Sky News' Sam Coates and Politico's Anne McElvoy serve up their essential guide to the day in British politics. In a statement sent to Sam overnight, the government admits that concessions are on their way after an internal struggle over welfare reforms inside the Labour Party. It seems like meaningful talks are under way. Next Tuesday - the day of a supposed crunch vote on disability cuts that could have seen the government lose a vote - could now be just "the start". As Chancellor Rachel Reeve...
Jun 26, 2025•23 min
Sky News' Sam Coates and Politico's Anne McElvoy serve up their essential guide to the day in British politics. Today, Labour is still reeling by a rebellion by 1 in 4 of its MPs over welfare cuts, how can Chancellor Rachel Reeves and PM Keir Starmer recover the numbers and avoid a political humiliation? The government’s working majority is 165, so it only takes 83 Labour MPs to vote with a united opposition and this bill is dead, and along with it a lot of this government’s political and moral ...
Jun 25, 2025•22 min
A NATO summit will be held in The Hague today, hours after Donald Trump announced Israel and Iran had agreed to a "complete and total" ceasefire. Meanwhile, on the domestic front, more than 100 Labour MPs have shown their hand and vowed to defeat Sir Keir Starmer's disability cuts. On this episode, Sam and Anne discuss what to expect from the NATO summit where defence spending will be top of the agenda - and while the prime minister tries to justify his sums to NATO leaders, at home the biggest ...
Jun 24, 2025•20 min
Sir Keir Starmer has spoken to Donald Trump about the need for Iran to return to the negotiating table after Tehran's warning of "everlasting consequences" for the US bombing raid on their nuclear sites. On this episode, Sam and Anne discuss the key questions facing the UK government after the military action, including what escalation could look like and whether Britain is ready for the economic blowback. Plus, they also discuss the government's new industrial strategy, with eight industries si...
Jun 23, 2025•22 min
On this episode – what advice is Keir Starmer getting over Britain’s potential involvement in the Iran-Israel conflict? There are reports that the Attorney General’s legal advice to the PM is to limit what it does to protect its allies from attack - Sky News' Sam Coates and Politico's Anne McElvoy discuss the implications of that. Plus, we hear David Lammy will get a meeting with his Iranian counterpart as part of a diplomatic push to prevent war. Foreign ministers from Germany and France will j...
Jun 19, 2025•22 min
Sky News' Sam Coates and Politico's Anne McElvoy serve up their essential guide to the day in British politics. They start by picking over what Keir Starmer had to say about the potential for an American attack on Iran – which sounded rather different from the line his German counterpart was taking. So what was going on there then? Back in Westminster, the details of benefit cuts which will impact millions get published – the government needs to convince dozens of Labour MPs to back the plan. An...
Jun 18, 2025•22 min
Sky News' Sam Coates and Politico's Anne McElvoy serve up their essential guide to the day in British politics. President Donald Trump's made a hasty exit from the G7 conference in Canada leaving questions about collective diplomacy and his promise to bring peace to an increasingly violent Middle East. The White House insists his return is to deal with "important matters", while Mr Trump himself has hinted his swift exit is for something “big”. How will Keir Starmer and allies navigate talks fol...
Jun 17, 2025•19 min
Sky News' Sam Coates and Politico's Anne McElvoy serve up their essential guide to the day in British politics. The prime minister is in Canada at the G7 as conflict escalates in the Middle East. Can Sir Keir Starmer contain any further flare-ups between Donald Trump and other allies and attempt to bring some calm to the region? The prime minister is also set to authorise a national inquiry into grooming gangs, six months after he said people calling for one were "jumping on the bandwagon". It c...
Jun 16, 2025•21 min
Sky News' Sam Coates and Politico's Anne McElvoy serve up their essential guide to the day in British politics. Rachel Reeves has said this morning that the latest GDP figures showing the UK economy has shrunk by more than expected are "disappointing". How much will this overshadow yesterday's major spending announcement? Reeves has now planted Labour's fiscal flag in the sand - and spending mistakes from here on in certainly cannot be blamed on their predecessors. How will Labour react to a pot...
