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Coffee House Shots
Politics or economics – which is Labour worst at?
It’s been another bruising week for the British economy. New GDP figures reveal that growth has almost flatlined, inching up by just 0.1 per cent between July and August – a sign, many fear, that the UK is drifting into deeper malaise. With the budget less than a fortnight away, can the Chancellor square the circle of sluggish growth, tax pressures and a restless Labour party?
James Heale speaks to Tim Shipman and Paul Johnson about the mounting economic uncertainties, the Treasury’s lack of a clear tax strategy, and the political doom loop the government now finds itself in. Are Labour’s early missteps catching up with them – and will the coming budget steady the ship or spark a fresh crisis?
Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Megan McElroy.
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REVEALED: Treasury abandons numeracy to boost diversity
11:59|A scoop by The Spectator’s news editor has taken Westminster by storm this week, after it emerged that the Treasury had ditched the numerical reasoning test for its high-flying graduate scheme. Oscar Edmondson speaks to the story’s author, John Connolly, and Ameer Kotecha, a former senior diplomat and now chief executive of the Centre for Government Reform, about how deeply anti-meritocratic hiring practices are rooted in the civil service.Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Henry Lloyd.
Reform is right to fear the return of Boris
16:24|Boris is (sort of) on manoeuvres, as Tim Shipman reports in this week’s magazine. There are signs that the former Conservative prime minister and one-time editor of this magazine could emerge from his frontline political hiatus to throw his weight behind the Tory cause. He has already been advising Kemi Badenoch and is said to be driven, in part, by a ‘hatred’ of Nigel Farage. Should Reform fear the return of Boris?It has been a damaging month for Reform, following the Makerfield by-election, a plateau in the polls, rumbling questions about Farage’s £5 million gift and now suggestions that he did not declare his full property portfolio to parliament. Has Reform peaked?Oscar Edmondson speaks to Tim Shipman and James Heale.Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
The secrets of the Spectator summer party
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Defence Investment Plan – a looming problem for Burnham
12:44|The Defence Investment Plan is published today in Parliament. All eyes are on how much Dan Jarvis managed to secure (£15 billion), given the dramatic resignations of Al Cairns and John Healey over funding. Noa Hoffman speaks to James Heale and Tim Shipman about the plans, plus a scoop from The Spectator's John Connolly – its been revealed that DEI has taken precedence over number counting in the Treasury...
The Burnham agenda: who will pay for it?
21:13|Andy Burnham has set out his big pitch to the country: a ten-year plan for devolution, reindustrialisation and a new ‘Number 10 of the North’. But, as he prepares to enter Downing Street, does he have anything like the ten years he wants to deliver it? And who will pay? Is Middle England about to be squeezed to fund Burnham’s vision?James Heale speaks to Tim Shipman.
Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 28/06/2026
11:19|Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows.One week on from the end of Keir Starmer's premiership, Labour all but confirm an Andy Burnham coronation.Produced by Joe Bedell-Brill.
Is Britain ungovernable?
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Would Burnham be 'Labour's first female PM'?
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How to solve Britain’s maternity crisis
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