Planet Normal
A weekly podcast from The Telegraph featuring columnists Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan, offering news and views from beyond the political bubble. Each episode provides commentary on current events and cultural issues from a conservative perspective.
Episodes
Labour’s new migration policies will create a 'Burnham bump’
You can watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bW3b5qKQP6ICo-pilot Pearson returns from her break in Sicily to find political chaos in full swing following Keir Starmer's resignation announcement last week.Liam and Allison dissect Andy Burnham's bid for the top job, with Liam labelling him "Boris in a bomber jacket" and questioning whether his tax-heavy vision of "Manchesterism" c
Burnham is the wrong answer to the UK’s economic problem
You can watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/D90j1xiHV_cA news heatwave has caused chaos across the land, Co-pilot Halligan pressed the emergency button and is joined by under-study Baroness Claire Fox while Co-pilot Pearson recovers from the shock of it all.Liam congratulates Andy Burnham on his victory in Makerfield, and apparently set to have a coronation rather than a contes
Social Media Ban: Starmer finally gets something right
You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/lq-8ZhnYjjkThe rocket of right thinking speeds around planet normal gathering the news tsunami of this week… Allison surprises Liam by AGREEING with Sir Keir Starmer’s social media ban for under 16 year olds, as she states in her column this week. The addictive and toxic nature of smartphones has ruined children’s attention spans and the
Civil unrest will only get worse if people’s concerns remain ignored
You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qNYLdKrCI_oOn your rocket of right thinking this week co-pilots Pearson and Halligan discuss the recent riots in Belfast and the two-tier policing worries continuing from the murder of Henry Nowak.Liam thinks Kemi Badenoch’s call to ‘treat people equally’ under the law is correct and the DEI training given to police has disproportionately aff
10 years on from the Referendum, have we even had Brexit yet?
You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/82lXs84p8_MThis week on Planet Normal, your co-pilots of sanity, Liam Halligan and Allison Pearson, confront the tragic murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak and the national outrage surrounding the police's handling of the case. Marking the 10th anniversary of the Brexit referendum with former Vote Leave chief executive, Lord Matthew Elliott, th
Blair is talking sense on this Lefty Labour Party, and Starmer should listen to save them
You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/uXkk5GHpPE4This week on Planet Normal, your co-pilots of sanity, Liam Halligan and Allison Pearson, dive into a political landscape dominated by explosive leadership interventions and growing institutional scandal. Following a dramatic local election period, the duo analyzes a scathing 5,000-word essay by former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who
Labour drags us further to the '70s and Burnham stokes the psychodrama
You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wQSgb9En2k0This week on Planet Normal, your co-pilots of sanity, Liam Halligan and Alison Pearson, take us back to the 1970s as they look at the retro economic policies dragging the country in reverse. With financial markets reacting to the Labour infighting with horror, sending the UK government's borrowing costs to a staggering 30-year high
Is Starmer’s Labour drama as fleeting as Streeting’s bid for PM?
You can watch this episode on YoutTube: https://youtu.be/5Zb71ekLVBEThis week on Planet Normal, your co-pilots of sanity, Liam Halligan and Allison Pearson, sift through the debris of a historic set of local elections that have left Sir Keir Starmer clinging to power.The duo analyse the turquoise tsunami that saw Reform UK gain over 1,400 council seats, whilst the Prime Minister faces a precarious
Inflation threats to consumer prices and Happy 100th birthday to Sir David Attenborough!
