Best of the Spectator

Lara Prendergast is joined by The Spectator’s political editor Tim Shipman, columnist and journalist Melanie McDonagh, and the Daily Mail’s parliamentary sketchwriter Quentin Letts.
This week: has Reform UK lost its magic? Ahead of the party’s conference, Tim reveals its plans for the first 100 days of a Reform government – and asks whether Nigel Farage can persuade voters that his party is ready to govern after a turbulent summer.
Also: what is happening in Middlesbrough? The panel discuss rising gang violence, the decline of visible policing and a generation of young men who appear increasingly indifferent to the law. Is social breakdown to blame – or has Britain simply lost its respect for authority?
Plus: what can Britain learn from Norway’s royals?
Produced by Henry Lloyd and Oscar Edmondson.

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In this week’s Book Club podcast, Sam Leith is joined by The Times columnist James Marriott, whose new book is The New Dark Ages: The End of Reading and the Dawn of a Post-literate Society.
Are we witnessing the end of the reading age? James explains why literacy has shaped not just our culture but the way we think – and why its decline could have profound consequences for politics, democracy and public life. They discuss how television, TikTok and short-form video have transformed our attention spans, whether AI will further erode the status of writing, and why the readers of the future may become a new cognitive elite.

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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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