Michael Gove and Madeline Grant launch ‘Quite right!’, the new podcast from The Spectator that promises sanity and common sense in a world that too often lacks both.

In their first episode, they take stock of a political summer dominated by Nigel Farage, a Labour government already facing mutiny, and the curious spectacle of Tory MPs moonlighting as gonzo reporters.

From J.D. Vance’s Cotswold sojourn and Tom Skinner’s bish bash bosh patriotism, to Sydney Sweeney’s jeans advert causing a culture war, Michael and Madeline discuss what really drives our politics: policies, or memes and vibes?

Plus: Keir Starmer’s ‘phase two’ reshuffle – does it amount to more than technocratic jargon? And why has cosy crime conquered our screens, even as Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club stumbles upon its Netflix release?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson, Oscar Bicket and Matt Miszczak.

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Welcome to Quite right! – the new podcast from The Spectator launching on Wednesday 3rd September and hosted by Michael Gove & Madeline Grant.

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Michael Gove and Madeline Grant return with another episode of Quite right!, The Spectator’s new podcast promising sanity and common sense in an increasingly unhinged world.

This week, they dissect Keir Starmer’s brutal reshuffle – from the ‘volcanic ejection’ of Angela Rayner to the rise of Shabana Mahmood, the ‘uncompromising toughie’ now in charge of the Home Office. What do these moves reveal about the Labour party’s deepest fears on crime and migration?

Across the Channel, Emmanuel Macron faces yet another political crisis, as France lurches towards its fifth prime minister in two years. Is Britain now drifting into its own pre-revolutionary mood – and becoming ‘France 2.0’?

And finally, a new biography of Margaret Thatcher makes the startling claim that she was autistic. Michael and Madeline ask: why must every figure from history be retroactively diagnosed as ‘neurodiverse’?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson, Oscar Bicket and Matt Miszczak.

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In this bonus episode Michael and Madeline tackle two extraordinary political stories. First, the dramatic resignation of Peter Mandelson as Britain’s US ambassador, following renewed scrutiny of his links to Jeffrey Epstein. Why did Keir Starmer take so long to act – and what does the debacle reveal about his leadership style?

Then, across the Atlantic, America is reeling from the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Michael and Madeline reflect on the tragedy, what it means for free speech, and whether political violence is reshaping the way debate happens in the public square.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson, Oscar Bicket and Matt Miszczak.

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This week Michael and Madeline unpick the shock defection of Danny Kruger to Reform UK’s ‘pirate ship’ – as described by Michael – and ask whether this coup could mark the beginning of the end for the Conservative party.

They also dive into Westminster’s most charged moral debates: the assisted dying bill in the Lords and the quiet decriminalisation of abortion up to birth. What do these changes say about parliament’s ‘intoxicated liberal hubris’ – and the protections given to the vulnerable?

Also, Donald Trump lands in Britain this week – but why is it that the Prime Minister acts ‘like Carson the butler’ in his presence, and who exactly is the ‘diplomatic secret weapon’ that the Palace deploys to manage ‘the Donald’?

Finally, Michael and Madeleine (re)turn to Oxford, where the Union has been engulfed in controversy over free speech and political violence. Has one of Britain’s oldest debating societies become a cautionary tale for our universities? Is there such a thing as ‘right-wing cancel culture’?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson, Oscar Bicket and Matt Miszczak.

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This week, Michael and Maddie lift the lid on the strange rituals of party conference season and why the ‘goldfish bowl’ reality of a week in Birmingham (or Manchester, or Liverpool) often leaves politicians with ‘PTSD’. 

They then turn to the government’s revived enthusiasm for digital ID cards. Is this a sensible fix for illegal immigration – or, as Michael puts it, ‘snake oil rubbed onto an already weak idea’? And why does Tony Blair always seem to be the ghost whispering ‘ID cards’ into Westminster’s ear?

Next, Keir Starmer’s recognition of a Palestinian state: a principled step, or a political stunt designed to placate his backbenchers? Michael and Madeline dissect the backlash, the ‘terrorist chic’ of pop-concert activism, and what this move really says about Labour’s priorities.

Finally, they reflect on the extraordinary words of Erika Kirk, who publicly forgave her husband’s alleged murderer. What does Christian forgiveness look like in an age that prizes vengeance and why do so many secular commentators miss its radicalism?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson, Oscar Bicket and Matt Miszczak.

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This week, Michael and Maddie report from the Labour party conference in Liverpool and unpick Keir Starmer’s big speech. Was his attempt to reclaim patriotism for Labour a genuine statement of values – or a clumsy exercise in stereotypes about steelworkers, chip shops and football nostalgia? And why does Labour’s attack line on Nigel Farage risk sounding like political ‘nuclear warfare’ that could backfire outside the conference hall? And what about the Tories? With Labour bringing the fight to the Reform party, where does this leave Kemi Badenoch and the Conservatives ahead of their conference later this week?