You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/81-0uu_POWEOn the rocket of sweet reason this week we are avoiding talking about the May elections, so hold tight for a bumper episode next week!Meanwhile, Allison reflects on one hundred years of Sir David Attenborough as he celebrates his birthday this coming Friday and shares her memories of interviewing him in the Venezuelan rainforest ne
Starmer survives a vote this week, but what will the May elections reveal for Labour
You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/v0ptnvQnGUQThis week on Planet Normal your co-pilots of sanity, Liam Halligan and Allison Pearson, navigate the wreckage of the UK’s two-party system as seismic local and devolved elections loom on May 7th. With the UK inflation rate remaining a major concern and the Strait of Hormuz effectively blockaded by Iran, the duo examines how geopoli
The Mandelson mess, stagflation returns, and the battle for Wales
This week on the rocket, co-pilots Halligan and Pearson dive into the political firestorm engulfing Westminster as Sir Keir Starmer faces intense scrutiny over the botched appointment of Peter Mandelson as Ambassador to the US. Following explosive evidence from former civil servant Sir Olly Robbins, the duo explores the ‘process-driven’ culture of the current government and whether it is shielding
Osborne and Cameron cut UK defence spending - and now Starmer is making it worse
You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-e1x0gsvjfYThis week on the rocket, co-pilots Halligan and Pearson eye a horizon of storm clouds gathering over Britain’s economy and national security.Liam breaks down the "serious downgrade" from the IMF, which predicts the UK will suffer more economic fallout from the war in Iran than any other major economy. He asks if the government is b
Trump strikes ceasefire with Iran as Starmer grandstands in the Gulf
You can watch this episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/B0VweeU7QlAThis week on Planet Normal, your co-pilots navigate their way from the high-stakes geopolitics of the Strait of Hormuz to the local battlegrounds of the South London Waitrose middle aisle, they examine whether common sense has gone to die - and whether the UK is becoming ‘Blighty no-mates’ on the world stage.Pondering the paradox o
The Liberal consensus gave us mass migration and broken boarders
In this week’s dispatch from the sanctuary of sweet reason, co-pilots Pearson and Halligan examine a growing sense of national insecurity as Britain faces a big economic hit from the US-Iran war and the systemic economic vandalism of a new tax year. The duo discuss the ongoing scandal of NHS waiting lists, with Alison analysing the apparent waiting list cleansing and the statistical chicanery
Anti-semitism is clearly out of control in the UK
You can watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/z53vu3azxZsIn this week’s dispatch from the sanctuary of sweet reason, your co-pilots of sanity Liam Halligan and Allison Pearson, address the rise of antisemitic attacks in Britain, including the chilling firebombing of Jewish charity ambulances in North London. Alison shares her continuing case against Essex’s police and crime
UK Meningitis outbreak and Starmer’s abortion policy shame
You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/QVXFsa07RpoIn this week’s dispatch from the sanctuary of sweet reason, co-pilots Pearson and Halligan examine a growing sense of national insecurity as Britain faces a perfect storm of energy, military, and financial fragility, and the unfolding meningitis outbreak.With oil climbing back above $100 a barrel and the Strait of Hormuz remaining
The Iran war lays bare the betrayal of Britain’s energy security
You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/uRceQCyRYIUIt’s markets this, oil prices that, and what will happen next, so your co-pilots are blasting in to make sense of the tsunami of news flooding across the globe from the Middle East and the war with Iran.Allison points to the shame of all governments for not protecting British interests and defence strategy has left us woefully unpr
Iran, Trump and running scared Starmer
You can watch this episode on youtube: https://youtu.be/KQ1dUe4FxZ0As conflict with Iran hots up across the Middle East, your co-pilot blast in to make sense of the madness.Strapping into the rocket is Dr Alan Mendoza, Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Henry Jackson Society to give his expertise on the conflict and how the ‘special relationship’ is faring as the PM holds back on British int
Planet Normal: Live, with Lionel Shriver and Suella Braverman
You can watch this recording on YouTube: https://youtu.be/lFRwaTYK-mMYour co-pilots have braved the atmosphere of planet Earth as the rocket touches down at the Emmanuel Centre in London for a live recording of Planet Normal! To mark the occasion, your co-pilots are joined by two of the most fearless voices to navigate a country they fear is currently on an ‘economic cliff edge’. The fir
Reform launch their top team, as Starmer U-turns - again!
