Latest news with #CoffeeHouseShots
Spectator
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Spectator
Will Jacob Rees-Mogg return to frontline politics?
On Wednesday evening an esteemed group of Spectator subscribers gathered in London for the latest Coffee House Shots live event, where editor Michael Gove interviewed Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf and former Conservative MP Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg. The discussion focused on last week's local elections, what they mean for both Labour and the Conservatives, and how Reform plans to build on its support. And on the subject of future planning, when quizzed whether he could see himself coming back to frontline politics, Rees-Mogg hinted he wouldn't be opposed to making a return… The Tory grandee left parliament in July after 14 years of representing the constituents of North East Somerset. But a rather curious opportunity looks set to arise, after it emerged last month that Labour man and former West of England mayor Dan Norris – who won the North East Somerset and Hanham seat in the July election – had been arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences.
Spectator
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Spectator
Ash Regan: Scottish politicians have been gaslighting the public for years
Ash Regan quit Nicola Sturgeon's SNP government almost three years ago in protest at the former first minister's controversial gender reform bill. Regan rose to prominence after she left her role as community safety minister over the legislation and then stood, unsuccessfully, to be leader of the party in 2023 after Sturgeon stepped down. Fast forward about six months and Regan ditched the SNP altogether, defecting to the late Alex Salmond's Alba party. Now, the pro-independence party's Holyrood leader speaks to The Spectator about the changing state of politics north of the border, the first in a series of special Coffee House Shots episodes in the run-up to the 2026 Holyrood elections. It was only a few months ago that Regan contested the Alba party leadership, following the death of Alex Salmond. She narrowly lost to political veteran and Salmond's deputy, Kenny MacAskill, receiving 48 per cent of the vote to his 52.
Spectator
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Spectator
Ash Regan on the rise of Reform in Scotland, what is a woman and why ‘no-one resigns anymore'
In this special edition of Coffee House Shots, Lucy Dunn speaks to the Holyrood leader of the pro-independence Alba party, Ash Regan. Regan was formerly a member of the SNP and even ran to be the party's leader after Nicola Sturgeon resigned in 2023. She defected to the late Alex Salmond's Alba party 18 months ago and ran for party leader after his death. On the podcast, she talks to Lucy about the difference between Alba and the SNP, the threat of Reform in Scotland, the 'performative' nature of Scottish politics, the Supreme Court ruling over what is a woman, and why she was right to resign over the Gender Recognition Bill.
Times
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Times
Michael Gove's damage imitation game
As Labour and the Tories fail to shift their woeful local election narratives, perhaps they should take the Michael Gove approach to media management: namely, be silly. The former Tory minister tells the Coffee House Shots podcast that he used 'diversionary tactics' when Boris Johnson had terrible local elections. Gove, wrong-footed his interviewers by saying talk of a leadership challenge was 'bonkerooney'. He insists this 'managed, at least for a few hours, to change the narrative'. Indeed, a no-confidence vote in Johnson was delayed, but Gove took the tactic too far. Soon after, he adopted a Scouse accent and told the nation to 'Calm down! Calm down!' Gove admits: 'That probably wasn't as successful as it might have been'. Johnson resigned two months later. The