They then turn to Donald Trump’s extraordinary new Middle East peace initiative. With Benjamin Netanyahu on board and Tony Blair drafted into the proposed ‘peace board’, is this a serious diplomatic breakthrough or a surreal ‘fever dream’ that only Trump could cook up?

Next, another peace proposal doomed to fail: Emma Watson’s attempt to reconcile with J.K. Rowling after years of public estrangement. Was Watson’s olive branch an act of goodwill or a late recognition that the cultural tide has turned? And why did Rowling’s sharp response strike such a chord with women who felt abandoned during the height of the trans debate?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson, Oscar Bicket and Matt Miszczak.

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This week on Quite right! Michael and Maddie turn their sights to Westminster’s latest espionage scandal – and the collapse of the case to prosecute two men accused of spying for China. Was the case dropped out of incompetence, or out of fear of offending Beijing? As Michael puts it, ‘Either we’re not being told the truth, or this is a government of staggering incompetence.’

They also unpick the growing row over Jonathan Powell, Keir Starmer’s National Security Adviser, and his alleged role in shelving the case. What does his re-emergence, along with Peter Mandelson and other ‘Sith Lords of Blairism’, tell us about the return of New Labour’s old moral compromises?

Elsewhere, Donald Trump’s surprise Gaza peace deal has upended diplomatic expectations and ushered in a new style of negotiation – the ‘Manhattan real estate’ approach – which has succeeded where the UN’s moralising failed. Is it Trump’s world and we’re all living in it?

Finally: The Traitors. Maddie confesses she’s never watched an episode, but would Michael be a traitor or a faithful? What does the show reveal about the darker truths of human nature? And which politicians would make the perfect traitors?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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This week, Michael and Maddie record Quite right! in front of a live audience at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester – with attendance down, the big question is whether Kemi Badenoch can survive as leader of the opposition. There is the unmistakable air of fatalism among MPs staring down electoral annihilation – but would another change in leadership cement the Tories as pathologically regicidal?

They also debate Badenoch’s bold pledge to bar candidates who won’t back leaving the European Convention on Human Rights – a ‘calculated risk’ that could redefine the party’s identity or too little too late?

Then, in the wake of the horrific Manchester synagogue attack, they turn to the rise of anti-Semitism and the crisis of policing. Are Britain’s streets really being governed by ‘two-tier justice’? And what does it say about public order – and public confidence – that Jewish Britons are being told to stay indoors for their own safety?

Finally, they dissect the Church of England’s choice of Sarah Mullally as the new Archbishop of Canterbury. Is she an inspired appointment, or proof that the Church has become, as Michael puts it, ‘another bureaucratic manifestation of generalised niceness’?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson

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This week on Quite right!: the slow-motion disgrace of Prince Andrew. As Virginia Giuffre’s new book reignites the Epstein scandal, Michael and Maddie ask: how much longer can the monarchy carry its most toxic member? Or should the Duke of York be stripped of his titles and sent into exile?

Then to Birmingham, where sectarian politics, bin strikes and football collide. After Israeli fans were barred from attending a Europa League match, Michael and Maddie debate how Britain’s second city became a byword for failed multiculturalism. Has the country finally started telling the truth about integration – or just found new ways to divide itself?

Finally, the British Museum’s attempt to out-glamour the Met Gala. From Ed Vaizey’s ‘LSD-infused Del Boy’ outfit to George Osborne’s A-list trolling in front of the Elgin Marbles, Maddie asks: have we reached peak luvvie? And what would a truly British gala look like?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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This week on the first ever Quite right! Q&A: What’s your most left-wing belief? Michael & Maddie confess their guilty liberal secrets on the Elgin Marbles, prison reform and private equity – or ‘the unacceptable face of capitalism’.

Also this week: who would you trust to save your life on a desert island – Boris Johnson, Theresa May or David Cameron? And finally, a literary turn: from John Donne to Thomas Hardy, Michael and Maddie share their favourite poems, and make the case for learning verse by heart.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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This week on Quite right!: Rachel Reeves goes on the offensive – and the defensive. After her surprise Downing Street address, Michael and Maddie pick over the many kites that have been flying in advance of the Budget at the end of the month. Was she softening the public up for tax rises, or trying to save her own job? Michael explains why Reeves is wrong to say that Labour’s inheritance is the reason for our current economic misfortune and says that it is ‘absolute bollocks’ that Brexit is to blame.

Next, a chilling weekend of violence sparks a bigger question: are we witnessing the rise of nihilistic crime in Britain? From the Huntingdon train stabbings to rampant shoplifting, are we becoming used to the ‘anarcho-tyranny’ that is taking hold – where petty crimes go unpunished and public order breaks down?

