Planet Normal

Epizode

• 10 years on from the Referendum, have we even had Brexit yet? 03.06.2026 1h 11min

  You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/82lXs84p8_MThis week on Planet Normal, your co-pilots of sanity, Liam Halligan and Allison Pearson, confront the tragic murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak and the national outrage surrounding the police's handling of the case. Marking the 10th anniversary of the Brexit referendum with former Vote Leave chief executive, Lord Matthew Elliott, the duo reflects on the original promise of leaving the EU and how the podcast itself was born out of a shared taxi ride following a celebration of that historic vote.Allison delivers a searing indictment of the "woke indoctrination" paralysing British policing, highlighting how diversity, equity, and inclusion targets have trained common sense and humanity out of officers, leading to the inhumane treatment of a dying victim while his killer was treated with total decency. On Brexit, Liam uses his column to bust the persistent "Project Fear" myths, pointing out that the UK has actually outgrown France and Germany since 2016. However, he laments that successive governments have failed to capitalise on regulatory freedoms and instead allowed immigration to soar to historic highs.HighlightsPlanet Normal: 10 years on from the Referendum, have we even had Brexit yet?The police failed Henry Novak, and DEI continues to fail us all10 Years of Brexit: A deep dive into the economic realities of the post-referendum UK, detailing missed deregulation opportunities alongside strong export growthSign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |Book your tickets to 'How to make Brexit a success’ on 29th June in London: telegraph.co.uk/brexit-big-debate |Read Allison ‘I’m sick of Britain’s rapid decline being sold to me as an ‘improvement’’:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/03/why-every-service-is-getting-worse/ |Read Allison ‘Henry Nowak’s death shows how brainwashed Britain’s police have become’https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/02/henry-nowaks-death-british-police-brainwashed-dei/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘The Brexit horror stories aren’t true’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/05/31/the-brexit-horror-stories-arent-true/ |Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |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.
• Blair is talking sense on this Lefty Labour Party, and Starmer should listen to save them 27.05.2026 1h 1min

  You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/uXkk5GHpPE4This week on Planet Normal, your co-pilots of sanity, Liam Halligan and Allison Pearson, dive into a political landscape dominated by explosive leadership interventions and growing institutional scandal. Following a dramatic local election period, the duo analyzes a scathing 5,000-word essay by former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has openly lacerated his own party for what he calls an “infinite capacity for self-delusion”.Liam details the escalating fiscal warning signs rattling the British establishment. He warns that despite a temporary dip in the UK inflation rate to 2.8%, it is on track to hit 5% later this year. With long-term government borrowing costs flirting with 30-year highs, Liam argues that cosmetic fixes like supermarket price controls and rollercoaster VAT cuts will do nothing to soothe terrified sovereign bond markets.Meanwhile Allison shares her assessment of the Scottish National Party following the sensational embezzlement guilty plea of its former chief executive. This week’s stowaway on the rocket is serial entrepreneur and hospitality titan Luke Johnson, who shares a powerful breakdown of how Britain is currently navigating life under what he defines as a “highly damaging socialist government”.HighlightsBlair is talking sense on this Lefty Labour Party, and Starmer should listen to save themSir Keir Starmer faces mounting threats to his leadership as ideological factions fracture the Labour Party.Looming fiscal disaster deepens as the UK inflation rate is projected to climb back toward 5%.The SNP establishment faces total mockery following the sensational embezzlement fallout of its leadership.Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |Book your tickets to 'How to make Brexit a success’ on 29th June in London: telegraph.co.uk/brexit-big-debate |Read Allison ‘Did you really not know about your husband, Nicola?’:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/26/allison-pearson-nicola-sturgeon-husband/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘The approaching inflation crisis is a disaster for Labour’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/05/24/the-approaching-inflation-crisis-is-a-disaster-for-labour/ |Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |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 drags us further to the '70s and Burnham stokes the psychodrama 20.05.2026 1h 3min

