Politics Weekly
Political analysis from the Guardian and Observer's top journalists and commentators.
Could Reform UK and the Tories merge?
Nigel Farage was handed a £9m donation this week, amid reports he said elsewhere that a deal with the Conservatives before the general election was ‘inevitable’. John Harris speaks to Kiran Stacey about what this means for Reform UK. They also discuss David Lammy’s plan to scrap some jury trials,…
Can Keir Starmer save Rachel Reeves?
Pippa and Kiran discuss the prime minister’s speech on Monday and ask whether it will take attention away from allegations that the chancellor misled the public with her budget statements. Plus: chaos at Your Party’s first conference. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod
The budget: Labour’s big tax and spend gamble
John Harris, Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey give their reactions to the chancellor’s autumn budget. Has Rachel Reeves done enough to silence her critics?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod
A make-or-break week for the UK government
It is finally budget week, so Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss the context of Rachel Reeves’s big moment and how high the stakes are. Plus, Kiran talks about what happened behind the scenes of his trip to Johannesburg with Keir Starmer, including how talks over the Ukraine peace plan…
How dangerous are Labour’s asylum plans?
There was outrage from Labour MPs on Monday evening as Shabana Mahmood outlined her plans to shake up the asylum system. Will these policies be watered down? John Harris finds out what is happening behind the scenes with Kiran Stacey. Plus, now that Labour has adopted Reform UK rhetoric on…
Labour’s risky asylum pitch – podcast
Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey look at radical plans from the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, to tackle the ‘out of control’ asylum system. Plus, has the briefing row only made Keir Starmer’s rivals more coordinated?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod
Why is the Labour party in such a mess?
John Harris is joined by Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey as an attempt to halt leadership manoeuvres against Keir Starmer has spectacularly backfired and put Starmer’s potential rival Wes Streeting on the front foot. Plus, the BBC is in crisis again – but this time it involves a $1bn lawsuit…
Can the BBC survive this crisis?
Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss the resignations of the BBC’s director general, Tim Davie, and its head of news, Deborah Turness. Plus, the growing unease within Labour about Keir Starmer’s leadership and what MPs might do about it. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod
Nicola Sturgeon on leadership, scandal and trolling the trolls
In a special, bonus episode of Politics Weekly, Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey sit down with Scotland’s former first minister Nicola Sturgeon for a frank conversation about her time in office and the future of nationalist politics. Nothing is off the table: her leadership, Covid, the gender row that dogged…
The chancellor’s impossible choice: economic necessity or political disaster?
John Harris speaks to the Guardian’s economics editor, Heather Stewart, about the unenviable choice facing Rachel Reeves. What price will she pay if she raises the basic rate of income tax for the first time in half a century? Meanwhile, has language and policy that would once have been confined…
What does Faragenomics look like?
Nigel Farage promised to set out his fiscal stall in a major speech in the City of London, but what did he actually say? Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss Farage’s retreat from its election promise to cut £90bn of taxes, his failure to commit to the pensions triple lock…
‘The centre cannot hold’: John Curtice on the collapse of two-party politics
No one likes being unpopular, so you could forgive both of the UK’s main political parties for wanting to look away when another damning poll dropped this week. Support for both parties has never been so low at the same time, the Green party is seeing record support and Reform…
Immigration system in crisis: sky-high hotel bills and a convict on the loose
Another week, another immigration crisis. A powerful parliamentary committee has accused the Home Office – both for this government and the last – of squandering billions of pounds on asylum accommodation and overseeing a “failed, chaotic and expensive” system. The report came days after the barely believable revelation that the…
Labour collapse in Caerphilly: the byelection that points to the future of UK politics
Labour’s electoral dominance in Caerphilly, deep in the party’s Welsh heartlands, has collapsed while Reform UK and Plaid Cymru have hoovered up votes. On a visit to the south Rhymney Valley ahead of a historic byelection, John Harris finds a polarised community, reminiscent of the final days of the European…
The budget, the black hole and the Brexit blame game
Rachel Reeves is facing difficult choices before her second budget next month and has been busy preparing the ground. In a significant shift in the government’s narrative, Reeves has – at last – stressed the long-term damage done to the UK economy by Brexit. Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss…
Trump’s fragile peace plan: what next for Gaza?
As the Gaza ceasefire continues to hold, what road lies ahead in the peace process? John Harris speaks to the Guardian’s diplomatic editor, Patrick Wintour. Plus, what is at the heart of the Chinese spying case row? Why has Rachel Reeves changed her tone when it comes to Brexit? What’s…
Gaza ceasefire: what is the UK’s role?
All eyes are on the Middle East where there have been emotional scenes in Israel as hostages were released, while tens of thousands of Palestinians are able to return to the ruins of their homes in Gaza. As global leaders, including Donald Trump and Keir Starmer, meet for a peace…
Labour’s Bridget Phillipson on Gaza, child poverty and the deputy leadership race
Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey speak to the education secretary and Labour deputy leadership candidate Bridget Phillipson about the plan for a ceasefire in Gaza, as well as why she is pushing the prime minister and chancellor to get rid of the two-child limit on benefits. Plus, she explains why…
Tax cuts, jokes and pig-wrestling: Badenoch’s attempt to save her job
The Conservative leader used her conference speech to announce plans to scrap stamp duty and launch an attack on Labour, but why was there so little mention of the biggest threat facing her party? And will her performance be enough to stave off leadership rival Robert Jenrick? Pippa Crerar and…
Make-or-break week for Badenoch
Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey are at the Conservative party conference in Manchester, where Kemi Badenoch is trying to convince disgruntled Tory MPs to hold their nerve. But how much longer will the party give her to turn things around? Plus, they discuss the government’s plans to give police more…