Podcast

Coffee House Shots

Instant political analysis from the Spectator‘s top team of writers, including Katy Balls, James Heale, Isabel Hardman, Cindy Yu, Kate Andrews and many others.

Instant political analysis from the Spectator‘s top team of writers, including Katy Balls, James Heale, Isabel Hardman, Cindy Yu, Kate Andrews and many others.

Coffee House Shots

How long has Liz Truss got left?

Isabel Hardman, James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson discuss the appropriate units of time in which to measure the remainder of the Prime Minister’s tenure…

Play 14 mins

Coffee House Shots

Can Truss calm the markets?

Liz Truss has delivered an 8-minute long press conference confirming the latest corporation tax U-turn and insisting she will stay on as Prime Minister. Did it do enough to reassure voters and calm the markets? Cindy Yu speaks to James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson. Produced by Cindy Yu and Natasha Feroze.

Play 12 mins

Coffee House Shots

Truss sacks Kwarteng. What next?

Prime Minister Liz Truss has sacked her Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng and replaced him with Jeremy Hunt. By removing her closest ideological ally. Can she save herself? Kate Andrews speaks to Katy Balls and James Forsyth. Produced by Natasha Feroze.

Play 13 mins

Coffee House Shots

What will Kwasi do?

It’s one of those flight tracker days here in Westminster as Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng is about to land from a trip to the IMF in Washington, cut short last night. Is the government about to U-turn on its three-week-old mini budget? If so, will the Chancellor resign? Cindy Yu talks to James Forsyth and Fraser

Play 9 mins

Coffee House Shots

Will Truss be gone by Christmas?

After a day of speculation, the rumours that Liz Truss was about to U-turn on more areas of the mini-budget proved untrue. Conservative MPs had a tense evening in the 1922 Committee meeting last night – are there any good options left for the Prime Minister? Isabel Hardman speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth.

Play 14 mins

Coffee House Shots

Is Truss ruling out spending cuts?

Did Liz Truss misspeak or did she mean it when she said that she wouldn’t go ahead with spending cuts, as promised in her leadership campaign? On the episode, Cindy Yu talks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls about what the Prime Minister could have meant, given the need to balance the books to pay

Play 9 mins

Coffee House Shots

What is the way out for Kwasi?

Parliament is back today and Kwasi Kwarteng is facing questions from the opposition as well as from those within his party. How much pressure is he under? Also on the podcast, looking ahead to another fiscal event at the end of the month, are we heading for a series of departmental spending cuts? What would

Play 14 mins

Coffee House Shots

Can Truss heal the divisions within her party?

This morning the Chancellor has announced that the government will bring forward both its medium term fiscal event and the accompanying Office for Budget Responsibility forecast. Will Kwarteng exercise some spending restraint to calm the Bank of England? Also on the podcast, after Truss appointed Sunak ally Greg Hands as Minister of State for Trade

Play 11 mins

Coffee House Shots

How will this end?

Max Jeffery, Katy Balls and James Forsyth discuss Liz Truss’s premiership and walk through the various options being cooked up to replace her.

Play 17 mins

Coffee House Shots

Are Truss and Macron now ‘bons amis’?

Liz Truss attended the European Political Community summit in Prague, where her frosty relations with Macron came to a head. Rather than ‘frenemies’, there were signs of thawing relations between the two. After years of diplomatic tensions over Brexit, immigration and energy, can the two leaders kiss and make up? Katy Balls speaks to Isabel

Play 13 mins

Coffee House Shots

Has Team Boris turned on Truss?

Nadine Dorries, a loyalist to Boris Johnson, has a front-page piece in the Times today, accusing the new Liz Truss government of lurching too far towards the right. As someone who previously backed Liz for leader, is there a growing sense that people wish Boris never left? Also on the podcast, the National Grid has suggested

Play 17 mins

Coffee House Shots

Is Truss back on track?

Liz Truss has today delivered her speech to the Conservative Party Conference where she set out the vision for her government. It was arguably the best moment of a difficult week for the party. Has she succeeded in calming Tory nerves? Who are the ‘anti-growth coalition’ that she is taking on?  Isabel Hardman speaks to

Play 13 mins

Coffee House Shots

Is Truss facing another rebellion?

Liz Truss is coming under pressure over another of her policies. Should she increase benefits payments in line with inflation, or in line with earnings, as she would prefer? Will the PM change her mind again? Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth. Produced by Max Jeffery.

Play 11 mins

Coffee House Shots

Are the Tories in the business of managing decline?

Kwasi Kwarteng has just spoken at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham defending his mini-Budget, despite having u-turned on the cut to the 45p tax rate this morning. Will his speech have calmed his fellow Tories and, more importantly, the markets?  Katy Balls speaks with James Forsyth, Kate Andrews and Isabel Hardman.  Produced by Max

Play 11 mins

Coffee House Shots

Why has Truss u-turned?

The Prime Minister has abandoned her plan to scrap the top 45 per cent rate of income tax. Why? Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth. Produced by Max Jeffery.

