Jonathan Hinder on Peter Mandelson, Labour’s ‘woke’ problem & the left’s identity crisis

On this special edition of Coffee House, Tim Shipman is joined by Jonathan Hinder – a rising star of the back benches and a blue Labour acolyte – for a candid discussion about the state of the Labour party and the security of its leader. They discuss the Peter Mandelson scandal and the impact it has had on backbench support for the Prime Minister, as well as the implications it may have regarding decision-making at the top of government. Are Labour MPs considering moving against Keir Starmer? Should he fight the next election? This is set within the context of local elections, which Jonathan forecasts will be ‘bad’ for the Labour party – ‘it’s not a great time to be a Labour MP’, he says. Is there a route back for the Labour party? And could Shabana Mahmood’s tougher line on immigration be the saving grace? 00:00 – Introduction 01:12 – The Mandelson scandal 05:09 – Will Starmer survive? 06:11 – Labour’s drift from the working class 11:19 – Can Labour be economically bold without spooking markets? 14:05 – The welfare fight inside Labour 18:21 – Net zero, energy and industrial strategy 20:56 – The trans debate and Labour’s dilemma 24:49 – Migration, deterrence and border control 33:14 – Will Labour lose the May elections? // SUBSCRIBE TO THE SPECTATOR Get 12 issues for £12, plus a free £20 John Lewis/Waitrose voucher https://www.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. https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/ // FOLLOW US https://www.twitter.com/spectator https://www.facebook.com/OfficialSpectator https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-spectator https://www.instagram.com/spectator1828 https://www.tiktok.com/@thespectatormagazine