If the polls are to be believed, Sir Keir Starmer could be set to beat Rishi Sunak’s Conservative’s and gain a record majority in Parliament, but perhaps with one of Labour’s lowest shares of the vote. Despite promises on tax, voters believe they will pay more, and are sceptical about things getting better. Turnout is expected to be historically low. The Lib Dems are heading for a lower share of the vote than Reform but could get twenty times as many seats or more. Are these just the realities o...
Jul 02, 2024•35 min
It’s less than one week until election day, and so far the headlines have been dominated by betting scandals, the rise of Reform, and Rishi Sunak’s D-Day blunder. So can the prime minister do anything now to avoid what many polls suggest could be the worst ever result for the Conservative Party? He desperately wants attention to turn to Keir Starmer and what Labour would actually do if they win the election - and here could be an answer to that question in Wales where the Labour Party have been ...
Jun 28, 2024•28 min
Ed Davey has now joined Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak scrambling to check who in their party could get caught up in the betting saga - but is this story on the scale of the expenses scandal or Partygate or is it all just a bit of juvenile stupidity? If it is, why are people at the heart of the UK’s biggest political parties making these kinds of decisions? And what does all this say about the election campaign? Joining Krishnan Guru-Murthy to discuss all this and more on The Political Fourcast is...
Jun 26, 2024•26 min
The SNP have released their manifesto and, on the first page, they’ve promised again to make Scotland independent - but with polling suggesting that Labour are heading for a landslide victory, including a majority of the seats in Scotland, could this be the end of the independence cause? Or, paradoxically, might it end up being the best thing for the independence campaign? Support for Scottish independence has been decoupled from support for the SNP in the polls. So might a Labour government tha...
Jun 19, 2024•26 min
Labour have launched their manifesto with just two things on the cover - a picture of Keir Starmer and the word “change” - but how much change are they actually offering when it comes to the big issues of the day such as Brexit, Ukraine, the housing crisis, climate change and the economy? Labour appears to be on course to win power with a safety first strategy that promises relatively little, leaving us relatively little to hold them to account for. And now the Conservatives are warning of the d...
Jun 13, 2024•29 min
Rishi Sunak has unveiled his manifesto, promising billions in tax cuts and lower immigration - but after his D-Day disaster and Nigel Farage back in the game, is it enough to shift the dial in the election or even enough to stop the right-wing of his own party turning on him before polling day? And with Reform creeping up in the polls, can Farage’s party really overtake the Tories to become the opposition? And what would happen then? Joining Krishnan Guru-Murthy to discuss this on this episode o...
Jun 11, 2024•32 min
Rishi Sunak has apologised and admitted it was a “mistake” to leave D-Day commemorations early, but many in the Conservative Party are already furious with the prime minister and Labour’s Keir Starmer has said he “has to explain” the decision. So why did he do it? Having spent the campaign so far reaching out to the very voters who hold respect for history and veterans so dear. Is this the moment the game is up and closing the gap on Labour becomes unrecoverable? Nigel Farage is already out ther...
Jun 08, 2024•26 min
Devastating polling, the return of Nigel Farage and more talk of defections - it was almost looking like a truly nightmarish week for Rishi Sunak, but then came the TV leaders debate with Keir Starmer and the Conservative’s claim that a Labour government will raise taxes by £2,000 per household. Keir Starmer failed to effectively deny the Conservative attack line until the second half of the debate and called it a lie. Today, Labour are again saying it is a lie and the Treasury have distanced th...
Jun 05, 2024•34 min
Reports that Labour are set to bar Diane Abbott from standing in the general election have sparked outrage, with the veteran MP accusing Keir Starmer of purging the party’s left wing and alienating voters. But is the Labour leader and his inner circle willing to lose left-wing voters, if it means they can concentrate on winning over disaffected Conservatives and bringing back Labour supporters who were put off by Jeremy Corbyn? This week, Rishi Sunak has made a slew of policy announcements - nat...
May 30, 2024•33 min
Campaigning is underway after Rishi Sunak’s shock decision to call a snap general election - and the decision by Nigel Farage not to stand as a candidate for his Reform UK party might play to his favour - yet many are still puzzled by his decision. The Conservatives are twenty points behind in the polls and even the prime minister recently admitted he’s unlikely to win. So why go now? And why in the rain? Does he have something up his sleeve? He says Labour don't have a plan. Do they? What are t...
