Explore every episode of the podcast Best of the Spectator

John Healey’s budget on Wednesday contained 98 measures, the most since 2010, and yet the OBR appears to be questioning the extent of his £15 billion in headroom. Tim Shipman speaks to the OBR’s David Miles about a tax take heading for a post-war high, the cuts pencilled in for the end of the parliament, and why, by his reckoning, Britain is 25% poorer than it expected to be in 2008.

Produced by Henry Lloyd

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In the second part of Michael Gove’s conversation with Douglas Murray, they discuss the rise of antisemitism, the Left’s obsession with Palestine and the unlikely alliance between Islamists and the radical Left. What does the future hold for Israel – and would replacing Netanyahu really change anything?

They also turn to the things that make Western civilisation worth defending, from Britain's great cathedrals to classical music and literature. Despite the challenges facing the West, can it be saved even at the 13th hour?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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Chancellor John Healey has just delivered his first Budget of the Andy Burnham premiership – but has he done enough to turn the economy around?

In this special live edition of Reality Check, economics editor Michael Simmons is joined by deputy political editor James Heale, former Treasury adviser – and Managing Director of Forefront Advisors – James Nation and pollster Scarlett Maguire – founder of Merlin Strategy, to unpack the Budget. From £100 energy payments and downgraded growth forecasts to what this means for Britain’s banks – is the Chancellor offering households genuine 'breathing space'?

Plus: has this first Burnham-Healey Budget stoked the flames, or dampened expectations, of an early general election?

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

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As the embers fade from last week’s unrest in France, could Britain be heading for a similar fate? In the first of a two-part interview, Michael Gove is joined by author and Spectator columnist Douglas Murray to discuss the future of Western civilisation.

Douglas argues that decades of mass migration and failed integration have left Britain facing the prospect of civil conflict, warning that violent extremists could one day ‘take this country by force’. He also asks why successive governments have allowed alleged jihadists to settle in Britain while pursuing members of our own armed forces. Has Britain lost the will to defend itself – and is it already too late to change course?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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Just days after The Sunday Times revealed that five SAS soldiers were sent back into the war zone while under a three-year murder investigation, MPs passed the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill, which the SAS Regimental Association has threatened to challenge in the High Court. To understand it's implications, Tim Shipman speaks to Richard Williams, former commanding officer of the SAS, about lawfare, the chain of command and what it means for Britain’s standing with Washington.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Henry Lloyd.

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On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: James Heale tells all about his trip to Plymouth with Reform party leader Nigel Farage; Lionel Shriver asks what the destruction in France has actually achieved; Toby Young talks us through his recent trip to Islay and wonders if we’re in a whisky recession; and our executive editor Lara Prendergast reflects on her experiences giving blood.

Produced and presented by Abigail Brierley.

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Who was the real Sherlock Holmes? In this episode Sam Leith is joined by medical historian and author Lindsey Fitzharris to discuss her new book, Sleuth Hound: The Case of the Real Sherlock Holmes.

Fitzharris tells the extraordinary story of Joseph Bell, the Edinburgh surgeon whose powers of observation inspired Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary detective. How did Bell learn to read the human body like a crime scene, and what role did he play in the emergence of modern forensic science? From Victorian murder cases to the Ripper investigations, Bell’s work helped bring medical evidence into the courtroom – while his real-life achievements were often overshadowed by his fictional counterpart.

Plus: why did Conan Doyle want to kill off Sherlock Holmes, and how did Bell react to becoming the inspiration for one of literature’s most famous characters?

Produced by Abigail Brierley.

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For this week’s Edition, Lara Prendergast is joined by the Spectator’s economics editor Michael Simmons, writer Louis Sarkozy and broadcaster Sir Loyd Grossman.

This week: is France heading for revolution? As protests and unrest grip the country, Louis argues that France faces overlapping political, economic, demographic and security crises – and warns that the turmoil is likely to have consequences for next year’s presidential election. Is Macron losing control? Could Marine Le Pen finally take power? And to what extent are the violent riots uniquely French, or part of a wider European unrest?

