Planet Normal

You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/K-svfqmj8Rg

It's the summer break on Planet Normal and ordinarily your co-pilots take a look back at some of their most explosive voyages on the rocket of right thinking from the year so far, however with the very sad news of the death of columnist Rod Liddle, we have decided to take a little detour back to his finest appearances on the rocket.

Our first stop is back to 2021, when Rod explained why he believed Labour had lost touch with its traditional working-class base by prioritising identity politics over economic concerns. He also reflected on his decision to join the SDP, arguing it had become the natural home for voters who still valued patriotism, community and traditional social democracy.

Then we fast-forward to 2024, as Rod campaigned as the SDP candidate for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland. With a general election under way, he assessed the mood of the country, explained why he believed support for the two main parties was ebbing away, and set out where he thought the SDP could fit into Britain's changing political landscape.

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Read Allison ‘The Cambridge fantasist is proof that stupid intellectuals are poisoning Britain‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/08/04/jason-arday-cambridge-stupid-intellectuals-poison-britain/ |

Read Allison ‘ My friend Rod Liddle was a great British freedom fighter‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/08/03/allison-pearson-friend-rod-liddle-great-british-freedom/ |

Read Allison ‘The school summer holiday should be capped at a month ‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/08/02/cap-school-summer-holiday-one-month/ |

Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |

Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ |

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You can watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hjoyImW6a8s

This week’s journey in the rocket of right thinking opens with an exclusive announcement from co-pilot Pearson in her case against the Essex police and Fire and Crime Commissioner, Roger Hirst.

Back in November 2024 Allison received a visit from Essex police regarding a year old post on the social media platform X. Mr Hirst later appeared on LBC and veered into making personal claims against Allison and the situation, for which he has now apologised.

Liam discusses Andy Burnham’s first 10 days and amongst the ‘maybe this’ or ‘maybe that’ promises of the new Prime Minister, wonders when he will start acting like a statesman and wear a shirt when meeting world leaders; as his meeting with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy seemed a casual T-Shirt affair.

Joining your co-pilots is science writer and former member of the house of Lords, Matt Ridley, who tells your co-pilots why the claim that climate change is the only reason for wild fires, is only a fraction of the real story….

Highlights

• Planet Normal: The case of the Essex police vs Allison Pearson and the co-pilots victory
• Allison updates on her case against Essex police
• Liam breaks down the Burnham bounce promises
• Matt Ridley on the raging wildfires in Europe and across the globe

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Read Allison ‘We want a properly dressed statesman in No 10, not a mate‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/07/28/britain-want-statesman-ino-10-not-mate/ |

Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | 

Read Liam: ‘Burnham is oblivious to the looming oil shock’

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/07/26/burnham-is-oblivious-to-the-looming-oil-shock/ |

Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |

Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |

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You can watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/LYzZRwK5C0g

This week’s journey in the rocket of right thinking opens with co-pilots Liam Halligan and Allison Pearson reflecting on Andy Burnham becoming Prime Minister.

Liam warns that uncosted bungs and 10-year gilt yields staying above 5% threaten a fiscal crisis and discusses his upcoming appointment as Director of the Centre for Policy Studies, pitching the concept of conditional tax cuts to restore economic credibility. 

Allison dismantles Burnham's 5% VAT cut on energy bills that saves households a mere 86p a week, and shares her experience reporting on England’s World Cup run, praising players like Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham while condemning the BBC’s self-promotional halftime advert.

Joining your co-pilots after her appearance at last week’s CPAC is Laila Cunningham, who discusses her backstory, Reform UK’s political platform, and the distress felt following the murder of Ann Widdecombe. 

Highlights

• Planet Normal: Andy and the Backstabbers make their debut to the Country
• Allison dismantles Andy Burnham's energy bill relief as an unhelpful 86p-a-week gesture
• Liam discusses his upcoming appointment as Director of the Centre for Policy Studies
• Laila Cunningham at CPAC discusses Reform UK and political security
• Allison reflects on England's World Cup run.

