Best of the Spectator21 Nov 2025

The Edition: Labour's toxic budget, Zelensky in trouble & Hitler's genitalia

It’s time to scrap the budget, argues political editor Tim Shipman this week. An annual fiscal event only allows the Chancellor to tinker round the edges, faced with a backdrop of global uncertainty. Endless potential tax rises have been trailed, from taxes on mansions, pensions, savings, gambling, and business partnerships, and nothing appears designed to fix Britain’s structural problems. Does our economics editor Michael Simmons agree?

Host Lara Prendergast is joined by co-host – and the Spectator’s features editor – William Moore, alongside associate editor Owen Matthews and economics editor Michael Simmons.

As well as the cover, they discuss: the corruption scandal that has weakened Ukraine’s President Zelensky – could he be forced out; how global winds are taming meaning we’re living through a ‘great stilling’; with new research alleging that Hitler had a micropenis – does it matter; how grief is natural and dead relatives shouldn’t be digitised; whether Artificial Intelligence could be useful in schools; and finally, what Turkey could teach the UK about luxury healthcare.

Plus: what did Owen learn on a mushroom retreat in Amsterdam – and why did William wait ten years to go to the dentist?

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

The Spectator is trialling new formats for this podcast, and we would very much welcome feedback via this email address: podcast@spectator.co.uk

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Episoder(2699)

Quite right!: Katharine Birbalsingh interview

Katharine Birbalsingh is the founder and headmistress of Michaela Community School in Wembley, and has been dubbed Britain’s strictest headteacher. Under her leadership, Michaela has become one of the...

28 Jul 55min

Reality Check: Britain's homelessness & why Burnham won't fix it

Andy Burnham has laid out some of his top policy agendas for his premiership. Top of the list is to tackle homelessness – something the former Manchester mayor pledged to solve in Greater Manchester t...

28 Jul 14min

Spectator Out Loud: James Heale, Iona Bain, Tali Fraser & James Phillips

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: James Heale explains what the Opposition parties plan to do now that Andy Burnham is in No 10; Iona Bain explains why premium bonds are a pointless way to save for y...

26 Jul 24min

Americano: how Steve Hilton plans to win California

Steve Hilton is the British immigrant backed by President Trump who is running to be the next governor of California. On the podcast Steve and Freddy discuss his campaign, one slogan being Cali-fordab...

26 Jul 32min

The Edition: Burnham’s chaotic takeover

This week: has Andy Burnham really brought change to Downing Street – or merely repackaged Labour’s old guard? Has Ed Miliband been sidelined by being sent to the Foreign Office, a ‘non-job’ in which ...

23 Jul 38min

The Book Club: 160 years of Beatrix Potter

This week marks the 160th anniversary of Beatrix Potter’s birth. In this week’s Book Club podcast, I’m joined by Penny Bradshaw, author of An A–Z of Beatrix Potter, and the historian and biographer Ka...

22 Jul 46min

Quite right!: inside Burnham’s brutal Labour purge

Andy Burnham has begun his premiership with a sweeping reshuffle, purging many of Keir Starmer’s closest allies and installing a cabinet in his own image. Has he ended Labour factionalism – or simply ...

21 Jul 50min

Spectator Out Loud: Michael Gove, Count Binface, Michael Simmons & Graeme Thomson

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Michael Gove explains why he is against more security for MPs; taking a brief break from campaigning in clacton as count binface, Jon Harvey explains why Christopher...

21 Jul 29min