And finally, from Halloween to Bonfire Night, the culture wars go seasonal. Michael and Maddie debate whether we should loathe ‘pagan’ Halloween and instead turn 5 November into a national holiday.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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This week on Quite right!: the great Home Office meltdown. After a week of fiascos – from the accidental release of a convicted migrant to the collapse of the grooming gangs inquiry – Michael and Maddie ask: is the Home Office now beyond repair? Why is Britain’s most important department also its most dysfunctional? And what does it say about a civil service more obsessed with ‘listening circles’ and ‘wellbeing surveys’ than actually running the country?

Then to Westminster, where Jess Phillips faces fury over the grooming gangs inquiry. Are ministers diluting the investigation to avoid awkward truths about race and culture? Michael argues that empathy is no substitute for justice – and that Labour still can’t bring itself to confront the problem honestly.

Next, Maddie shares an extraordinary personal story of her mother’s nightmare tenant – thirty dogs, tens of thousands in damages, and zero help from the state – as she and Michael debate whether Britain’s social contract is breaking down, and if new housing laws will only make things worse.

Finally, the big news of the week: Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau’s hard-launch romance. But what do Justin Trudeau’s sartorial choices say about the state of politics and pop? And who would be their British equivalent?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson. 

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This week on Quite right! Q&A: Could Britain see a snap election before 2029? Michael and Maddie unpack the constitutional mechanics – and explain why, despite the chaos, an early vote remains unlikely. They also turn to Labour’s troubles: growing pressure on Keir Starmer, restive backbenchers, and whether Angela Rayner’s sacking has boosted her chances as his successor.

Plus: should the Scottish Parliament be abolished? And on a lighter note, if you won a free holiday but had to take one Labour MP, who would you choose?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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This week: a crisis at the BBC – and a crisis of standards in our schools.

Following the shock resignations of Tim Davie and Deborah Turness, Michael and Maddie ask whether the corporation has finally been undone by its own bias, and discuss how it can correct the leftward lurch in its editorial line.

Then: Labour’s new education reforms come under the microscope. As Ofsted scraps single-word judgements in favour of ‘report cards’, could this ‘definitive backward step’ result in a ‘dumbing down’ that will rob the next generation of rigour and ambition? And will ‘Bridget Philistine’s’ war on education undo the positive legacy of the Conservatives on education?

And finally, in Hollywood, actress Sydney Sweeney refuses to apologise for comments made in an interview last week – she now finds herself a heroine of the anti-woke age. Are we finally past peak woke?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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This week: a Commons showdown over asylum – and a cold shower for Net Zero orthodoxy.

After Shabana Mahmood’s debuts Labour’s new asylum proposals, Michael and Maddie ask whether her barnstorming performance signals a new star in Starmer’s government – or whether the Home Secretary is dangerously over-promising on a problem no minister has yet cracked. Is her Denmark-inspired model workable? Can she get it past the Labour left? And are the right-wing plaudits a blessing – or a trap?

Then: at COP30, the great climate jamboree struggles to command attention. As Ed Miliband charges ahead with his Net Zero agenda, the pair question whether Britain has finally passed 'peak Net Zero mania'. Is the UK hobbling itself economically while China cashes in? Has climate policy become more like a faith than a science? And what would a more balanced, less fanatical environmentalism look like?

And finally, Channel 4 claims a medical quirk shaped Adolf Hitler: does this kind of genetic reductionism teach us anything – or simply turn history’s greatest monsters into comic-book villains?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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This week on Quite right! Q&A: Is the Treasury still fit for purpose – or has ‘Treasury brain’ taken over Whitehall? Michael and Maddie dig into the culture and power of Britain’s most influential department, from the Oxbridge-heavy ‘Treasury boys’ to a ‘visionless’ Chancellor.

Then: after Michael’s suggestion that Piers Morgan should be the next director-general of the BBC – why, in his view, could cnly a disruptive outsider could shake the organisation out of its complacency.

Plus: the rise of ‘Mar-a-Lago face’ in US conservative politics, and whether Britain has its own aesthetic quirks – from Ozempic-thinned MPs to the enduring Labour ‘power bob’.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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This week: After leaked EHRC guidance threw Labour’s position on biological sex into disarray, Michael and Maddie ask whether Bridget Phillipson is deliberately delaying clarity on the law – and why Wes Streeting appears to be retreating from his once ‘gender-critical’ stance. Is Labour quietly preparing to water down long-awaited guidance? And has the return of puberty-blocker trials pushed the culture war back to square one?

Then: Shabana Mahmood unveils her first major moves as Home Secretary. But as the Labour left cries foul and legal challenges loom, Michael and Maddie assess whether her plans will really bring order to the asylum system – or whether Labour’s attachment to ‘process over principle’ will scupper the reforms before they bite. Is Mahmood the Iron Lady Labour never expected? Or is this simply Starmerism in its purest form: government by quango, review and delay?

