Shabana Mahmood in conversation with Michael Gove – Labour Conference 2025
Coffee House Shots
The Spectator
4.4 • 2.1K Ratings
🗓️ 29 September 2025
⏱️ 51 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Whilst a certain noisy northern mayor has positioned himself as the problem child of conference 2025, The Spectator finds another Labour politician far more interesting. All around Liverpool the newsstands are decorated by the image of the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, dubbed the ‘Terminator’ by Tim Shipman in the most recent issue of The Spectator. As one strategist notes: ‘Shabana is not afraid to use power. That’s what we need.’
In this special edition of Coffee House Shots we present a wide-ranging in-conversation between Shabana Mahmood and Spectator editor Michael Gove. Listen for: how to tackle the ‘Boriswave’, whether the Home Office is fit for purpose, Shabana’s compelling case for digital ID cards and her response to Keir Starmer’s claim that Reform are ‘racist’.
Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Megan McElroy.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, Sweaterweather. |
| 0:02.1 | Bring on cozy duvet days, crisp air and crunchy leaves. |
| 0:06.9 | Out-out is out. |
| 0:09.2 | And the original pumpkin spice latte is in. |
| 0:13.1 | Handcrafted with our signature espresso and seasonal pumpkin flavors, |
| 0:17.7 | then topped with whipped cream, cinnamon and nutmeg. |
| 0:21.1 | Hot or iced? |
| 0:22.8 | PSL. |
| 0:23.8 | It's here. |
| 0:25.2 | Only at the Starbucks coffee company. |
| 0:27.5 | Subject to availability while stocks last. |
| 0:33.5 | I've given some speeches to party conferences. |
| 0:43.5 | And it's often the case that speeches tend to be lists of achievements, |
| 0:48.7 | which it's expected that the faithful will applaud. |
| 0:52.3 | But this was a specific argument. Shabana, who were you trying to |
| 0:58.2 | convince and what were you trying to convince them of this afternoon? Well, I think the message I have is a |
| 1:05.0 | message for everyone in the hall and people across the country. So what I have in my mind is |
| 1:09.9 | ordinary British people up and down the country. And what I have in my mind is ordinary British people up and down the |
| 1:12.4 | country. And the argument I'm making is that I feel that we are at real pinch point in our |
| 1:18.7 | life as a country where there are many people who have started as patriots just as I am, |
| 1:26.0 | but who have now gone on this journey |
| 1:28.8 | towards something that is much darker, |
... |
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