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The Telegraph

The podcast that speaks your language. News and views from beyond the bubble with Telegraph columnists, Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan, every Thursday.
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Planet Normal

Summer is coming to an end on Planet Normal! So in our final installment of our "best of the rocket" series, our co-pilots take a look back at another two of their most explosive voyages on the rocket of right thinking from the year so far.

In May, after Keir Starmer's EU 'reset', Allison and Liam invited Lord David Frost on to the rocket. The former diplomat and Boris Johnson's chief Brexit negotiator, now a Conservative peer, discussed Starmer's efforts to bring post-Brexit Britain closer to the EU.

Also in May, Liam spoke to Andrew Doyle, playwright, journalist, satirist, and creator of social media star Titania McGrath. Andrew, who recently published The End of Woke, discussed why he'd returned to the "culture wars" after vowing his previous book, The New Puritans, would be his last word on the subject.

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/ |

Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |

Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |

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

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

Best Voyages from the Rocket 2025 Part 3

Citizens of Planet Normal, you were expecting the co-pilots to be on holiday during August but we now have a surprise bonus episode for you!

Allison was literally at the beach when the exciting news came through confirming Lucy Connolly was about to be released. Lucy is of course the Northampton mum and childminder who ad spent more than a year behind bars for posting a tweet which she quickly deleted in the wake of the Southport murders, and her cause has been very much championed here on Planet Normal.

So with Lucy finally on her way home, the ever intrepid co-pilot Pearson literally rushed back from her break to sit down with Lucy Connolly for her first interview, another planet normal, exclusive, just 24 hours after she left jail.

Watch the full interview here: https://youtu.be/5sO1oVzFSC0

Read the article here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/08/22/lucy-connolly-i-was-starmers-political-prisoner/

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'Am I Starmer's political prisoner? Absolutely' | Lucy Connolly speaks to Allison Pearson

Summer continues on Planet Normal! In this, the second of the three part best of the rocket series, our co-pilots take a look back at some of their most explosive voyages on the rocket of right thinking from the year so far.

Back in March, Allison spoke to Ray Connolly - husband of Lucy Connolly, who was sentenced to 31 months for posting a tweet in response to the tragic death of 3 girls in Southport last year. Ray discusses the devastating impact of Lucy’s ongoing incarceration on their family.

And then, in April, Allison and Liam were joined by Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Badenoch. We asked her whether Keir Starmer should apologize to former Labour MP Rosie Duffield in light of the Supreme Court verdict on the biological definition of a woman. In regards to the Equality Act 2010.

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/ |

Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |

Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |

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

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

Best Voyages from the Rocket 2025 Part 2

It's the summer break on Planet Normal so in the first of this year's best of the rocket series, our co-pilots take a look back at some of their most explosive voyages on the rocket of right thinking from the year so far.

Following the emergence of more harrowing details of rape gangs operating in the UK, in January Allison spoke to a warrior of free speech, and one of her heroines, Ayaan Hirsi Ali. A former Dutch MP, Ayaan has put herself in danger many times for speaking out against Islamists and supporting the self-determining right of Muslim women.

Then, in March, Liam had a fascinating conversation with American entrepreneur Mike Calvey. Who whilst living and working in Russia, ended up in Moscow's notorious Matrosskaya Tishina prison on trumped-up charges in 2019. Now free and fully exonerated, Mike joined Liam to discuss his book Odyssey Moscow, the war in Ukraine, and his complex relationship with Russia.

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/ |

Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |

Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |

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

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

Best Voyages from the Rocket 2025 Part 1

Another black hole has appeared in the country’s coffers, but you can bank on your co-pilots to make sense of the pennies and cents.

Allison thinks Starmer’s new migrant swap deal with France is nonsense and nothing more than a secret legal route made by Labour under the pretence of benefiting the British tax payer.

Whilst Liam says the ongoing cost of Labour’s private school VAT increase is crippling families and private schools help the local community as well as the tax payers as they free up spaces in State schools.

Stowing away this week is mum of 2 Emma, who shares the experience of an average family hit by Labour’s VAT on private schools

Read Allison: ‘Our complicit elite is to blame for every sexual assault by an illegal migrant’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/08/05/complicit-elite-blame-for-sex-assault-by-illegal-migrants/ |

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

‘Read Liam: Why the OBR is now warning about the "serious...unsustainable" fiscal cost of high immigration’

https://liamhalligan.substack.com/p/why-the-obr-is-now-warning-about?r=rm4f5&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action |

Read Liam: ‘Trump is wrong to pick a fight with Powell – but is right about interest rates’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/08/03/trump-wrong-pick-fight-powell-right-interest-rates/ |

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

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

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

Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |

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

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

Labour! Leave our kids alone

With Donald Trump giving Starmer a piece of his mind, there’s no shortage of madness this week, and your co-pilots are ready to make sense of it all!

Allison thinks The US President took the Prime Minister to task on his immigration and green power policies, completely humiliating him on the world stage.

Whilst Liam says the ‘febrile atmosphere’ in the country isn’t being managed very well by Starmer's immigration policies.

Stowing away this week is Epping resident Orla Minihine who tells the co-pilots why she is protesting against a local hotel being used to house migrants.