Book your tickets for Planet Normal: LIVE on the 24th February: telegraph.co.uk/planetnormallive |You can watch this episode of Planet Normal on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_jt6Hy7NYvUOn this week’s flight through the sanctuary of sweet reason, co-pilots Pearson and Halligan examine the rapid rise of Reform’s new "Shadow Cabinet," including Robert Jenrick’s debut as Shadow Chancellor and his mission
Tick tock, Sir Keir’s against the clock
Book your tickets for Planet Normal: LIVE on the 24th February: telegraph.co.uk/planetnormallive |You can watch this episode of Planet Normal on YouTube: https://youtu.be/LFlJivPsT9AFollowing a scorching column by their colleague Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, co-pilots Pearson and Halligan discuss whether Britain is becoming "ungovernable" as sovereign bond yields spiral and the Prime Minister appears
The Mandelson quagmire and murky dealing of Chagos
Book your tickets for Planet Normal: LIVE on the 24th February: telegraph.co.uk/planetnormallive |You can watch this episode of Planet Normal on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wh42OqWtzDAAs the Prime Minister vows to release the ‘Mandelson Files’ pressure on who knew what, and when is mounting on Labour. Repeat stowaway former head of Mi6 Sir Richard Dearlove is on hand to give his expert analysis on t
Starmer’s Shameful Soldier Witch Hunt
You can watch this episode of Planet Normal on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4f7eZbkA91QIt's been a week of defections, rejections and tantrums in the world of politics, and your co pilots are here to wade through the madness. After the Telegraph published an article outlining the role Starmer took in prosecuting soldiers your co-pilots speak to General Sir Peter Wall to delve deeper into t
Robert Jenrick's Reform defection and the Greenland rift
You can watch this episode of Planet Normal on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mwWiWA21r1UThe rocket of right thinking is back with a blast and a very special defector is aboard.Robert Jenrick is strapped in to tell our intrepid co-pilots why he has joined Reform UK and why he thinks the Conservatives didn’t deserve ‘a second chance’.Your co-pilots return to the cockpit to navigate a world that has grow
Best Voyages from the Rocket 2025 Episode 3
The winter break continues on Planet Normal! In this, the third and final part of the three part best of the rocket series, our co-pilots take a look back at some of their most explosive voyages on the rocket of right thinking from 2025, before our intrepid co-pilots return next week!Back in November Liam spoke to Scottish born Rosie Kay who enjoyed a highly successful international career as a pe
Best Voyages from the Rocket 2025 Episode 2
In our second episode of the Best of the Rocket 2025, co-pilots Pearson and Halligan dive deep into the past year’s archives and bring you some of their most intriguing and provocative voyages on the rocket of right thinking, from this past year.This week the Rocket has made a stop at Westminster with Conservative MP Helen Whately, coming on board to discuss her having one of the toughest briefs i
Best Voyages from the Rocket 2025 Episode 1
In this, the first of the Best of the Rocket 2025, co-pilots Pearson and Halligan dig into the data files for some of their most explosive voyages on the rocket of right thinking from this year.There’s been no shortage of madness on the rocket over the past few months, the peak of which was definitely when Chancellor Rachel Reeves cried in the Commons and the leader of the RMT said ‘stuff it’ to t
Rocket around the Christmas Tree!
