Hello and welcome to The Spectator podcast. I'm Lara Prendergast and on this week's episode

we'll be asking how Theresa May might save the Union. We'll also be diving deep into Paradise Lost

and then we'll be singing the praise of endangered Cypriot songbirds. First up, May's battles.

The Prime Minister is now fighting a war

on two fronts, and there's no room for mistakes, says James Forsyth in this week's cover piece.

He joins me now along with Alex Massey, our Scotland editor. So James, you detail these two

thankless tasks that May now has in front of her. How is she going to cope with both of them?

She now has this challenge, which is she needs to do, to successfully negotiate Britain's exit from the European Union and preserve the union here at home.

If she achieves this, she's going to join the pantheon of great prime ministers.

But if she fails, she's going to be keeping Lord North company in the history books.

And I think what makes this such a difficult challenge is that the EU negotiations are undoubtedly complicated by the SMB's desire to hold a second independence referendum.

So she's got to kind of somehow find a way to do these two things.

And I think, you know, as we talk today, as they U-turn on their budget, you know, they can't make any mistakes.

There is no margin for error for her here because the Nats start off in Scotland at, you know, 45%.

They only need one in 40 voters to change their mind to win this thing.

And I think that is the real challenge for her.

And Alex, from your position up in Scotland, how do you think May's prospects are looking?

James is quite correct that this is the defining test now for the Prime Minister, just as, of course,

it was for her predecessor.

You know, David Cameron breezily announced that he would be, his record would be determined

by saving the union at home

and winning a referendum on Brexit and securing Britain's membership of the European Union.

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