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The Telegraph

The podcast that speaks your language. News and views from beyond the bubble with Telegraph columnists, Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan, every Thursday.
 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Planet Normal

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 if Labour’s is now deploying a ‘scorched earth’ policy as they drop in the polls.

Making a special trip in the rocket this week is Conservative Peer and lawyer, Baroness Cash, who shares her thoughts on Labour’s Employment Rights Bill and the mythical non-existent worker it’s claiming to help.

Read Allison: ‘The mistreatment of Lucy Connolly in prison is deeply sinister’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/06/24/the-mistreatment-of-lucy-connolly-in-prison-is-sinister/ |

Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ |

Read Liam: ‘Labour’s 1970s employment rights bill could send Britain over the edge’

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/06/15/labour-1970s-employment-rights-bill-could-send-uk-over-edge/ |

Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |

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.

Starmer's morally and politically bankrupt stance continues to humiliate us

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 racism aimed at Sajid Javid for insisting ethnicity be recorded on these crimes when he was Home Secretary, now seem ridiculous and he should be commended for trying to get a clear picture of the issue. 

Making a special trip in the rocket this week is campaigner, author and grooming gang survivor Sammy Woodhouse, who shares her thoughts on the national inquiry into grooming gangs and her experiences as an exploited child.

Read Liam: ‘Labour’s 1970s employment rights bill could send Britain over the edge’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/06/15/labour-1970s-employment-rights-bill-could-send-uk-over-edge/ |

Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |

Read Allison: ‘No jail sentence is long enough for the cowards who covered up for the Pakistani rape gangs‘ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/06/17/grooming-gangs-truth-revealed/ |

Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ |

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.

Starmer should resign in shame at his latest U-turn on grooming gang inquiry

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 concerned the money will come from pension funds to cover the cost.

Gerard Lyons is concerned about the Chancellor being able to control her spending and thinks her ‘fiscal rules’ are back-to-front policy making. 

Read 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/ |

Read Allison: ‘Dear Tim Davie, here are 10 easy ways to get Reform voters to watch the BBC’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/06/11/attract-more-reform-voters-to-the-bbc/ |

Read Allison: ‘Woke police chiefs whinge about underfunding when the real problem is their warped priorities’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/06/10/woke-police-chiefs-whinge-underfunding-real-problem-warped/ |

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.

Labour’s spending review has no credibility

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 the Prime Minister.

Meanwhile Liam thinks the Tories need to be bolder in their ideas to challenge the harm he says Labour are doing to the economy and stifling growth.

Read Liam ‘This is the opportunity the Tories have been waiting for. Can they take it?’

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/06/01/this-is-the-opportunity-tories-have-been-waiting-for/ |

Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |

Read Allison ‘Don’t believe Starmer when he says he’s angry about the small boats’: 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/06/03/defence-starmer-priority-invasion-illegal-migrants/ |

Read Allison ‘The BBC’s biased Israel reporting is fuelling anti-Semitism’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/06/04/the-bbcs-biased-israel-reporting-fuelling-anti-semitism/

Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ |

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.

The economy is a laffer minute

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 writer Andrew Doyle stows away in the rocket, and tells Allison and Liam why he wrote his latest book The End of Woke, and why he thinks society has swiftly moved away from culture war issues.

Read Liam: 'Labour is pioneering the Blackadder approach to public finances': https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/05/25/labour-pioneering-blackadder-approach-to-public-finances-uk/ |

Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |

Read Allison: 'Only a very clever man like Lord Sumption could be so stupid when it comes to Lucy Connolly': https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/05/27/clever-lord-sumption-could-be-so-stupid-lucy-connolly/ |

Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ |

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.

Is this the end of the woke as we know it?

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. 

Meanwhile Liam thinks Starmer has made too many concessions to the EU and we are once again ’rule takers, not rule makers’ and will have no choice but to adhere to EU rules without a vote.

HELP LUCY CONNOLLY REBUILD HER SHATTERED LIFE AND FIGHT TWO-TIER JUSTICE: https://democracythree.org/helplucyconnolly |

Read: ‘Angela Rayner demands tax raid on savers’ 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/05/20/angela-rayner-demands-tax-raid-savers-rachel-reeves/ |

Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |

Read Allison: Lucy Connolly: ‘The judges should be ashamed of themselves. It’s cruel and twisted’

 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/05/20/exclusive-lucy-connolly-interview-judges-cruel/ |

Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ |

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.