It’s a Merry Christmas from the Rocket of right thinking at Planet Normal to everyone stuck on Planet EarthYour intrepid co-pilots reflect on a year of political thrills and economic spills, honouring the "citizens of Planet Normal" while handing out awards to the figures in public life who impressed - and those who most certainly did not. Amidst the Christmas cheer, your hosts offer a heartf
Festive flu and the West’s cowardly silence after the Bondi massacre
Your Co-pilots reflect on a sombre week as the festive season is overshadowed by the beach massacre in Sydney earlier this week. Co-pilot Pearson delivers a blistering critique of Western leaders whom she accuses of failing to confront the root of Islamist extremism.Liam connects the tragedy to the rising sense of fear among the Jewish community in the UK, arguing that the ‘aggressive’ weekly
Reform and Farage smears only make the Party stronger
Co-Pilots Pearson and Halligan tackle a week of political and economic madness. Starmer is dismissed as a "caretaker Prime Minister" with a weak mandate, having been supported by only 20% of the electorate.Your hosts dissect Chancellor Rachel Reeves' job tax hike and her "benefits street Budget" which funds the scrapping of the two-child benefit cap by ‘punishing 340,000 working people’ with froze
Liar, liar, Reeves’ pants are on fire
With reaction to the autumn Budget still on the lips of news outlets everywhere, your co-pilots are here to make sense of the chaos.Allison doesn’t hold back and thinks Reeves has ‘lied’ to the electorate and inflated her own words in order to try and sneak her Budget past everyone.Meanwhile Liam thinks the fighting between Number 10 and 11 is harming the economy on a fundamental scale.Meanwhile s
Reeves Budget snowstorm of discontent
The rocket of right thinking is back for a crucial Budget Special as Chancellor Rachel Reeves unveils her second major fiscal statement. Her new £30 billion tax rise means a staggering £70 billion increase in just two years, the most "punitive tax raising budget in more than three decades".Joining the co-pilots to dissect the numbers is the brilliant Telegraph columnist, Roger Bootle. Roger reveal
Reeves reverse ferret and Mahmood's immigration gamble
This week the Rocket welcomes former Prime Minister Liz Truss to discuss next week’s Budget as well as the co-pilots diving into the latest political issues. From the dramatic U-turn on immigration by the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, to the creeping tax rises hidden in Rachel Reeves's upcoming budget, there’s more than enough madness to unpack.They ask if the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's n
March of the BBC’s ‘tinfoil hat’ brigade
After a Telegraph bombshell, both the BBC Director-General and Head of BBC News are OUT as the corporation is exposed for its "FAR LEFT ideological capture".Our co-pilots take a look at the shocking truth behind the billion-dollar lawsuit threat from President Donald Trump after a Panorama team edited his speech on January 6th 2021. Allison details the biased coverage of Israel and Gaza as well as
Home Office fails to secure its own ‘fit note’
Following the speech from Chancellor Rachel Reeves acknowledging tax rises are coming round the mountain, your co-pilots are here to wade through the incoming madness.Assisting co-pilot Halligan this week is returning guest Nick Timothy MP to give us some keen insight into the crumbling Home Office.Liam thinks the Chancellor’s speech was a predictable move and has been warning since the election t
Labour’s asylum seeker 'Carry On'
Our co-pilots, energised from their trip down to earth for the live show at the Battle of Ideas festival last week, are back on the Rocket to try and make sense of a week of madness!They address the growing discontent following a string of high-profile incidents involving illegal migrants, most recently in Uxbridge.The discussion turns into a blistering attack on the Home Office and the entire Civ
Planet Normal: Live Special at the Battle of Ideas 2025
This episode was recorded live at the Battle of Ideas Festival in London on 19th October 2025In this very special episode of Planet Normal, the rocket beams in live from the Battle of Ideas Festival featuring not one, but two very special stowaways..Labour Life Peer, Lord Maurice Glasman, founder of the Blue Labour movement, shares his thoughts on the state of the Labour Party and slams the progre
Trump’s peace plan and the China spy row unfurling in Westminster
With co-pilot Halligan off the train and back in the rocket the team has returned to wade through the madness.As Donald Trump declares “peace in the Middle East” Liam and Allison take their hats off to him as they credit his deal that led to the release of all the remaining hostages, as co-pilot Pearson reflects on the stark reality of Hamas's true face and Starmer’s attempts to claim credit were
