Welcome to The Daily T: The Telegraph’s straight-talking, free-thinking podcast.
Join Associate Editor Camilla Tominey and Telegraph columnist Tim Stanley as they unpack the day’s biggest stories with their typical candour and humour. Listen to intelligent debate on UK politics, culture and foreign affairs. Plus, don’t miss exclusive interviews with influential figures and expert guests, from Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch to Prince Andrew’s biographer.
Get an insider’s view of the stories setting the news agenda. Listen every weekday from 5pm.
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As the country goes to the polls in crucial local and devolved elections, The Daily T asks: Is Zack Polanski a foolish ideologue, a dangerous charlatan, or both? Polanski recently shared a social media post criticising the police’s conduct when arresting a man suspected of stabbing two Jewish men in Golders Green. As his personal poll rating tanks, Camilla and Tim explain why Polanski’s position on anti-Semitism and the growing Islamist support for his party make him a danger to Britain. Later, ...
On Wednesday’s Daily T podcast, Camilla Tominey and Tim Stanley are in Kent to speak to Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, on the final day of campaigning before the local elections. Mrs Badenoch tells Camilla and Tim that Zack Polanski, the Greens’ leader, is not fit for public office.She says hers is the only party standing up for the Jewish community, and that Labour and Sir Keir Starmer are too afraid of upsetting their voters to take meaningful action on anti-Semitism. Elsewhere, Camil...
This episode delves into new polling data revealing a "catastrophic week" for Keir Starmer and a broader public disillusionment with both Labour and the Conservatives. Pollsters Scarlett Maguire and Lee Cain discuss findings that show voters are permanently abandoning traditional parties, seeking authenticity, and gravitating towards anti-establishment alternatives like Reform and the Greens, even if it means risking inexperienced local governance. The discussion also covers shifting economic views, public desire for NHS reform, and the recent controversies surrounding Green Party co-leader Zack Polanski.
In June 2023, the Titan submersible disaster saw a deep-sea sub vanish during a dive to the Titanic wreck, triggering a global search before it was confirmed the vessel had catastrophically imploded. In this Daily T special, Tim Stanley and Rachel Johnson speak to Christine Dawood, who lost her husband Shahzada and her son Suleman in the disaster. In her memoir Ninety-Six Hours, she recounts the agonising wait aboard the support vessel as the search unfolded above the wreck of the RMS Titanic si...
This special episode features royal experts Phil Dampier and Lady Colin Campbell debating the state of the monarchy. Topics include King Charles's surprisingly successful visit to the US, the ongoing challenges posed by Harry and Meghan's commercial ventures, and the public's perception of their "half-in, half-out" approach. The discussion also delves into Prince Andrew's controversial associations and future, alongside the hopes and burdens placed upon William and Kate for the monarchy's longevity.
This special episode of The Daily T features a live Westminster debate with Conservative, Reform, and Labour politicians. They clash over contentious issues including immigration, the economy, welfare, and defense. The discussion highlights different party visions and strategies, from Labour's approach to public finances and housing to Reform's pro-business stance and critique of the Tories' record, creating a feisty exchange on stage.
Keir Starmer faced a fired-up Kemi Badenoch at the final Prime Minister’s Questions before the local elections this lunchtime, with the PM refusing to explicitly rule out sacking his Chancellor, Rachel Reeves. Camilla Tominey and Tim Stanley are live at Warwick University with special guest Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg as part of the Daily T: On the Road, who says he has heard Andy Burnham is ready for a leadership challenge immediately after May 7. They also discuss the creeping rise of sectarian and po...
Morgan McSweeney has admitted he was worried that Peter Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the US “would go wrong” and regretted recommending him – but said the final decision lay with the Prime Minister. Sir Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff, who was sacked over his handling of the saga, answered questions from the foreign affairs select committee, chaired by the gloriously theatrical Emily Thornberry. For the second stop on the Daily T roadshow, Camilla and Tim are joined by a live au...
Things are going from bad to worse for Sir Keir Starmer. Despite giving an interview this weekend insisting he can “fight on” and win the next general election, opposition parties have successfully forced a vote on whether to refer the PM to the parliamentary privileges committee, whilst his rivals within the Labour are also plotting furiously. Camilla and Tim reflect on the news that Angela Rayner and Andy Burnham are being urged to make a pact, as well as that Commons vote tomorrow, which come...
