Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Planet Normal
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labour’s energy insecurity intensifies | 07 Oct 2026 | 01:02:38 | |
You can watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4ZZZoH77k14 Another week, another conference and the October Budget looms but mere weeks away… however your co-pilots wade through the slurry to bring you the tasty news morsels. Liam shares his direct observations from the Troy conference floor, assessing the party’s mood, policy direction, and leadership. Meanwhile, Allison addresses the rising tide of antisemitism and highlights her latest Telegraph column marking the third anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. Strapping in this week is financial expert John Banerjee who tells your co-pilot why the UK is lagging behind in energy policy and how it could affect our opportunity to become a leader in AI… Highlights
Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Buy your ticket for the Battle of Ideas: https://www.battleofideas.org.uk/battle-of-ideas-festival-tickets-2026/ | Read Allison ‘The horrors of Oct 7 are still seared into my mind. Why won’t the West wake up?’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/10/06/october-7-horrors/ | Read Allison ‘Suella Braverman: My immigrant family was too proud for benefits’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10/04/suella-braverman-my-father-was-too-proud-to-go-on-the-dole/ | Read Allison ‘Is Richard E Grant a Machiavellian schemer or a giddy fool?’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10/02/richard-e-grant-celebrity-traitors-schemer-or-fool/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Burnham’s conference speech was detached from fiscal reality’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/10/04/burnhams-conference-speech-was-detached-from-fiscal-reality/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Burnham’s economics of empty promises | 30 Sep 2026 | 01:14:56 | |
You can watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZeBZTYZaSTE Your Planet Normal co-pilots return to a tsunami of news, promises from Labour conference and Andy Burnham to ease the nations finances and is the Home Secretary watering down her own migration policies? Allison takes aim at the PM’s pledges, calling them nothing but empty words and laying blame so far in the past you’d be forgiven for not realising we have had successive failures from Government since the 70s. Liam delves into the costing of the social care promises and how scrapping the triple lock, in favour of a double lock, will work in reality. Stowing away is former Home Secretary Suella Braverman who tells your co pilots about her life, politics and career in her new book, ‘Patriot: Empire, betrayal, and hope’. Highlights
Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Buy Suella’s book: https://www.waterstones.com/book/patriot/suella-braverman/9781918944044 | Buy your ticket for the Battle of Ideas: https://www.battleofideas.org.uk/battle-of-ideas-festival-tickets-2026/ | Watch ‘Stirling Series | The SAS: The Past, Present and Future of UK Special Forces’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELisq0gwlqY | Read Allison ‘Suella Braverman: My immigrant family was too proud for benefits’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10/04/suella-braverman-my-father-was-too-proud-to-go-on-the-dole/ | Read Allison ‘Is Richard E Grant a Machiavellian schemer or a giddy fool?’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10/02/richard-e-grant-celebrity-traitors-schemer-or-fool/ | Read Allison ‘Now more than ever, we must stand up for the SAS’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/09/29/stand-up-for-sas/ | Read Allison ‘Strictly won’t survive if it carries on selling out for the youth audience’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/09/26/allison-pearson-strictly-youth-pandering/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Trump’s diesel ban would be a disaster – for Britain and the White House’’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/09/27/trumps-diesel-ban-disaster-britain-white-house/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| The green blob is choking the life out of the UK | 23 Sep 2026 | 00:59:59 | |
You can watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3pSGqJiJryw This week on Planet Normal, co-pilots Halligan and Pearson, shed some light on the risk of a blackout Britain this winter… Liam targets Labour’s attacks on industrialists like Sir Jim Ratcliffe, arguing that dismissing wealth creators as ‘tax exiles’ ignores their massive tax and employment contributions. Meanwhile, Allison takes aim at Andy Burnham’s new National Centre for Information Defence, dubbed the ‘Ministry of Truth’, arguing Labour is labelling public outrage over energy bills and illegal immigration as ‘misinformation’ rather than addressing core failures. Strapping into the rocket this week is former RAF pilot and engineer Richard Lyons who talks your co-pilots through his new book, The Energy Trap: Why the renewable energy transition can’t work - and what can…. Highlights
Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Read more from Richard: https://richardlyon.substack.com/ | Read Allison ‘Make no mistake earl Spencer is on a mission to destroy the King’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/09/22/earl-spencer-destroy-king-destabilise-monarchy/ | Read Allison ‘Net zero is a national suicide pact’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/20/net-zero-is-a-national-suicide-pact/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘The Bank of England is being far too timid’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/09/20/the-bank-of-england-is-being-far-too-timid/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Piddington protest and the donation dispute | 16 Sep 2026 | 01:04:40 | |
You can watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/RAjUcNkPlok This week on Planet Normal, co-pilots Halligan and Pearson, strap into the rocket of right thinking to tackle growing unrest over border policies and fragile public finances. Allison breaks down local outrage in Braintree, Essex, over the housing of asylum seekers in RAF Wethersfield and highlights the broader national backlash against housing illegal migrants on former military bases, pointing to Piddington's 90% vote for independence. Meanwhile, Liam takes aim at Labour's attacks on Reform UK's £36 million tech donations, while analysing Angela Rayner’s lukewarm TUC address and sounding the alarm over soaring oil prices and bond market turmoil. Stowing away on the rocket this week is Russell Quirk, deputy leader of Essex County Council, who exposes conditions inside RAF Wethersfield and explains why private security guards have been deployed in some areas in Essex. Highlights
Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Allison ‘These OAPs want to save their town from a flood of migrants – the Left calls them ‘far-Right’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/09/15/pensioners-battle-stop-male-migrants-braintree/ | Read Allison ‘Spare us the righteousness, Ed Miliband. You’re a disgrace‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/09/13/ed-miliband-israel-sanctions-disgrace/ | Read Liam ‘Burnham is not the tough-minded leader Britain needs‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/09/13/burnham-is-not-the-tough-minded-leader-britain-needs/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Boat-load of trouble: Channel fury, Israel sanctions & broke Britain | 09 Sep 2026 | 01:06:52 | |
You can watch this episode in full on Youtube: https://youtu.be/iZkeL-6UtSQ This week on Planet Normal, your co-pilots of sanity, Halligan and Pearson, strap into the rocket of right thinking to tackle a tumultuous news agenda. Allison argues following migrant protests in Portsmouth and Dover, that while black masks are wrong, millions of Brits share the anger over cross-channel immigration. She also takes aim at falling school standards in Wales and Scotland, and sounds the alarm over Ed Miliband’s foreign policy moves against Israel. Meanwhile, Liam analyses the electoral earthquake in Saxony-Anhalt, where Germany's AfD swept 44% of the vote. And Fresh from the Reform UK conference in Birmingham, the duo dissects the appearance of France's Jordan Bardella alongside the fallout from Channel 4’s undercover sting. Stowing away on the rocket this week is author Ross Clark, who joins to discuss his new book, Britain Is Bust: The Coming Sovereign Debt Crisis and What It Means for You. Ross breaks down the nation's ballooning debt and rising bond yields Highlights
Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Allison ‘The ‘poison’ on Britain’s streets is a failure by the political class’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/09/08/poison-streets-failure-political-class/ | Read Allison ‘The Church of England has abandoned its mission in the UK‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/09/06/the-church-of-england-has-lost-its-way/ | Read Liam ‘Only spending cuts can rescue Britain’s economy‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/09/06/only-spending-cuts-can-rescue-britains-economy/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Planet Normal: ‘Fair-weather’ Burnham faces a growing economic storm | 02 Sep 2026 | 01:06:28 | |
You can watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Djl86k1PyYw Co-pilots Halligan and Pearson strap back into the rocket of right thinking after their summer break to tackle Prime Minister Andy Burnham's PMQs debut. Allison slams Burnham’s ‘vibes-based’ leadership, warning that starry-eyed optimism won't fix record-high energy bills or a million unemployed youth. Meanwhile, Liam sounds the alarm on spiralling bond yields and a debt interest time bomb that’s set to blow up the upcoming October budget. Also on the radar: the duo rate Kemi Badenoch’s Shadow Cabinet reshuffle, debate the right-wing battle for welfare cuts, plus, nostalgic listener mailbags and a sobering reality check from a 26-year-old geophysics grad facing redundancy thanks to Britain's brutal North Sea tax policy. Joining your co-pilots is Reform UK’s Richard Tice to talk Net Zero, tax cuts, and why pre-election pacts are completely off the table. Highlights
Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Allison ‘Burnham is terrified Badenoch will expose him as a third-rate court jester’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/09/01/allison-pearson-burnham-scared-badenoch-will-expose-him/ | Read Allison ‘My top 10 tips to avoid paying Burnham’s spiteful mansion tax‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/08/30/tips-to-avoid-paying-burnhams-spiteful-mansion-tax/ | Read Liam ‘La belle France could edge the bond market’s ugly contest‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/08/30/la-belle-france-could-edge-the-bond-markets-ugly-contest/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Planet Normal: Best Voyages from the Rocket 2026 P4 | 26 Aug 2026 | 00:46:25 | |
You can watch this episode on YouTube Summer is coming to an end on Planet Normal! So, for the final instalment of our “best of the rocket” series, our co-pilots head back into the archives for two more memorable voyages aboard the rocket of right thinking. In April, stowing away on the rocket was former 22 SAS commander Colonel Richard Williams who discussed how “lawfare” and the prosecution of veterans are undermining British military recruitment and national security. Then, in May, return stowaway William Clouston joined the co-pilots to dissect the local election results, as well as where the Social Democratic Party stands on welfare and why he believes Labour’s approach is bankrupting the country. Read Allison 'Britain is no longer safe for women and children' Read more from Allison here Read Liam 'Labour needs to wake up to Britain’s ballooning welfare bill' Read more from Liam here Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Planet Normal: Best Voyages from the Rocket 2026 P3 | 19 Aug 2026 | 00:57:00 | |
You can watch this episode on YouTube The summer voyage continues on Planet Normal! This week, our co-pilots fire up the engines and head back into the archives for two more memorable journeys aboard the rocket of right thinking. In February, Allison spoke to Siobhan Whyte, whose daughter Rhiannon was murdered by an asylum seeker. Siobhan discussed what she believes are the systemic failures of the UK’s immigration system and her campaign to support children left behind by such violence. Then, in April, former Royal Marine commando and documentary maker James Glancy strapped into the rocket to explain why he believes the UK military can no longer meet the demands of its responsibilities around the world. 'Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Read Allison 'Britain must pop the welfare balloon or face ruin' | Read more from Allison here Read more from Liam here Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Planet Normal: Best Voyages from the Rocket 2025 P2 | 12 Aug 2026 | 00:41:32 | |
You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hxtGEUicygE Summer continues on Planet Normal! In this, the second part of our best of the rocket series, our co-pilots take a look back at some of their favourite voyages on the rocket of right thinking from the year so far. Back in January, Allison and Liam spoke to General Sir Peter Wall, former Chief of the General Staff, following The Telegraph’s revelations about Sir Keir Starmer’s role in a legal case that paved the way for hundreds of British soldiers to face investigation over alleged historic war crimes. Sir Peter discussed the impact of the cases on the Armed Forces and warned that soldiers need to know the state will support them. And then, in February, Liam was joined by actress Sophie Winkleman to discuss her campaign to protect children from smartphones, social media and excessive screen use in schools. Sophie also shared her concerns about the growing use of AI in education, arguing that children need to learn to think for themselves rather than rely on technology. Read more from Liam here Read more from Allison here Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk Click for 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| The wit, wisdom and words of Rod Liddle | 05 Aug 2026 | 00:52:40 | |
You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/K-svfqmj8Rg It's the summer break on Planet Normal and ordinarily your co-pilots take a look back at some of their most explosive voyages on the rocket of right thinking from the year so far, however with the very sad news of the death of columnist Rod Liddle, we have decided to take a little detour back to his finest appearances on the rocket. Our first stop is back to 2021, when Rod explained why he believed Labour had lost touch with its traditional working-class base by prioritising identity politics over economic concerns. He also reflected on his decision to join the SDP, arguing it had become the natural home for voters who still valued patriotism, community and traditional social democracy. Then we fast-forward to 2024, as Rod campaigned as the SDP candidate for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland. With a general election under way, he assessed the mood of the country, explained why he believed support for the two main parties was ebbing away, and set out where he thought the SDP could fit into Britain's changing political landscape. Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Read Allison ‘The Cambridge fantasist is proof that stupid intellectuals are poisoning Britain‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/08/04/jason-arday-cambridge-stupid-intellectuals-poison-britain/ | Read Allison ‘ My friend Rod Liddle was a great British freedom fighter‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/08/03/allison-pearson-friend-rod-liddle-great-british-freedom/ | Read Allison ‘The school summer holiday should be capped at a month ‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/08/02/cap-school-summer-holiday-one-month/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| The case of Essex police vs Allison Pearson and the co-pilots victory | 29 Jul 2026 | 00:58:37 | |
You can watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hjoyImW6a8s This week’s journey in the rocket of right thinking opens with an exclusive announcement from co-pilot Pearson in her case against the Essex police and Fire and Crime Commissioner, Roger Hirst. Back in November 2024 Allison received a visit from Essex police regarding a year old post on the social media platform X. Mr Hirst later appeared on LBC and veered into making personal claims against Allison and the situation, for which he has now apologised. Liam discusses Andy Burnham’s first 10 days and amongst the ‘maybe this’ or ‘maybe that’ promises of the new Prime Minister, wonders when he will start acting like a statesman and wear a shirt when meeting world leaders; as his meeting with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy seemed a casual T-Shirt affair. Joining your co-pilots is science writer and former member of the house of Lords, Matt Ridley, who tells your co-pilots why the claim that climate change is the only reason for wild fires, is only a fraction of the real story…. Highlights
Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Read Allison ‘We want a properly dressed statesman in No 10, not a mate‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/07/28/britain-want-statesman-ino-10-not-mate/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam: ‘Burnham is oblivious to the looming oil shock’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/07/26/burnham-is-oblivious-to-the-looming-oil-shock/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Andy and the Backstabbers make their debut to the Country | 22 Jul 2026 | 00:58:48 | |
You can watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/LYzZRwK5C0g This week’s journey in the rocket of right thinking opens with co-pilots Liam Halligan and Allison Pearson reflecting on Andy Burnham becoming Prime Minister. Liam warns that uncosted bungs and 10-year gilt yields staying above 5% threaten a fiscal crisis and discusses his upcoming appointment as Director of the Centre for Policy Studies, pitching the concept of conditional tax cuts to restore economic credibility. Allison dismantles Burnham's 5% VAT cut on energy bills that saves households a mere 86p a week, and shares her experience reporting on England’s World Cup run, praising players like Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham while condemning the BBC’s self-promotional halftime advert. Joining your co-pilots after her appearance at last week’s CPAC is Laila Cunningham, who discusses her backstory, Reform UK’s political platform, and the distress felt following the murder of Ann Widdecombe. Highlights
Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Read Allison ‘Struggling voters deserve better than Burnham’s con tricks‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/2026/07/21/struggling-voters-deserve-better-than-burnhams-con-tricks/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Burnham’s ‘unashamedly Labour’ push spells economic ruin’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/07/19/burnhams-unashamedly-labour-push-spells-economic-ruin/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Starmer out, Burnham in and we pay tribute to trailblazer Ann Widdecombe | 15 Jul 2026 | 00:57:28 | |
You can watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wQxi0BVywEs This week’s journey in the rocket of right thinking opens with a tribute to former MP and Reform member, Ann Widdecombe as your co-pilots reminisce their time with Anne over the years. Liam raises serious concerns about the incoming Prime Minister’s fiscal capabilities in light of a £120 billion budget deficit warning from the OBR, arguing that a reliance on tax-and-spend policies simply will not work. Allison criticises the lack of scrutiny or public debates surrounding his transition to power and condemns the toxic political climate and the relentless demonisation of right-leaning figures that has preceded tragedy. Serving up some home truths about tennis and fresh from his Wimbledon victory is tennis ace Henry Patten, who tells your co-pilots why singles matches receive a lot more coverage and promotion than doubles. Highlights
Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Read Allison ‘Farewell, Ann. Middle England saw you for the sterling human being you were‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/07/10/ann-widdecombe-ridiculed-voice-middle-england-should-revere/ | Read Allison ‘The Left’s constant demonisation of Reform was a ticking time bomb‘: Read Allison ‘England’s clash with Argentina will be nail-biting, but there’s plenty to look forward to‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/07/15/we-need-an-england-triumph-more-than-ever-before/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Labour’s house of cards on tax will come tumbling down’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/07/12/labour-house-of-cards-tax-tumbling-down/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Farage furor and the media blindspot to the OBR warnings | 08 Jul 2026 | 00:56:05 | |
You can watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YItlh0gx6cA A never ending tsunami of news sees Reform UK leader Nigel Farage stand down, triggering a “People vs the Establishment" election… but was this a political mis-step? Liam thinks it was a mistake by the Reform leader, but is aghast that the news is giving more coverage to ‘unserious candidates’ such as count Binface, instead of the looming financial issues as the OBR announces the Government has ‘unsustainable UK debt’. Allison agrees but also thinks this is yet another avenue of stitch up by the political establishment that cannot understand why Reform remains so popular with voters, and why they see through the attempts to delegitimise Nigel Farage. Clambering aboard is return passenger and journalist extraordinaire, Anne-Elisabeth Moutet who tells your co-pilots why Marine Le Pen of France’s National Rally Party may be campaigning with an electronic ankle monitor… Highlights
Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Read Allison ‘It’s time to remove Harry from the line of succession‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/07/07/remove-harry-line-succession/ | Read Allison ‘With beer, pyjamas and raucous chants, we rallied round England’s heroes‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2026/07/06/england-mexico-allison-pearson-in-saffron-walden/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Britain is doomed if Burnham lurches Left’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/07/05/britain-is-doomed-if-burnham-lurches-left/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Labour’s new migration policies will create a 'Burnham bump’ | 01 Jul 2026 | 01:02:51 | |
You can watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bW3b5qKQP6I Co-pilot Pearson returns from her break in Sicily to find political chaos in full swing following Keir Starmer's resignation announcement last week. Liam and Allison dissect Andy Burnham's bid for the top job, with Liam labelling him "Boris in a bomber jacket" and questioning whether his tax-heavy vision of "Manchesterism" can survive economic reality. Allison reflects on The Telegraph's recent Brexit event and attacks Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s new immigration reforms as a "tissue of lies" that fails to address the open-border crisis. Stowing away this week is Research Director at the Centre for Migration Control, Rob Bates who tells your co-pilots why Labour’s asylum and immigration changes could create another ‘wave’ of migration to the UK Highlights
Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Read Allison ‘Welcome to Burnham’s No 10 North – fuelled by gravy, Surrey cash and delusion‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/07/01/welcome-burnham-no-10-north/ | Read Allison ‘Shabana Mahmood’s migration plan will light the spark on civil unrest‘: Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Britain’s next prime minister shouldn’t bet on peace in the Gulf’: Read Liam ‘Our football team was at the heart of Blair’s Labour. Now, Burnham is leading a comeback’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/25/demon-eyes-new-labour-football-team-shaped-politics/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Burnham is the wrong answer to the UK’s economic problem | 24 Jun 2026 | 01:05:19 | |
You can watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/D90j1xiHV_c A news heatwave has caused chaos across the land, Co-pilot Halligan pressed the emergency button and is joined by under-study Baroness Claire Fox while Co-pilot Pearson recovers from the shock of it all. Liam congratulates Andy Burnham on his victory in Makerfield, and apparently set to have a coronation rather than a contest, for the top job, however doesn’t believe his fiscal policies will stand up to economic reality. Baroness Fox recalls the Brexit vote 10 years on and why the remain camp will never accept the outcome, as well as outlining where we have not yet embraced many of the freedoms we gained, by changing EU laws. Stowing away this week is return guest Dr Gerard Lyons who discusses Britain's economic outlook, arguing that weak growth, rising debt and high public spending pose major challenges for the UK, and 10 years on from the Brexit vote he also questioned the case for closer ties with the EU… Highlights
Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Book your tickets to 'How to make Brexit a success’ on 29th June in London: telegraph.co.uk/brexit-big-debate | Read Allison ‘I will always be proud I voted to leave the EU and stand up for the Britain I love‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/23/proud-of-vote-to-leave-eu / | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘I’ve known Andy Burnham for 30 years but I still think he’s wrong’: Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Social Media Ban: Starmer finally gets something right | 17 Jun 2026 | 01:06:06 | |
You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/lq-8ZhnYjjk The rocket of right thinking speeds around planet normal gathering the news tsunami of this week… Allison surprises Liam by AGREEING with Sir Keir Starmer’s social media ban for under 16 year olds, as she states in her column this week. The addictive and toxic nature of smartphones has ruined children’s attention spans and their “in real life" connections and this ban could help them reconnect with the elusive parchment joy of books. Liam strongly echoes Allison’s stance, arguing that tech platforms expose children to "relentless bullying" and corporate exploitation. Shifting to finance, he forecasts an imminent rise in global interest rates, pointing to rising producer price inflation and rate hikes in Australia and Japan as clear indicators that borrowing costs are headed back up. Stowing away this week is return guest Bernie Spofforth, who tells us about her experience of being questioned by police due to a retweet she posted on X. She has released a book, out on the 25th June, to discuss how Government overreach, police and NGO’s have worn down democracy… Highlights
Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Book your tickets to 'How to make Brexit a success’ on 29th June in London: telegraph.co.uk/brexit-big-debate | Read Allison ‘Giving children smartphones is like handing them grenades. I should know‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/16/why-i-support-social-media-ban/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘The UK’s battered public finances are about to get even more stretched’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/06/14/the-uks-battered-public-finances-about-even-more-stretched/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Civil unrest will only get worse if people’s concerns remain ignored | 10 Jun 2026 | 01:03:28 | |
You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qNYLdKrCI_o On your rocket of right thinking this week co-pilots Pearson and Halligan discuss the recent riots in Belfast and the two-tier policing worries continuing from the murder of Henry Nowak. Liam thinks Kemi Badenoch’s call to ‘treat people equally’ under the law is correct and the DEI training given to police has disproportionately affected victims of crime more than the perpetrators and is detrimental to the social cohesion of the UK. Allison is concerned civil unrest will get worse before it gets better as people feel their fears of rising immigration is labeled as bigotry or racism. This week’s stowaway is former police officer and counter-terror specialist Paul Birch, who gives his take on the claims of two-tier policing and the recent unrest in Southampton and Belfast Highlights
Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Book your tickets to 'How to make Brexit a success’ on 29th June in London: telegraph.co.uk/brexit-big-debate | Read more from Paul Birch’s Substack: https://birchy1.substack.com/ | Read Allison ‘The football widows’ guide to the World Cup‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/10/world-cup-dos-and-donts-football-widows/ | Read Allison ‘Kemi underestimates how deeply the woke cult has infected Britain’: Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Labour’s statist policies are gumming up the jobs market’: Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| 10 years on from the Referendum, have we even had Brexit yet? | 03 Jun 2026 | 01:11:47 | |
You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/82lXs84p8_M This week on Planet Normal, your co-pilots of sanity, Liam Halligan and Allison Pearson, confront the tragic murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak and the national outrage surrounding the police's handling of the case. Marking the 10th anniversary of the Brexit referendum with former Vote Leave chief executive, Lord Matthew Elliott, the duo reflects on the original promise of leaving the EU and how the podcast itself was born out of a shared taxi ride following a celebration of that historic vote. Allison delivers a searing indictment of the "woke indoctrination" paralysing British policing, highlighting how diversity, equity, and inclusion targets have trained common sense and humanity out of officers, leading to the inhumane treatment of a dying victim while his killer was treated with total decency. On Brexit, Liam uses his column to bust the persistent "Project Fear" myths, pointing out that the UK has actually outgrown France and Germany since 2016. However, he laments that successive governments have failed to capitalise on regulatory freedoms and instead allowed immigration to soar to historic highs. Highlights
Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Book your tickets to 'How to make Brexit a success’ on 29th June in London: telegraph.co.uk/brexit-big-debate | Read Allison ‘I’m sick of Britain’s rapid decline being sold to me as an ‘improvement’’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/03/why-every-service-is-getting-worse/ | Read Allison ‘Henry Nowak’s death shows how brainwashed Britain’s police have become’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/02/henry-nowaks-death-british-police-brainwashed-dei/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘The Brexit horror stories aren’t true’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/05/31/the-brexit-horror-stories-arent-true/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Blair is talking sense on this Lefty Labour Party, and Starmer should listen to save them | 27 May 2026 | 01:01:36 | |
You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/uXkk5GHpPE4 This week on Planet Normal, your co-pilots of sanity, Liam Halligan and Allison Pearson, dive into a political landscape dominated by explosive leadership interventions and growing institutional scandal. Following a dramatic local election period, the duo analyzes a scathing 5,000-word essay by former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has openly lacerated his own party for what he calls an “infinite capacity for self-delusion”. Liam details the escalating fiscal warning signs rattling the British establishment. He warns that despite a temporary dip in the UK inflation rate to 2.8%, it is on track to hit 5% later this year. With long-term government borrowing costs flirting with 30-year highs, Liam argues that cosmetic fixes like supermarket price controls and rollercoaster VAT cuts will do nothing to soothe terrified sovereign bond markets. Meanwhile Allison shares her assessment of the Scottish National Party following the sensational embezzlement guilty plea of its former chief executive. This week’s stowaway on the rocket is serial entrepreneur and hospitality titan Luke Johnson, who shares a powerful breakdown of how Britain is currently navigating life under what he defines as a “highly damaging socialist government”. Highlights
Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Book your tickets to 'How to make Brexit a success’ on 29th June in London: telegraph.co.uk/brexit-big-debate | Read Allison ‘Did you really not know about your husband, Nicola?’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/26/allison-pearson-nicola-sturgeon-husband/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘The approaching inflation crisis is a disaster for Labour’: Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Labour drags us further to the '70s and Burnham stokes the psychodrama | 20 May 2026 | 01:03:35 | |
You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wQSgb9En2k0 This week on Planet Normal, your co-pilots of sanity, Liam Halligan and Alison Pearson, take us back to the 1970s as they look at the retro economic policies dragging the country in reverse. With financial markets reacting to the Labour infighting with horror, sending the UK government's borrowing costs to a staggering 30-year high, the duo warns that the British economy is on a knife edge. Liam focuses on the unfolding fiscal emergency, explaining how sovereign bond markets are reeling from a protracted Labour leadership battle, where all the major contenders are looking to increase borrowing and spending even further. Meanwhile Allison shares her deep frustrations with the current state of the nation, highlighting the desperate struggles of local community hubs and family pubs fighting to survive under the weight of punishing economic changes. This week’s stowaway on the rocket is royal historian and biographer Andrew Lownie, who discusses the ongoing fallout surrounding the royal family and his investigations into institutional secrecy. Highlights
Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Read Allison ‘‘Don’t drink them all at once’: Regulars enjoy free pints on National Pub Day’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/16/allison-pearson-national-pub-day/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘As Labour lurches further Left, the markets are calling time’: Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Is Starmer’s Labour drama as fleeting as Streeting’s bid for PM? | 13 May 2026 | 01:02:38 | |
You can watch this episode on YoutTube: https://youtu.be/5Zb71ekLVBE This week on Planet Normal, your co-pilots of sanity, Liam Halligan and Allison Pearson, sift through the debris of a historic set of local elections that have left Sir Keir Starmer clinging to power. The duo analyse the turquoise tsunami that saw Reform UK gain over 1,400 council seats, whilst the Prime Minister faces a precarious future after Labour’s vote share collapsed in traditional hubs like Birmingham and Cambridge. Who is your co-pilots preferred replacement? Wes Streeting? Angela Rayner? ‘Mad’ Ed Miliband? Or does Andy Burnham stand the best chance with the softy Labour Left? Return stowaway William Coulston joins your co-pilots to dissect the local election results, and where the Social Democrat Party stands on Welfare and why Labour's approach is bankrupting the country. Highlights:
Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Liam Halligan and Serge Kogan - London to Paris in 24 hours - ON A TANDEM: https://www.justgiving.com/page/liam-halligan-serge-kogan | Read Allison ‘Starmer quitting isn’t enough. Furious voters want an end to politics as we know it’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/12/allison-pearson-starmer-quitting-isnt-enough/ | Read Allison ‘Sick of being dismissed as a racist, Essex Man has turned to Reform’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/08/essex-voters-embracing-reform-liked-nigel/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Oil prices are detached from reality’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/05/10/headline-oil-prices-are-detached-from-reality/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Inflation threats to consumer prices and Happy 100th birthday to Sir David Attenborough! | 06 May 2026 | 01:04:03 | |
You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/81-0uu_POWE On the rocket of sweet reason this week we are avoiding talking about the May elections, so hold tight for a bumper episode next week! Meanwhile, Allison reflects on one hundred years of Sir David Attenborough as he celebrates his birthday this coming Friday and shares her memories of interviewing him in the Venezuelan rainforest nearly 30 years ago. Liam breaks down the economic fallout of the continuing to impact consumer prices and why the government is paying more in borrowing costs than it did in 1998. Return stowaway and advocate for financial education, Justin Urquhart-Stewart straps in to give your co-pilots a view of the geopolitical landscape as the to and fro of the Strait of Hormuz continues to impact food, energy and production prices across the world… Highlights:
Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | LIAM HALLIGAN and SERGE KOGAN - London to Paris in 24 hours - ON A TANDEM: https://www.justgiving.com/page/liam-halligan-serge-kogan | Read Allison: 'The day an unflappable David Attenborough saved me from a gun-toting militia': https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/07/david-attenborough-saved-me-from-a-gun-toting-militia/ | Read Allison ‘We all know who is to blame for the rise in anti-Semitism – and it is not Israel’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/05/we-know-who-to-blame-for-the-rise-in-anti-semitism/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Labour is steering Britain into a bond market meltdown’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/05/03/labours-political-antics-could-spark-bond-market-meltdown/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Starmer survives a vote this week, but what will the May elections reveal for Labour | 29 Apr 2026 | 00:59:34 | |
You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/v0ptnvQnGUQ This week on Planet Normal your co-pilots of sanity, Liam Halligan and Allison Pearson, navigate the wreckage of the UK’s two-party system as seismic local and devolved elections loom on May 7th. With the UK inflation rate remaining a major concern and the Strait of Hormuz effectively blockaded by Iran, the duo examines how geopolitical instability is hitting British pockets. Liam breaks down the "end of the world as we know it" for the traditional political establishment, as Reform UK and the Greens surge while both major parties face a potential hammering at the polls. Meanwhile, Allison reflects on her recent trip to Wales, where a "turquoise tsunami" threatens the Labour heartlands as Reform gain in the polls. Stowing away on the rocket this week is former 22 SAS commander Colonel Richard Williams, who discusses how "lawfare" and the prosecution of veterans are undermining British military recruitment and national security. Highlights:
Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Read Allison ‘Nigel Farage is winning the battle for the soul of my beloved Wales’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/24/allison-pearson-on-labour-party-in-wales/ | ‘Prime minister Angela Rayner would be a new low for Britain’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/28/prime-minister-angela-rayner-new-low-for-britain/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘We’re on the brink of a global recession, but it’s not Iran we need to worry about’: Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| The Mandelson mess, stagflation returns, and the battle for Wales | 22 Apr 2026 | 01:10:31 | |
This week on the rocket, co-pilots Halligan and Pearson dive into the political firestorm engulfing Westminster as Sir Keir Starmer faces intense scrutiny over the botched appointment of Peter Mandelson as Ambassador to the US. Following explosive evidence from former civil servant Sir Olly Robbins, the duo explores the ‘process-driven’ culture of the current government and whether it is shielding a lack of transparency. Liam explains why even a potential ceasefire or the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz may not be enough to prevent a global energy crisis. With the UK inflation rate unexpectedly rising to 3.3% in March, the hosts warn of a "stagflation" trap that could see food and energy prices soaring for years to come. And co-pilot Pearson brings a report from her homeland in Wales ahead of the Senedd election in May… Highlights:
Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Read Allison ‘Keir Starmer and Olly Robbins deserve each other’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/21/keir-starmer-olly-robbins-deserve-each-other/ | ‘British Jews are in danger. Either we do something about it or they’ll leave’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/22/britains-double-standards-over-anti-semitism/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Britain is the most inflation-prone nation in the G7. That was true before the Iran war’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/04/19/britain-most-inflation-prone-in-g7-true-before-iran-war/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Osborne and Cameron cut UK defence spending - and now Starmer is making it worse | 15 Apr 2026 | 01:01:28 | |
You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-e1x0gsvjfY This week on the rocket, co-pilots Halligan and Pearson eye a horizon of storm clouds gathering over Britain’s economy and national security. Liam breaks down the "serious downgrade" from the IMF, which predicts the UK will suffer more economic fallout from the war in Iran than any other major economy. He asks if the government is blaming external conflicts for vulnerabilities that were already "starkly exposed" months ago?. Meanwhile, Allison reels from Liam’s sudden appearance on the front pages of the tabloids before diving into her powerful column on the Southport inquiry. They discuss the catastrophic failures of agencies that ignored unambiguously signposted warnings, and the ‘woke priorities’ that may have silenced those trying to protect the public. Strapping in this week is former Royal Marine commando James Glancy who tells your co-pilots why the UK military can no longer meet its responsibilities around the world. Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Read ‘Harry and Meghan need to stop pretending they’re Royals. It’s embarrassing’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/15/prince-harry-meghan-stop-pretending-to-be-royals/ | Read ‘We want people jailed for failing to prevent the mass murder of our children’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/14/we-want-people-jailed-mass-murder-children-southport/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Reform should not have pledged to keep the pension triple lock’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/04/12/reform-should-not-have-pledged-keep-pension-triple-lock/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Trump strikes ceasefire with Iran as Starmer grandstands in the Gulf | 08 Apr 2026 | 00:58:26 | |
You can watch this episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/B0VweeU7QlA This week on Planet Normal, your co-pilots navigate their way from the high-stakes geopolitics of the Strait of Hormuz to the local battlegrounds of the South London Waitrose middle aisle, they examine whether common sense has gone to die - and whether the UK is becoming ‘Blighty no-mates’ on the world stage. Pondering the paradox of a superpower that can send the Orion spacecraft to the far side of the moon while struggling to control a 20-mile-wide sea passage in the Middle East. Allison shares her fuzzy memories of the 1969 moon landing. They ask if the sacking of 54 year old Walker Smith for intervening in a shoplifting incident is capitulation to HR and if the policy of non-intervention is undermining the fabric of society. A Tug-of-War emerges as your hosts clash over Reform UK’s pledge to guarantee the state triple lock, with Liam arguing we are living beyond our means, whilst Allison defending it for those nearing retirement. Strapping in this week is former UK ambassador to Iran, Nicholas Hopton who tells your co-pilots how the continuing war is affecting politics within the Iranian regime… Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Read ‘Allison Waitrose’s sacking of a hero employee sums up Broken Britain’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/07/waitrose-sacking-hero-employee-broken-britain/ | Read ‘I was asked out by a Richard Gere look-alike, but you won’t catch me getting a ‘Mounjaro Divorce’’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/08/fat-jabs-fuelling-divorce-boom/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Britain’s vulnerability to war exposes need for fundamental reforms’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/04/05/britains-vulnerability-to-war-exposeneed-fundamental-reform/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Read Nicolas Hopton: Iran has offered Trump an olive branch https://spectator.com/article/iran-has-offered-trump-an-olive-branch/ | More from Nicholas: https://www.nicholashopton.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| The Liberal consensus gave us mass migration and broken boarders | 01 Apr 2026 | 01:16:09 | |
In this week’s dispatch from the sanctuary of sweet reason, co-pilots Pearson and Halligan examine a growing sense of national insecurity as Britain faces a big economic hit from the US-Iran war and the systemic economic vandalism of a new tax year. The duo discuss the ongoing scandal of NHS waiting lists, with Alison analysing the apparent waiting list cleansing and the statistical chicanery used to massage figures ahead of local elections. Liam highlights a tax-bonanza of pre-announced tax rises hitting family farms and small businesses, arguing that the government is the true price gouger as it rakes in millions from fuel duties. Returning stowaway Professor Matt Goodwin joins your co-pilots to discuss his new book, Suicide of a Nation, and why the government is still ignoring the migrant crisis. Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Read Allison ‘The elite can’t stand the truth about mass migration’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/01/elites-attack-matt-goodwin-immigration/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read ‘It’s time to stop pretending we have a First World health service’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/31/socialist-nhs-failed-time-to-change-funding/| Read Liam ‘Britain’s small firms are needed to rescue us from this slump’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/03/29/britains-small-firms-are-needed-to-rescue-us-from-slump/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Anti-semitism is clearly out of control in the UK | 26 Mar 2026 | 01:01:31 | |
You can watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/z53vu3azxZs In this week’s dispatch from the sanctuary of sweet reason, your co-pilots of sanity Liam Halligan and Allison Pearson, address the rise of antisemitic attacks in Britain, including the chilling firebombing of Jewish charity ambulances in North London. Alison shares her continuing case against Essex’s police and crime commissioner, as well as the county’s police force over a post on X, which has since been deleted, which led officers to investigate her for a potential offence of ‘inciting racial hatred’. Liam is dismayed at the cognitive dissonance in government promising an ‘AI revolution’ while the national grid remains unfit for purpose, warning that the government’s green activists are threatening the very data centers needed for the technological future they claim to champion. Returning stowaway is former adviser to then-Chancellor George Osborne, Helen Thomas, CEO of Blonde Money who tells your co-pilots why Labour is signing its own death warrant… Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Read Allison ‘If Nadiya Hussain thinks she’s suffered from BBC discrimination, she should try being a white man’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/18/nadiya-hussain-bbc-discrimination/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read ‘Allison Pearson sues police chief over social media investigation’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/24/allison-pearson-sues-essex-police-chief-social-media/ | Read Liam ‘Artificial intelligence won’t solve Britain’s looming fiscal crisis’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/03/22/artificial-intelligence-wont-solve-looming-fiscal-crisis/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| UK Meningitis outbreak and Starmer’s abortion policy shame | 19 Mar 2026 | 01:10:04 | |
You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/QVXFsa07Rpo In this week’s dispatch from the sanctuary of sweet reason, co-pilots Pearson and Halligan examine a growing sense of national insecurity as Britain faces a perfect storm of energy, military, and financial fragility, and the unfolding meningitis outbreak. With oil climbing back above $100 a barrel and the Strait of Hormuz remaining shut, Liam argues that it is time for the government to junk the ‘Net Zero virtue signalling’ and urgently greenlight drilling in the North Sea. Allison discusses her recent column on a controversial clause in the Crime and Policing Bill that would effectively ‘decriminalise’ abortion up to birth. Labelling the move ‘legalised infantcide’ she and Liam explore the ethical implication of late-term viability, drawing on Allison’s moving personal experiences and her observations from a neonatal ICU. The duo are joined in the rocket by Linden Kemkaran, the Reform UK leader of Kent County Council. Representing the ‘border county’ at the forefront of the small boats crisis, she discusses her decision to declare an ‘illegal migration emergency’ and her demand for the government to provide full funding for the local impact of arrivals. Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Read Allison ‘Britain is about to make a sickening change to the abortion law’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/17/britain-sickening-change-to-abortion-law/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Labour needs to be grown-up about the North Sea’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/03/15/labour-needs-to-be-grown-up-about-the-north-sea/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| The Iran war lays bare the betrayal of Britain’s energy security | 12 Mar 2026 | 00:58:27 | |