And finally: Christmas arrives early… far too early. Michael sets out the case for a ‘dry Advent and festive January’, while Maddie laments Black Friday brawls and the loss of an older, saner rhythm to the year.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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This week: Rachel Reeves reels as Labour’s Budget unravels – and a far-left Life of Brian sequel plays out in Liverpool.

After a bruising seven days for the Chancellor, Michael and Maddie ask whether Reeves’s position is now beyond repair. Did Keir Starmer’s bizarre nursery press conference steady the ship – or simply confirm that the government is panicking? And is the resignation of the OBR chair a shield for Reeves – or a damning contrast with her refusal to budge?

Then: the inaugural conference of Your Party delivers pure comic gold. As Zarah Sultana’s collective-leadership utopians clash with Corbynite diehards and Islamist independents, Michael explains why the far left’s civil war matters more than Westminster thinks. Could independents erode Labour’s urban base? And with Jeremy Corbyn now looking like the centrist dad of the movement, what does this chaos tell us about the future of the British left?

And finally: Christmas is coming. Maddie and Michael share their rules for 'sound' gift-giving and give their book recommendations.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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This week on Quite right! Q&A: was lockdown the right call – and what did Britain get catastrophically wrong? Michael and Maddie unravel the ‘sins’ of the Covid era, from criminalising everyday behaviour to the rise of snitch culture. Did Sweden show there was a better way?

Then: is conservatism suffering from a crisis of confidence? Michael reflects on 14 years of Tory drift, why the party ‘talked right but governed left’, and how Blairism, wokery and cultural blindspots reshaped British politics.

Plus: the odd new tone of modern political interviews – from mawkish breakfast-TV hectoring to the emotional manipulation of callers named Doreen – and why some MPs secretly love being skewered in the sketch.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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After a summer in which Nigel Farage seemed to bend the news cycle to his will, Michael and Maddie ask whether the party’s momentum is slipping. Do the allegations dredged up from Farage’s schooldays mark a decisive turning point – or, perversely, strengthen his outsider appeal? And with questions over Reform’s election spending, defections from the Conservatives, and the small matter of finding 500 people to staff a government, is the insurgent right entering its moment of vulnerability?

Then: two stories that lay bare a crisis in women’s healthcare. Baroness Amos’s damning interim review of maternity services and the astonishing employment tribunal ruling in the Sandy Peggie case raise the same question – why does the system still fail women at their most vulnerable?

And finally: Christmas television takes a surreal turn. Meghan Markle returns with a holiday special, while Liz Truss launches her own American-style politics show. Has Meghan now crossed fully into performance art – and is Liz pioneering the world’s first nostalgia-politics monologue?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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This week on Quite right! Q&A: should Britain reinvent the Commonwealth – and should Ukraine be invited to join? Is the Commonwealth an embarrassing relic… or an untapped strategic asset?

Then: what if Jeremy Corbyn had actually won in 2019? Maddie and Michael sketch the counterfactual Britain – from a Jezza-led lockdown to vaccine chaos, union-driven school closures and a very different Brexit.

Plus: the greatest artwork of the 21st century. Michael champions a modern choral masterpiece, Maddie defends The Lord of the Rings as the true Gesamtkunstwerk, and both confess their musical shortcomings (including Michael’s rogue childhood instrument).

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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Michael Gove and Madeline Grant confront the horror of the Bondi Beach massacre and ask why anti-Semitic violence now provokes despair rather than shock. As Jewish communities are once again targeted on holy days, they examine the roots of Islamist ideology and the failure of political leaders to name it. Why has anti-Semitism metastasised across the radical left, the Islamist world, and the far right – and why does the West seem so reluctant to grapple with its causes?

Then, on the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, Michael and Maddie ask why Austen is endlessly repurposed, politicised and rewritten by modern adaptors? Was she an abolitionist, a moralist, or something far subtler – and why do her novels continue to resist ideological shoehorning two centuries on?

And finally: what makes the perfect whodunit? From Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers to Midsomer Murders and modern television crime, the pair explore puzzles, red herrings, atmosphere – and why readers feel cheated when justice doesn’t quite add up.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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This week on Quite right! Q&A: is demography destiny? With Britain’s birth rate falling, Michael Maddie Grant discuss whether the country is quietly drifting towards decline – and whether immigration, pro-natal policy or something more radical is the answer. Is importing labour a short-term fix that stores up long-term problems? And can advanced economies really persuade families to have more children?

Then: adoption, identity and love. Michael reflects candidly on being adopted, how it shaped his sense of responsibility and gratitude, and why he believes the system too often lets the perfect become the enemy of the good.

