Best of the Spectator

In this special edition of Coffee House Shots, our political editor Tim Shipman is joined by historian, biographer and foreign policy adviser to four different prime ministers, John Bew. In his 7,000-word essay published in the New Statesman last week, John sets out the historical context which has contributed to the malaise and decline of the British state – and hypothesises that we are currently living in the ‘fourth great disruption’ to the political and economic order. He takes Tim through the previous three disruptions and the lessons that government needs to learn from them in order to stop the rot. Does the secret to forging a new place in the world order lie in fixing the machinery of government? Which figures from the past should we take inspiration from?

Produced by Megan McElroy.

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Nigel Farage is a shark – hell bent on devouring Britain's political class, as illustrated with the Spectator's cover story this week, co-authored by James Heale and Tim Shipman. Yet, from rows over the pension triple lock to stagnation in the polls, it isn't clear that Farage has a strategy for power. Reform may win the battle of the Right, but does its leader really want to be Prime Minister?

For this week's Edition, host Lara Prendergast is joined by the Spectator's Chairman Charles Moore, deputy political editor James Heale and Times Radio broadcaster Jo Coburn. The panel ponder the idea that Farage may crave power without responsibility. As James puts it, Farage is akin to a southern revivalist – but is momentum waning? For Charles, the Commons is still the 'cockpit of the nation', meaning the Conservatives hold a numerical advantage over Reform in driving the agenda. Addressing the crunch point of the local elections in May, Jo says it is clear that Labour will be 'hoisted by their own petard' and that the Greens offer a more 'successful repository' for those seeking radical change. What is clear is that British politics has never been more unpredictable.

As well as Reform's path to power, the group discuss: how the Iran crisis could be described as 'Suez in reverse' – and is exposing Britain's defence deficit; if regime change in Cuba could be Trump's next target; and their reflections on the greatest city of Earth – London.

Plus: should we defund or defend the BBC? Charles and Jo give a brief taste of the Spectator's debate next week on what to do about the British institution. Charles argues that Spectator readers would be 'instinctively sympathetic' to the Beeb's inheritance but 'disappointed' by its current status, while Jo says that the BBC is always trying to change, warning 'diminish it at your peril'. For tickets to this – and other events – head to spectator.co.uk/events.

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

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My guest in this week’s Book Club podcast is the Booker Prize-winning novelist Howard Jacobson, whose new novel Howl emerges from his rage and despair at the response to the 7 October massacre. He tells me what the novel can do that journalism can’t, why being funny is essential even in the darkest times, and why Zack Polanski isn’t the man he used to be.

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This week: the stark question of Keir Starmer’s leadership. After a bruising week in Westminster – from fresh revelations about the Mandelson appointment to renewed scrutiny of the Prime Minister’s governing style – they debate whether Starmer’s cautious, process-driven approach is becoming a political liability. Will Labour move to replace him?
Also on the podcast: the House of Lords, as peers prepare to scrutinise two of the most morally charged issues in politics: assisted dying and proposals to decriminalise abortion up to birth. With the Commons accused of rushing through profound legislative changes with limited debate, they ask whether the Lords is performing an essential constitutional role – or defying democratic authority.
And finally: should Winston Churchill really disappear from Britain’s banknotes? As the Bank of England considers replacing historical figures with images of nature, Michael and Maddie debate whether Britain is retreating from its own history.
Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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One week from the enthronement of Sarah Mullally as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, her biographer Andrew Atherstone – Professor of Modern Anglicanism at Oxford University – joins Damian Thompson for this episode of Holy Smoke. This marks the second profession she has risen to, having first been the most senior nurse in England & Wales. Archbishop Mullally has led an 'ordinary, suburban' life and is by all accounts well-liked by her congregations but what do we know of her views on some of the most controversial topics in her in-tray: abortion, gay blessings and safeguarding – to name but a few. Is it fair to say she is the 'Welby-continuity' candidate?

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

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