  You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wQSgb9En2k0This week on Planet Normal, your co-pilots of sanity, Liam Halligan and Alison Pearson, take us back to the 1970s as they look at the retro economic policies dragging the country in reverse. With financial markets reacting to the Labour infighting with horror, sending the UK government's borrowing costs to a staggering 30-year high, the duo warns that the British economy is on a knife edge. Liam focuses on the unfolding fiscal emergency, explaining how sovereign bond markets are reeling from a protracted Labour leadership battle, where all the major contenders are looking to increase borrowing and spending even further. Meanwhile Allison shares her deep frustrations with the current state of the nation, highlighting the desperate struggles of local community hubs and family pubs fighting to survive under the weight of punishing economic changes. This week’s stowaway on the rocket is royal historian and biographer Andrew Lownie, who discusses the ongoing fallout surrounding the royal family and his investigations into institutional secrecy.HighlightsLabour drags us further to the '70s and Burnham stokes the psychodramaSir Keir Starmer's leadership is under intense pressure amidst a protracted Labour leadership battle.Sovereign bond markets react to high spending as government borrowing costs spike to a 30-year high.Royal biographer Andrew Lownie exposes new allegations and the culture of institutional secrecy.Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |Read Allison ‘‘Don’t drink them all at once’: Regulars enjoy free pints on National Pub Day’:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/16/allison-pearson-national-pub-day/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘As Labour lurches further Left, the markets are calling time’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/05/17/as-labour-lurches-further-left-the-markets-are-calling-time/ |Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |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 Starmer’s Labour drama as fleeting as Streeting’s bid for PM? 13.05.2026 1h 2min

  You can watch this episode on YoutTube: https://youtu.be/5Zb71ekLVBEThis week on Planet Normal, your co-pilots of sanity, Liam Halligan and Allison Pearson, sift through the debris of a historic set of local elections that have left Sir Keir Starmer clinging to power.The duo analyse the turquoise tsunami that saw Reform UK gain over 1,400 council seats, whilst the Prime Minister faces a precarious future after Labour’s vote share collapsed in traditional hubs like Birmingham and Cambridge.Who is your co-pilots preferred replacement? Wes Streeting? Angela Rayner? ‘Mad’ Ed Miliband? Or does Andy Burnham stand the best chance with the softy Labour Left?Return stowaway William Coulston joins your co-pilots to dissect the local election results, and where the Social Democrat Party stands on Welfare and why Labour's approach is bankrupting the country.Highlights: Planet Normal: Is Starmer’s Labour drama as fleeting as Streeting?Reform UK gains over 1,400 seats as the traditional two-party system fragments following the May 7th elections.Streeting eyes the prize but is Andy Burnham waiting in the wings?Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |Liam Halligan and Serge Kogan - London to Paris in 24 hours - ON A TANDEM: https://www.justgiving.com/page/liam-halligan-serge-kogan |Read Allison ‘Starmer quitting isn’t enough. Furious voters want an end to politics as we know it’:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/12/allison-pearson-starmer-quitting-isnt-enough/ |Read Allison ‘Sick of being dismissed as a racist, Essex Man has turned to Reform’:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/08/essex-voters-embracing-reform-liked-nigel/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Oil prices are detached from reality’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/05/10/headline-oil-prices-are-detached-from-reality/ |Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |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.
• Inflation threats to consumer prices and Happy 100th birthday to Sir David Attenborough! 06.05.2026 1h 4min

  You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/81-0uu_POWEOn the rocket of sweet reason this week we are avoiding talking about the May elections, so hold tight for a bumper episode next week!Meanwhile, Allison reflects on one hundred years of Sir David Attenborough as he celebrates his birthday this coming Friday and shares her memories of interviewing him in the Venezuelan rainforest nearly 30 years ago.Liam breaks down the economic fallout of the continuing to impact consumer prices and why the government is paying more in borrowing costs than it did in 1998.Return stowaway and advocate for financial education, Justin Urquhart-Stewart straps in to give your co-pilots a view of the geopolitical landscape as the to and fro of the Strait of Hormuz continues to impact food, energy and production prices across the world…Highlights: Planet Normal: Happy birthday to Sir David Attenborough!Allison recalls her Venezuelan rainforest interview with Sir David Attenborough Blockades in the Strait of Hormuz continue to threaten global energy supplies and UK inflation.Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |LIAM HALLIGAN and SERGE KOGAN - London to Paris in 24 hours - ON A TANDEM: https://www.justgiving.com/page/liam-halligan-serge-kogan |Read Allison: 'The day an unflappable David Attenborough saved me from a gun-toting militia': https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/07/david-attenborough-saved-me-from-a-gun-toting-militia/ |Read Allison ‘We all know who is to blame for the rise in anti-Semitism – and it is not Israel’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/05/we-know-who-to-blame-for-the-rise-in-anti-semitism/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Labour is steering Britain into a bond market meltdown’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/05/03/labours-political-antics-could-spark-bond-market-meltdown/ |Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |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 survives a vote this week, but what will the May elections reveal for Labour 29.04.2026 59min

