Best of the Spectator

Freddy Gray is joined by Nate Soares, president of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute, to discuss the risks posed to humanity by AI. Warning that sufficiently intelligent AI may stop following human instructions entirely, Soares tells Freddy what, if anything, could keep AI from spiralling out of control.

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Illegal tobacco is estimated to cost the UK around £2 billion a year in lost tax revenue, while undercutting legitimate retailers and providing a lucrative market for organised crime.
Sarah Connor, UK director of communications at JTI, Rohan Pike, an international illicit trade expert and former police officer, and Andrew Boff, Conservative chair of the London Assembly, join The Spectator’s economics editor Michael Simmons to discuss how illegal tobacco is affecting Britain’s high streets. They examine whether rising tobacco duties and new regulations are pushing consumers towards the black market; what Britain can learn from Australia, where the legal tobacco market has been ‘given up’ to criminals; and whether stronger enforcement, higher fines and better support for trading standards can protect honest shopkeepers.
This podcast is sponsored by JTI, with editorial control retained by The Spectator.

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On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Freddy Gray asks whether the Iran deal will destroy J.D. Vance; Matt Ridley argues that Britain must finally embrace gene editing; Peter Parker explains the problem with ‘queer art'; and finally, Lloyd Evans says the NHS treats everyone fairly – with contempt.

Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons.

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For Christians and non-Christians alike, Mormons remain a bit of an enigma – especially in the UK. In the US however there are almost 7 million and they punch above their weight in terms of political influence; notable members of congress include former senator, and one-time presidential candidate, Mitt Romney.

This influence meant that a row erupted in the past fortnight when the Pentagon released its updated list of religious affiliations and listed the Church of Latter-Day Saints independently from other Christian denominations, implying members were not Christian. This move was quickly denounced, with Mike Lee – a Mormon and Republican Senator – leading the charge, calling the move ‘outrageous’, the Pentagon subsequently backtracked. Yet, many other Christian denominations have long felt that Mormons are not Christians as they have their own supplemental scripture and hold different views over the Trinity and the afterlife.

Mark Tooley, a methodist and friend of Holy Smoke, joins Damian Thompson to discuss the row. Are Mormons Christian? Who gets to decide whether a person is Christian or not? And can the government and state ever have a role in this debate?

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

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Andy Burnham has won what may come to be seen as the most consequential by-election in recent memory. Political journalism has a tendency towards hyperbole, but the situation is clear: Burnham is on his way to Westminster with significant backing to take on Keir Starmer; he has proved that he can beat Reform on a ‘stop Starmer’ ticket and will now look to translate that message nationally; he also appears to have united the left behind him, with the Lib Dems and Greens barely registering in Makerfield.
Meanwhile, the right is splintered. Reform’s momentum has been seriously dented, while the Tories have been buoyed by a welcome by-election victory in Aberdeen South. Big questions remain: will Starmer step aside with decorum, or subject the country to a painful Labour leadership contest? And after their fifth by-election defeat, where does this leave Nigel Farage?
Political editor Tim Shipman is joined by a panel of guests and experts to unpack Andy Burnham’s win in Makerfield and the wider ramifications of a huge day in British politics.

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