Radio 4's weekly assessment of developments at Westminster
Sonia Sodha and guests reflect on Sir Keir Starmer's first anniversary in office, at the end of a turbulent week in Westminster - including a Labour rebellion over welfare cuts; a tearful appearance by the Chancellor; and the unveiling of a new ten-year plan for the NHS.
Ben Riley-Smith of The Daily Telegraph assesses the latest developments at Westminster. He discusses the government's u-turn on its cuts to disability benefits with Anna Dixon, one of the 127 Labour MPs who had threatened to rebel and Jonathan Ashworth, Sir Keir Starmer’s shadow work and pensions secretary who now runs the Labour Together think tank. Cathy Ashton, Labour peer and former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Sir Mark Lyall Grant, former British Ambassador to the UN and f...
Caroline Wheeler of The Sunday Times assesses the latest developments at Westminster. In the wake of a historic Commons vote in favour of a bill to legalise assisted dying, Caroline speaks to Labour MP Jake Richards, a supporter of the bill, and Liberal Democrat MP Munira Wilson, an opponent of it. To discuss the ongoing crisis in the Middle East Caroline speaks to the Chairman of Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee, Lord Beamish, and the former Conservative Security Minister, Tom T...
Pippa Crerar of The Guardian assesses the latest developments at Westminster. Pippa takes a closer look at Chancellor Rachel Reeves' Spending Review with the former Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Conservative MP John Glen and Labour’s Dame Siobhain McDonagh, who sits on the Treasury Select Committee. How to prepare for an ageing society is the subject of an inquiry by the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee and Pippa discusses this with Labour peer, Stewart Wood, who chairs the committee...
George Parker, the political editor of the Financial Times assesses the latest developments at Westminster. Following the publication of the Strategic Defence Review, George discusses the recommendations made in the Report with its main author, the Labour peer Lord Robertson, who is a former secretary general of NATO and a former Labour defence secretary and with Penny Mordaunt, the former Conservative defence secretary. Amid mounting concern at Westminster over the humanitarian situation in Gaz...
To discuss the government's U-turn on taking winter fuel allowance from all but the poorest pensioners, Caroline is joined by the Conservative peer, David Willetts - president of the Resolution Foundation, which focuses on people on lower incomes; and Claire Ainsley, former policy director to Sir Keir Starmer, now at the Progressive Policy Institute. Also this week, the UK and the EU struck a trade deal. Caroline speaks to the EU Ambassador to the UK, Pedro Serrano about it. Reform UK’s newest M...
Radio 4's assessment of developments at Westminster
