Coffee House Shots

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 taking responsibility, as it were, for its own security. But will Starmer really get the Americans on board? And if not, does he risk over-promising to Ukraine? James Heale talks to Kate Andrews and Katy Balls.Produced by Cindy Yu.

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 solidarity for Ukraine, whilst attempting to maintain good relations with America. How high are the stakes for Starmer ahead of the peace summit held by No.10 on Sunday?

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 tries to work out who will be responsible for ensuring its security in the future. We have seen a move away from the idealism that has defined foreign policy in the last decade and towards ‘realism’, with countries committing to boots on the ground and greater defence spending. Are Labour right to increase their defence pledge? Is Kemi Badenoch being energetic enough in holding the government to account – not just on its foreign policy, but on its record in government so far? And – closer to home – how worried are the Tories about the rise of Reform?This discussion was originally recorded on Wednesday 26 February.

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 described that part of the talks as ‘productive’ and said that a ‘deal has to come first’. There will also be a second state visit for the President. The greatest victory however is winning personal and effusive praise from the President. The Spectator’s sister magazine in the US was the first to get Trump’s reaction. The president told editor-at-large Ben Domenech: ‘I thought he was very good. I met him twice before – you know, he came to see me twice before – but this time was the best. And I think we got along very well.’ How did he do it? Is this the start of a new bromance?Katy Balls discusses with Freddy Gray and Kate Andrews.Produced b

Keir Starmer is in D.C. for what will probably be one of the most important bilateral meetings of his premiership. The goal is to charm Trump and secure some guarantees for Ukraine's security after a negotiated peace in the war. Can he succeed? Cindy Yu talks to James Heale and Peter Quentin, Rusi Associate Fellow and former policy adviser to Ben Wallace.Produced by Cindy Yu.

For the second week in a row, the leader of the opposition seemed to struggle at Prime Minister's Questions, ending up accusing Keir Starmer of being 'patronising' after having a couple of her questions rebuffed. Cindy Yu talks to James Heale and Isabel Hardman.Produced by Cindy Yu.

Kemi Badenoch has today given a major speech outlining the Conservatives’ commitment to ‘realism’ in their foreign policy. She said, ‘You cannot help others if you cannot help yourself’, and that the sovereignty and strength of Britain matters 'above all'. She also pressed Keir Starmer to push defence spending north of the 2.5 per cent target and – as if it was all choreographed – the prime minister dutifully has, announcing in the Commons that defence spending will reach 3 per cent of GDP by the end of the next parliament. This will come at the expense of the foreign aid budget, another suggestion that the leader of the opposition made in her speech today. What is realism? Is it right to forgo our commitment to overseas aid?Also on the podcast, we got the news yesterday that MP Mike Amesbury has been jailed for 10 weeks after punching a man in his constituency last year. His constituency, Runcorn and Helsby, could be an interesting by-election – could it be a Reform gain?Oscar Edmondson speaks to Katy Balls

Today marks three years since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. From early fears of a swift Russian victory to the Kharkiv offensive and the slow war of attrition that has played out since, each stage of this war has been hard to predict. None more so than this stage, with the USA drastically changing tack and tearing up the transatlantic alliance by pursuing back-channel peace talks with Putin. Europe has been left scrambling. Where do we go from here? And with an isolationist USA, the breakdown of the European consensus on Ukraine and the UK's armed forces being hollowed out, who is left to defend Europe?James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Keir Giles, a senior consulting fellow at Chatham House.Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

Cindy Yu presents highlights from Sunday morning’s political shows.After an extraordinary week of anti-Zelenskyy attacks by Trump, the UK government is standing firmly behind Ukraine, with Starmer announcing new sanctions against Russia. Education Secretary stops short of criticising Trump though, saying she welcomes the US bringing Russia to the table. Meanwhile, Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge and Estonia Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna urge Labour to ramp up defence spending past the new aim of 2.5% GDP.

Simon Hart joins James Heale to talk about his new book Ungovernable: The Political Diaries of a Chief Whip. Having stepped down at the 2024 election, Simon has become the first former Chief Whip to publish his diaries. What are his reflections on the Conservatives' time in office? Simon explains why his decision to resign under Boris Johnson was so difficult, why the Rwanda vote under Rishi Sunak was their finest hour, and why the Whips' office is really the government's HR department. Just how Ungovernable was the Tory Party?Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

'What does a party get after nearly two decades in office, collapsing public services, an internal civil war and a £2 million police investigation? Re-election again - perhaps with an even bigger majority', writes James Heale in The Spectator this week. He's talking about the SNP, whose change in fortunes has less to do with their leader John Swinney and more to do with the collapse of support for Scottish Labour and their leader Anas Sarwar.Who could benefit from the increased fragmentation of voters in Scotland? Will demands for more time, money and attention cause even more issues for Rachel Reeves? As Scottish Labour meets for its conference in Glasgow this weekend, James and editor Michael Gove join Katy Balls to discuss the dynamics between Holyrood and Westminster. Michael also spots a positive avenue for Labour, should they wish to take it...Produced by Patrick Gibbons. 

Donald Trump's latest comments on Ukraine and its leader have united the British political spectrum in condemnation – almost. Nigel Farage has tread a careful path given his friendship with the U.S. President, but also the fact that the majority of the British public disagree with Trump's critical attitude towards Ukraine. Can he keep this up? Cindy Yu talks to Katy Balls and James Heale.Produced by Cindy Yu.

