Share

cover art for Labour humiliated by Chinese spy arrests

Coffee House Shots

Labour humiliated by Chinese spy arrests

•

It was a bad tempered PMQs today – Kemi Badenoch attacked Starmer over his involvement, or lack thereof with the Iran conflict. And Starmer hit back at Badenoch over her questions. Not the type of unity you'd want to see on the major foreign policy issue of the day. Also today, three more arrests have been made related to Chinese spy allegations. One of them is the partner of a Labour MP Joani Reid, who has said she is 'not part of' her husbands business activities. James Heale speaks to Tim Shipman and Isabel Hardman.

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

More episodes

View all episodes

  • Hope again: do you buy Burnham's big pitch?

    22:09|
    Andy Burnham has used his Labour conference speech to set out his clearest vision yet for the country and it was a strikingly ambitious one. Noa Hoffman is joined in Liverpool by Tim Shipman and Michael Simmons to unpack a speech that ranged from a new National Care Service and reform of the pension triple lock to electoral reform, water and Britain’s future relationship with the European Union.How radical is Burnham’s programme in practice and is the ambition matched in the detail? And what was missing from the speech?Produced by Patrick Gibbons.
  • Can Labour really reindustrialise Britain?

    15:10|
    Noa Hoffman is joined from Labour conference in Liverpool by James Heale and economics editor Michael Simmons to discuss Chancellor John Healey’s keynote speech. They discuss his attempt to sell fiscal discipline in distinctly Labour language, whether the government’s reindustrialisation plans add up and what the speech tells us about the economic argument Andy Burnham wants to make.Plus, as the bars begin to swell on day two of the conference, can Labour's united front continue for Shabana Mahmood's speech?Produced by Patrick Gibbons.
  • Immigration, Europe and tax: the questions Burnham is avoiding | LIVE

    22:06|
    Live from Labour conference in Liverpool, Noa Hoffman is joined by Tim Shipman and James Heale to discuss the questions Andy Burnham still needs to answer. Can Labour tighten immigration controls while edging closer to Europe? How will Burnham pay for his social care ambitions? And is the party already thinking about an early election... despite what the PM might say. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
  • Labour conference day 1 – what's the mood in the bar?

    08:56|
    It’s Labour conference day one, and Oscar Edmondson and James Heale report live from the Pullman hotel bar. What’s the mood of conference so far? Will it be a dour affair like previous years, or will new measures to shorten the beer queues do anything to quell the gossip and plotting?Andy Burnham has taken the opportunity this morning to announce a major policy on social care, proposing a system more closely aligned with the principles of the NHS with a free at the point of use model. But how would Labour pay for it?Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
  • Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 27/09/2026

    14:50|
    Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows.At the Labour conference, Andy Burnham has big plans for social care. But how will he pay for it?
  • 'The return of the prodigal son'? – Labour conference lookahead | with Jonathan Ashworth

    24:33|
    Ahead of Labour Party conference, Tim Shipman is joined by former shadow cabinet minister Jonathan Ashworth to discuss the mood inside the party, Andy Burnham’s growing authority and whether he could be tempted to call an early general election. They also consider the pressures facing Burnham on tax, welfare, Europe and the North Sea – and why, sooner or later, he will have to start making enemies.Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
  • Is the AI dream over for Andy?

    10:30|
    Andy Burnham pitched Britain to the UN this week as an 'honest broker' on artificial intelligence, only for Washington to ask OpenAI and Anthropic to make Britain's AI Security Institute wait its turn. Michael Simmons is joined by James Heale and Tim Shipman to discuss James's column on the backlash, data centres and whether Burnham's Makerfield test will make room for AI innovation.Produced by Henry Lloyd
  • Can Kemi hoover up votes with benefits reform?

    13:02|
    After fresh polling from YouGov put the Tories ahead of Reform UK today, the leader of the opposition has set out plans to get people off of unemployment benefits, and limit what successful claimants can spend it on. James Heale is joined by Tim Shipman and Michael Simmons to weigh up the policy proposal, another poll from Survation, and whether Andy Burnham will go to the country for an early election.Produced by Henry Lloyd.
  • Chagos U-turn: has Burnham seen sense?

    14:21|
    Donald Trump has forced a rethink of the Chagos deal, after publicly criticising the agreement during his meeting with Andy Burnham. Is Labour preparing to abandon one of Keir Starmer’s most controversial foreign policy decisions? And, with Labour conference approaching, could Burnham be tempted to call a general election? Oscar Edmondson speaks to Noa Hoffman and Tim Shipman.Produced by Oscar Edmondson.