The British right is up for grabs. As May's local elections approach, the Conservatives face strong competition from Reform UK.

Join the Spectator's assistant editor, Isabel Hardman, for the spectator debate, the fight for the right, on Wednesday, the 29th of April in London.

We will pit the Conservatives represented by Matthew Saeed and Dominic Johnson against Reform UK, represented by Matt Goodwin and Danny Kruger.

To see which party truly represents the future of the right,

book your tickets at spectator.com forward slash fight.

Hello and welcome to Spectator Out Loud,

where each week we choose some of our favourite pieces from the magazine and ask their writers to read them aloud.

I'm Patrick Gibbons and on this week's podcast,

Tim Shipman ponderes how bad the energy crisis could get, reminding Labor

that, after the 1973 crisis, very few sitting governments were re-elected. Ben Clerkin

interviews Steve Hilton, the former Cameron aide, now running to be California's next governor.

And from our money supplement, Maxwell Marlow explains how to solve

the student debt crisis. And finally, Hermione Air reviews a new David Hockney exhibition at the

Serpentine, calling it disorientatingly enjoyable. David Hockney, a year in Normandy and some other

thoughts about painting, runs until the 23rd of August.

Up first, Tim Shipman.

We're into 1973 territory now.

The energy price surge caused by war in the Middle East has sent shockwaves through Westminster.

It has pushed up inflation and the cost of borrowing,

causing panic in the cabinet and the recognition that government intervention could be needed

on a vast scale to support the cost that government intervention could be needed on a

vast scale to support the cost of living. The Prime Minister told a private audience, the assumption that the

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