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/ |

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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/ |

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

Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |

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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/ |

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Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |

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