October 7th freed Hamas hostage Eli Sharabi speaks to Allison
In a special episode of Planet Normal co-pilot Pearson brings you a long interview with Eli Sharabi, who after the 7th of October spent 491 days as a captive of Hamas under the tunnels of Gaza.Eli has recently told his story, in his own words, in his book, Hostage. The book tells the harrowing and deeply moving story of his period of captivity, a scarcely credible tale of man's inhumanity to man.A
The courageous ‘Pink Ladies' and Starmer’s toxic speech
As Labour Conference draws to a close and Prime Minister Keir Starmer launches an attack on Nigel Farage, your co-pilots are here to make sense of the madness.Allison brings you a special report from the “Pink Ladies” demonstration outside Downing Street and speaks to women who have raised concerns about migrant hotels and lack of accountability for women’s safety, and catches Conservative London
Trump and Reform are right on immigration
With Trump giving a dressing down to the UN and Starmer clinging on amid yet more scandals, there is no shortness of madness for your co-pilots to get their teeth into!Returning crew member Danny Kruger straps in to explain why he defected to Reform after so many years in the Conservative Party and he admits he feels ‘guilty’.Allison shares her disgust and anger at the government's shameful decisi
Starmer shows off for Trump as ‘no confidence’ in him spreads
With a Trump state visit, an axed Ambassador and Labour polling in third in the upcoming Welsh election there is no shortage of news to wade through, and your co-pilots are here to steer you through it all!Allison questions the chances of Andy Burnham being able to challenge Starmer for the Premiership, having to rely on a by-election which could be won by Reform, while polling in Wales is showing
Ed Miliband’s Net Zero Gamble: blackouts and sky-high bills
After a brief trip to Planet Earth at the Reform UK party conference, the rocket is back and making sense of the madness, so you don’t have to!Allison questions Starmer's decision making in light of yet another scandal, this time concerning Lord Peter Madelson and his 'friendship' with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.Meanwhile Liam shares his frustration at Labour’s unrealistic net zero targe
'I would like to work with Reform' - Lucy Connolly joins Allison and Liam on stage at Reform Party Conference
The co-pilots briefly dock the rocket of right-thinking at the Reform Party Conference this week, for an on-stage episode with special guest Lucy Connolly.Watch Allison, Liam and Lucy on stage here: https://youtu.be/VMjbGgpiVSURead more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ |Need help subs
Taxing questions for Angela Rayner
The rocket is back from the summer break and blasting through the nonsense to bring you some common sense! There’s a lot to catch up on so buckle in…A special stowaway this week is former Home Secretary, Suella Braverman to discuss the rise of Reform in the polls, and renews her call to leave the ECHRAllison, fresh from her sun lounger, shares her disgust that comedian and Father Ted writer, Graha
Best Voyages from the Rocket 2025 Part 3
Summer is coming to an end on Planet Normal! So in our final installment of our "best of the rocket" series, our co-pilots take a look back at another two of their most explosive voyages on the rocket of right thinking from the year so far.In May, after Keir Starmer's EU 'reset', Allison and Liam invited Lord David Frost on to the rocket. The former diplomat and Boris Johnson's chief Brexit n
'Am I Starmer's political prisoner? Absolutely' | Lucy Connolly speaks to Allison Pearson
Citizens of Planet Normal, you were expecting the co-pilots to be on holiday during August but we now have a surprise bonus episode for you!Allison was literally at the beach when the exciting news came through confirming Lucy Connolly was about to be released. Lucy is of course the Northampton mum and childminder who ad spent more than a year behind bars for posting a tweet which she qu
Best Voyages from the Rocket 2025 Part 2
Summer continues on Planet Normal! In this, the second of the three part best of the rocket series, our co-pilots take a look back at some of their most explosive voyages on the rocket of right thinking from the year so far.Back in March, Allison spoke to Ray Connolly - husband of Lucy Connolly, who was sentenced to 31 months for posting a tweet in response to the tragic death of 3 girls in S
Best Voyages from the Rocket 2025 Part 1
It's the summer break on Planet Normal so in the first of this year's best of the rocket series, our co-pilots take a look back at some of their most explosive voyages on the rocket of right thinking from the year so far.Following the emergence of more harrowing details of rape gangs operating in the UK, in January Allison spoke to a warrior of free speech, and one of her heroines, Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Labour! Leave our kids alone