And finally, a festive question: favourite Christmas carols and songs. From ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’ to Wham!, via Bowie, Lennon and some truly unforgivable seasonal dirges, Michael and Maddie reveal their tastes – and their intolerance for musical heresy.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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In this special two-part interview, Michael and Maddie are joined by Dominic Cummings. After starting his political career at the Department of Education, Dominic is best known as the campaign director of Vote Leave, the chief adviser in Downing Street during Boris Johnson’s premiership, and one of the most influential strategists of modern times.

Whether you consider him a visionary reformer or (as David Cameron once said) a ‘career psychopath’, his ideas – on government, technology, the blob, education and the future of the right – continue to provoke debate.

In part one, Dominic diagnoses Britain’s institutional decline and takes us inside Whitehall’s ‘heart of darkness’. He explains that ministers have been stripped of real power by lawyers and the Cabinet Office, and how the ‘madness’ of the Human Rights Act has produced chilling outcomes for defence and counter-terrorism. He reflects on the reforms launched after the Conservatives’ 2019 election victory and why they were ultimately abandoned, criticises Boris Johnson’s failure to pursue the mandate he was given, and revisits the government’s handling of Covid.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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This is the second of a two-part discussion with Dominic Cummings, in which he reflects on his time in government – what he got right and what he regrets – and what he believes must change for the country to thrive.

In part two, Dominic diagnoses the ‘pre-revolutionary’ mood of British politics, marked by voter rage, economic stagnation and institutional failure. He dismisses government promises on immigration as ‘total nonsense’, attacks the political class’s handling of the cost-of-living crisis and the war in Ukraine, and delivers a sobering account of why the Conservative Party is ‘completely dead’. Dominic also assesses the prospects of Reform and Nigel Farage, warns of an increasingly aggressive establishment response to outsider movements, and weighs in on whether Michael would have made a good prime minister.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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This week: Michael and Maddie dissect Donald Trump’s audacious raid on Venezuela and ask what it reveals about power, national interest and the unravelling of the rules-based order. Was America acting like a rogue state – or simply doing what states do when their interests are at stake? And could Britain learn a thing or two from how they conduct their foreign policy, specifically with regard to the Chagos Islands?

Then, closer to home, they unpack the scandal surrounding West Midlands Police and the banning of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans. Who really made the call – and what does it tell us about two-tier policing and the erosion of equal justice?

And finally: are weight-loss jabs like Ozempic and Wegovy quietly reshaping society – and what will happen when the prices drop later this year?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

To submit your urgent questions to Michael and Maddie, visit spectator.co.uk/quiteright

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This week: Michael and Maddie look ahead to a turbulent political year, asking who will rise, who will fall – and whether Keir Starmer can survive the mounting unrest within his own parliamentary party. With Labour backbenchers showing an increasing willingness to defy the leadership, is a full-blown rebellion inevitable?

They also discuss the government’s controversial decision to welcome Alaa Abdel-Fattah back to Britain, and ask what the episode reveals about two-tier politics, herd mentality in Westminster, and a Prime Minister more comfortable in the role of human rights lawyer than national leader.

And finally: should Britain bring back national service? Michael makes the case for a far tougher, more hard-edged approach to national resilience – while Maddie questions whether conscription would deepen an already broken generational contract.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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This week on Quite right!, Michael and Maddie examine Nadhim Zahawi’s dramatic defection to Reform UK and ask whether it strengthens the party’s insurgent credentials or exposes a deeper strategic mistake. Is Reform becoming a genuine outsider movement, or simply a refuge for disaffected Tories? And what does the pattern of Boris-era defections reveal about credibility, competence and the challenge of turning populist energy into a governing force?

Then, Iran: mass protests against the regime have erupted onto the streets of Tehran and beyond. Are these demonstrations the prelude to real regime change – or another brutal crackdown waiting to happen? And what role should the West, and the United States in particular, play as the situation escalates?

And finally: as MPs call for X to be banned in the UK over the conduct of Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok, Michael and Maddie ask whether this is a necessary intervention to protect the vulnerable – or another bout of performative pearl-clutching that misses the far bigger risks posed by artificial intelligence.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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This week: Michael and Maddie examine the rise of the Green party and ask whether it represents a passing protest vote or a genuine realignment on the British left. As Labour’s support continues to leak away and figures once loyal to Jeremy Corbyn drift towards the Greens, are Keir Starmer’s U-turns finally catching up with him – and how far can a ‘hipster–hobbit alliance’ really go?

Then: the row between Rory Stewart and Dominic Cummings, after claims about overseas students and radicalisation in Britain were dismissed – only to be vindicated. What does the episode reveal about political forecasting, expert class overconfidence, and why some of Westminster’s most celebrated commentators keep getting the future wrong?

