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Coffee House Shots

How long will Starmer’s ‘war bounce’ last?

Coffee House Shots

The Spectator

News, Politics, Government, Daily News

4.42.1K Ratings

🗓️ 7 March 2025

⏱️ 10 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Trump has been stealing the headlines when it comes to Ukraine this week, but Europe – and whether it can stay united in the face of the US pulling its support – remains an important subplot. At a summit yesterday, 27 countries backed the plan to increase spending on defence, but when will the cracks start to show?

Thankfully, it seems that the Prime Minister is good in a crisis. Back at home, he has seen a modest bounce in popularity and he is making a good impression in Brussels, coming across as assured without grandstanding. He has also been leading on defence spending – could defence be the way in for Starmer to renegotiate a new position within the EU? Is Starmer having a good crisis? 

Katy Balls speaks to James Heale and Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:46.5

Hello and welcome to Coffee House Shots of Spectators' Daily Politics Podcast. I'm Katie Bowles

0:51.4

and I'm joined by Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European

0:54.7

Reform and James Heel of the Spectator. This week, of course, Ukraine has dominated once again,

1:01.4

but one aspect of this away from what Team Trump may cover of Zelensky and what the Ukrainians

1:07.4

might do next is the European response. Charles, you've been in Brussels this week. Is there much of a sense that the Europeans can stay united on this or a cracks

1:16.6

beginning to show? Well, the number one concern of most of the people I talk to in Brussels,

1:21.2

senior officials who run the EU, is we've got to stay united because nobody's going to take

1:24.7

the EU seriously if it's divided and they're doing fairly

1:27.6

well at that so far the summit yesterday they the 27 countries including Hungary backed the plans to

1:33.6

spend more money on defence both jigging rejigging the fiscal rule so the national governments can

1:39.1

spend more on defence but also doing some spending at EU level as well with a new European loan

1:43.6

facility so there's unity on that less unity on Ukraine itself 26 backed supos but also doing some spending at EU level as well with a new European loan facility.

1:47.0

So there's unity on that, less unity on Ukraine itself.

1:51.1

26 back guarantees for Ukraine, standing by Ukraine.

...

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