The spectator combines incisive political analysis with books and arts reviews of Unrivaled Authority.

Subscribe today for just £12 and receive a 12 week subscription in print and online

and get a £20 Amazon gift voucher absolutely free.

Go to spectator.co.uk slash summer.

Hello and welcome to Coffee House Shot, the spectator's daily politics podcast.

I'm Oscar Edmondson and I'm joined today by Katie Fools and John McTurden,

commentator and former political secretary to Tony Blair.

Now, John, I wanted to start by asking you about a tweet that you put out yesterday,

in which you said, I must say I'm furious with the Labour Party,

why aren't they announcing a raft of transformative policies that will bring hope and deliver change,

but don't cost a penny, I can think of dozens.

I mean, what prompted that tweet and what should the Labour Party be doing?

What prompted that tweet was seeing people's response to Rachel Reeves's interview with the

Guardian and people go, oh my god, why can't Rachel say what Labour will race taxes on,

where Labour will find the money, how Labour will spend on public sector salaries,

all people bumping their gums about Rachel having a straight bat on final troubles to play in,

economic credibility. I just thought, I don't want to comment on Rachel's interview or the Guardian

coverage or whatever, it's just like, do people not understand? One, there are not a lot of policies

which cost nothing and give hope to the nation, and we are a very long way from the general election

campaign. In traditional terms, we're one budget away, because there's an October election next

year, there's another budget to come, given that the Conservative government have no way had two

fiscal attempts every year, we're maybe three fiscal events away for a general election.

...