Another black hole has appeared in the country’s coffers, but you can bank on your co-pilots to make sense of the pennies and cents.Allison thinks Starmer’s new migrant swap deal with France is nonsense and nothing more than a secret legal route made by Labour under the pretence of benefiting the British tax payer.Whilst Liam says the ongoing cost of Labour’s private school VAT increase is crippli
Feeble Starmer is stoking a febrile country
With Donald Trump giving Starmer a piece of his mind, there’s no shortage of madness this week, and your co-pilots are ready to make sense of it all!Allison thinks The US President took the Prime Minister to task on his immigration and green power policies, completely humiliating him on the world stage.Whilst Liam says the ‘febrile atmosphere’ in the country isn’t being managed very well by Starme
The UK is on a Hard Road tackling immigration concerns
Co-Pilot Pearson is taking a break but fear not, Nick Timothy is strapping in to help Co-pilot Halligan make sense of this week’s madness.Liam is pleased Labour have caught up with the rest of the country in talking about addressing ‘concerns’ over immigration, but is concerned they haven’t given any substance to their position or how they will achieve it.Nick points out Labour scrapped the Rwanda
Red Ed’s kamikaze net zero policies and the most expensive email in history
Secrets, lies and spies are on the agenda for this week and your co-pilots are here to make sense of the madness.Allison is horrified by the secrecy surrounding the Ministry of Defence data leak, which has been estimated at a potential cost of £7bn to the UK tax payer, without any oversight or accountability of where people will be settled around the Country.Meanwhile Liam focuses on the news infl
Labour’s multicultural project has been a devastating experiment
Another week in Labour’s u-turn government and the rumblings of a wealth tax are on the horizon, just as your co-pilots predicted!Allison thinks the PM’s speech on Monday was a ‘soft focus’ reflection of the 7th July London bombing, and once again avoiding the concerns of Islamists and mass immigration.Meanwhile Liam focuses on the sticky issue of a potentially imminent ‘Wealth Tax’ as Chancellor
Starmer's ‘ming vase’ strategy smashed by policy pirouettes
As Labour performs another head spinning u turn, your co-pilots are here to cut through the madness, so you don’t have to.Allison thinks this government has been a series of ‘car crashes’ culminating in another major humiliating U-turn on the flagship Welfare Bill. The rebellion of his own MPs is making him a ‘dead man walking’.Meanwhile Liam focuses on the impact of the concessions Starmer has ha
Starmer's morally and politically bankrupt stance continues to humiliate us
With another packed news week at home and abroad, your co-pilots are here to steer you through the carnage with their usual dose of common sense.Allison thinks the PM’s weak response to the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities is once again humiliating the UK on the world’s stage, and that Keir Starmer is concerned more about the Muslim vote share than National Security.Meanwhile Liam wonders i
Starmer should resign in shame at his latest U-turn on grooming gang inquiry
As Labour skids into yet another U-turn, your co-pilots are here to clear the chaff from the wheat.Allison is hopeful the inquiry could finally shed light on the ‘worst scandal in British history’ as it is led by Louise Casey, but is concerned the scope won’t see enough towns included by Labour who want to avoid their own patches coming under scrutiny. Meanwhile Liam thinks accusations of rac
Labour’s spending review has no credibility
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has outlined her spending review and your co-pilots are here to wade through the madness with Telegraph Columnist Gerard Lyons. Allison thinks Rachel Reeves is going on a ‘spending frenzy’ and racking up too much national debt to cover her costs.Meanwhile Liam thinks the Chancellor is throwing out big numbers to make it appear Labour is increasing spending but is conc
The economy is a laffer minute
The rocket welcomes stowaway Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mel Stride aboard.As Rachel Reeves announces a clunky U-turn on winter fuel payments, your co-pilots clear a way through the confusion so you can keep up to date with the latest turmoil from the Labour benches.Allison thinks Rachel Reeves’ time is up and she’s ‘for the chop’ because of her ‘iron-clad’ fiscal rules being undermined by
Is this the end of the woke as we know it?