Jun 12, 2025•24 min
Sky News' Sam Coates and Politico's Anne McElvoy serve up their essential guide to the day in British politics. After weeks of haggling between government ministers, Labour announce today how they plan to apportion cash around departments for the foreseeable future. Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Labour say this comes as the government has "fixed the foundations" and introduced stability to the economy. They say the economy is "turning a corner". But is that totally true? And which sectors are the...
Jun 11, 2025•20 min
Sky News' Sam Coates and Politico's Anne McElvoy serve up their essential guide to the day in British politics. Negotiations for the spending review are complete - with reports Chancellor Rachel Reeves has refused to meet Home Secretary Yvette Cooper's demand for extra police funding. We won't have heard the end of this. Reform UK hold (another!) news conference, and the government announces its intentions to go nuclear - "ushering in a new golden age of nuclear [power]".
Jun 10, 2025•21 min
Sky News' Sam Coates and Politico's Anne McElvoy serve up their essential guide to the day in British politics. The Home Office is the last department to finalise their budget with Chancellor Rachel Reeves ahead of Wednesday's spending review. All eyes are on Yvette Cooper and the noise that comes out of Westminster today and tomorrow that will indicate how much cash the home secretary has secured for things like policing. And, with Nigel Farage due to make a speech today, Sam and Anne catch up ...
Jun 09, 2025•21 min
A bunker. A scenario. A group of former senior ministers, military chiefs and other experts. Russia knows our weaknesses – but do you? Sky News' security and defence editor Deborah Haynes presents The Wargame – a major new five-part series from Sky News and Tortoise, set in the near future. Launching 10th June.
Jun 06, 2025•3 min
Sky News' Sam Coates and Politico's Anne McElvoy serve up their essential guide to the day in British politics. More details of Chancellor Rachel Reeves' spending squeeze next week are trickling out - including a U-turn on the winter fuel allowance which we now know is happening in the spending review. The political implications of the U-turn, rather than the broader spending review itself, threatens to dominate the political narrative for the next week and more. How much pressure will that pile...
Jun 05, 2025•21 min
Sky News' Sam Coates and Politico's Anne McElvoy serve up their essential guide to the day in British politics. The UK steel industry – which was on the verge of collapse just weeks ago – will no longer face the heaviest of Donald Trump's tariffs, the US announced overnight. We're the only country spared the doubling of tariffs on steel imports to the US to 50% – ours instead capped at 25%. This sounds great – until you remember last month's UK-US agreement – when the PM negotiated President Tru...
Jun 04, 2025•20 min
Sky News' Sam Coates and Politico's Anne McElvoy serve up their essential guide to the day in British politics. Exclusive polling is announced by Sam and Anne, as they reveal cabinet popularity rating according to the public. Also, why is the Home Office is today releasing a weather report for weather that's already been and gone? They say warm weather impacts the number of small boat crossings. Is this the Labour government laying the turf, readying the British public for a balmy summer, and wi...
Jun 03, 2025•20 min
Sky News' Sam Coates and Politico's Anne McElvoy serve up their essential guide to the day in British politics. This time last year, Labour and the Conservatives were in the throes of an era-defining election campaign that would end in Sir Keir Starmer winning an extraordinarily large majority. The Reform Party was little more than a buzzing bee amid the backdrop of the UK political landscape. Spin forward 12 months, and how much things have changed. June 2025 marks the start of a crucial month ...
Jun 02, 2025•22 min
Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McElvoy serve up their essential guide to the day in British politics. As Sir Keir Starmer waves goodbye to the Chagos Islands and his planned cuts to the winter fuel allowance, Sam and Anne assess what it all means. How much “backseat driving” on the winter fuel U-turn has come from former chancellor Gordon Brown? And what’s the best way to implement a volte face? And what do the Gauke reforms, set to be accepted by Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, mea...
May 22, 2025•21 min
Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McElvoy serve up their essential guide to the day in British politics. Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves will have their strategy tested today as Deputy PM Angela Rayner sets out her plan for higher taxes, and questions are raised about their approach to Reform. Is becoming Reform-lite the way to go? And, as the Prime Minister joins global efforts to put pressure on Israel over Gaza, could more sanctions be next?
May 21, 2025•20 min
Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McElvoy serve up their essential guide to the day in British politics. It'll be a day when the PM goes again at selling the merits of his EU deal. One former cabinet minister tells the podcast it's all 'concrete and waffle'. Welfare is on the agenda today too - with a DWP committee session on child welfare. And, did someone mention Nick Clegg? The former Deputy PM has used the c-word about the Lib Dems. Sam and Anne discuss coalition after another favorab...
