Episodes

  • What can Rachel Reeves learn from recent Chancellors?

    What can Rachel Reeves learn from recent Chancellors?
    Nov 22 2025
    As Rachel Reeves prepares for the most talked about budget in decades we discuss a galaxy of previous chancellors often facing epic challenges. Standby for portraits of Healey, Howe, Lamont, Brown and Osborne, and of course the team’s latest reflections of Reeves as she prepares for this Wednesday.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show More Show Less
    38 mins
  • Does Shabana Mahmood have the right answers on asylum?

    Does Shabana Mahmood have the right answers on asylum?
    Nov 19 2025
    Via a brief pre-Budget detour, the team debates the Home Secretary's major new policy. Will it work? Is it hardline for one set of critics and not tough enough for the rest? Stop the boats was a slogan that sunk the previous government. Will the substance or the positioning be more dangerous to this one?

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr
  • Where has Labour's chaotic week left the PM?

    Where has Labour's chaotic week left the PM?
    Nov 14 2025
    High drama has dominated as the Chancellor signals a huge u-turn on Budget tax plans, while briefings designed to shore up Keir Starmer backfired on Number 10 in spectacular fashion. In this weekend's episode the team focus on dysfunction, paranoia and rivalry at the very top. How much trouble is the government in?

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show More Show Less
    42 mins
  • Is this the end for the BBC?

    Is this the end for the BBC?
    Nov 12 2025
    With the Director General and BBC head of news fired in the wake of a scandal over President Trump and bias, our team ask whether the Beeb is doomed. Or is this yet another confected media row? And how is journalism changing? Plus - what is the latest on Starmer and the looming Budget?

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show More Show Less
    58 mins
  • Can either Labour or Reform afford to break their tax promises?

    Can either Labour or Reform afford to break their tax promises?
    Nov 5 2025
    An early morning speech from the chancellor to pledge fiscal stability and flag tax rises, while the main challenger for Downing Street overturns his party's fiscal platform. The team discuss the fix Rachel Reeves is in and whether Nigel Farage is now choosing to play by the rules of mainstream politics. Plus: Dick Cheney's role as Veep.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr
  • What makes a very British scandal?

    What makes a very British scandal?
    Nov 1 2025
    In such different ways, the story of Andrew Windsor's downfall and the chancellor's local rental embarrassment reveal how we regard and treat crimes and misdemeanours by the British establishment. In this weekend episode, the team find they have a clash of interpretations on both stories - and on the role of the media.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show More Show Less
    41 mins
  • Is Whitehall broken and how might it be repaired?

    Is Whitehall broken and how might it be repaired?
    Oct 29 2025
    In the latest episode our team discuss three pressing issues, including the state of the civil service and government concern that the machine is not fit for purpose. Plus, the OBR. Has the government put too much faith in the pronouncements of the Office for Budget Responsibility? Is this approach crippling British policymaking? And Tim, Steve and Iain assess the quality of today’s MPs. Has there been a decline and if so why?

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show More Show Less
    58 mins
  • Caerphilly by-election: Is this the death of the Labour Party?

    Caerphilly by-election: Is this the death of the Labour Party?
    Oct 24 2025
    Labour and the Conservatives together secured only 13 per cent of the vote in the Caerphilly by-election. In what had been a Labour stronghold for a century the governing party was crushed. Does the Plaid Cymru win, with Reform in second place, point to a wider political earthquake?

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show More Show Less
    47 mins