Tony Blair's anthem was Things Can Only Get Better. Keir Starmer's appears to be Things Can Only Get Worse says David Smith, Economics Editor of the Sunday Times in this week's Three Old Hacks podcast, following on from the Prime Minister's speech this week warning they will have to raise taxes to fill the black hole left by the last government, in order to be able to do any of the things they want to do.

Former Sports editor of BBC News Mihir Bose, political analyst Nigel Dudley and Economics Editor of the Sunday Times David Smith, aka the Three Old Hacks, discuss the week's news. Listen to their podcast on The Chiswick Calendar website or on any of the usual podcast platforms.

Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we’d love to hear from you!

Author and journalist, former Sports Editor of the BBC Mihir Bose talks to fellow journalists Economics Editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political analyst Nigel Dudley about the week’s events.

“We haven’t seen that in a long time, I can remember this growing up in the 60’s and 70’s in the West Midlands when that kind of thing did happen and the National Front was on the rise”, says David Smith, talking about the organised violence we have seen on the streets recently.

Why did they happen?

“Let’s not beat about the bush, what we have seen is the calculated politicisation of immigration as an issue by the Conservative party in the run-up to the last election. They have blurred the distinction between legal immigration and what they describe as illegal immigration but which you rightly say, David, are asylum seekers” says Nigel.

Having reported on several years of summer riots, they think the new government handled it well.

“Keir Starmer has come out of this particularly well. He knew what to do and did it extremely well,” says David.

Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we’d love to hear from you!

The Three Old Hacks, aka prolific author and former BBC Sports editor Mihir Bose, Economics editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political analyst Nigel Dudley give their analysis of Keir Starmer’s first few days in Government.

“The whole focus is on quiet competence, no flashiness.”

Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we’d love to hear from you!