Quite right!

In this week’s Q&A: does Labour have a women problem? Michael and Maddie discuss why the party has never had a female leader, whether its embrace of identity politics has created a rod for its own back, and why gender-critical feminists on the left have found themselves in exile.
Also this week: why won’t any party touch the triple lock? Michael argues that the state pension has become an unsustainable transfer to the section of the electorate most likely to vote – but can any politician make the case for reform without being accused of ‘mugging granny’?
Plus: Parliament at its best and worst. From Danny Kruger and William Hague to Hilary Benn, George Galloway and Tom Tugendhat – what makes a truly great Commons speech?
Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
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Nigel Farage has resigned as MP for Clacton and will fight a by-election in an attempt to turn questions over his finances into a referendum on ‘the people vs the establishment’. Is this a political masterstroke or a mistake? Has Farage taken back control of the narrative, or will the row over undeclared money continue to plague Reform?
Michael and Maddie also discuss whether Dominic Cummings’s prophecy – that the establishment would try to destroy Farage by fair means or foul – has come true.
Plus: Prince Harry has suffered a bruising defeat in court against the Mail. What does the ruling tell us about press freedom?
Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
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In this week’s Q&A: as Bridget Phillipson and Kemi Badenoch clash over Labour’s education policy, Michael asks whether he is a ‘spiteful class warrior’ too. He has written before about his scepticism over the charitable status of some of the country’s elite academic institutions, arguing that they should do more to earn it – but does he regret his comments?
Also this week: as Britain edges closer to life under Burnham, Michael and Maddie discuss who is really pulling the strings behind the famous black door. What is a chief of staff: a vital part of the machinery of government, or a civil servant with an inflated sense of importance?
Plus: Ken, Boris or Sadiq – who will be remembered as the best mayor of London?
Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
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This week: Burnham’s strategy – or lack of one – a ‘number ten of the North’ and why immigration is the real test.
What is so wrong with the South: Andy Burnham thinks devolution is the answer to Broken Britain, but does his diagnosis amount to an actionable plan for government? And does his focus on the North come at the expense of some of Britain’s most deprived areas? Michael knows the machinery of levelling up better than anyone and Madeline was in the room as Burnham made his big pitch – they give their verdict.
Plus: Shabana Mahmood’s immigration muddle. After a row with junior minister Mike Tapp, the Home Office has announced plans for new safe and legal routes for asylum seekers, modelled on the Homes for Ukraine scheme. But is indefinite leave to remain the real test for Labour’s new approach?
Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
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This week: Burnham’s cabinet, Prince George’s schooling – and the buildings that make Britain beautiful.
As Andy Burnham prepares to enter Downing Street, Michael and Madeline ask who should make up his dream Labour cabinet. Might he draw from the impressive pool of Blue Labour talent: Jonathan Hinder at business, Maurice Glasman at education – and, of course, Shabana Mahmood as prime minister. Do Labour need to be a little more patriotic?
Also on the podcast: should Prince George go to Eton? Michael and Madeline discuss whether a future king needs a ‘normal’ education, why the choice should be left to his parents and whether Britain should stop chipping away at the privileges of monarchy.
And finally: from Wagner’s Festspielhaus to Georgian rectories, Durham Cathedral and the Sagrada Familia, what makes a building truly great?
Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
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