Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
William Moore is joined by the Spectator's commissioning editor Lara Brown, the columnist for the Wall Street Journal’s Free Expression newsletter Louise Perry and the Telegraph journalist and presenter of Ukraine: The Latest Francis Dearnley.
// CHAPTERS
00:38 – Why has the war in Ukraine lasted longer than the First World War?
10:04 – Francis Dearnley on the advancements in drone technology
19:04 – Andy Burnham's student days at Cambridge
27:08 – Will Andy Burnham and Labour win in the Makerfield by-election?
28:48 – Whether 'two-tiered' approaches can work in life
35:28 – Louise Perry on the new trend of 'matrescence'
45:12 – Will you be watching the World Cup?
This week: Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has now gone on longer than the first world war and it shares much of the horrors of that war, from attrition warfare to substantial losses on both sides. So, with over half a million Russians estimated to be killed, could Putin and Zelensky be brought to an exhausted peace? ’No’ is the pessimistic answer from Francis Dearnley this week, who explains that while it might appear to be stuck in a stalemate, casualties are still rising rapidly and Ukraine is currently in the strongest position it has been in for almost 18 months. This is in part due to advances in drone technology, of which Ukraine is now the world’s leading ’superpower’. Drone technology has evolved so rapidly that Francis predicts ‘we are only a few months away from our first political assassination by drone’. What could bring the war to an end? And does British support for Ukraine remain strong?
Also: one week out from the Makerfield by-election, what do we know of Andy Burnham’s Cambridge days? Lara Brown reveals the ‘reassuringly bland’ antics of the Northern lad – who could become Britain’s first Prime Minister with an English Literature degree. Does it matter? And more importantly – will he win?
Plus, they discuss: whether ‘two-tiering’ or positive discrimination can ever be a good thing; if the new motherhood trend of ‘matrescence’ is a con; and, as the World Cup kicks off – is it coming home?
Produced by Patrick Gibbons.
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William Moore is joined by the Spectator's commissioning editor Lara Brown, the columnist for the Wall Street Journal’s Free Expression newsletter Louise Perry and the Telegraph journalist and presenter of Ukraine: The Latest Francis Dearnley.
// CHAPTERS
00:38 – Why has the war in Ukraine lasted longer than the First World War?
10:04 – Francis Dearnley on the advancements in drone technology
19:04 – Andy Burnham's student days at Cambridge
27:08 – Will Andy Burnham and Labour win in the Makerfield by-election?
28:48 – Whether 'two-tiered' approaches can work in life
35:28 – Louise Perry on the new trend of 'matrescence'
45:12 – Will you be watching the World Cup?
This week: Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has now gone on longer than the first world war and it shares much of the horrors of that war, from attrition warfare to substantial losses on both sides. So, with over half a million Russians estimated to be killed, could Putin and Zelensky be brought to an exhausted peace? ’No’ is the pessimistic answer from Francis Dearnley this week, who explains that while it might appear to be stuck in a stalemate, casualties are still rising rapidly and Ukraine is currently in the strongest position it has been in for almost 18 months. This is in part due to advances in drone technology, of which Ukraine is now the world’s leading ’superpower’. Drone technology has evolved so rapidly that Francis predicts ‘we are only a few months away from our first political assassination by drone’. What could bring the war to an end? And does British support for Ukraine remain strong?
Also: one week out from the Makerfield by-election, what do we know of Andy Burnham’s Cambridge days? Lara Brown reveals the ‘reassuringly bland’ antics of the Northern lad – who could become Britain’s first Prime Minister with an English Literature degree. Does it matter? And more importantly – will he win?
Plus, they discuss: whether ‘two-tiering’ or positive discrimination can ever be a good thing; if the new motherhood trend of ‘matrescence’ is a con; and, as the World Cup kicks off – is it coming home?
Produced by Patrick Gibbons.
// SUBSCRIBE TO THE SPECTATOR
Get 12 issues for £12, plus a free £20 John Lewis/Waitrose voucher
spectator.co.uk/tvoffer
// FREE PODCASTS FROM THE SPECTATOR
Hear more from The Spectator's journalists on their podcasts, covering everything from the politics of the UK, US and China, to religion, literature, lifestyle and more.
spectator.co.uk/podcasts
// FOLLOW US
twitter.com/spectator
facebook.com/OfficialSpectator
linkedin.com/company/the-spectator
instagram.com/spectator1828
tiktok.com/@thespectatormagazine