And finally: why is Labour going after the pub? Michael and Maddie dissect the government’s botched approach to business rates, drink-driving policy and rural life – and ask whether spreadsheet socialism and petty authoritarianism are quietly crushing what remains of Merrie England.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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This week: Michael and Maddie ask whether the so-called special relationship between Britain and the United States has finally reached breaking point. As Donald Trump’s threats over Greenland and his reversal on the Chagos Islands unsettle allies, has the British right begun to turn decisively against him? Was the special relationship ever more than a comforting myth – and what does a more erratic, transactional America mean for Britain’s security, sovereignty and strategic future?

Then: Robert Jenrick’s dramatic defection to Reform UK. Was his exit from the Conservatives a naked career move, or a genuine ideological break forged by failure on migration and borders? And does his defection strengthen Reform’s claim to be a serious insurgent force – or expose the growing risk of a destructive civil war on the right that ultimately benefits Keir Starmer?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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On this week’s Q&A: Michael and Maddie ask the question dividing the British right: is Britain really broken? As ‘Broken Britain’ rhetoric surges on the right, they debate whether it clarifies the country’s problems or corrodes national confidence. Should we trust those who stand to benefit from a declinist narrative? And is Nigel Farage too much of an English nationalist and nostalgist?

Also this week: from national decline to family drama. Why has the Brooklyn Beckham fallout gripped the country, and what does it reveal about celebrity, commodified family life and the price of fame? Is this a modern King Lear – or just an overgrown child who needs to grow up?

To submit your urgent questions to Michael and Maddie, visit spectator.co.uk/quiteright.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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This week: Michael and Maddie ask whether Keir Starmer’s grip on the Labour party is beginning to slip. After the party machine moved to block Andy Burnham from returning to Westminster, is Starmer governing from a position of strength – or fear? Does the decision expose a deeper crisis of authority at the top of the Labour party, and are we entering the early stages of a succession battle over who comes next?

Then: Suella Braverman’s long-anticipated defection to Reform UK. Was her exit inevitable, and what does it mean for the balance of forces on the right? As Reform continues to lure Conservative figures across, is it consolidating as a serious insurgent party – or accelerating a destructive fragmentation that could leave the Conservative party locked out of power for a generation?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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In this week’s Q&A: Michael and Maddie tackle Labour’s uneasy majority and ask why a government with a 174-seat majority already looks so skittish. Are backbench rebellions a sign of weakness – or a rational response from MPs who expect to be out in one term? Does Keir Starmer lack the political instincts needed to hold such a sprawling parliamentary party together?

Also this week: could the Rwanda scheme ever have saved the Conservatives? Michael lifts the lid on why the plan stalled – from internal resistance within the state to the limits of last-minute delivery – and explains why even a symbolic flight would not have reversed Tory defeat.

And as faith in multilateral institutions frays, they ask whether the UN still serves a meaningful purpose, or whether international law has acquired an undeserved air of moral infallibility.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson

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This week: Michael and Maddie examine the fallout from the Epstein files and ask how a story of questionable judgment became a far more serious test of trust at the top of British politics. As new revelations emerge about Peter Mandelson’s links to Jeffrey Epstein, has a tawdry association escalated into a question of the national interest? And what does the affair reveal about Keir Starmer’s judgment – and the risks of relying on political experience over proper scrutiny?

Then: the growing generational backlash over student loans. With graduate repayment thresholds frozen and interest rates soaring, are younger voters being systematically squeezed to prop up an unsustainable system?

Finally: the countryside culture war. From Defra’s diversity targets to mounting regulation of rural life, Michael and Maddie ask whether policymakers fundamentally misunderstand the countryside – and whether independence, not prejudice, is what really makes it a target.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

To submit your urgent questions to Michael and Maddie, visit spectator.co.uk/quiteright.

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In this week’s Q&A, Michael and Maddie unpack the controversy over whether Rishi Sunak is English or British – and why a debate about national identity has become so politically charged. Is Englishness a civic identity, an ethnic one, or something more elusive? And why has the Labour party increasingly reached for accusations of racism when the question is raised at all?

Also this week: are claims that Britain is drifting towards civil unrest alarmist scaremongering – or a warning we should take seriously?

And finally, they reflect on the earliest political moments that shaped them – from Margaret Thatcher and the Falklands to Tony Blair, Princess Diana, and the politics of the countryside. 

Produced by Oscar Edmondson

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This week, Michael is joined by Munira Mirza. Raised in Oldham and educated at Oxford, Munira worked at Policy Exchange before serving as Deputy Mayor of London under Boris Johnson and later as Director of the No.10 Policy Unit, where she helped shape the Conservatives’ 2019 election manifesto. She now leads Civic Future and the think tank Fix Britain.

