A by-election is on the cards for Rutherglen and Hamilton West, after former SNP MP Margaret Ferrier was recalled by her constituents. She'd flouted lockdown rules in 2020, taking a train from London to Scotland despite testing positive for Covid. Given that Labour will need to make gains in Scotland in order to win the next election, this by-election has become a bellwether for the party. Cindy Yu talks to Katy Balls and Lucy Dunn about what to expect.

Produced by Cindy Yu.

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The arrest of the SNP's treasurer Colin Beattie in relation to the probe into the party's finances has overshadowed Humza Yousaf's relaunch speech scheduled for today. Beattie has been taken into custody two weeks after Peter Murrell, the SNP's chief executive, was questioned by police regarding loans made in June 2021. Can Yousaf distance himself from the chaos in his own party? What does this mean for Scottish Labour's chances at the next election? 
 
 Michael Simmons speaks to Katy Balls and Stephen Daisley. 
 
 Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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Humza Yousaf has been announced as the new leader of the SNP after a narrow victory over second placed Kate Forbes. What will this mean for the cause of Scottish independence?

Katy Balls speaks to Michael Simmons, Stephen Daisley and Fraser Nelson. 

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The SNP has confirmed that its membership has fallen to 72,000 – a loss of over 30,000 since 2021. This has prompted an open letter from leadership candidates Kate Forbes and Ash Regan, calling for transparency when it comes to membership numbers. Why are so many leaving? 

Also on the podcast, Humza Yousaf has committed yet another public gaffe when he went to visit a group of female Ukrainian refugees. Is he still the firm favourite? 

Katy Balls speaks to Michael Simmons, Lucy Dunn and Fraser Nelson. 

Produced by Oscar Edmondson. 

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After a tumultuous two weeks, voting is now open for the SNP leadership elections until 27 March. But are members any closer to knowing who they’ll vote for? The deputy first minister of the SNP, John Swinney has backed Humza Yousaf to be SNP leader. What could be seen as an influential endorsement by some, can also be a sign that the Yousaf campaign is worried things are tighter than hoped. 

Michael Simmons speaks to Katy Balls and Alex Massie.

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We had the first televised hustings for the leadership of the SNP last night, and it was a fiery affair to say the least. Will the lack of party unity end up costing the SNP? 

Lucy Dunn speaks to Katy Balls and Stephen Daisley. 

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It's been an interesting week in the race for the leadership of the SNP. Kate Forbes's campaign has been plunged into fresh doubt by the news that her husband attended a private Tory hustings, whilst Douglas Ross has been forced to apologise after swearing during First Minister's Questions. We also had the first hustings, but who came out on top? 

Michael Simmons speaks to Fraser Nelson, Katy Balls and Stephen Daisley. 

Produced by Oscar Edmondson. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the first of The Spectator's special Coffee House Scots series, Michael Simmons speaks to Isabel Hardman, Katy Balls and Stephen Daisley about the SNP leadership race. Given that the main motivation uniting the SNP is the ambition for an independent Scotland, how do the candidates differ ideologically?

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The Coronomics series has come to an end after starting in mid-April, at a time when Hong Kong, Britain, the US, and Italy were at much more serious points of the pandemic. On this final episode, Kate Andrews talks to Nick Gillespie, Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli, and Jennifer Creery about what their respective governments have learnt during the crisis, and where they went wrong.

In this episode, Mauricio Savarese reports on the latest from Brazil where the battle between the President Jair Bolsonaro and the media heats up. Kate Andrews updates on Britain's Covid situation with a report from the Times on an estimate for excess cancer deaths in 2021, and Cindy Yu reports on how Beijing's cluster infection has further damaged business and consumer confidence.