May 23, 2024•32 min
Are Labour and the Conservatives already prepping for the election? Both Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak are certainly behaving like they are. The Labour leader launched his first steps to change Britain, but will that help the party on the doorstep? And this week saw more culture war issues being flagged by Conservatives. Rishi Sunak wrote about his horror at disturbing gender ideology being taught in schools as the government brought in new guidance and rules banning classroom teaching about cont...
May 16, 2024•35 min
For the second time in a fortnight, the Conservatives have been dealt a jaw-dropping blow - another MP has defected. This time, it is Dover MP and rightwinger, Natalie Elphicke, who crossed the floor moments before Prime Minister's Questions, to join forces with the opposition. The move has certainly sparked anger and confusion for both Labour and the Tories, and Keir Starrmer is being grilled by members of his own shadow cabinet over why he accepted Elphicke into the party. Defections are a rar...
May 09, 2024•31 min
The Conservatives are facing their worst local election results in 40 years - and yet it looks like Rishi Sunak may cling on after Ben Houchen secured a victory in the Tees Valley mayoral vote. But what next for the Conservative Party? Are they now in the worst of all worlds with a wounded leader facing defeat at the general election or can Rishi Sunak turn it around? To discuss all this and more we are joined by Spectator editor Fraser Nelson, former Conservative Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng and L...
May 03, 2024•32 min
Rishi Sunak has pledged he'll ramp up Britain's defence budget and announced a £500 million military aid package to Ukraine, in the same week a long-awaited $61billion aid package from the US passed through Congress and the Senate. But what is the West’s end game for Ukraine? Is there enough in these aid packages to turn the tide of the war as Russia appears to have gained the upper hand? What more can the West do? Here to discuss this on The Political Fourcast is former Armed Forces Minister Ja...
Apr 25, 2024•36 min
This week on The Political Fourcast, another scandal hits the Tories - Mark Menzies MP loses the whip as the Conservative Party investigates claims that he misused campaign funds. He allegedly made a late night call to ask for money to pay off "bad people". He disputes the allegations and senior Tory MPs are telling voters not to rush to judgement. With upcoming local elections and a looming general election, the allegations risk damaging the party in government. But is today’s story just anothe...
Apr 18, 2024•33 min
This week on The Political Fourcast - as war rumbles on in Gaza, we discuss how foreign policy affects domestic politics, and how the government’s decisions during the Israel/Gaza conflict could influence the outcome of an upcoming general election. Should Lord Cameron divulge the legal advice he has received over supplying arms to Israel? Why is the Labour party ignoring pleas to call for a ceasefire? And why did the Foreign Secretary make a house call to Donald Trump on his recent trip to the ...
Apr 11, 2024•34 min
With Rwanda flights unlikely to take off before the summer, if ever, could Rishi Sunak find himself in the departure lounge before any asylum seeker? Discussing planes and plots on this week's episode of The Political Fourcast, we hear from former Universities Minister and now Conservative peer Jo Johnson, and Margaret Hodge, the Labour MP for Barking, who’s standing down at the next election. They join Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Political Editor Gary Gibbon to talk about the Rwanda ‘gimmick’, whe...
Mar 21, 2024•37 min
Will we have a May General election? Will there be massive Conservative defeat in any Election that we do have this year? And what’s the economy got to do with it? Here to answer those questions are the Former Chancellor who gave us the infamous mini-budget of 2022, Kwasi Kwarteng, and the former Labour Party leader and Mother of the House, Harriet Harman. They join Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Channel 4 News’ Political Editor, Gary Gibbon to discuss Jeremy Hunt’s Budget announcement yesterday, inco...
Mar 07, 2024•35 min
In the 110 days since the war started, over 25,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's offensive on Gaza, prompting the charity Oxfam to describe it as the ‘deadliest conflict of the 21st century’. It follows the October 7 attacks by Hamas that saw 1,200 people killed and around 240 taken hostage in Israel. There is huge pressure internationally for a new ceasefire and hostage release deal to alleviate the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the remaining Israeli hostages held b...
Jan 29, 2024•31 min
A four day temporary cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas has been extended by two days, and brings a glimmer of relief and hope to Palestinians in Gaza. Momentum from this brings the possibility of even more Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees being released. Over 14,000 Palestinians have been killed, one-third of them children, since the onset of Israel’s siege in Gaza on October 9th, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry. It followed the October 7 attacks by Hamas ...