Also: why does Napoleon still loom so large over French politics and culture? Louis discusses the emperor’s obsessive reading habits, while Loyd asks whether today’s politics are once again being shaped by 'great men' rather than institutions.

Plus: here in the UK, what should we expect from John Healey’s first Budget? Michael explains why ministers want it to be seen as a small and boring Budget – while warning that tax rises could still be on the way. And, as Peter Hitchens argues against letting generals dictate foreign policy, the panel debate defence, patriotism and whether the young would still fight for their country.

Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Abigail Brierley.

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Andy Burnham’s first Budget as Prime Minister is approaching – but higher borrowing costs have already made the sums more difficult. Former Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane joins Michael Simmons to warn that Britain has little room left to borrow more.

For this episode of Reality Check, Andy tells Michael what could be in next week’s Budget, why devolution alone is not a growth strategy and why he appears to have praised Kemi Badenoch’s economic policies this week. Plus: they discuss the Bank of England’s record on inflation – with Haldane arguing the Bank has not 'learnt its lesson’. What would he have done differently?

Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Henry Lloyd.

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France is burning. Over the weekend, students protesting about school conditions were joined by rural voters angry at fuel prices and a violent hard-left fringe. Michael and Maddie ask whether Britain should be worried. Do the same fault lines run through our own society, and is the Burnham government doing anything about them? They also discuss what Emmanuel Macron will be remembered for, and whether anyone can stop Marine Le Pen.

Also: Sally Rooney’s books are leaving British shelves over her support for Palestine Action. Is this censorship, or performance art?

Produced by Henry Lloyd.

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Freddy Gray speaks with Spectator columnist Christopher Caldwell about the ten-year legacy of Donald Trump since his 2016 election victory, assessing his second administration's high-water marks alongside the recent political and personal controversies that Caldwell argues have eroded voter trust, unraveled his populist appeal, and raised sharp questions about the future of the conservative movement.

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On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Jacob Rees-Mogg talks all things Tory Conference and Tucker Carlson; Lara Brown explores the growing rebellion against screens in schools; Matthew Parris reflects on what will survive us when we’re gone; and William Atkinson wonders if Altai the tiger be spared.

Produced and presented by Abigail Brierley.

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Pope Leo XIV is recovering in hospital after undergoing surgery for lung cancer, with doctors removing the lower lobe of his right lung. The Vatican says his recovery is progressing normally, but questions remain over how his illness could affect a pontificate that is still in its early stages.

What does the Pope’s diagnosis mean for the Catholic Church? The Pillar’s Ed Condon joins Damian Thompson to consider how illness could reshape Leo’s papacy and whether his health could speed up the process of senior appointments – and ultimately revive the debate over papal succession.

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

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For this week’s Edition, William Moore is joined by the Spectator’s commissioning editor Lara Brown, Financial Times columnist and peer Camilla Cavendish and broadcaster and former Labour MP Gloria De Piero.

This week: are screens creating a new education divide? Lara examines the growing backlash against technology in schools. What began as an attempt to create a generation of ‘digital natives’ has left children as young as four doing reading and maths on gamified apps – despite little evidence that they improve learning. State schools are spending hundreds of millions of pounds on 'EdTech', while some of Britain’s leading private schools are moving back towards books, handwriting and screen-free classrooms. Are we creating a two-tier education system – books for the rich and screens for everyone else?

Also: why aren’t young people having children? Camilla discusses her new book Generation Maybe, which investigates falling birth rates around the world. She argues that the problem isn’t simply that women are choosing careers over motherhood: millions of people would like children but cannot find someone to have them with. Are we living through a ‘relationship recession’? Have men failed to keep up with women or have expectations changed? And can governments actually do anything about it?

Finally: why are we so nostalgic for the 1990s? The panel look back at Tony Blair, boozy lunches, and the millennium bug – a world before smartphones took over.

