<p>You can watch this episode on YouTube: <a href="https://youtu.be/uXkk5GHpPE4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/uXkk5GHpPE4</a></p><br><p>This week on Planet Normal, your co-pilots of sanity, Liam Halligan and<strong> </strong>Allison Pearson, dive into a political landscape dominated by explosive leadership interventions and growing institutional scandal. Following a dramatic local election period, the duo analyzes a scathing 5,000-word essay by former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has openly lacerated his own party for what he calls an “infinite capacity for self-delusion”.</p><br><p>Liam details the escalating fiscal warning signs rattling the British establishment. He warns that despite a temporary dip in the UK inflation rate to 2.8%, it is on track to hit 5% later this year. With long-term government borrowing costs flirting with 30-year highs, Liam argues that cosmetic fixes like supermarket price controls and rollercoaster VAT cuts will do nothing to soothe terrified sovereign bond markets.</p><p>Meanwhile Allison shares her assessment of the Scottish National Party following the sensational embezzlement guilty plea of its former chief executive.&nbsp;</p><br><p>This week’s stowaway on the rocket is serial entrepreneur and hospitality titan Luke Johnson, who shares a powerful breakdown of how Britain is currently navigating life under what he defines as a “highly damaging socialist government”.</p><br><p>Highlights</p><ul><li>Blair is talking sense on this Lefty Labour Party, and Starmer should listen to save them</li><li>Sir Keir Starmer faces mounting threats to his leadership as ideological factions fracture the Labour Party.</li><li>Looming fiscal disaster deepens as the UK inflation rate is projected to climb back toward 5%.</li><li>The SNP establishment faces total mockery following the sensational embezzlement fallout of its leadership.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>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. <a href="http://telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor</a> |</p><p>Book your tickets to 'How to make Brexit a success’ on 29th June in London: <a href="http://telegraph.co.uk/brexit-big-debate" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">telegraph.co.uk/brexit-big-debate</a> |</p><p>Read Allison ‘Did you really not know about your husband, Nicola?’:</p><p>https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/26/allison-pearson-nicola-sturgeon-husband/ |</p><p>Read more from Allison: <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/</a> |&nbsp;</p><p>Read Liam ‘The approaching inflation crisis is a disaster for Labour’:&nbsp;</p><p><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/05/24/the-approaching-inflation-crisis-is-a-disaster-for-labour/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/05/24/the-approaching-inflation-crisis-is-a-disaster-for-labour/</a> |</p><p>Read more from Liam: <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/</a> |</p><p>Read Liam’s Substack: <a href="https://liamhalligan.substack.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://liamhalligan.substack.com/</a> |</p><p>Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here:</p><p><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/</a> |</p><p>Email: [email protected] |</p><p>For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal</a> |</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>