  You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/v0ptnvQnGUQThis week on Planet Normal your co-pilots of sanity, Liam Halligan and Allison Pearson, navigate the wreckage of the UK’s two-party system as seismic local and devolved elections loom on May 7th. With the UK inflation rate remaining a major concern and the Strait of Hormuz effectively blockaded by Iran, the duo examines how geopolitical instability is hitting British pockets.Liam breaks down the "end of the world as we know it" for the traditional political establishment, as Reform UK and the Greens surge while both major parties face a potential hammering at the polls. Meanwhile, Allison reflects on her recent trip to Wales, where a "turquoise tsunami" threatens the Labour heartlands as Reform gain in the polls.Stowing away on the rocket this week is former 22 SAS commander Colonel Richard Williams, who discusses how "lawfare" and the prosecution of veterans are undermining British military recruitment and national security. Highlights: Planet Normal: Starmer survives a vote this week, but what will the May elections reveal for LabourReform UK and the Greens surge as the traditional two-party system faces a May 7th meltdown. Blockades in the Strait of Hormuz threaten global energy supplies and UK inflation.Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |Read Allison ‘Nigel Farage is winning the battle for the soul of my beloved Wales’:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/24/allison-pearson-on-labour-party-in-wales/ |‘Prime minister Angela Rayner would be a new low for Britain’:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/28/prime-minister-angela-rayner-new-low-for-britain/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘We’re on the brink of a global recession, but it’s not Iran we need to worry about’:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/04/26/does-geopolitics-pose-greatest-economic-danger-or-is-it-ai/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |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 Mandelson mess, stagflation returns, and the battle for Wales 22.04.2026 1h 10min

  This week on the rocket, co-pilots Halligan and Pearson dive into the political firestorm engulfing Westminster as Sir Keir Starmer faces intense scrutiny over the botched appointment of Peter Mandelson as Ambassador to the US. Following explosive evidence from former civil servant Sir Olly Robbins, the duo explores the ‘process-driven’ culture of the current government and whether it is shielding a lack of transparency.Liam explains why even a potential ceasefire or the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz may not be enough to prevent a global energy crisis. With the UK inflation rate unexpectedly rising to 3.3% in March, the hosts warn of a "stagflation" trap that could see food and energy prices soaring for years to come.And co-pilot Pearson brings a report from her homeland in Wales ahead of the Senedd election in May…Highlights:Middle East infrastructure damage threatens high energy prices and rising UK inflation.Reform UK surges in Wales as voters consider abandoning the traditional two-party system.Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |Read Allison ‘Keir Starmer and Olly Robbins deserve each other’:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/21/keir-starmer-olly-robbins-deserve-each-other/ |‘British Jews are in danger. Either we do something about it or they’ll leave’:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/22/britains-double-standards-over-anti-semitism/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Britain is the most inflation-prone nation in the G7. That was true before the Iran war’:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/04/19/britain-most-inflation-prone-in-g7-true-before-iran-war/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |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.
• Osborne and Cameron cut UK defence spending - and now Starmer is making it worse 15.04.2026 1h 1min