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

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Is Britain’s welfare state still a safety net or has it become a pipeline for long-term dependency? Almost one in ten six-year-olds are now categorised as disabled through the benefits system and, on current trends, that figure would rise to one in four 16-year-olds.

Reality Check’s Michael Simmons speaks to The Times's Fraser Nelson – former editor of this parish – about his investigation into Britain’s welfare system: why mental health and behavioural claims among children have surged, how disability benefits can follow young people into adulthood and why the system can leave people financially worse off for working.

Can Britain break the welfare ‘pipeline’ and what would real reform look like?

This episode is brought to you by Artemis Fund Managers, for more information on our fund range please click here: https://www.artemisfunds.com/

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

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Michael Gove is joined by historian Simon Schama to discuss the resurgence of antisemitism in Britain, why many British Jews increasingly feel unsafe, and what history can teach us about the war in Gaza.

Simon argues that the language of genocide is being misapplied to Gaza and warns that historical ignorance, social media and political polarisation are fuelling a new strain of antisemitism on both left and right.

They also discuss Holocaust education, Donald Trump and the politics of truth, the treatment of Jewish students in Britain, and what the rise of antisemitism tells us about the health of liberal democracy.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Henry Lloyd

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For this week’s Book Club, Sam Leith, the Spectator’s literary editor, is joined by Shaun Bythell, proprietor of The Book Shop in Wigtown, Scotland, and author of The Diary of a Bookseller series, to discuss the fourth instalment, The Return of the Bookseller’s Diary.

They discuss the strange characters who wander into second-hand bookshops, the customers who haggle over £2 books, and how Bythell’s shop helped turn Wigtown into Scotland’s unlikely book town.

They also explore the changing world of bookselling, from the rise of online marketplaces to the 18th-century bookseller James Lackington, whose ‘buy cheap, sell cheap’ philosophy has more than a little in common with Amazon.

Plus, Bythell reveals how keeping a diary has changed the way he sees his customers, the unexpected consequences of becoming a published author, and why the Covid-19 pandemic proved surprisingly good for business.

Produced by Abigail Brierley.

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Michael Gove is joined by shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy, live at Conservative party conference in Birmingham, to discuss prisons, policing and the fight against Islamist extremism. Nick reflects on swapping life as a Downing Street adviser for the Commons and makes the case that prison works, before turning to the Tories’ plan for 50,000 new prison places. Britain, he argues, must ‘come down like a ton of bricks’ on extremists – but why did 14 years of Conservative government fail to draw that line?

Plus: West Midlands Police’s ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, the Trafalgar Square iftar, and why Nick changed his mind on legalising cannabis.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Henry Lloyd.

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On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Prue Leith covers her foray into fashion and her life post-Bake Off; John Connolly explores Manchester's close links with the UAE; Flora Watkins asks whatever happened to the midlife crisis; and Lloyd Evans observes a far-right march.

Produced and presented by Abigail Brierley.

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Franz Liszt is remembered as one of the great showmen of the 19th century: a dazzling virtuoso, breaker of pianos and notorious womaniser who inspired a frenzy among his admirers. But a profound Catholic faith ran through his life, which found an increasingly powerful expression in his music. For this Holy Smoke episode, Damian Thompson is joined by the award-winning British pianist Charles Owen, whose new album De Profundis explores the sacred music of both Liszt and César Franck. Owen explains how Liszt translated the stories of saints, scripture and even birdsong into what he argues is some of the most extraordinary music ever written for the piano.

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

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For this special edition of Reality Check, economics editor Michael Simmons hosts a panel from Conservative Party conference on Britain’s growing NEETs crisis: the hundreds of thousands of young people not in education, employment or training. He is joined by shadow education secretary Laura Trott, the CBI’s Megan Bulford, Spectator commissioning editor Lara Brown and the CPS's Daniel Herring.

Why are so many young people struggling to enter the labour market, and is the problem education, welfare, the cost of hiring or something deeper? The panel debate the value of university compared with apprenticeships, whether tax and employment regulation are shutting younger workers out, and whether Britain’s welfare system is making it too easy for young people to fall out of work altogether. Plus: are rising anxiety and poor mental health driving the crisis or are they symptoms of a labour market that is failing the young?

Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Oscar Edmondson.

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For this week’s Edition, Lara Prendergast is joined by the Spectator’s commissioning editor Tali Fraser, Mail on Sunday columnist Peter Hitchens and the historian and Conservative peer Andrew Roberts.

This week: why is antisemitism rising on both the left and right of British politics? On the third anniversary of 7 October, Tali writes in this week’s cover story about what she sees as a growing antisemitic convergence between Zack Polanski's Green Party and Rupert Lowe's Restore Britain. The panel discuss the Green Party’s ‘Zionism is racism’ motion – passed this week at their conference in Brighton – and the increasingly blurred line between anti-Zionism and antisemitism. Is this simply history repeating itself or has something changed in British politics since 7 October? Is the American right helping to normalise some of these ideas? And what does it mean for British Jews, many of whom now face extraordinary security measures simply to attend synagogue?

Plus: did Kemi Badenoch have a good Conservative party conference? Andrew argues that she has finally set out the ideological battle lines, while Peter remains sceptical that the Tory recovery is real – and warns that Reform could still do serious damage.

And finally: Andrew discusses his new book Napoleon and His Marshals, Peter makes the case for paying to visit Britain’s cathedrals, and the panel ask what’s happened to the midlife crisis.

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

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In this week’s Book Club podcast, Sam Leith is joined by author Matthew Sweet to discuss his new biography, The Great Dictator, about the bestselling novelist Barbara Cartland.

They explore the extraordinary life behind Barbara Cartland’s instantly recognisable image – from her beginnings in the aftermath of the First World War to her career as one of the bestselling authors of all time.

They discuss why Cartland was so often dismissed as a joke by literary critics, and how her novels offered generations of women stories of romance, aspiration and consolation. They delve into the political side of her life, including her opposition to appeasement, her campaigning on behalf of Romani travellers and her close relationship with her brother, MP Ronald Cartland.

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Kemi Badenoch has opened Conservative party conference 2026 with statement on her political philosophy, and Michael and Maddie are in Birmingham to go through it. Michael is struck by how much of it disavows the government that he served in, from net zero to the Liz Truss mini-Budget, while Maddie welcomes a leader prepared to argue for incentives over optics. Will backing higher earners revive the 'nasty party' charge – and can Kemi see off Reform's pitch to highly productive workers?

They also put the triple lock to a show of hands, with surprising results, and ask whether Shabana Mahmood has been left exposed by Andy Burnham in cabinet.

Also: the Greens have voted to describe Zionism as racism. What does that mean for the voters who backed them over rivers and recycling?

News clip credit: X.com / Sky News

Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Henry Lloyd

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On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: James Heale reflects on Labour party conference; Angus Colwell goes on the hunt for Britain’s wokest bar; Lisa Haseldine reveals what she has been stockpiling; and Chas Newkey-Burden provides his notes on pickled onions.

Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons.

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James Heale, Tim Shipman and Tali Fraser record live from Conservative Party conference in Birmingham. As we pass the two year mark of Kemi Badenoch's leadership of the Tory Party, the panel discuss whether she has done enough to win voters over and whether the party is ready for an early general election. Did Kemi miss a trick in not pressuring new Prime Minister Andy Burnham for one – and could Kemi survive an election defeat?

Plus, the panel answer a variety of audience questions including: how to make Conservatism more attractive to younger people, how much the Manchester City scandal could tarnish Brand Burnham – and whether the pensions triple lock should be abolished.

Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Oscar Edmondson.

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Michael Gove is joined by novelist and former Conservative Party deputy chairman Jeffrey Archer to discuss his final novel, Adam and Eve, and a life spent close to the centre of British politics.

Jeffrey explains how the book was inspired by September 1940, when Hitler changed his mind three times about invading Britain. They also discuss class, snobbery in the House of Lords, Diana, and his advice for Harry and Meghan.

