Planet Normal

You can watch this episode in full on YouTube:

The rocket of right thinking is back for a crucial Budget Special as Chancellor John Healey delivers his low-key first budget amidst mounting economic pressure.
Joining the co-pilots to unpack the reality behind the numbers is the brilliant Telegraph columnist, Roger Bootle, who assesses Britain's fragile fiscal health, rising bond yields, and the hidden costs of net-zero policies.

Liam dives into the underwhelming fiscal statement, the reality of soaring debt interest payments, and the political calculations behind a potential early general election.

Meanwhile Allison and Roger dissect the widening gap between official economic forecasts and the harsh daily struggles of hardworking taxpayers, alongside updates on Allison’s survivalist prepping.

Highlights
Planet Normal: Budget reaction special
Allison and Liam are joined by Telegraph columnist, Roger Bootle

Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |
Read Allison ‘The horror of Aberfan will never die, but neither will the humanity’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10/21/horror-aberfan-never-die-neither-humanity/ |
Read Allison ‘Labour is forcing me to prepare for a disaster of its own making’:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10/27/labour-forcing-me-prepare-disaster/ |
Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ |
Read Liam ‘No time for schadenfreude if French bonds blow up first’:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/10/25/no-time-for-schadenfreude-if-french-bonds-blow-up-first/ |
Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |
Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |
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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |
Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |
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You can watch this episode in full on YouTube:

Recorded live in front of a packed room at the Battle of Ideas Festival in Westminster, your co-pilots are joined by two special guests to help them tackle the week’s biggest cultural and economical flashpoints.
Liam opens by examining widespread European unrest and the mounting fiscal pressures facing the UK as the October budget approaches, drawing parallels to the 1976 IMF bailout. Will it end up being a tale of two Healeys?

Meanwhile, Allison dives into the looming threat of power cuts, the staggering costs of propping up a rickety national energy grid, and her new obsession with survivalist prepping.
Joining Allison and Liam onstage are Lucy Connolly who discusses her new book A Tweet Too Far, alongside Cambridge professor Robert Tombs, who breaks down the ongoing battles over British History and free speech.

Highlights
Planet Normal: Live at The Battle of Ideas
Allison and Liam are joined by Cambridge professor Robert Tombs and Lucy Connolly

Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |
Read Allison ‘Suspend asylum and save Britain before it’s too late’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10/13/allison-pearson-suspend-asylum-claims-nigel-farage/ |
Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ |
Read Liam ‘Crazy diesel prices are a misfortune of our own making’:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/10/18/crazy-diesel-prices-are-a-misfortune-of-our-own-making/ |
Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |
Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |
Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |
Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |
For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You can watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qiNe1Vw1fBY

With the October Budget looming larger on the horizon, your co-pilots are cutting through all the noise to deliver the big talking points this week and are joined on the Rocket of right thinking by a very special guest.

Liam dives into Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s recent comments on The Rest is Politics, where he reopened the Brexit debate and claimed Russian interference in the 2016 referendum, drawing public rebuke from MI5 boss Ken McCallum.

Meanwhile, Allison addresses the ongoing warnings of potential power cuts amidst the mounting crisis surrounding the UK’s energy infrastructure, by sharing her new hobby of disaster prepping.
Plus stepping into the Rocket this week is Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, who discusses a range of topics including a policy announcement on asylum claims and personal threats to his security.