Starmer sells off our sovereignty

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 by the Left of Labour and was sending a message. 

Plus hopping on board the rocket of right thinking this week is Shadow Business and Trade Secretary, Andrew Griffith, who makes the case for banishing red tape for British businesses - do we need a UK DOGE? 

HELP LUCY CONNOLLY REBUILD HER SHATTERED LIFE AND FIGHT TWO-TIER JUSTICE: https://democracythree.org/helplucyconnolly |

Liam Halligan is raising money for Duchenne UK: https://www.justgiving.com/page/liam-halligan-2?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=TW&utm_campaign=015 |

Read Liam: ‘Britain’s deal with India will have far more impact than Trump’s razzmatazz’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/05/11/britain-deal-india-far-more-impact-trump-razzmatazz/ |

Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |

Read Allison: ‘Our cretinous police must answer for their tyrannical behaviour in court’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/05/13/cretinous-police-must-answer-for-their-tyrannical-behaviour/ |

Read Allison: ‘Starmer’s tough policy on migration is the biggest con since Meg Ryan simulated an orgasm in a diner’

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/05/12/starmers-tough-policy-on-immigration-is-the-biggest-con/ |

Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ |

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.

Starmer’s reverse ferret to the Right

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, who discusses his family’s experience after his wife, Lucy, was jailed over a tweet she briefly posted on the day three girls were killed in Stockport.

And your co-pilots weigh in on the political drama from across the Channel. Is there a new French boyfriend on the horizon for Allison?

Read 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/ |

Read Allison ‘The White House is right: freedom of speech is under threat in Britain like never before’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/04/01/starmers-britain-trump-free-speech/ |

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.

Rachel’s bottomless bucket of woe

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 overwhelming feeling that the Labour Party aren’t actually doing anything all that bad…

And after watching the Budget co-pilot Halligan is concerned the Labour front bench is lacking in business and economic knowledge. 

Also on the podcast, Mike Calvey straps in for a very special interview to discuss his new book ‘Odyssey Moscow’ which details his harrowing ordeal as a prisoner of the Russian State.

And co-pilot Pearson has won an award…

Read 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/ |

Read more from Roger: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/r/rk-ro/roger-bootle/ |

Read Allison: ‘If Rachel Reeves were Conservative she’d have been turfed out long ago’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/03/25/if-reeves-were-conservative-shed-have-been-turfed-out/ |

Buy Mike’s book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Odyssey-Moscow-Westerners-Encounter-Russian/dp/1803997303 |

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.

Spring Statement Special

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 Kendall won’t even touch the sides, whilst Allison reveals some shocking truths about so-called ‘benefit influencers’...

Cashing in on a return fare to the rocket is economist Julian Jessop, who gives his predictions ahead of the upcoming Spring Statement, and just how ‘nasty’ things could be…

And co-pilot Pearson isn’t short of words for the Shakespeare birthplace trust after their recent decision to ‘decolonise’ the playwright's birthplace.

Read 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/ |

Read Allison: ‘Radical welfare reform is the bitter medicine Britain needs’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/03/18/radical-welfare-reform-bitter-medicine-britain-needs/ |

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.

The Burgeoning Benefits Bill

David Davis MP is Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan's latest passenger as they blast off to Planet Normal. The Tory veteran talks about whether the A-Levels U-turn will be this government's poll tax moment, says don’t need to be “world leading”, we just need to be competent when it comes to coronavirus, and that the Cabinet would have benefitted from more experience in hindsight. Plus, a glimpse behind the scenes of the rows that caused him to step down as Brexit secretary. 

Allison and Liam also talk exams, and whether "Gav has to go", and hear about home-made explosives and Starsky and Hutch inspired car chases in your Health and Safety stories. 

Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/allison-pearson

Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan

Do you need help subscribing or reviewing? Read more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/

Listeners can get 30 days' free access to the Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal

Listen to the Telegraph's Chopper's Politics podcast: https://www.playpodca.st/chopper

Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"We don't need to be world-leading, we just need to be competent"

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