You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/uRceQCyRYIU It’s markets this, oil prices that, and what will happen next, so your co-pilots are blasting in to make sense of the tsunami of news flooding across the globe from the Middle East and the war with Iran. Allison points to the shame of all governments for not protecting British interests and defence strategy has left us woefully unprepared for any disruption to energy supplies. And as the news is pointing away from the UK Allison has spied Labour still pressing ahead with a definition of Islamophobia and potentially curbing Free Speech in the process. Liam looks at the economic fallout as the Strait of Hormuz continues to be closed and Iran attacks cargo ships, and brings on board journalist and energy market expert Andrew Critchlow to discuss the UK’s energy security and strategy. Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Read Allison ‘The BBC is not living up to the ‘British’ part of its name’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/11/bbc-boat-race-cancellation-crufts/ | Read Allison ‘Starmer is pandering to Islamist extremists to save his own skin https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/10/keir-starmer-islamism-concerns-hannah-spencer/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Britain needs economic security – and a sovereign wealth fund’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/03/08/britain-needs-economic-security-sovereign-wealth-fund/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Iran, Trump and running scared Starmer | 05 Mar 2026 | 01:02:40 | |
You can watch this episode on youtube: https://youtu.be/KQ1dUe4FxZ0 As conflict with Iran hots up across the Middle East, your co-pilot blast in to make sense of the madness. Strapping into the rocket is Dr Alan Mendoza, Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Henry Jackson Society to give his expertise on the conflict and how the ‘special relationship’ is faring as the PM holds back on British intervention. Allison thinks delays to assisting US forces has left the UK as ‘billy no mates’ should we need military help in the future. Liam looks at the economic fallout as the Strait of Hormuz is closed and this could send the cost of living soaring again for the British people. Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Read Allison ‘Rachel Reeves’s Freudian slip betrayed the truth about this Government’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/04/rachel-reeves-freudian-slip/ | Read Allison ‘Trump is right. Starmer has humiliated the land of Churchill’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/03/starmers-cowardice-over-iran-shames-britain/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘The tide is turning on ludicrous net zero policies’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/03/01/rumours-of-oils-demise-have-been-greatly-exaggerated/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Planet Normal: Live, with Lionel Shriver and Suella Braverman | 26 Feb 2026 | 01:31:00 | |
You can watch this recording on YouTube: https://youtu.be/lFRwaTYK-mM Your co-pilots have braved the atmosphere of planet Earth as the rocket touches down at the Emmanuel Centre in London for a live recording of Planet Normal! To mark the occasion, your co-pilots are joined by two of the most fearless voices to navigate a country they fear is currently on an ‘economic cliff edge’. The first revered stowaway on the rocket today is Lionel Shriver: The celebrated satirical novelist discusses her provocative new book, A Better Life. She pulls no punches while exploring the naivete of the progressive left and the ruthlessness often overlooked in the immigration debate. Also strapping in for lift-off is Suella Braverman KC MP in her first appearance since her high-profile defection to Reform UK. She reveals the ‘list of great betrayals’ she witnessed at the heart of government and explains why she believes the Conservative Party has abandoned the principles of Margaret Thatcher. Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Read Allison ‘No ‘spares’, no climate preaching: My plan to save the monarchy’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/02/24/my-plan-to-save-the-monarchy/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Reform needs to convince global markets it can govern’: Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Reform launch their top team, as Starmer U-turns - again! | 19 Feb 2026 | 01:16:57 | |
Book your tickets for Planet Normal: LIVE on the 24th February: telegraph.co.uk/planetnormallive | You can watch this episode of Planet Normal on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_jt6Hy7NYvU On this week’s flight through the sanctuary of sweet reason, co-pilots Pearson and Halligan examine the rapid rise of Reform’s new "Shadow Cabinet," including Robert Jenrick’s debut as Shadow Chancellor and his mission to position the party as the new vanguard of fiscal prudence. Alison and Liam also debate the "gratitude of immigrants" and push back against "ethno-nationalism" in British politics following the appointments of Zia Yusuf and Suella Braverman. In a powerful and moving interview, Alison speaks with Siobhan Whyte, whose daughter Rhiannon was murdered by an illegal migrant. They discuss the systemic failures of the UK’s immigration system and Siobhan’s campaign to support the children left behind by such violence. Book your tickets for Planet Normal: LIVE on the 24th February: telegraph.co.uk/planetnormallive | Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Read Allison ‘Every day, we are reminded that the migration crisis is ruining Britain’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/02/17/migration-crisis-is-ruining-britain-nhs-jim-ratcliffe/ | Read Allison ‘This is Reform’s best week yet’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/02/18/this-is-reforms-best-week-yet/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Labour’s net zero extremism is ripping the heart out of Britain’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/02/15/labour-net-zero-strategy-ripping-heart-out-britain/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Support the Rhiannon Whyte Foundation’s gofundme here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-rhiannon-whyte-foundation | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |
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| Tick tock, Sir Keir’s against the clock | 12 Feb 2026 | 01:16:46 | |
Book your tickets for Planet Normal: LIVE on the 24th February: telegraph.co.uk/planetnormallive | You can watch this episode of Planet Normal on YouTube: https://youtu.be/LFlJivPsT9A Following a scorching column by their colleague Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, co-pilots Pearson and Halligan discuss whether Britain is becoming "ungovernable" as sovereign bond yields spiral and the Prime Minister appears increasingly held hostage by the hard-Left of his own party. Allison questions the mandate of a leader facing internal coups, and a looming wipeout in the upcoming May elections. Liam warns of a looming correction from the bond markets if the government doesn't get a grip on public spending. Making a return trip to the rocket is actress and campaigner Sophie Window (nee Winkleman) to share some of her findings in the campaign to keep children off screens and social media. Book your tickets for Planet Normal: LIVE on the 24th February: telegraph.co.uk/planetnormallive | Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Read Allison ‘Anyone who thinks Rayner is the answer to Britain’s problems needs their head examined’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/02/10/angela-rayner-answer-britain-problems-head-examined/ | Read Allison ‘Labour says it is cutting NHS waiting lists. That is just a lie’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/02/11/labour-cutting-nhs-waiting-list-lies/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Japan’s spendthrift Iron Lady has dangerous plans’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/02/08/japans-spendthrift-iron-lady-has-dangerous-plans/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Read Ambrose Evans-Pritchard ‘The Starmer palace coup is a national disgrace’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/02/10/the-starmer-palace-coup-is-a-national-disgrace/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |
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| The Mandelson quagmire and murky dealing of Chagos | 05 Feb 2026 | 01:07:00 | |
Book your tickets for Planet Normal: LIVE on the 24th February: telegraph.co.uk/planetnormallive | You can watch this episode of Planet Normal on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wh42OqWtzDA As the Prime Minister vows to release the ‘Mandelson Files’ pressure on who knew what, and when is mounting on Labour. Repeat stowaway former head of Mi6 Sir Richard Dearlove is on hand to give his expert analysis on the unfolding situation. Allison is disgusted by the continuing scandal of Peter Mandelson and is in disbelief that Starmer et al. thought he would ever be a suitable candidate as Ambassador to the United States. Liam thinks this scandal will change the political landscape as deeply as the expenses scandal did; in making the public scrutinise the political class even closer. Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Read Allison ‘When I met Peter Mandelson, I knew straight away he was rotten’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/02/03/i-knew-peter-mandelson-was-rotten/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘The US dollar is down but not out’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/02/01/the-us-dollar-is-down-but-not-out/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Starmer’s Shameful Soldier Witch Hunt | 28 Jan 2026 | 00:59:08 | |
You can watch this episode of Planet Normal on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4f7eZbkA91Q It's been a week of defections, rejections and tantrums in the world of politics, and your co pilots are here to wade through the madness. After the Telegraph published an article outlining the role Starmer took in prosecuting soldiers your co-pilots speak to General Sir Peter Wall to delve deeper into the scandal. Allison thinks Starmer ‘isn’t for Britain’ and his human right activism undermines the important role the British Army plays in the defence of our Country. Liam thinks as China starts to overtake the US economically the West will have to deal with them, but at what cost will this be to British business and values? Planet Normal Live! You can purchase your ticket here: telegraph.co.uk/planetnormallive Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Read Allison ‘Suella Braverman has been vilified for telling the truth’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01/27/suella-braverman-has-been-vilified-for-telling-the-truth/ | Read Allison ‘Never again’ feels like an increasingly hollow promise’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01/28/holocaust-survivors-anti-semitism/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Peace may be coming but Ukraine has changed the world forever’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/01/25/peace-may-be-coming-but-ukraine-changed-the-world-forever/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |
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| Robert Jenrick's Reform defection and the Greenland rift | 22 Jan 2026 | 01:02:57 | |
You can watch this episode of Planet Normal on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mwWiWA21r1U The rocket of right thinking is back with a blast and a very special defector is aboard. Robert Jenrick is strapped in to tell our intrepid co-pilots why he has joined Reform UK and why he thinks the Conservatives didn’t deserve ‘a second chance’. Your co-pilots return to the cockpit to navigate a world that has grown increasingly volatile in just the first few weeks of 2026. They discuss whether this is a ‘survival of the wettest’ moment for Kemi Badenoch’s Conservative Party and if Robert Jenrick is the ‘first olive out of the jar’ that will lead to a cascade of further defections. Alison returns from her time in the Australian Outback. She shares her reflections on why Australia feels like a ‘livable, optimistic society’ compared to the UK As Donald Trump takes the stage at Davos, the world is reeling from his demand that the US should run Greenland. Liam breaks down the ‘method in the madness’, explaining the critical importance of Greenland’s rare earth minerals for the global semiconductor industry and the strategic value of the melting Northwest Passage. Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Read Allison ‘Forget just under-16s, we all desperately need a social media ban’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01/21/we-desperately-need-social-media-ban/ | Read Allison ‘If the Tories can’t admit Britain is broken, they really are finished’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01/20/britain-is-broken-reform-tories-kemi-badenoch/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘The war on the horizon that global economies haven’t priced in’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/01/18/china-america-taiwan-clash-global-economies-not-priced-in/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Best Voyages from the Rocket 2025 Episode 3 | 15 Jan 2026 | 00:59:12 | |
The winter break continues on Planet Normal! In this, the third and final part of the three part best of the rocket series, our co-pilots take a look back at some of their most explosive voyages on the rocket of right thinking from 2025, before our intrepid co-pilots return next week! Back in November Liam spoke to Scottish born Rosie Kay who enjoyed a highly successful international career as a performer and choreographer, and in 2004 established the Rosie Kay dance company. Rosie tells the co-pilots how she was ousted from her own company following controversy of her ‘gender critical views’. We also feature a special report not from Planet Normal, but Planet Earth, when back in October, Co-Pilot Pearson joined the Pink Ladies Protest in Westminster. The Pink Ladies formed a network to take a stand against the impact of illegal migrant hotels on the safety of women and girls and communities up and down the country. And finally we hear from Tory heavyweight Suela Braverman who tells out co-pilots what she thinks Conservative party policy should be towards the ECHR. Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Allison 'Twitter makes Two-Tier Keir look ridiculous, so of course he wants to ban it' : https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01/14/two-tier-keir-ban-twitter/ | Read Allison 'The West Midlands police chief represents everything that’s wrong with Britain': https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01/13/west-midlands-police-chief/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Best Voyages from the Rocket 2025 Episode 2 | 08 Jan 2026 | 01:05:58 | |
In our second episode of the Best of the Rocket 2025, co-pilots Pearson and Halligan dive deep into the past year’s archives and bring you some of their most intriguing and provocative voyages on the rocket of right thinking, from this past year. This week the Rocket has made a stop at Westminster with Conservative MP Helen Whately, coming on board to discuss her having one of the toughest briefs in politics - identifying welfare savings. Helen's former party colleague and high-profile defector to Reform UK Danny Kruger, is asked by Allison if he felt a bit guilty jumping ship at a time when his defection would do serious damage to a struggling Tory party. And Tory Grandee Lord Peter Lilley, gives his thoughts on why Britain should leave the European Convention on Human Rights Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/l... | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a... | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/pod... | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Best Voyages from the Rocket 2025 Episode 1 | 01 Jan 2026 | 01:06:42 | |
In this, the first of the Best of the Rocket 2025, co-pilots Pearson and Halligan dig into the data files for some of their most explosive voyages on the rocket of right thinking from this year. There’s been no shortage of madness on the rocket over the past few months, the peak of which was definitely when Chancellor Rachel Reeves cried in the Commons and the leader of the RMT said ‘stuff it’ to the markets. There’s also been an abundance of politicians and political agitators that have graced the rocket this year, and we begin with discussions surrounding the bias of the BBC with Jake Wallis Simons, and Epping Reform deputy leader, Orla Minihane. Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/l... | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a... | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/pod... | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Rocket around the Christmas Tree! | 25 Dec 2025 | 01:00:49 | |
It’s a Merry Christmas from the Rocket of right thinking at Planet Normal to everyone stuck on Planet Earth Your intrepid co-pilots reflect on a year of political thrills and economic spills, honouring the "citizens of Planet Normal" while handing out awards to the figures in public life who impressed - and those who most certainly did not. Amidst the Christmas cheer, your hosts offer a heartfelt thank you to their "intelligent and inspired" listeners for their tireless contributions throughout a tough year, before signing off with a promise of more wit, reason, and levity when the podcast returns in mid-January. The festive spirit is bolstered by a special interview with British tennis star and Wimbledon doubles champion Henry Patten who straps in to tell us what a Wimbledon champion has for Christmas Dinner and shares his journey from the grass courts to the top of the sporting world. Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Read Allison 'Non-crime hate incidents may be gone, but don’t expect the police to stop censoring you': https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/12/23/good-riddance-to-non-crime-hate-incidents/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Why I’m not cheering the pre-Christmas rate cut’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/12/21/why-im-not-cheering-the-pre-christmas-rate-cut/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Read Tim Sigsworth ‘Father Christmas is ‘too white’’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/12/21/santas-naughty-list-too-colonial-museum/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Festive flu and the West’s cowardly silence after the Bondi massacre | 18 Dec 2025 | 01:10:22 | |
Your Co-pilots reflect on a sombre week as the festive season is overshadowed by the beach massacre in Sydney earlier this week. Co-pilot Pearson delivers a blistering critique of Western leaders whom she accuses of failing to confront the root of Islamist extremism. Liam connects the tragedy to the rising sense of fear among the Jewish community in the UK, arguing that the ‘aggressive’ weekly protests should not be allowed to continue in the Capital. On the economic front, Liam warns of rising youth unemployment and Ed Miliband’s growing European isolation on Net Zero following the EU's retreat from petrol car bans. And the Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Claire Couthino, straps in to tell your co-pilots why Labour’s Net Zero drive won’t encourage economic growth. Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Read Allison ‘It’s time to end the cowardly appeasement of radical Islamism’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/12/16/bondi-beach-jewish-massacre-allison-pearson/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Labour’s nutty EV policies are pushing us towards economic catastrophe’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/12/14/labour-ev-policies-pushing-towards-economic-catastrophe/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Reform and Farage smears only make the Party stronger | 11 Dec 2025 | 01:13:11 | |
Co-Pilots Pearson and Halligan tackle a week of political and economic madness. Starmer is dismissed as a "caretaker Prime Minister" with a weak mandate, having been supported by only 20% of the electorate. Your hosts dissect Chancellor Rachel Reeves' job tax hike and her "benefits street Budget" which funds the scrapping of the two-child benefit cap by ‘punishing 340,000 working people’ with frozen tax thresholds. They confront the escalating migration crisis, discussing the rise of illegal arrivals and the national emergency posed by migrants linked to attacks on women. Meanwhile Reform stowaway Zia Yusuf tells the co-pilots why the smear campaign against Party leader, Nigel Farage, is one of the most ‘ coordinated smear campaigns. I can remember in my lifetime’... Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor | Read Allison ‘A comeback? What planet is vile Huw Edwards living on?’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/12/09/huw-edwards-allison-pearson-comeback/ | Read Allison ‘Is this the scandal that will finally kill Strictly?’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2025/12/10/scandal-finally-kill-strictly-allison-pearson/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘The ghost of economic meltdown hangs over this festive season’: Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Liar, liar, Reeves’ pants are on fire | 04 Dec 2025 | 01:00:47 | |