Foreign affairs are inescapable this week, with the readout from the meeting yesterday between Russian and American diplomats in Saudi Arabia. We understand that Trump told Putin that Ukraine will be part of the next round of peace talks. However, Trump’s shock-and-awe foreign policy continues to deliver significantly more shock than awe, especially after he seemingly blamed Ukraine for starting the war. What is he thinking? Could there be more to Trump's foreign policy than he is letting on? Back in the UK, pressure is mounting on Rachel Reeves as more inaccuracies in her CV come to light, and inflation rises to 3 per cent. There have been murmurs that she could be replaced, but is there a viable candidate to replace her? And would anything actually change if she was reshuffled? Oscar Edmondson speaks to Kate Andrews and James Heale.Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

The future of Ukraine is being decided in a meeting between US and Russian diplomats in Saudi Arabia today. So far, we understand that America will insist that Ukraine is recognised as a sovereign nation, but NATO membership remains off the table. Meanwhile, European leaders have been cut out of the conversations. In response, they held their own summit yesterday, but it didn’t seem like they were all singing from the same hymn sheet. While the UK is pushing for higher defence spending and is willing to commit troops, other European nations seem more dovish, especially Germany and Italy. This is reflected in opinion polls as well. What's going on? Oscar Edmondson speaks to James Heale and James Johnson, director at JL Partners.Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

There is lots to make sense of today in a huge week for European and world politics, with the fallout of the Munich Conference and today’s emergency summit in Paris. European powers are trying to navigate peace in Ukraine in the face of a belligerently isolationist Trump administration. The UK is caught between preserving its privileged position with the US and the desire for a European reset, as well as the need for an end to the war in Ukraine without giving in to Russia. Can Starmer bridge the transatlantic chasm that has opened up? Do the Europeans want us, and do the Americans need us? Events in Europe will be incredibly consequential here in the UK. In an op-ed for The Telegraph, the Prime Minister has confirmed that he is ready and willing to put British troops in Ukraine and has set out plans to maintain the manifesto promise to pledge 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence spending, going against the Treasury. How difficult will it be for Starmer to make the case for increased defence spending?Oscar Edmondso

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows.Next week, European leaders will hold an emergency summit in response to Trump attempting to seize control of the Ukraine peace process. This morning, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds attempted to downplay any rift between the US and its European allies, but accepted that Europe had to contribute more to its own defence. Priti Patel claimed that it was too early to say what the US's position on Ukraine will be. And we also hear about how technology could allow us to design plants which revolutionise agriculture.

It is 50 years since Margaret Thatcher was elected Conservative leader, and at this week’s shadow cabinet meeting, Lord Forsyth was invited as a guest speaker to mark the occasion. He noted the similarities between 1975 and 2025. Back then, the party was broke, reeling from defeat and facing the fallout from a reorganisation of local government. But, despite threadbare resources, Thatcher managed to rebuild to win power four years later. ‘You have the potential to do the same,’ Forsyth told Kemi Badenoch.However, when asked if a young Thatcher would have been drawn to the right’s insurgent Reform Party, Nigel Farage replied, ‘I don’t think there’s any doubt about it.’ He even claimed that Thatcher had voted UKIP in 1999. ‘She believed in meritocracy, she put Jewish people in her cabinet, working-class people like Norman Tebbit. She would have hated wokery and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI),’ said Farage. What would Mrs Thatcher have thought of the current state of the Conservative Party? Might Reform h

Leaders from around the world are gathering at the Munich Security Conference, with the UK represented by Foreign Secretary David Lammy. All attention has turned to Ukraine, given statements this week by President Trump that he had spoken to Putin (and later Zelensky) about ending the Russia-Ukraine war.Trump's statements, for example that NATO membership should be off the table, put him at odds with European allies. The UK signed a joint statement with leaders from France, Germany and others, that Ukraine's independence and territorial integrity are unconditional. Is the UK walking a tight-rope between the US and Europe? Where does this leave the NATO alliance? And, with a strategic defence review underway, what should the UK's approach to defence spending be? Patrick Gibbons speaks to James Heale and The Spectator's Russia correspondent Owen Matthews.Produced by Patrick Gibbons. 

On this special episode of Coffee House Shots, economics editor Kate Andrews is joined by shadow home secretary Chris Philp to discuss the Tories’ newly announced plan to tackle immigration.On legal migration, their proposal includes plans to end worklessness in order to stop the reliance on low-paid migrant workers. And on illegal migration, the line is ‘zero tolerance’ on small boats, including a removals deterrent much like the Rwanda plan, as well as other changes to the legal framework. One of the more controversial elements of their strategy is on citizenship. The Tories want to increase the period before migrants can apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) from five to ten years, and after that, it will take a further five years – rather than 12 months – to achieve British citizenship.Which safe and legal pathways would people be able to use? How would the Conservatives ensure that the ‘best and the brightest’ are allowed in?Produced by Natasha Feroze and Oscar Edmondson.

It’s a double celebration for Rachel Reeves today. Not only is it her birthday, but the UK economy grew by 0.1 per cent in the last three months of 2024, according to the Office for National Statistics’ latest report. December, when the economy expanded by 0.4 per cent (the market consensus had been 0.1 per cent), was the saving grace. This helped tip the final quarter of 2024 onto the right side of positive growth.But it’s not all rosy for the Chancellor. This morning’s update won’t take anyone in the Treasury off high alert, and there has been a development in the story about her CV. The BBC has been looking into her expenses during her time at Halifax bank. The Chancellor’s response is that she had no knowledge that there was an investigation into wrongdoing. Will it be a happy birthday after all?Elsewhere, it’s a big day at The Spectator. In this week’s issue, we have launched The Spectator Project Against Frivolous Funding (SPAFF). This online tool lets readers explore the wastelands of government procur