Rayner vs Streeting – and what is 'active government'?

In his column this week, Tim Shipman has finally hit upon an answer to the age-old question: what is Starmerism? After a concerted effort from his team to tie the Prime Minister down to a definitive ‘-ism’, he has delivered a threefold structure: firstly, the contestable claim that Labour has achieved macroeconomic stability by clinging grimly to the Chancellor’s fiscal rules, which will mean interest rates and inflation fall; secondly, Starmer will say Britain needs an ‘active government’ to intervene directly in retail offers; and finally, the PM will seek to tie together domestic and international policy by arguing that Britain needs ‘an active and engaged government abroad’ if it is to control the cost of living at home.

But is this the sort of thing that can secure his position? The rumour swirling around Westminster is that Streeting has up to 200 supporters waiting in the wings, and a straight fight between him and Angela Rayner is the most likely scenario given a poor local elections result.

Tim Shipman and James Heale discuss.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.

For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(3324)

The definitive guide to 'Manchesterism'

Everyone in Westminster is trying desperately to peer inside Andy Burnham’s head and work out what ‘Manchesterism’ really is – and in the magazine this week, Tali Fraser offers the definitive take. Ra...

9 Jul 10min

Labour is one big happy family | with Chris Curtis MP

Nominations openned today for the next Labour leader and – spoiler alert – it looks as though Andy Burnham might clinch it. We strongly suspect he will be the only person to put his name forward, afte...

9 Jul 14min

Inside Reform's by-election masterplan

Nigel Farage’s Clacton by-election gamble has not gone quite to plan: the major parties have called his bluff and refused to stand. Is this now a Potemkin by-election – or has Farage still succeeded i...

8 Jul 17min

Nigel Farage rage quits

Nigel Farage has resigned as an MP to force a by-election in Clacton, where he intends to stand again.It comes as scrutiny mounts over Reform UK’s funding, the £5 million gift Farage received from the...

7 Jul 13min

Has Farage blown it?

Nigel Farage is facing fresh questions over his finances, after reports about George Cottrell – ‘Posh George’ – and his role in funding staff and security for Reform before the 2024 election. The part...

6 Jul 18min

Isabel Hardman's Sunday Roundup - 05/07/2026

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning’s political shows.Nigel Farage is in the spotlight again over his finances. And Labour back Andy Burnham to deliver change.Become a Spectator sub...

5 Jul 15min

Anthony Scaramucci on Trump, Corruption & America at 250

As Americans mark the 250th anniversary of the 1776 Declaration of Independence, Anthony Scaramucci joins the Spectator to provide his assessment of the health of the nation. As we approach the halfwa...

4 Jul 34min

REVEALED: Treasury abandons numeracy to boost diversity

A scoop by The Spectator’s news editor has taken Westminster by storm this week, after it emerged that the Treasury had ditched the numerical reasoning test for its high-flying graduate scheme. Oscar ...

3 Jul 11min