  You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-e1x0gsvjfYThis week on the rocket, co-pilots Halligan and Pearson eye a horizon of storm clouds gathering over Britain’s economy and national security.Liam breaks down the "serious downgrade" from the IMF, which predicts the UK will suffer more economic fallout from the war in Iran than any other major economy. He asks if the government is blaming external conflicts for vulnerabilities that were already "starkly exposed" months ago?.Meanwhile, Allison reels from Liam’s sudden appearance on the front pages of the tabloids before diving into her powerful column on the Southport inquiry. They discuss the catastrophic failures of agencies that ignored unambiguously signposted warnings, and the ‘woke priorities’ that may have silenced those trying to protect the public.Strapping in this week is former Royal Marine commando James Glancy who tells your co-pilots why the UK military can no longer meet its responsibilities around the world.Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |Read ‘Harry and Meghan need to stop pretending they’re Royals. It’s embarrassing’:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/15/prince-harry-meghan-stop-pretending-to-be-royals/ |Read ‘We want people jailed for failing to prevent the mass murder of our children’:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/14/we-want-people-jailed-mass-murder-children-southport/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Reform should not have pledged to keep the pension triple lock’:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/04/12/reform-should-not-have-pledged-keep-pension-triple-lock/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |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.
• Trump strikes ceasefire with Iran as Starmer grandstands in the Gulf 08.04.2026 58min

  You can watch this episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/B0VweeU7QlAThis week on Planet Normal, your co-pilots navigate their way from the high-stakes geopolitics of the Strait of Hormuz to the local battlegrounds of the South London Waitrose middle aisle, they examine whether common sense has gone to die - and whether the UK is becoming ‘Blighty no-mates’ on the world stage.Pondering the paradox of a superpower that can send the Orion spacecraft to the far side of the moon while struggling to control a 20-mile-wide sea passage in the Middle East. Allison shares her fuzzy memories of the 1969 moon landing.They ask if the sacking of 54 year old Walker Smith for intervening in a shoplifting incident is capitulation to HR and if the policy of non-intervention is undermining the fabric of society. A Tug-of-War emerges as your hosts clash over Reform UK’s pledge to guarantee the state triple lock, with Liam arguing we are living beyond our means, whilst Allison defending it for those nearing retirement.Strapping in this week is former UK ambassador to Iran, Nicholas Hopton who tells your co-pilots how the continuing war is affecting politics within the Iranian regime…Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |Read ‘Allison Waitrose’s sacking of a hero employee sums up Broken Britain’:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/07/waitrose-sacking-hero-employee-broken-britain/ |Read ‘I was asked out by a Richard Gere look-alike, but you won’t catch me getting a ‘Mounjaro Divorce’’:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/08/fat-jabs-fuelling-divorce-boom/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Britain’s vulnerability to war exposes need for fundamental reforms’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/04/05/britains-vulnerability-to-war-exposeneed-fundamental-reform/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |Read Nicolas Hopton: Iran has offered Trump an olive branchhttps://spectator.com/article/iran-has-offered-trump-an-olive-branch/ | More from Nicholas: https://www.nicholashopton.com/ |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 Liberal consensus gave us mass migration and broken boarders 01.04.2026 1h 16min

  In this week’s dispatch from the sanctuary of sweet reason, co-pilots Pearson and Halligan examine a growing sense of national insecurity as Britain faces a big economic hit from the US-Iran war and the systemic economic vandalism of a new tax year. The duo discuss the ongoing scandal of NHS waiting lists, with Alison analysing the apparent waiting list cleansing and the statistical chicanery used to massage figures ahead of local elections.Liam highlights a tax-bonanza of pre-announced tax rises hitting family farms and small businesses, arguing that the government is the true price gouger as it rakes in millions from fuel duties. Returning stowaway Professor Matt Goodwin joins your co-pilots to discuss his new book, Suicide of a Nation, and why the government is still ignoring the migrant crisis.Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |Read Allison ‘The elite can’t stand the truth about mass migration’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/01/elites-attack-matt-goodwin-immigration/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read ‘It’s time to stop pretending we have a First World health service’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/31/socialist-nhs-failed-time-to-change-funding/|Read Liam ‘Britain’s small firms are needed to rescue us from this slump’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/03/29/britains-small-firms-are-needed-to-rescue-us-from-slump/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |      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.
• Anti-semitism is clearly out of control in the UK 26.03.2026 1h 1min