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Read Allison ‘Struggling voters deserve better than Burnham’s con tricks‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/2026/07/21/struggling-voters-deserve-better-than-burnhams-con-tricks/ |

Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | 

Read Liam ‘Burnham’s ‘unashamedly Labour’ push spells economic ruin’: 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/07/19/burnhams-unashamedly-labour-push-spells-economic-ruin/ |

Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |

Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |

Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |

Email: [email protected] |

For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |

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

You can watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wQxi0BVywEs

This week’s journey in the rocket of right thinking opens with a tribute to former MP and Reform member, Ann Widdecombe as your co-pilots reminisce their time with Anne over the years.

Liam raises serious concerns about the incoming Prime Minister’s fiscal capabilities in light of a £120 billion budget deficit warning from the OBR, arguing that a reliance on tax-and-spend policies simply will not work.

Allison criticises the lack of scrutiny or public debates surrounding his transition to power and condemns the toxic political climate and the relentless demonisation of right-leaning figures that has preceded tragedy. 

Serving up some home truths about tennis and fresh from his Wimbledon victory is tennis ace Henry Patten, who tells your co-pilots why singles matches receive a lot more coverage and promotion than doubles.

Highlights

• Planet Normal: Starmer out, Burnham in and we pay tribute to trailblazer Anne Widdecombe
• Burnham's OBR warning: Andy Burnham enters Number 10 facing a £120bn deficit warning.
• Anne Widdecombe Tribute: The co-pilots honour the late politician after her shocking death.
• Wimbledon Champion: Henry Patten joins to discuss doubles drama and prize money cuts.

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Read Allison ‘Farewell, Ann. Middle England saw you for the sterling human being you were‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/07/10/ann-widdecombe-ridiculed-voice-middle-england-should-revere/ |

Read Allison ‘The Left’s constant demonisation of Reform was a ticking time bomb‘: 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/07/14/britains-political-class-stop-dangerous-demonisation-reform/ | 

Read Allison ‘England’s clash with Argentina will be nail-biting, but there’s plenty to look forward to‘:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/07/15/we-need-an-england-triumph-more-than-ever-before/ |

Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | 

Read Liam ‘Labour’s house of cards on tax will come tumbling down’: 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/07/12/labour-house-of-cards-tax-tumbling-down/ |

Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |

Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |

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You can watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YItlh0gx6cA

A never ending tsunami of news sees Reform UK leader Nigel Farage stand down, triggering a “People vs the Establishment" election… but was this a political mis-step?

Liam thinks it was a mistake by the Reform leader, but is aghast that the news is giving more coverage to ‘unserious candidates’ such as count Binface, instead of the looming financial issues as the OBR announces the Government has ‘unsustainable UK debt’.

Allison agrees but also thinks this is yet another avenue of stitch up by the political establishment that cannot understand why Reform remains so popular with voters, and why they see through the attempts to delegitimise Nigel Farage.

Clambering aboard is return passenger and journalist extraordinaire, Anne-Elisabeth Moutet who tells your co-pilots why Marine Le Pen of France’s National Rally Party may be campaigning with an electronic ankle monitor…

Highlights

• Planet Normal: Farage furor and the media blindspot to the OBR warnings
• Farage triggers by election - Count Binface so far only candidate to challenge him
• OBR issues stark warning for UK debt and GDP
• Reform remains popular despite political parlour games

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Read Allison ‘It’s time to remove Harry from the line of succession‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/07/07/remove-harry-line-succession/ |

Read Allison ‘With beer, pyjamas and raucous chants, we rallied round England’s heroes‘: 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2026/07/06/england-mexico-allison-pearson-in-saffron-walden/ | 

Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | 

Read Liam ‘Britain is doomed if Burnham lurches Left’: 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/07/05/britain-is-doomed-if-burnham-lurches-left/ |

Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |

Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |

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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |

Email: [email protected] |

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

You can watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bW3b5qKQP6I

Co-pilot Pearson returns from her break in Sicily to find political chaos in full swing following Keir Starmer's resignation announcement last week.

Liam and Allison dissect Andy Burnham's bid for the top job, with Liam labelling him "Boris in a bomber jacket" and questioning whether his tax-heavy vision of "Manchesterism" can survive economic reality.

Allison reflects on The Telegraph's recent Brexit event and attacks Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s new immigration reforms as a "tissue of lies" that fails to address the open-border crisis.