Nov 29, 2023•1 hr
Pressure on Israel to pause fighting and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza is growing, with leaders around the world including President Biden calling for a multiple day long ceasefire. Meanwhile, negotiations are continuing in Qatar for the release of hostages - Netanyahu says he won't allow a ceasefire unless hostages are released. The Israel-Hamas war has already killed more than 10,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas appointed Gaza Health Ministry, and Israel has come under fire for what...
Nov 13, 2023•51 min
In this episode of The Fourcast, our correspondents are on the ground with the very latest on the war between Israel and Hamas, as Israelis shelter from Hamas rocket fire and Gaza is pounded by the heaviest bombardment in its history. Secunder Kermani has been to the Kfar Aza kibbutz, which was targeted by the militants on Saturday, we hear an eyewitness report from filmmaker Yousef Hammash in Gaza, Matt Frei interviews Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan as he tries to justify the recent killings, and...
Oct 11, 2023•43 min
As Israel declares a ‘complete siege’ of Gaza, and the death toll in Israel continues to rise, we bring you the latest from the region, with Matt Frei reporting from Jerusalem and Krishnan Guru-Murthy live in London. In this special episode of The Fourcast, we hear from civilians trapped in besieged Gaza, speak to a man living in a “bad dream” as six members of his family are missing following Hamas's surprise attack, hear expert analysis from our Foreign Correspondent Lindsey Hilsum, and Krishn...
Oct 10, 2023•48 min
At the Nato summit this week, the star attraction was President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. But while he knew he was among friends - and allies were keen to emphasise their continuing support - he came with a clear demand: let Ukraine join the Nato alliance. But even before his arrival, the mood music suggested that Ukraine was not going to be offered membership to Nato, nor was it going to be given a clear timetable on how and when it could join. With President Erodgan of Turkey also holding up Swede...
Jul 14, 2023•21 min
The story of the sinking of the Titan submersible dominated news headlines. Five people killed underwater. That same week, our international correspondent Paraic O’Brian was also reporting on people drowning at sea. In a small port in Tunisia, 11 people died after their boat, full of asylum seekers and refugees, capsized on its way to Europe. One story, but it happens all the time. It is an ongoing crisis in the Mediterranean, claiming lives every day, as the EU and other nations try to deter mi...
Jul 05, 2023•25 min
This hasn’t been the greatest week for Russia President, Vladimir Putin in two decades of power in the Kremlin. A mutinous band of mercenaries, that he himself created, charged up towards Moscow, denouncing his war in Ukraine and seemingly meeting little resistance on the way. While he faced down Evgeny Prigozhin and the Wagner group, appearing to banish them to Belarus, it’s not all over for Putin. In this episode, Hubertus Jahn, professor of the history of Russia and the Caucasus at Cambridge ...
Jun 30, 2023•23 min
The Darién gap is a stretch of land between Colombia and Panama, an unavoidable section of the route from South America to Central America that thousands of migrants a week take, as they travel up to the Mexico / United States border. It’s been called ‘hell on Earth’ because of its dense and dangerous jungle. There are no roads, just treacherous paths, rivers that can wash you away, vast swamps, steep mountains and deadly animals. And it’s lawless, with cartels and kidnappers taking advantage of...
Jun 22, 2023•29 min
In March this year, the owner of a hotel in the Leicestershire village of Kegworth signed an exclusive contract with the Home Office to use his hotel to house asylum seekers. But the local community has been starkly divided over the arrival of dozens of their new neighbours. While some are welcoming, the arrival has also drawn angry protests. In today's episode of The Fourcast, we speak to our Communities Editor, Darshna Soni, about how this town has become divided over immigration and whether t...
Jun 14, 2023•25 min
This past week, the G7 - the group of the world’s richest democracies - gathered in Japan to discuss Ukraine, Russia, global affairs, and their increasing concerns about a rising power looking out at them from over the water: China. This was some of the sternest wording from the G7, and China dismissed it as a smear. But the West also doesn’t want to completely antagonise and cut off China, with the Australian Prime Minister saying lessons had to be learnt from history. So, are we entering a new...
May 26, 2023•27 min
For weeks now, the world has been waiting for Ukraine to launch their spring counter offensive against Russia. But how much longer will we wait? Or has it already begun? As the battle for Bakhmut rages on, Ukraine has made steady gains around that region - whilst Russian troops have retreated but stepped up strikes on the capital city, Kyiv, this month. President Zelenskyy has toured European capitals asking for more weapons, securing from Britain long-range attack drones and missiles. In today’...
May 19, 2023•26 min