  You can watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/z53vu3azxZsIn this week’s dispatch from the sanctuary of sweet reason, your co-pilots of sanity Liam Halligan and Allison Pearson, address the rise of antisemitic attacks in Britain, including the chilling firebombing of Jewish charity ambulances in North London. Alison shares her continuing case against Essex’s police and crime commissioner, as well as the county’s police force over a post on X, which has since been deleted, which led officers to investigate her for a potential offence of ‘inciting racial hatred’.Liam is dismayed at the cognitive dissonance in government promising an ‘AI revolution’ while the national grid remains unfit for purpose, warning that the government’s green activists are threatening the very data centers needed for the technological future they claim to champion.Returning stowaway is former adviser to then-Chancellor George Osborne, Helen Thomas, CEO of Blonde Money who tells your co-pilots why Labour is signing its own death warrant…Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |Read Allison ‘If Nadiya Hussain thinks she’s suffered from BBC discrimination, she should try being a white man’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/18/nadiya-hussain-bbc-discrimination/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read ‘Allison Pearson sues police chief over social media investigation’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/24/allison-pearson-sues-essex-police-chief-social-media/ |Read Liam ‘Artificial intelligence won’t solve Britain’s looming fiscal crisis’:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/03/22/artificial-intelligence-wont-solve-looming-fiscal-crisis/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |      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.
• UK Meningitis outbreak and Starmer’s abortion policy shame 19.03.2026 1h 10min

  You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/QVXFsa07RpoIn this week’s dispatch from the sanctuary of sweet reason, co-pilots Pearson and Halligan examine a growing sense of national insecurity as Britain faces a perfect storm of energy, military, and financial fragility, and the unfolding meningitis outbreak.With oil climbing back above $100 a barrel and the Strait of Hormuz remaining shut, Liam argues that it is time for the government to junk the ‘Net Zero virtue signalling’ and urgently greenlight drilling in the North Sea. Allison discusses her recent column on a controversial clause in the Crime and Policing Bill that would effectively ‘decriminalise’ abortion up to birth. Labelling the move ‘legalised infantcide’ she and Liam explore the ethical implication of late-term viability, drawing on Allison’s moving personal experiences and her observations from a neonatal ICU. The duo are joined in the rocket by Linden Kemkaran, the Reform UK leader of Kent County Council. Representing the ‘border county’ at the forefront of the small boats crisis, she discusses her decision to declare an ‘illegal migration emergency’ and her demand for the government to provide full funding for the local impact of arrivals.  Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |Read Allison ‘Britain is about to make a sickening change to the abortion law’:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/17/britain-sickening-change-to-abortion-law/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Labour needs to be grown-up about the North Sea’:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/03/15/labour-needs-to-be-grown-up-about-the-north-sea/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |      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 Iran war lays bare the betrayal of Britain’s energy security 12.03.2026 58min

  You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/uRceQCyRYIUIt’s markets this, oil prices that, and what will happen next, so your co-pilots are blasting in to make sense of the tsunami of news flooding across the globe from the Middle East and the war with Iran.Allison points to the shame of all governments for not protecting British interests and defence strategy has left us woefully unprepared for any disruption to energy supplies. And as the news is pointing away from the UK Allison has spied Labour still pressing ahead with a definition of Islamophobia and potentially curbing Free Speech in the process.Liam looks at the economic fallout as the Strait of Hormuz continues to be closed and Iran attacks cargo ships, and brings on board journalist and energy market expert Andrew Critchlow to discuss the UK’s energy security and strategy.Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |Read Allison ‘The BBC is not living up to the ‘British’ part of its name’:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/11/bbc-boat-race-cancellation-crufts/ |Read Allison ‘Starmer is pandering to Islamist extremists to save his own skin https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/10/keir-starmer-islamism-concerns-hannah-spencer/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Britain needs economic security – and a sovereign wealth fund’:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/03/08/britain-needs-economic-security-sovereign-wealth-fund/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |      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.
• Iran, Trump and running scared Starmer 05.03.2026 1h 2min

  You can watch this episode on youtube: https://youtu.be/KQ1dUe4FxZ0As conflict with Iran hots up across the Middle East, your co-pilot blast in to make sense of the madness.Strapping into the rocket is Dr Alan Mendoza, Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Henry Jackson Society to give his expertise on the conflict and how the ‘special relationship’ is faring as the PM holds back on British intervention.Allison thinks delays to assisting US forces has left the UK as ‘billy no mates’ should we need military help in the future.Liam looks at the economic fallout as the Strait of Hormuz is closed and this could send the cost of living soaring again for the British people.Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |Read Allison ‘Rachel Reeves’s Freudian slip betrayed the truth about this Government’:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/04/rachel-reeves-freudian-slip/ |Read Allison ‘Trump is right. Starmer has humiliated the land of Churchill’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/03/starmers-cowardice-over-iran-shames-britain/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘The tide is turning on ludicrous net zero policies’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/03/01/rumours-of-oils-demise-have-been-greatly-exaggerated/ |Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |      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.
• Planet Normal: Live, with Lionel Shriver and Suella Braverman 26.02.2026 1h 31min