May 20, 2025•22 min
Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McElvoy serve up their essential guide to the day in British politics. It's EU summit day – so what will Keir Starmer agree? It’s been described as an historic summit and will be a reset of relations since Brexit. It’s expected that the EU and the UK will sign a security and defense partnership. But so far nothing is set in stone. Plus, how sincere are Vladamir Putin's interest in a ceasefire?
May 19, 2025•20 min
Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McElvoy serve up their essential guide to the day in British politics. Today, Sir Keir Starmer heads to Albania to announce a crackdown on migrant smuggling gangs in the Balkans whilst internal political unrest continues to brew at home. Sam and Anne discuss the growing tension inside both the Labour and Conservative parties, and Sam reveals how the first cracks between the chancellor and the PM have started to form. What does this mean for an increasingl...
May 15, 2025•21 min
Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McEvoy serve up their essential guide to the day in British politics. It might be PMQs and there might be a big announcement about moving civil servants out of London but this episode also looks at the day in the backrooms of Westminster. There’s more to nail down ahead of Monday’s EU summit – the announcement of a state visit for the Macrons might be a clue on where talks on things like fisheries are at. So what else is going on to prepare for next week?...
May 14, 2025•20 min
Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico's Anne McElvoy preview how the day will play out in British politics. After Labour’s migration plans were announced yesterday, Sam and Anne reflect on the Prime Minister’s rhetoric and its populist overtones. But how authentic is it? Also, the Tories launched their own deportation bill in parliament yesterday. What’s in it and is it all a bit of a stunt? And Sam’s reflecting on his interview with Nigel Farage, where he pressed the Reform leader on a loophole in ...
May 13, 2025•21 min
Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico's Anne McElvoy preview how the day will play out in British politics. Today’s the day when Keir Starmer finally reveals his big shake-up of migration laws. Sam and Anne discuss the focus on low-skilled workers that’ll be big for the social care and university sectors, and how there’s a growing concern in government that the benefits of migration are being overstated. That’s how the PM wants to start the week, but his agenda might be overshadowed by international...
May 12, 2025•20 min
Sky News' Sam Coates and Politico's Anne McElvoy preview how the day will play out in British politics. Overnight, reports emerged of a UK-US trade announcement being hours away. Sam and Anne discuss the significance of this political win for Sir Keir Starmer "at a time he needs it most". The pair discuss what detail is expected to be in the pact and what it means for the 'special' relationship between the two countries. Plus, the Bank of England is expected to announce a cut in interest rates. ...
May 08, 2025•19 min
Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McElvoy preview how the day will play out in British politics. As the fallout continues to grow following the local elections, Keir Starmer faces a challenge to his plan for change from his own MPs – are things going to get worse for Labour, before they get better? And while Number 10 thought the India trade deal was going to be a good news story for them, Sam and Anne disagree on its value.
May 07, 2025•23 min
Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McElvoy preview how the day will play out in British politics. As Westminster gets back to work after last Thursday’s election results, is there the least surprising briefing ever to start the week? There’s a new crackdown on asylum claims days after Reform’s by-election and council victories. We focus on the Labour reaction to those results this morning – from rumours of a reshuffle to shooting down stories about winter fuel changes. What is the best way...
May 06, 2025•23 min
Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McElvoy have a Friday episode to take stock of the by-election, mayoral and local election results so far. Sam’s pulled an all-nighter to cover Reform’s victory in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election – it won by just six seats. It won the Greater Lincolnshire mayoralty too. So it’s a morning of questions to ponder – how do bigger parties respond to the Reform victories? Could a Starmer visit to Runcorn have secured the few votes needed for victory there? A...
May 02, 2025•20 min
The morning political podcast which gives you all need for the day ahead in 20 minutes, with Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McElvoy. Back on British soil, Anne joins Sam to talk about Trump's 100 days in office and whether the President is really in a tough spot. And there are reports that the US has decided a UK trade deal is a second or third order priority. Anne and Sam discuss why there has been a slowing down of the trade deal and - if and when it comes - will it be worth the wait...
Apr 30, 2025•21 min