With reaction to the autumn Budget still on the lips of news outlets everywhere, your co-pilots are here to make sense of the chaos. Allison doesn’t hold back and thinks Reeves has ‘lied’ to the electorate and inflated her own words in order to try and sneak her Budget past everyone. Meanwhile Liam thinks the fighting between Number 10 and 11 is harming the economy on a fundamental scale. Meanwhile stowaway Lord Nigel Biggar tells the co-pilots why history should recognise the UK fought against slavery across the British Empire. Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor Read Allison ‘A jury took 17 minutes to find Jamie ‘not guilty’. I hate to think what a Left-wing judge would’ve done’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/12/02/jury-trials-lammy-left-wing-judiciary/ | Read Allison ‘Joyless and fake, what a strange person Meghan is’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/12/03/id-pay-not-to-spend-a-christmas-with-meghan-and-harry/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘If Labour sticks two fingers up to the bond market, Britain will pay the price’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/11/30/labour-two-fingers-bond-market-britain-pay-price/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Reeves Budget snowstorm of discontent | 26 Nov 2025 | 00:56:08 | |
The rocket of right thinking is back for a crucial Budget Special as Chancellor Rachel Reeves unveils her second major fiscal statement. Her new £30 billion tax rise means a staggering £70 billion increase in just two years, the most "punitive tax raising budget in more than three decades". Joining the co-pilots to dissect the numbers is the brilliant Telegraph columnist, Roger Bootle. Roger reveals why he thinks the budget will land "very badly with business" and discusses the "scandalous" leak of the Statement beforehand. Co-Pilot Pearson calls it a "death knell budget for Labour" and argues that by funnelling huge amounts of money into the welfare bill, Reeves has confirmed it is now the party of the "Shirking class". Whilst Co-Pilot Halligan identifies the "ghost" of the Employment Rights Bill looming over the budget, dubbed by some as the "Unemployment Rights Bill," warns that this "back to the seventies" extension of rights will be disastrous for hiring. You can watch today's episode, which we filmed in the studios at Telegraph towers: https://youtu.be/ZrIXGoJGkBU Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor Read Allison ‘Dear Rachel, do you have any clue how much hard-working people are struggling?’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11/26/allison-pearson-on-rachel-reeves-budget/ | Read Allison ‘I asked people if my Reform badge made me look like a Nazi and they howled with laughter’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11/25/allison-pearson-reform-badge-nazis/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Reeves’s endless tax scaremongering is killing off animal spirits’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/11/23/rachel-reeves-scaremongering-taxes-killed-off-spirits/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |
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| Reeves reverse ferret and Mahmood's immigration gamble | 20 Nov 2025 | 01:03:15 | |
This week the Rocket welcomes former Prime Minister Liz Truss to discuss next week’s Budget as well as the co-pilots diving into the latest political issues. From the dramatic U-turn on immigration by the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, to the creeping tax rises hidden in Rachel Reeves's upcoming budget, there’s more than enough madness to unpack. They ask if the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's new rhetoric to crack down on immigration is real, and will her plans work? Alison dissects the proposals, arguing that a new 'work and study' route for migrants is a disaster and a perverse incentive to enter the UK illegally. Liam, while acknowledging the political risk for Mahmood, suggests the reforms are more rhetorical than real. Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor Read Allison ‘Why Tesco Cancelled Christmas’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11/19/why-tesco-cancelled-christmas/ | Read Allison: ‘Why Shabana Mahmood’s asylum plans won’t make a blind bit of difference’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11/18/shabana-mahmood-misguided-asylum-plans/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Milei’s ‘shock therapy’ makes Britain’s current reforms look utterly feeble’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/11/16/mileis-shock-therapy-britains-current-reforms-look-feeble/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| March of the BBC’s ‘tinfoil hat’ brigade | 13 Nov 2025 | 01:08:35 | |
After a Telegraph bombshell, both the BBC Director-General and Head of BBC News are OUT as the corporation is exposed for its "FAR LEFT ideological capture". Our co-pilots take a look at the shocking truth behind the billion-dollar lawsuit threat from President Donald Trump after a Panorama team edited his speech on January 6th 2021. Allison details the biased coverage of Israel and Gaza as well as gender issues, where "smug and arrogant" staffers tried to censor news and silence "normal women". As Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Budget looms ever closer, Liam details the incoming fiscal madness as it now seems Labour will break its manifesto pledge and raise income tax. Joining your co-pilots on the rocket this week is Jake Wallis Simons, award-winning journalist, foreign correspondent, and author of Israel Phobia and his latest, Never again: How the West Betrayed the Jews and itself. Jake joins us to detail the BBC's "damning" coverage of Israel and Gaza and why the Panorama scandal is just a smoke screen for their other mistakes. Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor Read Allison ‘The Epping hotel ruling proves it is now the British people vs the state’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11/12/epping-hotel-ruling-british-people-vs-the-state/ | Read Allison: ‘I think it is inevitable a man I grant asylum to will rape or murder a young girl’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11/05/migrants-asylum-sex-offence-allegations-whistleblower/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Labour’s housing plans are not enough to rescue Reeves’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/11/09/labours-housing-plans-are-not-enough-to-rescue-reeves/ | Read Liam’s Post - https://www.facebook.com/liam.halligan.7/posts/pfbid0kaMDikPeWDVsV6P8pDuf1rAQeGRY5rUetohXkdNZ7cLXSh3sNXJDYB3Mq88xsNJKl | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Home Office fails to secure its own ‘fit note’ | 06 Nov 2025 | 00:53:24 | |
Following the speech from Chancellor Rachel Reeves acknowledging tax rises are coming round the mountain, your co-pilots are here to wade through the incoming madness. Assisting co-pilot Halligan this week is returning guest Nick Timothy MP to give us some keen insight into the crumbling Home Office. Liam thinks the Chancellor’s speech was a predictable move and has been warning since the election taxes would have to go up as spending rises and welfare cuts avoided. Nick reveals the details surrounding a report he wrote about the Home Office and immigration, that was suppressed through legal arguments, in 2023. Pirouetting on board this week is world renowned choreographer Rosie Kay who tells us how she rose from the cancellation ashes and launched ‘Freedom In The Arts’ to protect freedom of expression within the arts. Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor Read Allison ‘I think it is inevitable a man I grant asylum to will rape or murder a young girl’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11/05/migrants-asylum-sex-offence-allegations-whistleblower/ | Read Allison ’The BBC has just signed its own death warrant‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11/04/bbc-signs-its-own-death-warrant/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Read Nick’s report: https://nicktimothy.com/report-by-nick-timothy-mp-on-the-home-office-exposes-a-culture-of-defeatism-and-poor-management/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Labour’s asylum seeker 'Carry On' | 30 Oct 2025 | 01:02:41 | |
Our co-pilots, energised from their trip down to earth for the live show at the Battle of Ideas festival last week, are back on the Rocket to try and make sense of a week of madness! They address the growing discontent following a string of high-profile incidents involving illegal migrants, most recently in Uxbridge. The discussion turns into a blistering attack on the Home Office and the entire Civil Service, who the co-pilots argue, are actively stifling political reform and preventing any government—regardless of party—from delivering functioning public services or stopping the boats. Strapping into the rocket this week is Conservative MP Helen Whately, who joins to discuss the urgent need for benefits system reform to encourage young people into work and end their reliance on state support. Meanwhile Allison addresses the historic collapse of Labour in its heartlands in the Caerphilly by-election last week, signalling what could be a death knell for Labour in Wales. Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor Read Allison ‘The soaring cost of mince signals we’re in for a difficult winter’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/10/29/rising-food-prices-difficult-winter/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam: ‘Britain’s national accounts now resemble a Ponzi scheme’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/l/lf-lj/liam-halligan/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ | Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||