Planet Normal: Bringing back Brexit? You must be Joking
Guest Nigel Farage: The Reform UK leader assesses Asylum policy, small boats and security threats to politicians on the right

Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |
Buy your ticket for the Battle of Ideas: https://www.battleofideas.org.uk/battle-of-ideas-festival-tickets-2026/ |
Read Allison ‘Suspend asylum and save Britain before it’s too late’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10/13/allison-pearson-suspend-asylum-claims-nigel-farage/ |
Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ |
Read Liam ‘The battle of ideas looming over the British economy’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/10/11/the-battle-of-ideas-looming-over-the-british-economy/ |
Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |
Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |
Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |
Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |
For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You can watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4ZZZoH77k14

Another week, another conference and the October Budget looms but mere weeks away… however your co-pilots wade through the slurry to bring you the tasty news morsels.
Liam shares his direct observations from the Troy conference floor, assessing the party’s mood, policy direction, and leadership.
Meanwhile, Allison addresses the rising tide of antisemitism and highlights her latest Telegraph column marking the third anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
Strapping in this week is financial expert John Banerjee who tells your co-pilot why the UK is lagging behind in energy policy and how it could affect our opportunity to become a leader in AI…

Highlights
Planet Normal: Labour’s energy insecurity intensifies
October 7 Anniversary: Allison reflects on her column marking three years since the Hamas attacks.
Guest John Banerjee: The former macro trader assesses Britain's fiscal health and energy infrastructure.
Energy Security: The co-pilots discuss Britain's fragile energy grid

Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |
Buy your ticket for the Battle of Ideas: https://www.battleofideas.org.uk/battle-of-ideas-festival-tickets-2026/ |
Read Allison ‘The horrors of Oct 7 are still seared into my mind. Why won’t the West wake up?’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/10/06/october-7-horrors/ |
Read Allison ‘Suella Braverman: My immigrant family was too proud for benefits’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10/04/suella-braverman-my-father-was-too-proud-to-go-on-the-dole/ |
Read Allison ‘Is Richard E Grant a Machiavellian schemer or a giddy fool?’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10/02/richard-e-grant-celebrity-traitors-schemer-or-fool/ |
Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ |
Read Liam ‘Burnham’s conference speech was detached from fiscal reality’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/10/04/burnhams-conference-speech-was-detached-from-fiscal-reality/ |
Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |
Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |
Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |
Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |
For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You can watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZeBZTYZaSTE

Your Planet Normal co-pilots return to a tsunami of news, promises from Labour conference and Andy Burnham to ease the nations finances and is the Home Secretary watering down her own migration policies?

Allison takes aim at the PM’s pledges, calling them nothing but empty words and laying blame so far in the past you’d be forgiven for not realising we have had successive failures from Government since the 70s.

Liam delves into the costing of the social care promises and how scrapping the triple lock, in favour of a double lock, will work in reality.
Stowing away is former Home Secretary Suella Braverman who tells your co pilots about her life, politics and career in her new book, ‘Patriot: Empire, betrayal, and hope’.

Highlights
Planet Normal: Burnham’s false hope economics
Social care plans fall flat
Shabana Mahmood waters down immigration plans
Triple lock scrapped, but will it balance any books

Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |
Buy Suella’s book: https://www.waterstones.com/book/patriot/suella-braverman/9781918944044 |
Buy your ticket for the Battle of Ideas: https://www.battleofideas.org.uk/battle-of-ideas-festival-tickets-2026/ |
Watch ‘Stirling Series | The SAS: The Past, Present and Future of UK Special Forces’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELisq0gwlqY |
Read Allison ‘Suella Braverman: My immigrant family was too proud for benefits’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10/04/suella-braverman-my-father-was-too-proud-to-go-on-the-dole/ |
Read Allison ‘Is Richard E Grant a Machiavellian schemer or a giddy fool?’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10/02/richard-e-grant-celebrity-traitors-schemer-or-fool/ |
Read Allison ‘Now more than ever, we must stand up for the SAS’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/09/29/stand-up-for-sas/ |
Read Allison ‘Strictly won’t survive if it carries on selling out for the youth audience’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/09/26/allison-pearson-strictly-youth-pandering/ |
Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ |
Read Liam ‘Trump’s diesel ban would be a disaster – for Britain and the White House’’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/09/27/trumps-diesel-ban-disaster-britain-white-house/ |
Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |
Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |
Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |
Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |
For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.