Plus: Jeffrey reflects on Margaret Thatcher, reveals the prime minister he believes is the most underrated, and considers whether Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage could ever reach an electoral agreement.

Jeffrey Archer’s final book, Adam and Eve, published by HarperCollins is out on the 6th of October 2026, pre-order here…

Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Henry Lloyd.

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James Heale is joined by Tim Shipman and Liam Halligan, Telegraph columnist and the new director of the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS), to look ahead to Conservative party conference, which kicks off today. Kemi Badenoch’s latest attempt to draw clear dividing lines with Andy Burnham was through a tougher welfare offer aimed at the under-25s – as exclusively revealed by Tim in the Spectator this week. Will this, alongside tougher fiscal restraint and general plain speaking, appeal to the wider public?

Plus: how do the Conservatives outflank Reform while seeking to appeal to those in the centre-ground who may have turned to Labour at the next election? The panel also discuss the state of public finances, the role of think-tanks such as the CPS and what to watch for in Birmingham – from party donors and business representatives, to the mood of younger activists.

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

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Michael Simmons is joined live at Labour conference by TUC general secretary Paul Nowak to discuss the state of Britain’s labour market. Are higher wages and stronger employment rights making it harder to hire, or are taxpayers subsidising too many low-paid, insecure jobs? They also discuss energy costs, social care, taxing wealth and banks, and Labour’s biggest mistakes in government.

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For this week’s Edition, Lara Prendergast is joined by the Spectator’s political editor Tim Shipman, restaurant critic Angus Colwell and Telegraph associate editor Poppy Coburn.

This week: does the country want Kemi Badenoch’s tough love? Ahead of Tory party conference, Tim speaks to the Tory leader about her plans to get Britain working again. She argues that if you can work, you should; young people without a work history could be put onto a six-month ‘get to work’ scheme rather than Universal Credit. Badenoch says the Tories have spent too long worrying about being called the ‘nasty party’ and now need to plant their flag on welfare, the economy and conservative values. But while her personal fortunes have improved, has the Tory brand recovered with her?

Also: has Andy Burnham handed the Conservatives an opportunity? Badenoch believes the Prime Minister is moving Labour decisively to the left, while Burnham’s conference speech revived arguments about public ownership, devolution and Britain’s relationship with Europe. Is his attack on, what he sees as the economic consensus of the past 40 years, bold – or an opportunity for the Conservatives to open up ideological fault lines? And how realistic are Burnham’s ambitions to move Britain closer to the EU?

Plus: is AI ruining literature or just exposing bad writing? The panel discuss whether machines can produce genuinely great art, and Tim reveals how he uses AI to sift interview transcripts. And finally: are some people nostalgic for lockdown? Following a controversy over a Boston lesbian bar, Angus looks at the persistence of mask culture, while the panel reveal what they would stockpile for the apocalypse.

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

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In this week’s Book Club podcast, Sam Leith is joined by psychologist and linguist Steven Pinker to discuss his new book, When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows…

Pinker explores the powerful idea of ‘common knowledge’ - not simply what we know, but what we know that other people know, and what we know they know we know.

From the story of the Emperor’s New Clothes to revolutions, financial markets and international relations, he argues that our ability to coordinate with one another depends on making certain things publicly understood.

Sam and Steven also discuss why language may have evolved partly to help us coordinate, why wars can be driven by honour and status as much as resources, and why blushing, laughter and eye contact can all be understood as ways of generating common knowledge.

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Michael Gove is joined by Jonathan Hinder, MP for Pendle and Clitheroe, one of the leading voices of Blue Labour, to discuss class, borders and the common good in a conversation recorded live at Labour conference.

Jonathan, a former police officer, sets out his case against the economic and social 'hyper liberalism' of recent decades, before turning to industrial strategy, North Sea oil and gas, and why his constituents in terraced houses pay more property tax than multi-millionaires in London.

With over a million voters said to have moved from Labour to Reform since the election, can Andy Burnham bring them back – and what would it take on immigration? They also discuss balanced migration, the Danish approach to integration, puberty blockers, and why Jonathan, a Remain voter, thinks rejoining the EU would be a distraction.

