Best of the Spectator

Kemi Badenoch has kicked off the new political term with a major reshuffle of her top team. Michael and Maddie ask what the changes tell us about the direction of the Conservative party, whether Andrew Griffith can sharpen its economic offer – and whether Badenoch is already preparing for an early election.

Meanwhile, Andy Burnham returns to the Commons after a relatively comfortable summer. Has the Prime Minister been governing on ‘easy mode’ so far, and is his brand of politics simply the ‘cheesy side of Blairism’ without the substance?

Also: ahead of Reform’s party conference, is Nigel Farage building a credible government-in-waiting – or is the party still fighting a battle for its soul?

Produced by Henry Lloyd and Oscar Edmondson.

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Gus Carter is joined by Owen Matthews, the Spectator's Russia writer, to discuss John Ratcliffe's unannounced trip to Moscow, where the CIA director met Russia's foreign intelligence chief but not Putin.

Owen runs through the possible reasons: Iran, a suspected Russian provocation against NATO, and the stalled peace process. They also discuss the sabotage campaign across Europe and the sanctions bill that could hurt Russia more than anything Trump has tried.

Learn how to earn yield on gold, paid in gold, at Monetary-Metals.com/Americano

Produced by Henry Lloyd.

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On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Simon Sebag Montefiore explains how his ancestor dealt with antisemitism; Vanessa Feltz says she is coming for Piers Morgan; Sophia Money-Coutts argues we should cut the price of stamps to save the Christmas card; and finally, Angus Colwell takes on the Cornish culinary mafia.

Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons.

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Why are young women suddenly fascinated by nuns? From ‘nun girl summer’ on TikTok to a wider ‘quiet revival’ of Christianity among Generation Z, the religious life appears to be enjoying an unexpected cultural moment. But is the attraction genuinely spiritual – or are young women simply drawn to the aesthetics, certainty and tranquillity of convent life?

This week on Holy Smoke, Damian Thompson is joined by the Spectator's US assistant editor Margaret Mitchell and the Daily Mail’s Mimi Yates to discuss the unlikely appeal of nuns to Gen Z. They explore the joy and ‘slow living’ of convent life, the exhaustion of the attention economy and whether retreating into an all-female religious community offers an escape from modern dating and the 'manosphere'. Are young people merely borrowing the Catholic aesthetic or is there something deeper behind this trend?

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

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Former veterans minister Al Carns joins James Heale to discuss the government’s handling of Northern Ireland legacy cases – and why the issue helped drive him to resign.
Writing in The Spectator this week, Al attacks the ‘two-track approach’ to legacy cases, which he says could cost taxpayers billions, and warns against allowing the history of the Troubles to be ‘rewritten through the courts’. He argues that Labour failed to listen properly to veterans before changing the law and sets out what more should be done to protect those who served in Northern Ireland.
What was it like fighting the issue from inside government? Did Keir Starmer understand the strength of feeling – and will Andy Burnham take a different approach?
Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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