Best of the Spectator

Latest Episodes:

The Edition: Labour’s civil war is distracting from the real crisis May 14, 2026

Show notes

This week: William Moore is joined by The Spectator’s political correspondent Noa Hoffman, Telegraph columnist and Planet Normal co-host Liam Halligan, and The Spectator’s real life columnist Melissa Kite.

They unpack Tim Shipman and Noa Hoffman’s cover piece on the mounting coup against Keir Starmer. As Wes Streeting makes his move, Ed Miliband waits in the wings and Andy Burnham’s allies search for a route back to Westminster, is Labour now openly preparing for life after Starmer?

Also this week: Britain’s mounting economic crisis. Liam warns that the government is running out of road with the bond markets. Could a turn to the left push Britain towards a full-blown fiscal reckoning?

Plus: the death of the traditional B&B. Melissa explains why fussy guests, vegan breakfasts, TripAdvisor and the tyranny of instant reviews have made hospitality more fraught than ever.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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Coffee House Shots: inside Labour's leadership crisis May 14, 2026

Show notes

Wes Streeting has made his move today for the Labour leadership – but does he have the numbers? There was some frantic briefing last night, with competing claims about who has the required number of MPs and who might be prepared to give up their seat to Andy Burnham. It almost takes us back to the days of Tory infighting.

But the big news this morning is that Angela Rayner has been cleared by HMRC. In an incredibly well-timed judgment, there is now nothing standing in her way from making her own bid for the top job. So where are we on Thursday morning? What should we expect from the next 48 hours?

James Heale speaks to Tim Shipman and James Lyons, former director of strategic communications in Number 10.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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Quite right!: Starmer’s last stand May 12, 2026

Show notes

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Americano: what's going on with the Kennedy Center? May 11, 2026

Show notes

Freddy Gray is joined by Josef Palermo, who formerly worked for the Kennedy Center to discuss the historical building and whether its cultural and ethos has been ruined by the Trump administration.

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Spectator Out Loud: Lisa Haseldine, Roya Nikkah & Lionel Shriver May 11, 2026

Show notes

This week: Lisa Haseldine on Britain's failing maternity services, Roya Nikkah writes the diary and Lionel Shriver on gerrymandering in America.

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Quite right!: how to stage a leadership coup May 09, 2026

Show notes

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.

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Coffee House Shots: how 'the progressives' killed Labour – Maurice Glasman May 09, 2026

Show notes

As the full picture of the local elections emerges, Labour faces a dilemma: stick with Keir Starmer, or put forward an alternative?

Calls for Starmer to resign have intensified, and we are braced for MPs to stick their heads above the parapet this weekend. The message from the Prime Minister is that he ‘will not go’ and will not set out a path for his resignation either.

So where does Labour go from here? Lord Glasman joins Tim and James to discuss the battle for the soul of the Labour party. Will they return to their traditions, or continue to ‘limp along in a state of paralysis’?

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The Edition: will Labour learn the wrong lessons from the locals? May 07, 2026

Show notes

This week: Lara Pendergast is joined by Tim Shipman, Lionel Barber and Alice Loxton, author of Eleanor: A 200-Mile Walk in Search of England’s Lost Queen.

They unpack Michael Gove’s cover piece which asks whether the local elections will push Labour further to the left. As the Greens threaten Labour in its metropolitan heartlands and Reform eats into its working-class vote, is Keir Starmer facing a battle for the soul of his party? They also consider the collapse of the political centre, the weakness of Britain’s current leadership class, and why being ‘not Keir Starmer’ may not be enough.

Also this week: King Charles’s diplomatic triumph in Washington. After his address to Congress, did the King succeed where politicians often fail – managing Donald Trump while quietly defending Nato, Ukraine and constitutional restraint?

Plus: are millennials being made ill by ultra-processed ‘health’ foods? And finally, the panel admits to their own unlikely collections – from fridge magnets to political memorabilia.

Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Oscar Edmondson.

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The Book Club: The Poems of Sylvia Plath May 07, 2026

Show notes

My guests on this week’s Book Club podcast are Amanda Golden and Karen V. Kukil, editors of the new The Poems of Sylvia Plath, a variorum collection of every poem Plath wrote. They tell me what light her juvenilia sheds on her later work, how art and music fed into her poetry, and how deep her poetic partnership with Ted Hughes ran.

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Quite right!: how antisemitism became a 'national emergency' May 05, 2026

Show notes

To listen to this week's podcast in full, search 'Quite right!' wherever you get your podcasts.

This week: antisemitism in Britain, the government’s response – and where Reform may have gone too far.

After the attack in Golders Green, Michael and Madeline ask whether antisemitism has become a daily reality for Britain’s Jewish community – and whether ministers are willing to confront the Islamist extremism, hard-left apologism and far-right hatred that are feeding it.

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