Best of the Spectator

For this week’s Edition, Lara Prendergast is joined by The Spectator’s political editor Tim Shipman, deputy editor of the US edition Gus Carter and the Mail on Sunday’s restaurant critic Tom Parker Bowles.This week: Nigel Farage’s greatest gamble. After resigning as MP for Clacton to trigger a by-election, Farage has tried to turn questions over his finances into a referendum on the establishment. Tim explains why the move may already have backfired, with the main parties refusing to stand against him and leaving him to spend the summer ‘arguing with a bin’. But he also argues that Farage is returning to what he does best: insurgency, grievance and campaigning against the political class. Has he reclaimed the narrative – or retreated from the idea of becoming prime minister?Also: can Andy Burnham export the Manchester model to the rest of Britain? As the incoming prime minister prepares for Downing Street, Gus looks at the property developers behind Manchester’s rise.Plus: Tom Parker Bowles on the crisis in British hospitality, why pubs matter and what the government keeps getting wrong about restaurants.Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Oscar Edmondson.

Gavin Newsom has spent the last two years building a national profile for himself beyond his controversial leadership of California as its Governor. But is he equipped to take on the challenges that would be faced by a Presidential run in 2028, that go beyond the left-wing political bubble of The Golden State? Freddy Gray speaks to Christopher Rufo, author of the Christopher Rufo Substack, and a Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Project, about the real Gavin Newsom and the decay of California under his watch.Learn how to earn yield on gold, paid in gold, at Monetary-Metals.com/Americano

Nigel Farage has resigned as MP for Clacton and will fight a by-election in an attempt to turn questions over his finances into a referendum on ‘the people vs the establishment’. Is this a political masterstroke or a mistake? Has Farage taken back control of the narrative, or will the row over undeclared money continue to plague Reform?Michael and Maddie also discuss whether Dominic Cummings’s prophecy – that the establishment would try to destroy Farage by fair means or foul – has come true.Plus: Prince Harry has suffered a bruising defeat in court against the Mail. What does the ruling tell us about press freedom?Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

Andy Burnham has laid out his plans to 'level up the North'. Something we have heard with almost every Prime Minister pledge to do – but with very little clarity over how this will be achieved and what success looks like. It's true there is a clear divide when it comes to economic outcomes between London and the North. Michael Simmons takes a look at the data and discusses a left-wing levelling up agenda with Ed Shackle Head of Qualitative Research at Public First and Neil O'Brien, Conservative MP and former minister for Levelling up.This episode is brought to you by Artemis Fund Managers, for more information on our fund range please click here https://www.artemisfunds.com/ .

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Max Jeffery explains the truth about how the British Empire is taught in schools; Gavin Mortimer asks why Giorgia Meloni is courting Emmanuel Macron; James Delingpole reviews the World Cup; after 25 years, Aidan Hartley bows out as the Spectator’s Wild life columnist; and finally, the Spectator’s new restaurant critic Angus Colwell ponders how much discount you should get, if your father almost chokes to death on a lamb kleftiko.  Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons.

It might be 250 years since the Declaration of Independence but the document continues to prove controversial, with political groups arguing over the intention behind the document – just watch any Supreme Court case. To mark the 4th of July, Professor Gregg Frazer joins Damian Thompson to talk about the intention of the founding fathers in terms of religion – did they really want America to become a Christian nation?With President Trump courting evangelical Christian voters, rising religious tensions amongst religious minorities and some sections of society advocating for ‘Christian nationalism’, is America’s free market in religious ideas being tested to its limit?Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

As Americans mark the 250th anniversary of the 1776 Declaration of Independence, Anthony Scaramucci joins the Spectator to provide his assessment of the health of the nation. As we approach the halfway point of the second Trump presidency, what's his impact been on America's reputation? Will the Democrats' attempts to emulate Trump help or hinder them? And why are American conservatives so obsessed with Britain – or rather, Britain's supposed decline?Declaring Trump 'an ageing queen' under whom 'the spirit of hypocrisy lives on' in America, the former White House communications director joins Freddy Gray and Tim Shipman for this special Coffee House Shots / Americano crossover to mark the 4th of July.Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Natasha Feroze.

For this week’s Edition, Lara Prendergast is joined by the Spectator’s deputy editor Freddy Gray, assistant content editor John Power and former Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt.This week: Labour’s lame duck period drags on, with Keir Starmer searching for a legacy before he leaves office. This week he has announced more money for Defence, though with several caveats, the biggest of which is unfunded billions left for the (presumably) incoming Burnham administration to fix. Penny Mordaunt, a former Conservative Defence Secretary, explains why Starmer has been a ‘total failure’ on Defence, saying Labour have failed to take Defence seriously and need to explain to the country that tough choices lie ahead. She argues Sir Keir is worse than Corbyn, who at least had a principled position on Defence. Her warning is stark: forget NATO targets of 3,4 or 5% of GDP – war would mean 50%, and the next few decades could be 'the worst humanity have ever lived through’. Also: the ‘dark money’ secretly funding net zero campaigns. John Power explains the links between Ed Miliband, China and pro net zero campaign groups in the UK, arguing that while political interest groups are not inherently bad, transparency should work both ways. Many left-leaning groups seem to operate under the belief they can be opaque as long as – to them – the end justifies the means. Penny provides her own verdict on Miliband, tipped to be the next Chancellor, saying she has 'never known him to make a correct decision’. Plus: as Starmer starts packing up at Number 10, could another former Conservative Prime Minister be plotting his return to office?Produced by Patrick Gibbons. 

My guest in this week's Book Club podcast is the former Obama speechwriter Ben Rhodes, talking about his new book All We Say: A History of the United States in 15 Speeches. Ben tells me why a debate between two visions of what makes the US special has been playing out since the nation's conception, what Frederick Douglass has to say to the America of the 21st century, and why Ben Franklin didn't think the constitution was sacred.