Coffee House Shots

Mar 09 2025 500 ep. 14 mins 10.7k

Coffee House Shots Podcast artwork

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

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Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 09/03/2025

Mar 09 2025 13 mins

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows. Pat McFadden addresses Starmer's 'coalition of the willing', and incoming reforms at Whitehall, somewhat elusively. Richard Tice defends the timing of Reform MP Rupert Lowe's suspension, and Chris Philp speaks about the Tories' suggestion to ignore the Human Rights Act when judges make decisions on immigrati

Who would be a Conservative? – Kate Andrews vs Michael Gove

Mar 07 2025 24 mins

It’s a special (and emotional) edition of Coffee House Shots this Saturday because it is the last with Kate Andrews on this side of the Atlantic. She joins our editor Michael Gove and political correspondent James Heale for a debate on ideology. Kate – a liberal, in the classical British sense – explains exactly why she is not a Conservative and the various tenets that distin

How long will Starmer’s ‘war bounce’ last?

Mar 07 2025 10 mins

Trump has been stealing the headlines when it comes to Ukraine this week, but Europe – and whether it can stay united in the face of the US pulling its support – remains an important subplot. At a summit yesterday, 27 countries backed the plan to increase spending on defence, but when will the cracks start to show? Thankfully, it seems that the Prime Minister is good in a cris

Labour's 'two tier policing' headache

Mar 06 2025 11 mins

Labour have found themselves facing accusations of enabling ‘two tier policing’ following new guidelines from the Sentencing Council. Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick has been quick to criticise the government, but Labour’s Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has also urged the council reconsider their recommendations. Yvette Cooper’s former adviser Danny Shaw joins

Could spending cuts herald a ‘winter of discontent for Labour’s left’?

Mar 05 2025 14 mins

With reports of ‘billions’ of spending cuts earmarked for the Chancellor’s Spring Statement, taking place later this month, Michael Gove and Kate Andrews join Katy Balls to discuss what exactly Rachel Reeves could cut. With little fiscal headroom and sluggish forecasts of growth, Reeves doesn’t appear to have many options. It’s likely that welfare will be targeted, and th

Where does Trump's suspension of Ukraine aid leave Europe?

Mar 04 2025 12 mins

Overnight President Trump made another extraordinary move in his ongoing attempt to broker a deal between Ukraine and Russia, suspending all U.S. military aid to Ukraine. Katy Balls talks to James Heale and geopolitical analyst Mark Galeotti about how serious this development is and where it leaves Ukraine's European supporters. Produced by Natasha Feroze and Cindy Yu.

Can Starmer stick to his promises to Ukraine?

Mar 03 2025 14 mins

Along with the French President Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer seems to be spearheading Europe's diplomatic efforts to secure a lasting peace deal for Ukraine in light of the new American administration's animosity towards Zelensky. Among the proposals being discussed are a peace-keeping force in the country, as a part of efforts to show the Trump administration that Europe is takin

Was Zelensky ambushed at the White House?

Mar 01 2025 18 mins

Zelensky's much anticipated meeting at the White House finished in an angry clash between the Ukrainian President, JD Vance and Donald Trump. The Vice President accused Zelensky of leading 'propaganda tours' and culminated in the Ukrainian President leaving the White House without a signed minerals deal. Was Zelensky ambushed? European leaders quickly scrambled to show their solida

Coffee House Shots Live with Robert Jenrick and Jonathan Ashworth

Feb 28 2025 70 mins

The Spectator’s Katy Balls, Michael Gove and Kate Andrews were joined by special guests Robert Jenrick and Jonathan Ashworth for a live podcast, recorded at the Emmanuel Centre in Westminster. The main topic of discussion is, of course, Donald Trump, whose inauguration has ushered in a new world disorder. His ‘shock and awe’ foreign policy has sent Europe scrambling as it t

How Starmer won over the Donald

Feb 28 2025 13 mins

Unbelievably, Keir Starmer arrives back from Washington today after a successful meeting with Donald Trump. In fact, it’s hard to see how it could have gone much better. Top of the list of victories: it looks like some headway was made in avoiding tariffs on the UK and, on Ukraine, the pair discussed the prime minister’s call for a security backstop for any deal. Starmer descri