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Coffee House Shots
Are the Greens repeating Corbyn's mistakes?
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As voters prepare to go to the polls in a set of local elections that could redraw the political map, we examine the ‘outsiders’ on today’s episode – starting with the Greens. After Zack Polanski’s grilling on the Today programme, are the Greens facing the same scrutiny that once engulfed Labour under Jeremy Corbyn?
Also on the podcast: Tim writes a letter to Britain’s aspiring prime ministers. What does Keir Starmer still lack? Does Andy Burnham have a plan beyond Manchesterism? And why do so many politicians seem to hate politics?
Noa Hoffman discusses with Tim Shipman and James Heale.
If you enjoy Coffee House Shots, you can join Tim Shipman and James Heale live as the election results roll in. Will Starmer survive the night? Are Reform and the Greens about to redraw the political map? And what happens next? Along with a panel of familiar faces and special guests, get the only analysis you’ll need as the political fallout begins. Watch live on Friday at 3 p.m. here, and tap the bell now to be notified in advance.
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Why Makerfield changes everything | Tim Shipman, James Lyons, Luke Tryl & Michael Simmons
34:19|Andy Burnham has won what may come to be seen as the most consequential by-election in recent memory. Political journalism has a tendency towards hyperbole, but the situation is clear: Burnham is on his way to Westminster with significant backing to take on Keir Starmer; he has proved that he can beat Reform on a ‘stop Starmer’ ticket and will now look to translate that message nationally; he also appears to have united the left behind him, with the Lib Dems and Greens barely registering in Makerfield.Meanwhile, the right is splintered. Reform’s momentum has been seriously dented, while the Tories have been buoyed by a welcome by-election victory in Aberdeen South. Big questions remain: will Starmer step aside with decorum, or subject the country to a painful Labour leadership contest? And after their fifth by-election defeat, where does this leave Nigel Farage?Political editor Tim Shipman is joined by a panel of guests and experts to unpack Andy Burnham’s win in Makerfield and the wider ramifications of a huge day in British politics.
Andy Burnham wins by a landslide – what happens next?
11:09|In the end, it was not even close. Andy Burnham has won the Makerfield by-election by a landslide, putting him on course to be Britain’s next prime minister.The Mayor of Greater Manchester managed to unite the left behind his ‘Stop Reform’ campaign, beating even the most optimistic polls with 24,937 votes (54.8 per cent). That put him more than 20 points ahead of Reform’s Robert Kenyon, who won 15,696 votes (34.5 per cent), and in a distant third came Restore Britain’s Rebecca Shepherd, who took 3,111 votes (6.8 per cent).Now that Burnham has proved he is the man who can take the fight to Reform in a constituency full of ‘their kind of people’, what happens next?Oscar Edmondson speaks to Tim Shipman.Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
LIVE: The Brexit Debate | Michael Gove & Claire Fox vs Dominic Grieve & Matthew Parris
28:29|Watch The Brexit Debate in full at https://www.spectator.com/brexitTen years on from the Brexit referendum, Britain is far from taking flight. Was Brexit a mistake – or are its promised freedoms simply yet to be realised? With the government unwilling to act boldly, smoothing Brexit’s edges rather than seizing its opportunities, are we quietly edging back into Europe’s embrace?This is a section of our special live event marking ten years since the referendum. Prominent critics of Brexit – barrister and former Conservative MP Dominic Grieve KC, and Spectator columnist Matthew Parris – will propose the motion ‘This house believes Brexit was a mistake’, with leading advocates, former Brexit Party MEP Baroness Claire Fox and Spectator Editor Michael Gove, opposing. The Spectator’s assistant editor Isabel Hardman will chair.
How quickly could Starmer be deposed?
16:56|Voters head to the polls tomorrow in Makerfield for what could be the most consequential by-election in modern British history. If Andy Burnham wins by a significant margin, he will be heralded as the man Labour need to beat Reform nationally – and Starmer could be forced out within days.Yet the Prime Minister has come out fighting, warning Burnham that now is not the time for a challenge. What should we expect from what promises to be a febrile 72 hours in British politics? Will Starmer’s deposition be conducted with decorum, or will it descend into a bloodbath?Plus: with Keir Starmer travelling back from the G7 today, parliament saw Deputy Prime Minister’s Questions. Amid Labour’s leadership turmoil, David Lammy went head to head with the shadow energy secretary, Claire Coutinho, herself tipped to be a future Tory chancellor. How did they both fare?Isabel Hardman speaks to Tim Shipman and pollster Scarlett MaguireProduced by Patrick Gibbons and Oscar Edmondson.
How to beat Burnham | with Reform UK's Gawain Towler
17:37|Westminster is braced for the Makerfield by-election at the end of this week but – as we get closer to polling day – opinion seems to have shifted. While at the start it looked as though Reform could challenge in the seat, the Andy Burnham factor appears to have changed the picture, and most are predicting that Labour’s prince across the water will make landfall.One person familiar with the ground game is Gawain Towler, a longtime ally of Nigel Farage and now a member of the Reform UK board. He speaks to Noa Hoffman about why the contest is not over and the various tactics his party is using to beat Burnham.Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Patrick Gibbons.
Why Trump’s Iran deal won’t save Starmer
12:55|Donald Trump has announced a deal to end the war between Iran and the US, but in Westminster, the relief comes with serious questions. What does the deal actually contain? Will the Strait of Hormuz reopen quickly enough to bring down oil prices? And could any economic boost come too late to save Keir Starmer?Elsewhere, Keir Starmer has announced under-16s will be banned from social media by spring 2027. The policy may be popular with parents, but the details remain sketchy: how would it be enforced, would it require facial recognition or digital ID, and could teenagers simply get around it with VPNs? Tim Shipman and Michael Simmons discuss with Megan McElroy.
Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 14/06/2026
12:54|Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows.John Healey's resignation puts Keir Starmer in trouble again. And Reform say British institutions treat white people unfairly.
Can Starmer survive the MoD exodus?
15:34|A second defence minister has resigned in protest at Keir Starmer’s failure to fund Britain’s armed forces. Al Carns, a former Royal Marines colonel, has followed John Healey out of the Ministry of Defence, warning that the government is letting down those in uniform – and taking aim at both the defence investment plan and Labour’s handling of Northern Ireland veterans.Starmer has now appointed Dan Jarvis as Defence Secretary, but the brief increasingly looks like a poisoned chalice. With the Strategic Defence Review still unfunded, ministers sent out to defend a plan they have not seen, and the Prime Minister heading to the G7 and Nato summit under pressure, has Starmer’s strongest claim to leadership – defence and foreign affairs – collapsed?James Heale speaks to Tim Shipman.Produced by Megan McElroy.
‘It’s beyond embarrassing, it’s dangerous’: why Britain must fund defence | Sir Richard Barrons
30:05|Britain’s defence review is now a year old – but the government is still arguing over how to pay for it. John Healey, the (now former) defence secretary, has resigned over the failure to set out an adequate plan to meet the need to modernise our armed forces.General Sir Richard Barrons, one of the architects of the Strategic Defence Review, joins Coffee House Shots to explain why the funding row is about more than budgets. He warns that Britain’s armed forces have been hollowed out after decades of cuts, that modern war is moving at the speed of AI and that Russia does not need to invade Britain to threaten daily life.Is Britain ready for the next war? What happens if America no longer comes to Europe’s defence? And has the political class failed to explain the scale of the danger?Tim Shipman speaks to General Sir Richard Barrons.Produced by Oscar Edmondson.