The Edition

This week: William Moore is joined by The Spectator’s political correspondent Noa Hoffman, Telegraph columnist and Planet Normal co-host Liam Halligan, and The Spectator’s real life columnist Melissa Kite.
They unpack Tim Shipman and Noa Hoffman’s cover piece on the mounting coup against Keir Starmer. As Wes Streeting makes his move, Ed Miliband waits in the wings and Andy Burnham’s allies search for a route back to Westminster, is Labour now openly preparing for life after Starmer?
Also this week: Britain’s mounting economic crisis. Liam warns that the government is running out of road with the bond markets. Could a turn to the left push Britain towards a full-blown fiscal reckoning?
Plus: the death of the traditional B&B. Melissa explains why fussy guests, vegan breakfasts, TripAdvisor and the tyranny of instant reviews have made hospitality more fraught than ever.
Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
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This week: Lara Pendergast is joined by Tim Shipman, Lionel Barber and Alice Loxton, author of Eleanor: A 200-Mile Walk in Search of England’s Lost Queen.
They unpack Michael Gove’s cover piece which asks whether the local elections will push Labour further to the left. As the Greens threaten Labour in its metropolitan heartlands and Reform eats into its working-class vote, is Keir Starmer facing a battle for the soul of his party? They also consider the collapse of the political centre, the weakness of Britain’s current leadership class, and why being ‘not Keir Starmer’ may not be enough.
Also this week: King Charles’s diplomatic triumph in Washington. After his address to Congress, did the King succeed where politicians often fail – managing Donald Trump while quietly defending Nato, Ukraine and constitutional restraint?
Plus: are millennials being made ill by ultra-processed ‘health’ foods? And finally, the panel admits to their own unlikely collections – from fridge magnets to political memorabilia.
Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Oscar Edmondson.
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In this week’s podcast, William Moore is joined by The Spectator’s economics editor Michael Simmons, assistant editor Isabel Hardman and Times columnist and Sky News presenter Trevor Phillips.
The panel unpacks Mary Wakefield’s cover story on the rise of shoplifting – and what it reveals about’ shameless Britain’. After a Morrisons manager was reportedly sacked for stopping a thief, they ask whether petty crime, fare-dodging and everyday rule-breaking are eroding the social contract.
Also on the episode: Tim Shipman’s latest piece on Labour after Starmer. With Andy Burnham, Angela Rayner and Ed Miliband said to be thinking about what comes next, they debate whether the Prime Minister has lost authority – and whether Labour can choose between what its party wants and what voters want.
And finally: after Green MP Hannah Spencer criticised Parliament’s drinking culture, the panel asks whether Westminster has a booze problem – or should we cut MPs some slack.
Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Oscar Edmondson.
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In this week’s podcast, the panel unpacks Tim Shipman’s explosive cover story, including a leaked message suggesting just how closely Starmer backed Mandelson’s appointment from the start – and why the Prime Minister is now struggling to shift responsibility as the fallout grows.
Host Lara Prendergast is joined by William Moore, historian Peter Frankopan and Prue Leith to assess whether this is a moment of real political danger for Starmer – or simply another Westminster storm. As comparisons with Boris Johnson mount, they ask whether Labour’s internal critics will act, what alternatives (if any) exist, and why the deeper problem may be a striking lack of talent across British politics.
Also on the episode: could Reform capitalise on voter frustration – and are Britain’s insurgent parties ready for power? What should we expect from Donald Trump’s looming state visit – and why the monarchy may matter more than Downing Street in managing him? Plus, is the American Dream fading, or simply evolving under economic strain?
And finally: from overlooked women at Nuremberg to the cultural stigma around ageing, the panel explores how history is written – and who gets written out of it.
Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Oscar Edmondson.
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The Pope is 'WEAK on crime and terrible on foreign policy' – this was the verdict of the President of the United States this week, as he appeared to deepen his row with the leader of the Catholic Church. In the magazine this week, Damian Thompson reports on why the President appears to have engaged in his own Holy War with the leader of 1.3 billion Catholics around the world.

For this week's Edition, host William Moore is joined by deputy editor Freddy Gray, commissioning editor Lara Brown – and the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams.

Baron Williams, now retired from the Lords, fears there is something 'demonic' in the political culture of the United States right now, as people appear to twist Christian teaching to justify their own causes. He does admit he feels 'slightly sorry' for the US Vice President – and recent Catholic convert – J.D. Vance saying he appears to be 'floundering', following Vance's recent comments that the Pope should 'stick to morality'. Why is the President fighting with the Pope? And what reflections does Rowan have on how involved religious leaders should be in politics?

Also on the episode, they discuss: the American right's obsession with the Antichrist; Rowan's new book Solidarity; the Spectator's cover story – by John Power – on the property crash of the London flat market; how the future might be vegetarian; and finally, whether foreign visitors should pay to enter British museums. Plus, what are the panel's favourite cultural attractions in London?

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

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