Play 13 mins

Coffee House Shots

Did Gove just torpedo Truss?

Michael Gove this morning said that Liz Truss’s plans to scrap the top 45 per cent tax rate are a ‘display of the wrong values’. It comes as Jake Berry, the Tory party chairman, confirmed that MPs who vote against the budget would lose the Conservative whip. Has Gove just ruined Truss’s conference? James Heale

Play 14 mins

Coffee House Shots

Liz Truss’s mea culpa moment

Despite rejecting the Office for Budget Responsibility’s offer of a forecast to accompany last week’s so-called fiscal event, this morning it appears that the government have u-turned. What can we expect from the OBR’s statement ahead of the November budget? Also on the podcast, after last night’s YouGov poll put Labour ahead by 33 points,

Play 11 mins

Coffee House Shots

Could Truss axe Kwarteng?

Liz Truss broke her silence this morning and embarked on a pre-Tory conference media round of regional stations across the UK. In a brutal set of interviews, the Prime Minister faced questions on tax cutting the rich at the expense of the poor, fracking and bankers’ bonuses. With conference just three days away, what will be

Play 23 mins

Coffee House Shots

Why is the Bank of England buying gilts?

The Bank of England has today announced a major intervention into gilts to prevent a ‘material risk’ to financial stability as a result of government policy. How unprecedented is this move? Will Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng break their silence? Are we heading for another leadership election? Kate Andrews speaks with Fraser Nelson and James

Play 18 mins

Coffee House Shots

Is Starmer ready for No.10?

Keir Stamer took centre stage for his speech at the Labour party conference today. Unlike last year, there were several standing ovations and loud cheers from the audience. Was his speech one to remember in Labour’s history? And has he secured his position as the man to lead Labour back into government? James Heale speaks

Play 10 mins

Coffee House Shots

Is Labour on the cusp of victory?

It’s day two of Labour Conference and the party appear upbeat and confident of their chances at the next election. But are they being too reactionary in their narrative? What do they have to offer other than not being the Conservative party?From Liverpool, James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Isabel Hardman.Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

Play 13 mins

Coffee House Shots

How worrying is the falling pound?

Following Chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng’s ‘mini’ budget, the pound has fallen to a record low against the dollar, fueling speculation that the Bank of England will hike interest rates. How worrying are these figures? ‘I think the pound falling is a bit of a distraction from the real problem’ – James Forsyth Katy Balls speaks to Kate

Play 19 mins

Coffee House Shots

Kwarteng’s audacious budget

Kwasi Kwarteng has today announced what has been dubbed as his mini-Budget, but looking at the scale of the package it is far from small. The Coffee House Shots team take us through what has been revealed. Who are the winners and who are the losers? Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson, James Forsyth and

Play 17 mins

Coffee House Shots

NI rise scrapped: how much further will Kwasi go?

With hours to go till the Chancellor’s fiscal statement, we’ve heard today that the National Insurance hike will be scrapped, as promised during Liz Truss’s leadership campaign. This comes as the Bank of England increases the base rate to 2.25 per cent. How much further will Kwasi Kwarteng go, and just how willing is the

Play 16 mins

Coffee House Shots

What’s behind Putin’s mobilisation?

Vladimir Putin warned the West that, if pushed, Russia would use a nuclear weapon. How seriously should we take his threat? And reports emerged overnight that Liz Truss will cut stamp duty to increase demand for housing. But will that help more people get onto the housing ladder? Katy Balls speaks to James Forsyth and

Play 15 mins

Coffee House Shots

Why is Liz Truss ruling out a US trade deal?

Liz Truss is in New York today on her first foreign visit as prime minister. On the flight across the Atlantic, Truss said that a trade deal with the United States was unlikely in the ‘short to medium term’. Why has the PM, who was so vocal about a free trade agreement with the US

Play 14 mins

Coffee House Shots

How will Queen Elizabeth II be remembered?

Today was the state funeral of Britain’s longest reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II. From Westminster, we evaluate the day’s proceedings. Also on the podcast, as the period of mourning ends and politics resumes, can Liz Truss hit the ground running? Will we get some clarity on how much her energy plan will cost? Katy Balls

Play 12 mins

Coffee House Shots

How did the Queen change the world?

Cindy Yu, James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson discuss the impression Queen Elizabeth II made during her 70 years as a head of state.

Play 16 mins

Coffee House Shots

Can the Met fix London’s spiralling crime problem?

Two police officers were stabbed this morning near Leicester Square in central London. What can new Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley do to fix the capital’s crime epidemic? And the pound today fell to a 37-year low against the dollar. What can the government do to give the markets confidence? Max Jeffery speaks to Fraser

Play 10 mins

Coffee House Shots

Who will be at the Queen’s funeral?

Preparations are well under way for the Queen’s funeral next week, but which world leaders will be in attendance? Will they all be able to behave themselves?  Also on the podcast, as the new Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng works quietly in the background, is his idea to scrap caps on banker’s bonuses a risk worth taking? 

Play 15 mins