As tensions simmer among the Labour benches ahead of their spending review, your co-pilots wade through the noise so you don’t have to.Allison is pleased to see Reform focusing on families again, by pledging to increase the income tax threshold for married couples.Meanwhile Liam thinks Starmer is sidelining his Chancellor and making spending pledges Rachel Reeves can’t cover.Plus comedian and writ
Starmer sells off our sovereignty
Following Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s announcement of an EU ‘reset’ your co-pilots invited regular flier Lord David Frost to the rocket, former chief negotiator for exiting the EU, to give his assessment of the proposed deal.Allison is shocked the deal includes 12 years more fishing rights for the EU in our waters and thinks the deal will once again prevent investment in our fishing industry.&nb
Starmer’s reverse ferret to the Right
Following Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s ‘strangers in our own land’ speech this week, your co-pilots give their take on his apparent change of heart on migration.Allison isn't convinced by the PM’s reverse ferret and thinks it’s less convincing than ‘Meg Ryan’s simulated orgasm’ - is Starmer gaslighting voters? Meanwhile Liam thinks Starmer’s team knew exactly how the speech would be received
Are you ready for Reform?
The votes were counted, and then re-counted in last week’s by-election, netting Reform their fifth MP. Similar shockwaves were felt through the local elections and your co-pilots are here to dissect the results with Deputy Leader of Reform, Richard Tice.Allison’s recent prediction of a Reform win in Runcorn & Helsby was fulfilled - and next she turns her crystal ball towards next year’s May Se
Net zero nets ‘nul point’ after power outages in Europe
Following nationwide power outages in Spain and Portugal on Monday this week, co-pilots Pearson and Halligan don their spacesuits to take a deeper dive into net zero pledges and realities.And as migrant numbers on channel crossings hit 10,000, Allison celebrates a push back on ‘liberal pieties’ and sees migration as the number one concern in the UK.Taking a return trip on the rocket, historian and
Weak Starmer’s week of silence on women ruling
This week your co-pilots bring you a podcast exclusive with the Leader of The Opposition, Kemi Badenoch, who gives her take on Prime Minister, Keir Starmer’s, vote of support for last week’s Supreme Court verdict.Both co-pilots are troubled by the PM’s statement, with co-pilot Pearson adamant he should apologise to the women of Britain.Co-pilot Halligan also turns his eyes to the upcoming Local El
Tears of joy as Supreme Court rules on ‘women’ definition
Co-pilot Pearson is back in her rightful place at the helm of the rocket, hurrah! She’s just in time to deliver her verdict on the Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling that the terms ‘sex’ and ‘woman’ in the 2010 Equality Act referenced biological sex rather than acquired gender.And co-pilot Halligan gives his observations as a male observer of such a female focused campaign.Also strapping into the ro
Talking tough on tariffs
This episode was recorded before president Trump announced a pause on some tariffs.With co-pilot Pearson taking a well earned break, Tim Stanley steps into the cockpit as a trusted controller of the rocket and there’s certainly no shortage of tariff talk to get through…Liam thinks President Trump is acting like a ‘unipolar president’ whereas Tim Stanley thinks there is a method to Trump’s madness,
Rachel’s bottomless bucket of woe
It’s a new month with the same old madness on Planet earth, with rises in capital gains tax, council tax, energy fees and transport costs, April Fool’s is feeling all too close to home…Is there another ‘bucket of woe’ for Chancellor Rachel Reeves and will there be more tax rises on the horizon to plug the public finances?This week’s Planet Normal stowaway is Conservative councillor, Ray Connolly,
Spring Statement Special
As Chancellor Rachel Reeves unveils her first ‘Spring Statement’ your co-pilots are joined on the rocket by not one but TWO very special incumbents. Calculators and spreadsheets at the ready…Co-pilot Pearson is less than impressed with what she calls the ‘nothing to do with me guv', Budget.Stowaway economist Roger Bootle was both ‘depressed’ and 'amazed’ by the Statement but reveals an overwhelmin
The Burgeoning Benefits Bill
As Prime Minister Keir Starmer strays further Right in his policy decisions on defence spending and benefit cuts, your co-pilots strap into the rocket once more to journey into the madness orbiting Planet Earth. Are Labour finally talking sense when it comes to reforming the welfare system?After breaking down the figures Liam thinks the cuts from Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Liz Kenda