Read Allison ‘They tried to break Lucy Connolly, but the decent people of Britain will never desert her’:

‘https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/07/29/allison-pearson-lucy-connolly-southport-decent-britain/ |

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

Read Liam ‘I’ve changed my mind about why Britain has a chronic housing shortage’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/07/27/immigration-fuelling-uk-chronic-housing-shortage/ |

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

Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |

Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |

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

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

Feeble Starmer is stoking a febrile country

Co-Pilot Pearson is taking a break but fear not, Nick Timothy is strapping in to help Co-pilot Halligan make sense of this week’s madness.

Liam is pleased Labour have caught up with the rest of the country in talking about addressing ‘concerns’ over immigration, but is concerned they haven’t given any substance to their position or how they will achieve it.

Nick points out Labour scrapped the Rwanda scheme deterrent and still don’t have a concrete plan other than speeding up decisions, which is leading to yet more increases in channel crossings.

Strapping in, having delved into the history of the ECHR in the UK, is Lord Peter Lilley who has some myths to bust…

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

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

Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |

Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |

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

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

The UK is on a Hard Road tackling immigration concerns

Secrets, lies and spies are on the agenda for this week and your co-pilots are here to make sense of the madness.

Allison is horrified by the secrecy surrounding the Ministry of Defence data leak, which has been estimated at a potential cost of £7bn to the UK tax payer, without any oversight or accountability of where people will be settled around the Country.

Meanwhile Liam focuses on the news inflation has increased and the warning that the Labour tax increases are curtailing growth, which could lead to the dreaded term ‘stagflation’.

Stowing away this week is MD of REIDsteel, Simon Boyd, who lays out his case for Ed Miliband's net zero policies being ‘dangerous’.

Read Allison: ‘Starmer is sacrificing our troops on the altar of human rights law’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/07/15/starmer-sacrificing-british-troops-on-altar-of-human-rights/ |

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

Read Liam: ‘Reeves needs to take a leaf out of Gordon Brown’s book‘ ​​https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/07/13/reeves-needs-take-a-leaf-out-gordon-brown-book/ |

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

Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |

Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |

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

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

Red Ed’s kamikaze net zero policies and the most expensive email in history

Another week in Labour’s u-turn government and the rumblings of a wealth tax are on the horizon, just as your co-pilots predicted!

Allison thinks the PM’s speech on Monday was a ‘soft focus’ reflection of the 7th July London bombing, and once again avoiding the concerns of Islamists and mass immigration.

Meanwhile Liam focuses on the sticky issue of a potentially imminent ‘Wealth Tax’ as Chancellor Rachel Reeves struggles to balance the books with Starmer’s constant spending u-turns.

Stowing away this week is Matt Goodwin, pollster, political commentator and author joins Allison and Liam to discuss the 20th Anniversary of the London Tube attack and how Labour’s experiment of immigration and integration has failed.

Matt’s substack: https://www.mattgoodwin.org/ |

Read Allison ‘Britain’s craven appeasement of Islam is an insult to the victims of 7/7‘ : https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/07/08/britain-appeasement-islam-an-insult-to-the-victims-of-77/ |

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

Read Liam ‘A wealth tax will only make the Chancellor’s problems worse’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/07/06/wealth-tax-will-only-make-chancellors-problems-worse/ |

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

Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |

Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |

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

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

Labour’s multicultural project has been a devastating experiment

As Labour performs another head spinning u turn, your co-pilots are here to cut through the madness, so you don’t have to.

Allison thinks this government has been a series of ‘car crashes’ culminating in another major humiliating U-turn on the flagship Welfare Bill. The rebellion of his own MPs is making him a ‘dead man walking’.

Meanwhile Liam focuses on the impact of the concessions Starmer has had to make, and how this will affect Rachel Reeves’ ability to balance the books.

Strapping in this week is columnist Dan Hodges to give his take on where this Labour Party didn’t learn anything from the Blairite years.

Read Allison: ‘We may have to defund the BBC to get our country back’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/07/01/glastonbury-horror-show-tim-davie-bbc-bob-vylan-kneecap/ | 

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

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

Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |

Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |

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

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

Starmer's ‘ming vase’ strategy smashed by policy pirouettes

MPs' report into the UK's early pandemic response is out – and it’s given Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan 144 pages of pause for thought. They tell listeners why it's simply not balanced on the collateral damage caused by lockdowns, and query the intentions of one of the document's authors. 

Elsewhere, Allison has actually read Liam’s column in order to understand what’s really going on with the energy crisis, Liam dreams of a return to the seventies and the Planet Normal rocket makes a stopover at the cinema as our co-pilots review the latest Bond film.

And joining our Planet Normal rocket this week is Luke Murfitt, founder and CEO of Integrity Cleaning, who tells Liam how a diagnosis with Parkinson's aged just 34 has sped his life up rather than slowing it down, and how his business managed to double its turnover over lockdown.

Allison will be replying to comments beneath this article on Thursday 14th October 11am-12pm: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/2021/10/13/planet-normal-will-people-screaming-lockdowns-going-forward/ |

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

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

Listen to Bed of Lies: www.playpodca.st/bedoflies |

Need help subscribing or reviewing? Read more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |

Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |

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

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

That Covid report

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