And finally: why even police officers love Hot Fuzz.

Produced by: Henry Lloyd and Oscar Edmondson

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Andy Burnham has used his Labour conference speech to set out his clearest vision yet for the country and it was a strikingly ambitious one. Noa Hoffman is joined in Liverpool by Tim Shipman and Michael Simmons to unpack a speech that ranged from a new National Care Service and reform of the pension triple lock to electoral reform, water and Britain’s future relationship with the European Union.

How radical is Burnham’s programme in practice and is the ambition matched in the detail? And what was missing from the speech?

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

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On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Freddy Gray delves into how a smooth-talking Democrat could win the Michigan mid-terms; Michael Simmons explores where the billionaires who leave Britain actually go; Elisabeth Braw explains how we will soon be in a battle for the sea bed; and Angus Colwell reflects on the food on offer at Reform conference.

Produced and presented by Abigail Brierley.

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In this episode of Americano, Freddie Gray speaks with Dr. Edward Howell, an Oxford University lecturer in international relations, about the high-stakes summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, examining Beijing’s strategic desire for global parity, its covert role in enabling an anti-Western alignment alongside Russia, Iran, and North Korea, and the escalating geopolitical tensions surrounding Taiwan, trade, and economic coercion.

Get 'A New Axis of Upheaval: North Korea, Russia, China, Iran' here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Axis-Upheaval-North-Russia/dp/1805266764

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

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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For this week’s Edition, William Moore is joined by the Spectator’s deputy editor Freddy Gray, commissioning editor Lara Brown and deputy political editor James Heale.

This week: will Andy Burnham call an early general election? Tim Shipman’s cover asks whether the Prime Minister might go to the polls sooner than 2029, as Labour faces a worsening fiscal situation and an increasingly difficult choice over tax and spending. With the government’s budget looming, does Burnham need a fresh mandate – or is an election simply too risky? And with Reform and the Conservatives competing for voters on the right, could an early contest catch his opponents off guard?

Also: the coming AI backlash. James writes about the Prime Minister's cautious approach to artificial intelligence and asks whether the government can afford to hedge its bets as the technology transforms the economy. With Britain facing high energy costs and limited computing capacity, can the UK really compete in the AI race?

Across the Atlantic, Freddy looks at Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan whose campaign has attracted attention for its combination of progressive politics, online influence and an emphasis on masculinity and fitness. Could candidates like El-Sayed tell us something about where the American left is heading? And as politicians increasingly turn themselves into social-media personalities, is this more important than traditional party structures?

Plus: would you make a good professional mourners? We explore the strange world of people paid to attend funerals.

Produced by Patrick Gibbons & Abigail Brierley.

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In this week’s Book Club podcast, Sam Leith is joined by philosopher John Sellars to discuss his new book, Stoicism Is Not What You Think.

Sellars explores the ancient philosophy of Stoicism and challenges some of its most common misconceptions – from the idea that Stoics repress their emotions to the belief that they are cold, indifferent and detached from the world.

From its origins in ancient Athens to its modern revival online, Sellars explains what the Stoics actually believed and counter Stoicism’s reputation beyond its ‘stiff upper lip’ image.

Sam and John also discuss Marcus Aurelius, the role of women in the history of Stoicism, and the growing body of psychological research asking whether putting Stoic ideas into practice can actually improve our lives.

Produced by Abigail Brierley.

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On this week’s episode of Quite right!: Earl Spencer's new memoir, Swan Song, has drawn a rare direct response from Buckingham Palace. Michael and Maddie weigh up the book's most salacious charges against the King, and ask whether the Earl is driven by money, pride, or something closer to revenge. Is this a serious blow to the monarchy – or do the public just not care what Earl Spencer has to say?

Also: It is the turn of the Lib Dem conference, where a row over women's spaces has overshadowed Ed Davey's attacks on Reform's donors. Can they ever again be the party of John Stuart Mill?

