on how the Conservatives can recover. Produced by Oscar Edmondson. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree [https://www.spectator.co.uk/follow-your-podcasts/] to find out more. For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts [https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/]. Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.