  You can watch this recording on YouTube: https://youtu.be/lFRwaTYK-mMYour co-pilots have braved the atmosphere of planet Earth as the rocket touches down at the Emmanuel Centre in London for a live recording of Planet Normal! To mark the occasion, your co-pilots are joined by two of the most fearless voices to navigate a country they fear is currently on an ‘economic cliff edge’. The first revered stowaway on the rocket today is Lionel Shriver: The celebrated satirical novelist discusses her provocative new book, A Better Life. She pulls no punches while exploring the naivete of the progressive left and the ruthlessness often overlooked in the immigration debate. Also strapping in for lift-off is Suella Braverman KC MP in her first appearance since her high-profile defection to Reform UK. She reveals the ‘list of great betrayals’ she witnessed at the heart of government and explains why she believes the Conservative Party has abandoned the principles of Margaret Thatcher. Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |Read Allison ‘No ‘spares’, no climate preaching: My plan to save the monarchy’:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/02/24/my-plan-to-save-the-monarchy/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Reform needs to convince global markets it can govern’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/02/22/reform-needs-to-convince-global-markets-it-can-govern/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |      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.
• Reform launch their top team, as Starmer U-turns - again! 19.02.2026 1h 16min

  Book your tickets for Planet Normal: LIVE on the 24th February: telegraph.co.uk/planetnormallive |You can watch this episode of Planet Normal on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_jt6Hy7NYvUOn this week’s flight through the sanctuary of sweet reason, co-pilots Pearson and Halligan examine the rapid rise of Reform’s new "Shadow Cabinet," including Robert Jenrick’s debut as Shadow Chancellor and his mission to position the party as the new vanguard of fiscal prudence.Alison and Liam also debate the "gratitude of immigrants" and push back against "ethno-nationalism" in British politics following the appointments of Zia Yusuf and Suella Braverman.In a powerful and moving interview, Alison speaks with Siobhan Whyte, whose daughter Rhiannon was murdered by an illegal migrant. They discuss the systemic failures of the UK’s immigration system and Siobhan’s campaign to support the children left behind by such violence.Book your tickets for Planet Normal: LIVE on the 24th February: telegraph.co.uk/planetnormallive |Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |Read Allison ‘Every day, we are reminded that the migration crisis is ruining Britain’:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/02/17/migration-crisis-is-ruining-britain-nhs-jim-ratcliffe/ |Read Allison ‘This is Reform’s best week yet’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/02/18/this-is-reforms-best-week-yet/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Labour’s net zero extremism is ripping the heart out of Britain’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/02/15/labour-net-zero-strategy-ripping-heart-out-britain/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |      Support the Rhiannon Whyte Foundation’s gofundme here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-rhiannon-whyte-foundation | 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.
• Tick tock, Sir Keir’s against the clock 12.02.2026 1h 16min

  Book your tickets for Planet Normal: LIVE on the 24th February: telegraph.co.uk/planetnormallive |You can watch this episode of Planet Normal on YouTube: https://youtu.be/LFlJivPsT9AFollowing a scorching column by their colleague Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, co-pilots Pearson and Halligan discuss whether Britain is becoming "ungovernable" as sovereign bond yields spiral and the Prime Minister appears increasingly held hostage by the hard-Left of his own party.Allison questions the mandate of a leader facing internal coups, and a looming wipeout in the upcoming May elections.Liam warns of a looming correction from the bond markets if the government doesn't get a grip on public spending.Making a return trip to the rocket is actress and campaigner Sophie Window (nee Winkleman) to share some of her findings in the campaign to keep children off screens and social media.Book your tickets for Planet Normal: LIVE on the 24th February: telegraph.co.uk/planetnormallive |Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |Read Allison ‘Anyone who thinks Rayner is the answer to Britain’s problems needs their head examined’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/02/10/angela-rayner-answer-britain-problems-head-examined/ |Read Allison ‘Labour says it is cutting NHS waiting lists. That is just a lie’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/02/11/labour-cutting-nhs-waiting-list-lies/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Japan’s spendthrift Iron Lady has dangerous plans’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/02/08/japans-spendthrift-iron-lady-has-dangerous-plans/ |Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |  Read Ambrose Evans-Pritchard ‘The Starmer palace coup is a national disgrace’https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/02/10/the-starmer-palace-coup-is-a-national-disgrace/ |         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 Mandelson quagmire and murky dealing of Chagos 05.02.2026 1h 7min