Finally: Lambeth Palace withdraws an award from a Pakistani cleric who had backed an honorary title for Osama bin Laden. What does it say about the Church of England?

Produced by Henry Lloyd.

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Some whistleblowers from the AI industry claim there is a more than 10% chance that artificial intelligence could wipe out humanity within a few years. A group of mostly Labour MPs has written to Andy Burnham calling for action on existential AI risk, while conceding there is little the British government can do about it alone.

Michael Simmons speaks to John Power about the incentives behind the warnings, whether AI can realistically be regulated and why more mundane harms, from AI-written complaints flooding bodies such as IPSO to hackers using chatbots, may deserve more attention. Are the doom-mongers sounding a genuine alarm – or selling the most powerful product ever built?

This episode is brought to you by Artemis Fund Managers, for more information on our fund range please click here https://www.artemisfunds.com/

Produced by Henry Lloyd

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On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Tim Shipman delves into the impact Ed Miliband’s Israeli sanctions have had on UK security; Charles Steel explores the men on the spectrum who rule the world; Alex Diggins talks about the importance of physical maps; and Rachel Johnson admits there’s an art to buying birthday presents. 

Produced and presented by Abigail Brierley.

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Pakistani Christians could face renewed persecution following the Archbishop of Canterbury’s decision to withdraw an honour to a leading Muslim cleric, Monsignor Michael Nazir-Ali warns in this episode of Holy Smoke.

The former Bishop of Rochester speaks to Damian Thompson following the news that Lambeth Palace has had to withdraw an award to Hafiz Ashrafi after previous comments by the Imam came to light. Following the ‘Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation' award being presented, it came to light that Ashrafi had praised Osama bin Laden in 2007, saying he would give the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks the title Saifullah – or 'Sword of God’ – for ’serving Muslims by waging jihad against infidels’. 

The question remains ‘why there was not due diligence’ Msgr Nazir-Ali tells Damian, saying Pakistani Christian leaders fear a backlash. The ‘reactionary action on the part of extremists’ should have been thought about before making the announcement, Nazir-Ali said, as he criticised Lambeth Palace. Msgr Nazir-Ali, now a priest of the Catholic Ordinariate and who was born in Pakistan, is a world renowned authority on Islam's relations with Christianity. He talks to Damian about the debacle over the award, and warns against the increasing secularisation and desecration of British churches.

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

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is episode of Americano, Freddy Gray speaks with Steve Bannon – former White House chief strategist for Donald Trump - about the ideological convergence between national populists and progressive Leftists as they confront the existential risks of unbridled AI, the suppression of internal whistleblower warnings by Silicon Valley elites, and the urgent necessity of cutting off Chinese access to Western microchips and capital.

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For this week’s Edition, William Moore is joined by the Spectator’s associate editor and director of the Free Speech Union Toby Young, journalist and author Esther Walker, and Mail on Sunday columnist Peter Hitchens.

This week: the men on the spectrum who rule the world. Charles Steel writes in the magazine about the wealthy, obsessive and often unconventional figures who increasingly shape politics and technology – from Elon Musk to the crypto billionaire Ben Delo. Is autism a useful way of understanding these men or has society become too obsessed with diagnosing people? Toby argues that traits such as hyper-focus and an indifference to what others think can be an advantage in competitive professions, while Peter dismisses our enthusiasm for putting people on ‘spectrums’ altogether. And, as tech leaders issue increasingly apocalyptic warnings about artificial intelligence, should we take them seriously or be suspicious of calls for greater regulation?

Also: should parents really be worried about the ‘manosphere’? Esther argues that the moral panic surrounding online influencers such as Andrew Tate is already out of date. Teenage boys, she says, are perfectly capable of recognising when misogyny is being used as a business model – and many are more interested in mocking influencers than following them. But with ‘looksmaxxing’, bodybuilding and increasingly extreme attempts at self-improvement taking off online, are boys becoming more like the teenage girls of previous generations?

