Coffee House Shots

The Spectator
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Aug 29, 2023 • 15min

Who will take Nadine Dorries’s seat?

Nadine Dorries’s seat in Mid Bedfordshire has a majority of 25,000. With the Boris Johnson ally now leaving Parliament, the seat is set to be a three-way race between the Tories, Labour and the Liberal Democrats. Who stands the best chance of challenging the Conservatives? Also on the podcast: Suella Braverman has instructed police to ‘investigate every crime’. Will it improve the public’s faith in the force?James Heale speaks to Fraser Nelson and Katy Balls.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Aug 28, 2023 • 16min

Does Nadine Dorries have a point?

Nadine Dorries resigned from Parliament over the weekend, writing in a letter to Rishi Sunak that the Conservatives have been ‘corrupted’, and accusing the Prime Minister of ‘opening the gates to whip up a public frenzy against one of his own MPs’. Is Dorries, at least in part, right?James Heale speaks to Fraser Nelson and Kate Andrews.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Aug 26, 2023 • 20min

The problem with the Tories’ ‘local heroes’

Are the Tories right to pick local candidates, over Westminster favourites, to be their next generation of MPs?Cindy Yu speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Heale.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Aug 24, 2023 • 12min

Why is Rishi delaying his reshuffle?

James Heale and Craig Oliver, former directors of communications in No. 10, discuss the reasons behind Rishi Sunak's delayed reshuffle, the impact on the next election, potential replacements for outgoing ministers, dangers and pitfalls of the reshuffle, controversy over Rishi Sunak's failure to declare his wife's interest in a child care company, and the controversy surrounding the payout of Nat West's former boss.
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Aug 22, 2023 • 16min

Would Starmer’s government have any cash to spend?

If Labour wins the next election, will Keir Starmer have any money to spend on his programme of government? In a piece for the Times yesterday, journalist Philip Collins says it won't, and he thinks Labour is suffering because of this constraint. How can Labour be intellectually interesting if the government purse strings are so tight? Fraser Nelson disagrees. He says that, thanks to the Tories taking tax levels to record highs, Starmer will have plenty of cash to work with.Kate Andrews speaks to Philip and Fraser.Produced by Natasha Feroze and Max Jeffery.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Aug 19, 2023 • 22min

Should Rishi host MBS?

Downing Street has extended an invite to Mohammed bin Salman to visit the UK in Autumn. Five years after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, is it time to let Saudi Arabia in from the cold?Fraser Nelson speaks to Simon Mayall, a former Middle East adviser in the Ministry of Defence, and to Jawad Iqbal, a Spectator contributor.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Aug 17, 2023 • 12min

Results day: is the worst of the pandemic over for students?

As A-level students receive their exam results, Cindy Yu speaks to Isabel Hardman and Mary Curnock Cook who is the former chief executive of UCAS. In a bid to curb recent grade inflation, fewer of the top results have been handed out to students who were the first year group to sit through pandemic style examinations. Can the government return to 2019 levels this summer?Produced by Cindy Yu and Natasha Feroze. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Aug 16, 2023 • 5min

Will Rishi hit his inflation target?

Discussion on recent decline in UK inflation, concerns about stagnant core inflation, Bank of England's worries about wage-price spiral and recent wage increases.
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Aug 15, 2023 • 14min

Public sector pay pushes wage growth to record high

Natasha Feroze speaks to Fraser Nelson and Isabel Hardman about today's wage growth figures which have reached a 22-year high due to public sector pay. Are these an accurate reflection of the economy? Also on the podcast, Isabel Hardman takes a look at NHS week – each day the government has announced new measures to improve the National Health Service. Is a 'quit smoking' campaign really want the system needs?Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Aug 12, 2023 • 21min

Blair is back

It’s been 16 years since Tony Blair walked away from frontline politics, but rather than retiring to Fife to write his books – like another Labour leader – he has managed to build his Tony Blair Institute for Global Change into one of the most sophisticated and influential think tanks in modern politics. What role could he play under a Starmer government? Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson and John McTernan, former political advisor to Tony Blair. Produced by Oscar Edmondson. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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