In the first of this two-part interview, Munira reflects on Labour’s vulnerability in the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election, and the ‘serious threat’ it faces if the Muslim votes flees to the Greens. She discusses the politicisation of religious identity, the influence of Islamism in Britain, and what she sees as a failure of public authorities to confront hard truths.

They also discuss the news this week that Valdo Calocane – the man who killed three people in Nottingham in 2023 – was released from hospital in 2020 because health professionals were concerned about the disproportionate number of black men who were being detained in the mental health system. Munira argues that fear of being accused of institutional racism has distorted decision-making, a scandal of potentially greater magnitude than the grooming gangs and with serious consequences for public safety.

Finally, she revisits Brexit and the 2019 realignment, defending the decision to leave the EU and arguing that levelling up was an attempt to fix a broken economic model built on high immigration and weak productivity.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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This week, Michael and Maddie consider Reform UK's succession plan. With Nigel Farage unveiling his new shadow cabinet, attention shifts to the bigger question: who comes after him? Is Reform preparing for life beyond its founder – and if so, who stands ready to inherit the crown?

Also this week, they examine the fallout from the court’s decision to overturn the government’s attempt to proscribe Palestine Action – and ask what it means for free speech, public order and the limits of the state.

They explore whether Britain is drifting toward a de facto blasphemy law, and debate claims of ‘two-tier justice’ in the handling of extremist activism. Has the government lost control of the argument — or is it simply constrained by the courts?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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In this week’s Q&A, Michael and Maddie ask whether Britain should abolish the monarchy. In the wake of fresh controversy surrounding members of the royal family, they debate whether scrapping the institution would be a long-overdue democratic correction – or a profound strategic mistake. Is the Crown an outdated relic, or one of Britain’s greatest diplomatic assets?

Also this week: with Labour MP Dan Norris facing charges, could North East Somerset be heading for a by-election – and might Jacob Rees-Mogg stage a dramatic return to parliament? Would Reform stand aside, or is the right now locked in a battle for survival?

And finally, they explore whether people really do move right as they get older. Is it psychology, property ownership, parenthood – or simply ‘grim reality’ that shifts political instincts over time?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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This week: Michael and Maddie examine the crisis engulfing the Labour party and ask whether Keir Starmer is facing a Boris-style collapse of authority.

They explore what could be to come in the continued fallout from the Peter Mandelson affair, the rebellion over the release of government files, and what Starmer’s pattern of scapegoating aides reveals about his grip on power. Is this a corruption scandal – or something more damaging: a failure of judgment?

Finally, they look ahead to what comes next. If Starmer’s authority is ebbing, who could replace him? From Angela Rayner to Wes Streeting – and the outsiders hovering on the edge – will internal revolt mark the beginning of a wider realignment in British politics?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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This is the second part of Michael Gove’s conversation with Munira Mirza. After reflecting in part one on multiculturalism and the fractures in modern Britain, this second instalment turns to the question of leadership, and the lessons both Boris and Starmer should learn.

Munira reflects on Boris Johnson’s premiership, describing him as ‘a better man than many of his detractors would admit’ but acknowledging his foibles and lack of decisiveness at critical moments. Was he a good Prime Minister? 

They go on to debate whether the wiring of the British state – from the Human Rights Act to the Equality Act – has made effective government harder, and whether Reform are right to call for repeal of both of these pieces of legislation.

Finally, Munira delivers a stark assessment of Britain’s political class, questioning whether the calibre of MPs is good enough, criticising the culture of risk-aversion in Westminster, and making the case for ‘radical candour’ in politics. 

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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This week: Michael and Maddie debate the escalating crisis in Iran and ask whether Donald Trump truly has a strategy – and whether Keir Starmer has one at all.

They examine what Trump’s strikes are meant to achieve, whether regime change in Tehran is the real objective and why parts of the American right are uneasy about Israel’s influence over US foreign policy.

Turning to Westminster, they assess Britain’s response. Has Starmer struck the right balance between caution and credibility – or has the crisis exposed the limits of Britain’s military strength and global influence?

Finally, they review Rachel Reeves’s Spring Statement. With growth forecasts under scrutiny and public spending pressures mounting, is the Labour party sticking to a credible economic plan – or relying on economic crystal balls?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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In this week’s Q&A, Michael and Maddie ask whether Britain is driving its young and ambitious abroad. As more professionals head to places like Dubai in search of opportunity, they debate whether the real problem lies not with those who leave, but with the conditions pushing them out. Why do so many talented Britons feel they cannot build a future at home – and what does that say about the state of the country?

Also this week: should the Equality Act be scrapped altogether? In light of Suella Braverman’s pledge to repeal it, they consider whether the law has drifted far beyond its original purpose.