Ructions in Reform
As the internal ‘punch up’ in Reform UK rumbles on, your co-pilots give their take on the latest fumblings. But whose corner are they fighting for?Allison is unimpressed and thinks the last thing the country needs is to see one of its newest parties in a ‘willy wanging contest’.Whilst Liam thinks the fractions could be due to possible ego inflation happening in line with the party’s expansion.&nbs
The Lockdown Legacy of Covid
It’s geopolitics stupid.The issue at the forefront of the rocket’s orbit today as there’s certainly no shortage of global madness to contend with.Both your co-pilots reflect on the explosive meeting between President’s, Trump and Zelenskyy. Co-pilot Pearson thinks the latter may have ran out of cards to play when embarking on potential negotiations. Whilst co-pilot Halligan is concerned Donald Tru
Allison Pearson defends free speech against police
Co-pilot Pearson has a huge announcement this week as she launches legal action against Essex police after her traumatising experience last year. In this episode she explains what has led her to take a stand against such ‘Orwellian’ behaviour…As Prime Minister Keir Starmer jets to Washington for a meeting with President Trump, your co-pilots ponder whether the Labour Party has changed its tune on
Reeves’ nation inflation
There’s more woe on the horizon this week with the delivery of less than positive inflation figures.. But no fear, your co-pilots are at the helm to guide you through this economic morass.Co-pilot Pearson has strong feelings about her new ‘boyfriend’ Vice President JD Vance’s speech at the security summit this week, whilst Liam takes a closer look at the latest economic figures. Spoiler alert; the
The final nail in the agricultural coffin
Rule by law or rule by lawyers, that's the question your co-pilots are posing from the rocket today as they ponder the week’s events on Planet Earth, and there’s certainly no shortage of madness!Liam thinks the political state of the UK is less about supporting parties and more about being for or against the Whitehall 'blob’.Whilst Allison is frustrated at the attitude of the Tory party based on h
The Rise and Rise of the Reform Polls
Is the country falling apart? It’s starting to feel like it this week on the rocket as your co-pilots lament the latest shortcomings from the Labour Party, questions over lockdown rule breaks, Trump’s tariff wars and the return of the dreaded ‘Brexit’ talk…What do your co-pilots make of Reform leader Nigel Farage’s rising popularity? Resident rocket economist Liam also gives his take on Presi
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen on Reform and the future of the Conservative Party
Co-pilot Halligan is joined by the highly qualified temporary co-pilot Tim Stanley whilst co-pilot Pearson is away from the rocket.Tim gives his take on the flurry of activity during Trump's first days in office and why he is frustrated with Keir Starmer's ‘outdated’ ideas.Strapping into the rocket for a return mission this week is Mayor of Tees Valley, Ben Houchen, who beams in to give his verdic
Labour’s Marxist attack on education
It’s the second coming of the Donald as President Trump is inaugurated to the Oval Office for his second term, but what do your co-pilots make of the political antics across the pond?Closer to home, co-pilot Pearson delivers her thoughts from this week’s trial of the Southport killings, which she believes demonstrates a ‘mass coverup’ by the government.Joining your co-pilots this week is 'Britain'
Is the UK's grooming gang shame just the tip of worldwide iceberg?
Your co-pilots have blasted off a whopper of a rocket this week so strap in.It’s Labour vs lettuce this week as the scrutiny of Chancellor Rachel Reeves continues to the rising drumbeat of calls for her to go. And with a resignation and an upcoming inauguration, there’s no shortage of melodrama in orbit this week.It will come as no surprise that the residents of the rocket are less than impressed
Liz Truss Threatens Starmer with Legal Action
It’s a new year and the rocket returns with a blast to take on tax rises, economy worries and a grooming scandal, but what do your co-pilots make of 2025’s headlines so far?Liam questions why Labour won’t launch a national inquiry into the grooming gangs, whilst Allison thinks the country’s leading party are too hung up with promoting diversity as a strength to investigate any wrongdoing.Strapping
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