  Book your tickets for Planet Normal: LIVE on the 24th February: telegraph.co.uk/planetnormallive |You can watch this episode of Planet Normal on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wh42OqWtzDAAs the Prime Minister vows to release the ‘Mandelson Files’ pressure on who knew what, and when is mounting on Labour. Repeat stowaway former head of Mi6 Sir Richard Dearlove is on hand to give his expert analysis on the unfolding situation.Allison is disgusted by the continuing scandal of Peter Mandelson and is in disbelief that Starmer et al. thought he would ever be a suitable candidate as Ambassador to the United States.Liam thinks this scandal will change the political landscape as deeply as the expenses scandal did; in making the public scrutinise the political class even closer.Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |Read Allison ‘When I met Peter Mandelson, I knew straight away he was rotten’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/02/03/i-knew-peter-mandelson-was-rotten/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘The US dollar is down but not out’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/02/01/the-us-dollar-is-down-but-not-out/ |Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |           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 Shameful Soldier Witch Hunt 28.01.2026 59min

  You can watch this episode of Planet Normal on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/4f7eZbkA91QIt's been a week of defections, rejections and tantrums in the world of politics, and your co pilots are here to wade through the madness. After the Telegraph published an article outlining the role Starmer took in prosecuting soldiers your co-pilots speak to General Sir Peter Wall to delve deeper into the scandal.Allison thinks Starmer ‘isn’t for Britain’ and his human right activism undermines the important role the British Army plays in the defence of our Country.Liam thinks as China starts to overtake the US economically the West will have to deal with them, but at what cost will this be to British business and values?Planet Normal Live! You can purchase your ticket here: telegraph.co.uk/planetnormalliveSign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |Read Allison ‘Suella Braverman has been vilified for telling the truth’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01/27/suella-braverman-has-been-vilified-for-telling-the-truth/ |Read Allison ‘Never again’ feels like an increasingly hollow promise’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01/28/holocaust-survivors-anti-semitism/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Peace may be coming but Ukraine has changed the world forever’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/01/25/peace-may-be-coming-but-ukraine-changed-the-world-forever/ |Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |           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.
• Robert Jenrick's Reform defection and the Greenland rift 22.01.2026 1h 2min

  You can watch this episode of Planet Normal on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mwWiWA21r1UThe rocket of right thinking is back with a blast and a very special defector is aboard.Robert Jenrick is strapped in to tell our intrepid co-pilots why he has joined Reform UK and why he thinks the Conservatives didn’t deserve ‘a second chance’.Your co-pilots return to the cockpit to navigate a world that has grown increasingly volatile in just the first few weeks of 2026.They discuss whether this is a ‘survival of the wettest’ moment for Kemi Badenoch’s Conservative Party and if Robert Jenrick is the ‘first olive out of the jar’ that will lead to a cascade of further defections.Alison returns from her time in the Australian Outback. She shares her reflections on why Australia feels like a ‘livable, optimistic society’ compared to the UKAs Donald Trump takes the stage at Davos, the world is reeling from his demand that the US should run Greenland. Liam breaks down the ‘method in the madness’, explaining the critical importance of Greenland’s rare earth minerals for the global semiconductor industry and the strategic value of the melting Northwest Passage.Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |Read Allison ‘Forget just under-16s, we all desperately need a social media ban’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01/21/we-desperately-need-social-media-ban/ |Read Allison ‘If the Tories can’t admit Britain is broken, they really are finished’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01/20/britain-is-broken-reform-tories-kemi-badenoch/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘The war on the horizon that global economies haven’t priced in’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/01/18/china-america-taiwan-clash-global-economies-not-priced-in/ |Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |           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.