And finally, they discuss which right-wing leaders around the world they admire. From Latin America to Europe, who offers a compelling model of conservative leadership today – and what lessons, if any, might Britain draw from them?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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This week: Michael and Maddie discuss the escalating crisis in the Middle East and ask a bigger question about Britain’s place in the world – is the UK still a great power, or has the conflict exposed just how limited our influence has become?

They debate whether Britain has any real choice but to follow America in foreign policy, what the war reveals about the country’s diminished military capabilities, and whether Westminster is finally confronting the reality of Britain’s global position.

Also on the podcast, they examine the growing backlash against Ed Miliband’s energy agenda. With war in the Middle East sending shockwaves through global energy markets, has Labour’s push for net zero left Britain dangerously exposed – and is the UK undermining its own economy by shutting down domestic oil and gas while continuing to import it from abroad?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

October 8 is available to buy or rent now on Amazon Prime, Apple TV and Google. Find out more: https://www.october8film.com

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In this week’s Q&A, Michael and Maddie discuss whether Keir Starmer faces a deeper political dilemma: should the Labour party tack left to shore up its base, or move to the centre to win over voters uneasy about the party’s economic direction?

Also this week: are Britain’s closest allies being taken for granted? From Canada and Australia to New Zealand, they consider whether the UK has neglected some of its most dependable international partners while chasing influence elsewhere.

And finally, they turn to culture and ask why institutions like opera and ballet so often struggle to justify their place in modern public life. Are they relics of an elite past, or essential expressions of a deeper cultural tradition?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

October 8 is available to buy or rent now on Amazon Prime, Apple TV and Google. Find out more: https://www.october8film.com

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In this week’s Q&A: the Green party and the rise of new MP Hannah Spencer. Does a softer, more appealing political style mask something more radical beneath the surface – and is that precisely the secret of the party’s growing success?

Also this week: whatever happened to levelling up? Once the defining mission of British politics, they debate whether regional inequality has quietly slipped down the agenda – and what that says about how both Labour and the Conservative party now see the country.

And finally: what on earth has happened to the Liberal Democrats? With Ed Davey doubling down on stunts and spectacle, is there still a serious liberal project at the heart of the party – or has it become all performance and no substance?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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This week: the stark question of Keir Starmer’s leadership. After a bruising week in Westminster – from fresh revelations about the Mandelson appointment to renewed scrutiny of the Prime Minister’s governing style – they debate whether Starmer’s cautious, process-driven approach is becoming a political liability. Will Labour move to replace him? 

Also on the podcast: the House of Lords, as peers prepare to scrutinise two of the most morally charged issues in politics: assisted dying and proposals to decriminalise abortion up to birth. With the Commons accused of rushing through profound legislative changes with limited debate, they ask whether the Lords is performing an essential constitutional role – or defying democratic authority.

And finally: should Winston Churchill really disappear from Britain’s banknotes? As the Bank of England considers replacing historical figures with images of nature, Michael and Maddie debate whether Britain is retreating from its own history.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

October 8 is available to buy or rent now on Amazon Prime, Apple TV and Google. Find out more: https://www.october8film.com

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This week: the Southport inquiry and a deeper question about why Britain’s institutions keep failing to act. After a damning report into the killings revealed that Axel Rudakubana was ‘known to authorities’, Michael and Madeline ask how so many warning signs were missed. Did a fear of getting things wrong – or being accused of racism – stop professionals from intervening? 

Also on the podcast: another retreat from Keir Starmer. The government has dropped its Chagos bill – but is this a pragmatic recognition of geopolitical reality, or another sign of strategic confusion at the top of government?

And finally: Labour’s growing dilemma over sex and gender. One year on from the Supreme Court’s ruling on biological sex, why is the government still dragging its feet on guidance? 

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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One month on from calling for Keir Starmer's resignation, Anas Sarwar – the leader of Scottish Labour – joins Michael Gove to reflect on British politics ahead of the May elections. Does he stand by his call for the Prime Minister to go? And, having spoken to Wes Streeting the weekend before, what advice did his close ally give?

The May local and regional elections promise to be the 'fiercest battle' for Scotland's future. Yet after over two decades in power, what does he make of polling that suggests the SNP will win – again? Is Reform posing a threat to Labour? And how can Scottish Labour offer a realistic alternative?

Plus: which Westminster cabinet minister would he like to see campaign in Scotland – and who are his political heroes?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Patrick Gibbons.

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In this week’s Q&A: do the Conservatives need an even bigger kicking? After their worst defeat in generations, they debate whether the party has really changed – or whether voters still see a gap between what it says and what it does.

Also this week: what does Keir Starmer actually mean by acting in the ‘national interest’? As the conflict with Iran escalates, they unpack whether the Prime Minister’s language reflects a clear strategy – or political positioning.

And finally: who are the best-read politicians – and which books should anyone in power be reading?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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