The local elections are approaching fast, and Labour are set for significant losses to Reform UK – but also to a very different opponent: Zack Polanski’s Green Party. Under Mr Polanski as leader, the party’s membership and polling position have surged. But in today’s Daily T, Shahrar Ali, a former Greens deputy leader, warns that the party has been infiltrated by Islamists, making it “a danger to society”. Camilla Tominey and Tim Stanley also go head-to-head with Ellie Chowns, the Green Party MP...
Sir Keir Starmer’s days as Prime Minister appear to be numbered, with briefings from Cabinet ministers that suggest growing discontent over the Mandelson saga. Camilla and Tim assess whether Starmer can limp on until the May local elections, and who might end up replacing him. Plus, Telegraph journalists Robert Mendick and Claire Newell reveal the extraordinary role played by Lord Hermer, the Prime Minister’s friend whom he appointed Attorney General, in the failed prosecution of British soldier...
Labour is reportedly plotting for Prime Minister’s Questions to be cancelled next week, meaning Sir Keir Starmer will avoid further scrutiny over the Mandelson scandal. Camilla and Tim react to party whips' “dodgy” manoeuvres and unpack this afternoon’s exchange between Kemi Badenoch and Sir Keir, in which the PM admitted he had pushed for a plum ambassadorial role for Lord Doyle, his disgraced former communications chief. Plus, they ask whether the Cabinet is turning against the Prime Minister ...
It’s been another bruising day for Sir Keir Starmer as Sir Olly Robbins, the former top Foreign Office official sacked over the Lord Mandelson vetting row, has broken his silence. Giving evidence to MPs at the foreign affairs select committee, he accused Downing Street of applying “constant pressure” to push the appointment through despite Mandelson failing vetting checks. Camilla and Tim ask how damaging Sir Olly’s testimony will be to Keir Starmer, as Robbins revealed the Government didn’t eve...
It’s Keir Starmer’s darkest day in office. In a statement to the Commons this afternoon, the Prime Minister apologised again for appointing Peter Mandelson as US ambassador, but stopped short of admitting to misleading the House about the vetting process. Despite the Prime Minister laying the blame squarely at the door of the Foreign Office, Camilla and Tim say that the whole sorry saga is the final nail in the coffin for Starmer’s premiership, and he must resign. Elsewhere, Camilla and Tim look...
Camilla and Hannah are joined by bestselling royal biographer Robert Hardman, author of the explosive new book Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. The Inside Story, to reveal the secrets and scandals that rocked the late Queen’s reign. Hardman, the only biographer to have interviewed all senior members of the Royal Family, shares exclusive, inside details sourced from family, staff, advisors, and even President Donald Trump. He explains what ex-PM David Cameron told him about the real reason An...
Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership is on the brink after it emerged that Peter Mandelson failed his vetting for the post of US ambassador, but was still appointed anyway. The Prime Minister says he wasn’t told and is “furious”, and Foreign Office civil servant Sir Olly Robbins has already become the latest “fall guy” for the Mandelson appointment, but Camilla and Jacob Rees-Mogg say Starmer is “either a knave or a fool” and must ultimately now fall on his sword. Camilla and Sir Jacob also look at th...
After a woman in Epsom was allegedly gang raped on Saturday night, protesters are calling on Surrey Police to make public descriptions of the suspects and to release CCTV of the incident. Camilla and Jacob speak to rape gangs whistleblower and former detective Maggie Oliver, who says trust in policing has broken down and that “silence is dangerous” when tensions are so high. Plus, Catholics are losing their faith…in Donald Trump, over the president’s very public spat with the Pope. As a practisi...
Defence dominated a fiery return to PMQs as Tory leader Kemi Badenoch took on Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a war of words, seizing on criticism from former Labour defence secretary and NATO secretary general Lord Robertson over what he calls “complacency” on military spending. Camilla and Jacob-Rees Mogg react to the PM being pressed on defence investment plans as he says his military advisers are wrong to call him complacent, all while the British Army has shrunk to its smallest size in centu...
With fuel prices rocketing and threats of nationwide protests in the air, Camilla and Jacob speak to Reform’s economic spokesperson Robert Jenrick, who calls on the Government to cut VAT on fuel duty by half to help households and businesses. Jenrick also calls for the deportation of Axel Rudakubana’s parents, after the inquiry into the Southport attacks found that they could have prevented their son’s horrific knife rampage, but failed in their moral duty to report his alarming behaviour in the...
Keir Starmer wants to move Britain even closer to the EU by aligning with single-market rules on food standards and carbon emissions. Not only that, but he also wants to do so using so-called “Henry VIII powers”, secondary legislation which could be approved without a Parliamentary vote. Camilla is joined by Jacob Rees-Mogg, who cannot understand why the UK would want to return to the more heavily regulated world of Brussels when the country has benefited from the flexibility of not being in the...