Stowing away this week is Research Director at the Centre for Migration Control, Rob Bates who tells your co-pilots why Labour’s asylum and immigration changes could create another ‘wave’ of migration to the UK

Highlights

• Planet Normal: Labour’s new migration policies will create a 'Burnham bump’ 
• The Illusion of Manchesterism: Burnham is the wrong answer to the UK's looming fiscal cliff
• The Sinking Immigration System: Allison slams the Home Secretary’s asylum reforms as a "tissue of lies" that serves as a giant welcome mat.
• The Lockdown Tech Tragedy: How smartphones and isolation turned a generation of bright children into tech-addicted "zombies"

Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |

Read Allison ‘Welcome to Burnham’s No 10 North – fuelled by gravy, Surrey cash and delusion‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/07/01/welcome-burnham-no-10-north/ |

Read Allison ‘Shabana Mahmood’s migration plan will light the spark on civil unrest‘: 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/30/dont-be-fooled-by-shabana-mahmoods-smoke-mirrors-migration/ | 

Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | 

Read Liam ‘Britain’s next prime minister shouldn’t bet on peace in the Gulf’: 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/06/28/britains-next-prime-minister-shouldnt-bet-on-peace-in-gulf/ |

Read Liam ‘Our football team was at the heart of Blair’s Labour. Now, Burnham is leading a comeback’: 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/25/demon-eyes-new-labour-football-team-shaped-politics/ | 

Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |

Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |

Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |

Email: [email protected] |

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You can watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/D90j1xiHV_c

A news heatwave has caused chaos across the land, Co-pilot Halligan pressed the emergency button and is joined by under-study Baroness Claire Fox while Co-pilot Pearson recovers from the shock of it all.

Liam congratulates Andy Burnham on his victory in Makerfield, and apparently set to have a coronation rather than a contest, for the top job, however doesn’t believe his fiscal policies will stand up to economic reality.

Baroness Fox recalls the Brexit vote 10 years on and why the remain camp will never accept the outcome, as well as outlining where we have not yet embraced many of the freedoms we gained, by changing EU laws.

Stowing away this week is return guest Dr Gerard Lyons who discusses Britain's economic outlook, arguing that weak growth, rising debt and high public spending pose major challenges for the UK, and 10 years on from the Brexit vote he also questioned the case for closer ties with the EU…

Highlights

• Planet Normal: Burnham is the wrong answer to the UK’s economic problem
• Burnham on set for Premiership coronation
• Brexit 10 years on, have we taken full advantage yet

Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |

Book your tickets to 'How to make Brexit a success’ on 29th June in London: telegraph.co.uk/brexit-big-debate |

Read Allison ‘I will always be proud I voted to leave the EU and stand up for the Britain I love‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/23/proud-of-vote-to-leave-eu / |

Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | 

Read Liam ‘I’ve known Andy Burnham for 30 years but I still think he’s wrong’: 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/06/21/ive-known-burnham-for-30-years-but-i-still-think-hes-wrong/ |

Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |

Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |

Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |

Email: [email protected] |

For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |

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

You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/lq-8ZhnYjjk

The rocket of right thinking speeds around planet normal gathering the news tsunami of this week… 

Allison surprises Liam by AGREEING with Sir Keir Starmer’s social media ban for under 16 year olds, as she states in her column this week. The addictive and toxic nature of smartphones has ruined children’s attention spans and their “in real life" connections and this ban could help them reconnect with the elusive parchment joy of books.

Liam strongly echoes Allison’s stance, arguing that tech platforms expose children to "relentless bullying" and corporate exploitation. Shifting to finance, he forecasts an imminent rise in global interest rates, pointing to rising producer price inflation and rate hikes in Australia and Japan as clear indicators that borrowing costs are headed back up.

Stowing away this week is return guest Bernie Spofforth, who tells us about her experience of being questioned by police due to a retweet she posted on X. She has released a book, out on the 25th June, to discuss how Government overreach, police and NGO’s have worn down democracy…

Highlights

• Planet Normal: The Social media ban will free our kids from the addictive and toxic smartphone
• Bernie Spofforth’s Legal Fight: Detained for 36 hours over a Southport-related retweet, Spofforth reveals she is suing the police in the High Court this November for gross overreach.
• Institutional Failures: The hosts condemn public bodies for failing to protect victims in the Preston Davey and Nottingham tragedies due to a culture of "suicidal empathy".

Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |

Book your tickets to 'How to make Brexit a success’ on 29th June in London: telegraph.co.uk/brexit-big-debate |

Read Allison ‘Giving children smartphones is like handing them grenades. I should know‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/16/why-i-support-social-media-ban/ |

Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | 

Read Liam ‘The UK’s battered public finances are about to get even more stretched’: 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/06/14/the-uks-battered-public-finances-about-even-more-stretched/ |

Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |

Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |

Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |

Email: [email protected] |

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

You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qNYLdKrCI_o

On your rocket of right thinking this week co-pilots Pearson and Halligan discuss the recent riots in Belfast and the two-tier policing worries continuing from the murder of Henry Nowak.

Liam thinks Kemi Badenoch’s call to ‘treat people equally’ under the law is correct and the DEI training given to police has disproportionately affected victims of crime more than the perpetrators and is detrimental to the social cohesion of the UK.

Allison is concerned civil unrest will get worse before it gets better as people feel their fears of rising immigration is labeled as bigotry or racism.

This week’s stowaway is former police officer and counter-terror specialist Paul Birch, who gives his take on the claims of two-tier policing and the recent unrest in Southampton and Belfast

Highlights

• Planet Normal: Civil unrest will only get worse if people’s concerns remain ignored
• Kemi’s calls to scrap DEI in policing is right
• Counter terror specialist on two-tier policing

Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |

Book your tickets to 'How to make Brexit a success’ on 29th June in London: telegraph.co.uk/brexit-big-debate |

Read more from Paul Birch’s Substack: https://birchy1.substack.com/ |

Read Allison ‘The football widows’ guide to the World Cup‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/10/world-cup-dos-and-donts-football-widows/ |

Read Allison ‘Kemi underestimates how deeply the woke cult has infected Britain’:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/09/kemis-promise-to-overhaul-woke-cult-doesnt-touch-the-sides/ |

Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | 

Read Liam ‘Labour’s statist policies are gumming up the jobs market’: 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/06/07/labours-statist-policies-are-gumming-up-the-jobs-market/ |

Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |

Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |

Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |

Email: [email protected] |

For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |

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

You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/82lXs84p8_M

This week on Planet Normal, your co-pilots of sanity, Liam Halligan and Allison Pearson, confront the tragic murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak and the national outrage surrounding the police's handling of the case. Marking the 10th anniversary of the Brexit referendum with former Vote Leave chief executive, Lord Matthew Elliott, the duo reflects on the original promise of leaving the EU and how the podcast itself was born out of a shared taxi ride following a celebration of that historic vote.

Allison delivers a searing indictment of the "woke indoctrination" paralysing British policing, highlighting how diversity, equity, and inclusion targets have trained common sense and humanity out of officers, leading to the inhumane treatment of a dying victim while his killer was treated with total decency. 

On Brexit, Liam uses his column to bust the persistent "Project Fear" myths, pointing out that the UK has actually outgrown France and Germany since 2016. However, he laments that successive governments have failed to capitalise on regulatory freedoms and instead allowed immigration to soar to historic highs.

Highlights

• Planet Normal: 10 years on from the Referendum, have we even had Brexit yet?
• The police failed Henry Novak, and DEI continues to fail us all
• 10 Years of Brexit: A deep dive into the economic realities of the post-referendum UK, detailing missed deregulation opportunities alongside strong export growth

Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |

Book your tickets to 'How to make Brexit a success’ on 29th June in London: telegraph.co.uk/brexit-big-debate |

Read Allison ‘I’m sick of Britain’s rapid decline being sold to me as an ‘improvement’’:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/03/why-every-service-is-getting-worse/ |

Read Allison ‘Henry Nowak’s death shows how brainwashed Britain’s police have become’

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/02/henry-nowaks-death-british-police-brainwashed-dei/ |

Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | 

Read Liam ‘The Brexit horror stories aren’t true’: 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/05/31/the-brexit-horror-stories-arent-true/ |

Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |

Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |

Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |

Email: [email protected] |

For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |

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