Plus: Peter reveals why he has fallen out of love with America – and in love with Canada, while Toby marks 35 years since the launch of the Modern Review.

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

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In the second part of his conversation with Michael Gove, Rory Stewart defends the most taboo position in British politics: that private schools are worth protecting. He further argues that the only excuse for privilege is living up to its obligations, and that a wealth tax would destroy the idea of public service.

Rory tells Michael what Nigel Farage and Reform UK get wrong about tax, why he disagrees with Peter Thiel on what the wealthy should do with their money, and why Rishi Sunak staying in parliament matters more than anyone noticed.

They also discuss how to get Britain growing, why he is a big fan of building more data centres, and how Rory came to be at peace with 450 new houses being built at the end of his own driveway.

Plus: What he really disagrees with Alastair Campbell about, the writers he cannot stand, and his plans for the future.

You can pre-order Rory's book Middleland now

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In this week's Book Club podcast, Sam Leith is joined by The New Yorker writer Anand Gopal, whose new book, long-listed for the Baillie Gifford Prize, is Days of Love and Rage: A Story of Revolution.

What does freedom mean once the dictator has gone? Anand explains why he spent eight years reporting on Manbij, a city of 150,000 that pushed out the Assad regime and set about building a democracy from scratch – and how the argument over what came next split the revolution in two. They discuss the bubblegum seller who became a protest leader, the police chief who quietly stopped shooting at the crowds, how six outsiders talked their way into control of the city, and why the manuscript was handed in three days before Assad fell.

Produced by Henry Lloyd

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Michael Gove is joined by Rory Stewart, for a conversation he admits would ‘revolt’ his podcasting partner Alastair Campbell.

Rory sets out the migration policy he would impose: every boat he would return to France, how he would cut the number of legal arrivals, and completely rework Britain’s broken asylum system.

Rory argues that the grooming gangs debate is being conducted in bad faith, that migrant communities in Britain tend to assimilate rather than isolate, and that the culture warriors have picked a fight that distracts from Britain’s bigger problems. 

Part Two, in which he makes a case for the future of private education and explains how Britain can achieve growth, will be released on Thursday 17th September.

You can pre-order Rory's book Middleland now

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On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Tali Fraser delves into why Labour’s socioeconomic duty is attacking the middle classes; John Power tells us how clipping is changing politics, Sophia Money-Coutts muses over which car would best suit her dog; and Angus Colwell spills the beans on Soho’s newest Turkish restaurant.  

Produced and presented by Abigail Brierley.

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Andy Burnham has announced his intention to change a law which bars him from advising the King on appointments to the Church of England. The Victorian-era law explicitly bars Catholics like Burnham, as well as Jews – but doesn't prevent those of other Christian denominations, other faiths – like Hindu Rishi Sunak, or atheists like Keir Starmer. So, if the law is going to be changed to address this anomaly, should it allow all Prime Ministers of any faith to provide advice – or should all non-Anglicans be barred? And what does Burnham's interest in the power tell us about his relationship with his faith – and his approach to the job?

The Spectator's James Heale and William Moore join Damian Thompson to discuss.

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

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William Moore is joined by The Spectator's economics editor Michael Simmons, The Spectator's commissioning editor and writer at large Tali Fraser, and the Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party Alex Burghart MP.

This week: has Labour stopped just stopping oil? Michael reveals that ministers are expected to approve the Jackdaw gas field within days, while Rosebank is held back until after the by-election in Keir Starmer's old seat – and asks whether a party whose last energy secretary called the project 'climate vandalism' has really changed its mind, or has just found a half measure it can live with.

Also: is Britain about to get a new social order? Tali examines the socio-economic duty, a dormant clause of the Equality Act that Labour now plans to switch on, requiring public bodies to weigh social background in every decision they make. The panel discuss what that would mean for school admissions, NHS waiting lists and potholes. Is this equality of outcome by the back door – or simply a charter for lawyers?

Plus: after 900 years, is the Bayeux Tapestry worth the wait?

Produced by Henry Lloyd.

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