Camilla and Tim are joined by royal historian Hugo Vickers, author of new biography Queen Elizabeth II: A Personal History , to lift the lid on what the late monarch was really like behind palace gates. Vickers, who met the Queen over 40 times, reveals how she really didn't get on with Meghan Markle - telling her off after she was rude to Windsor Castle gardeners and even fearing that the Sussexes would be wired up for recording during private meetings. Vickers also tells Camilla and Tim of his ...
Amid more dire polling for Labour and the revelation that both he and the Defence Secretary were on holiday as Donald Trump threatened to wipe Iran off the map at the weekend, Keir Starmer has now disappeared to the Middle East for meetings with Gulf state leaders. The Telegraph’s political editor Tony Diver tells Camilla and Tim that, despite him having no say in ceasefire talks, this is a desperate, last-ditch strategy to portray Starmer as an international statesman by Number 10, with a local...
Just as the Middle East appeared to be on the brink of an uncontrollable conflict, the US and Iran have announced a two-week ceasefire. The Pakistan-brokered deal will reopen the Strait of Hormuz – though with Tehran-imposed caveats – and offers “a chance at real peace”, says Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary. Sir Keir Starmer is now jetting off to the Gulf, apparently to boost the morale of British troops there. But, Camilla Tominey and Tim Stanley ask, what is the point of his Lawrence of...
Where the hell is Sir Keir Starmer? The Prime Minister has stayed out of the spotlight as the Middle East crisis escalates, holidaying while Donald Trump threatens to bomb Iran “back to the Stone Age”. Camilla and Tim debate whether the PM’s absence during such a critical moment is leadership or negligence. They also break down Trump’s Easter weekend spectacle with a giant bunny and his expletive-laden posts on Iran. And as Kanye West, the US rapper, is blocked from entering the UK after his con...
Prince William’s personal faith has been thrust into the spotlight, after a former royal chaplain accused the Prince of taking a “strategic and political” approach to religion. Camilla and Tim are joined by former Chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II, Gavin Ashenden, to debate whether the future King’s “quiet faith” is a sign of honesty , or a worrying shift away from the deeply Christian leadership embodied by the late Queen. They discuss claims that the Prince of Wales may not be “particularly relig...
This time last year, after Reform won nearly 700 council seats, Nigel Farage told voters: if you want to know how Reform would run the country, look at your local council. The party now runs 10 county councils and expects to gain more in May. They say they have taken on woke, slashed waste and saved residents money on their council tax. But critics argue they’ve been bogged down in racism rows and broken their promises on tax. Camilla and Tim dig into the truth about Reform’s record in local gov...
Donald Trump has attacked Keir Starmer once again, telling the Telegraph that King Charles have backed him on Iran, in reference to the PM's dithering over intervention in Iran. Tim and Rachel are joined by the Telegraph’s deputy Royal editor Victoria Ward to ask if it's now up to King Charles to save the special relationship on his upcoming state visit. They also consider if Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and being ostracised over their parents’ association with Jeffrey Epstein, and whether th...
This episode explores the latest BBC scandal involving Scott Mills, who was sacked after historic sexual offense allegations. A Telegraph investigation reveals the BBC was warned a year prior but failed to act, drawing parallels with the Hugh Edwards case and a history of protecting "talent." The discussion delves into the BBC's accountability, public trust, and the delicate balance between safeguarding employees and ensuring fairness amidst unproven accusations. An interview with Hugh Edwards' publicist provides insight into his perspective on the recent documentary and his future.
The Government could cut your energy bills by drilling more in the North Sea, says shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho, but chooses not to; ideologically wedded to net zero, they instead prefer to view production of oil and gas as “climate vandalism”. Coutinho scriticises Ed Milliband for failing to use Britain’s own resources to keep energy cheap, and that in many cases his drive for net zero has ‘eradicated common sense’ when it comes to energy policy. Elsewhere, Gordon Rayner updates Tim ...
Labour has promised a tougher approach to migration, but it seems too little, too late. On Friday, Shabana Mahmood has unveiled new restrictions on visas and asylum rules as pressure grows to tackle record numbers of migrants in taxpayer-funded accommodation. Yet proposals to offer failed applicants up to £40,000 to leave the UK have triggered a backlash within Labour, with figures such as Angela Rayner questioning the approach. Rachel Johnson and Tim are joined by Zia Yusuf, Reform’s home affai...
