Coffee House Shots

Two titans of broadcasting – LBC’s Iain Dale and Sky's Jon Craig – join deputy political editor James Heale for a whistle-stop tour of British by-elections. From Oxford City in 1938 to Chesterfield in 1984 right up to Runcorn in 2025, why do by-elections matter? When have they been most significant? And are longer vote counts the product of fractured politics in the modern age?

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.
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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been released under caution after he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office – the image of him sat slumped in the back of a car while leaving Norfolk police station on his 66th birthday splashes all the morning papers. Focussing on the politics, his could throw up lots of difficult questions for Labour and Keir Starmer – and governments famously don’t much like talking about the Royals. What problems will this cause Starmer?
In other news, it is not shaping up to be an easy return after recess, not least with Donald Trump’s latest intervention on the Chagos deal. How many more setbacks can the plan endure?
Oscar Edmondson speaks to Tim Shipman and James Heale.
Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
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General Sir Nick Carter, former chief of the defence staff, joins Tim Shipman to discuss Britain's military preparedness – or rather, lack thereof. While a friendlier US presence at the Munich Security Conference may have provided some relief, the military threats to the UK and to Europe presented are still stark. So what choices need to be addressed to ensure that Britain is equipped to deal with these threats? Is the government doing enough to address the awareness gap with the public? And how could AI change warfare?

Tim's cover piece, Defenceless: the grim truth about Britain's military, can be found here.

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.
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It is Robert Jenrick’s big day out today. The newly-minted Reform ‘shadow chancellor’ made his first speech this morning, where he had the chance to show what kind of chancellor he would be and – sporting a snazzy pair of specs – he had plenty of soothing words to calm the jitters of the bond markets.
The top news lines from his presser was his decision to kill Reform’s two-child benefit cap – Nigel Farage’s big offer to Labour voters last summer – and the announcement that he he would support the independence of the OBR and the Bank of England. Is this a missed opportunity for Reform UK?
Oscar Edmondson speaks to Michael Simmons and Tim Shipman.
Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
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Reform UK is no longer a one-man band. Nigel Farage has unveiled Reform's four spokesmen for the “great offices of state” at a press conference in Westminster. Recent Tory defector Robert Jenrick has been given the Chancellor brief, Zia Yusuf is in charge of home affairs, Suella Braverman is responsible for education and Richard Tice will look after business and energy. The format resembled a game show like the ‘Weakest Link’ or ‘Take Me Out’. Each of the quartet was introduced, given a spotlight and then had it turned out when their time was up.

Is this new 'shadow cabinet' ready for No. 10, or just Tory 2.0? Tim Shipman, James Heale, and Megan McElroy discuss.
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