Quite right!

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.

Maurice Glasman: how the progressives killed Labour | Part one

Maurice Glasman, Labour peer and founder of Blue Labour, has spent years warning that Labour has lost touch with the people it was created to represent. In the first of a two-part conversation on Quite right!, he joins Michael and Maddie to explain why he thinks Keir Starmer’s project was never really Labour at all – and why the party’s working-class traditions have been replaced by progressive liberalism. They discuss Labour’s roots in community, sovereignty and the dignity of work; how Brexit exposed the divide between Labour and liberalism; and whether Starmer’s response to Southport marked a turning point. Maurice also sets out what a genuinely Labour government might have done differently on immigration, welfare, industrial strategy, defence and AI – and why Reform’s rise should not come as a surprise. 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.

Forget Wes, this is who we really need as PM

In this week’s Q&A: as Wes Streeting finally breaks cover, which former prime minister would you parachute into No. 10 to save the country? Michael makes the case for Palmerstonian vigour, while Maddie weighs up Lord Salisbury and Pitt the Younger – and asks whether almost any past occupant of Downing Street would be preferable to the current one. Also this week: is Britain being dragged back towards the EU? After Nick Clegg suggested Britain should rejoin a reformed European Union by 2036, Michael and Maddie ask whether the Brexit question is really settled – and whether Keir Starmer is trying to realign with Brussels by stealth. Plus: Jilly Cooper and the brilliance of Tory-coded fiction. 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.

Keir Starmer’s last stand – will Labour force him out?

This week: Keir Starmer’s leadership is in crisis. As pressure builds on the Prime Minister, Michael and Madeline ask whether Starmer can survive the rebellion now gathering pace in his own party. They discuss the runners and riders who could replace him, from Wes Streeting and Angela Rayner to Andy Burnham – and the risks each would pose for Labour. Could Burnham find a safe seat? Would Streeting trigger open warfare with the left? And would a change of leader mean anything beyond a change of name? 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.

My advice for the next Labour leader

In this week’s Q&A: how do you mount a Labour leadership coup? As the results of the local elections roll in and speculation builds about Starmer’s future, Michael and Maddie discuss the mechanics of leadership bids, the dangers facing Angela Rayner and Andy Burnham, and why the best advice for Labour’s next leader may be: don’t. Also this week: has Britain really had enough of experts? Michael revisits his famous Brexit-era line, and whether he stands by it. Is there a difference between expertise, wisdom and technocracy – and does Parliament need debate more than deference? 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.