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Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 25/01/2026 Jan 25, 2026

Show notes

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning’s political shows.

Labour block Andy Burnham from standing as an MP, Ed Davey says we're in a Cold War, and a new centre-right movement is launched.

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Reasons to be optimistic | with Michael Gove, Tim Stanley, Steve Baker & David Goodhart Jan 24, 2026

Show notes

Post-holiday depression, failed New Year’s resolutions and battered bank balances: January’s Blue Monday has long been branded as the most miserable day of the year. Headlines warn of ongoing war, political turmoil and economic gloom – but could they be mistaken?

Join The Spectator and special guests as they defy the doomsters to deliver an optimist’s guide to 2026. Almost three-quarters of people worldwide believe that this year will be better than the last. Are they right?

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Does British politics reward traitors or faithfuls? Jan 23, 2026

Show notes

With the Conservatives on watch for further defectors, academic Richard Johnson and Conservative peer Danny Finkelstein join James Heale to discuss whether British politics rewards traitors or faithfuls. Richard points out that often personal success is dependent on whether the party goes on to be a major or minor player in British politics; Winston Churchill and Shaun Woodward fared better, while Shirley Williams and Mark Reckless had less success.

Danny – whose political career began with the SDP in the 1980s – also takes us through his personal experience and the challenges of defecting, from ideology and demography to the perception of betrayal. How fundamental is the shift taking place in British politics?

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

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Andy Burnham is back in the game – and Robert Jenrick reveals all Jan 22, 2026

Show notes

Three big stories for James Heale and Tim Shipman to pick over today: Andy Burnham’s return, the Donald Trump that refuses to go away, and the continued fallout of Robert Jenrick’s defection to Reform.

This afternoon we found out that former Labour minister Andrew Gwynne is on the brink of standing down as an MP, after losing the whip during last year’s WhatsApp group scandal. A by-election is therefore on the cards in Gwynne’s Manchester seat, potentially paving the way for the ever-ambitious local mayor Andy Burnham to return to the Commons and make a leadership challenge against Keir Starmer. Would he be able to mobilise enough support?

Also today, Donald Trump’s sabre-rattling over Greenland has proven to be just that, and James and Tim take us through their interview with Robert Jenrick – in which he puts much more detail behind his dramatic decision to quit the Tories.

Produced by Megan McElroy and Oscar Edmondson.

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Starmer turns on Trump Jan 21, 2026

Show notes

Keir Starmer scored a rare win at PMQs, talking tough on Trump in light of the President’s escalating rhetoric on Greenland and the Chagos Islands. Kemi Badenoch pressed the Prime Minister on foreign affairs and Britain’s relationship with the US president, and Starmer departed from his usual caution to strike a notably firmer tone.

What does this moment tell us about Labour’s emerging approach to Trump – and is the UK political class finally losing patience with the volatility of the White House? Was this the closest we’ll get to a Keir Starmer Love Actually Prime Minister moment?

James Heale speaks to Tim Shipman and Isabel Hardman.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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The scandal of China’s ‘super embassy’ Jan 20, 2026

Show notes

China's controversial ‘super embassy’ has been approved, after years of debate over the security risks. Campaigners had called on ministers not to give the site the green light, given its proximity to important internet cables that support the City of London. MI5 have admitted they can't 'wholly eliminate' the national security risks around the site. Megan McElroy is joined by James Heale and Sophia Gaston, research fellow at King's College London, to discuss.

There's more international chaos for Keir Starmer too – overnight, Donald Trump described plans to hand over the soverignty of the Chagos islands as 'an act of great stupidity.' Where on earth does this leave the special relationship?

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Greenland: why Europe needs to 'grow up' | with Tim Marshall Jan 19, 2026

Show notes

Donald Trump has thrown another diplomatic hand grenade. This weekend, the President threatened sweeping tariffs on countries backing Greenland’s independence – a move that has rattled European capitals and reignited questions about America’s global strategy. Is this about Arctic security, rare earth minerals, or something more personal?

As tensions rise, how should Britain respond? Can diplomacy defuse Trump’s latest escalation, or does this mark a deeper shift in US–European relations – and the future of Nato itself?

James Heale speaks to Tim Shipman and Tim Marshall, foreign affairs analyst and author of Prisoners of Geography.

Produced by Megan McElroy and Oscar Edmondson.

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Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 18/01/2026 Jan 18, 2026

Show notes

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows.

Donald Trump says it's tariffs or a deal for Greenland. And Robert Jenrick is the latest in a growing list of Reform recruits.

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Debate: what's the point of the Lib Dems? Jan 17, 2026

Show notes

As Ed Davey condemned Donald Trump's military manoeuvres abroad, Annabel Denham looked on and asked 'what's the point of the Liberal Democrats?'. Thinking about the Lib Dem's longstanding europhile stance, the senior political correspondent at the Telegraph wrote: 'the party that once stood on a tradition of civil liberties now wants us to rejoin a bloc which regulates everything'.

Calum Miller MP – foreign affairs spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats – joins Annabel and deputy political editor James Heale to address Annabel's challenge that the party is defined more by opposition the other parties than by their own policies. So, from localism and the UK's place in the world to free markets and social care, what do the Lib Dems stand for? And what constitutes 'liberalism' today?

Produced by Patrick Gibbons, Megan McElroy and Natasha Feroze.

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Jenrick vs Badenoch: who won yesterday's defection? Jan 16, 2026

Show notes

Yesterday was a breathless day in Westminster. The defection of Robert Jenrick spawned plenty of headlines and even more memes. But now that the dust has settled, how has the news been received? Was it a total victory for Reform, and evidence that they are slowly swallowing up the Tory party, or is Kemi still in the race?

Today, the assisted dying bill is back in the Lords. As discussions about this legislation drag on, does its implementation look increasingly unlikely?

Oscar Edmondson speaks to Tim Shipman and James Heale.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.

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