Spectator Out Loud: Tim Shipman – with Kemi Badenoch, Justin Marozzi, Christopher Howse & Lara Prendergast

Kemi Badenoch has transformed from a polarizing, self-assured figure widely dismissed as arrogant and out of touch into one of the most formidable political forces in the UK, defying expectations by embracing humility, sharpening her messaging, and building strategic alliances. The episode reveals her unapologetic stance on national identity, economic sovereignty, and cultural conservatism—calling for a Conservative revival through strict adherence to party principles, including leaving the Human Rights Convention and drilling in the North Sea. She openly admits she would accept a confidence-and-supply deal with Reform UK if it advanced her agenda, but rules out pre-election pacts, echoing Theresa May’s defiant 'no' to compromise. Meanwhile, Justin Marozzi delivers a chilling analysis of how Donald Trump’s confrontational strategy toward Iran has inadvertently empowered the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), turning it into a state-within-a-state with control over 40% of Iran’s economy and dominance in security and diplomacy. The IRGC’s rise, fueled by decades of kleptocracy and war profiteering, now threatens to derail any US negotiations. Christopher Howes pays tribute to Norman Ballon, London’s legendary and abrasive landlord of the Coach & Horses pub, whose chaotic, bohemian bar became a cultural epicenter of Soho’s underground scene.