Episodes

  • Was the June 2016 Brexit referendum inevitable?

    Was the June 2016 Brexit referendum inevitable?
    Jun 10 2026
    In the first of a two part NAO miniseries to mark ten years on, the team trace the origins of David Cameron's promise to hold an in/out vote on EU membership. Did he have a choice? Was the Leave win unstoppable? Where were we and where did we stand on that historic night. Plus: Steve's Harold Wilson impression.

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    53 mins
  • Will revulsion at the Nowak murder feed a divisive political fight?

    Will revulsion at the Nowak murder feed a divisive political fight?
    Jun 3 2026
    The team debates Nigel Farage's call for "cold rage" and his accusation of two tier policing in the wake of the revelations about the death of Henry Nowak. Plus: is the second tranche of Mandelson documents damaging or dreary? And will the nation (and Brenda from Bristol) have to face another general election sooner than expected? Apologies for the sound quality this week - recording took place during Tuesday’s thunder storm and the team had to fight through sound interference.

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    42 mins
  • What on earth was going on in the Scottish National Party?

    What on earth was going on in the Scottish National Party?
    May 27 2026
    With Peter Murrell, the SNP’s erstwhile former chief executive and husband of Nicola Sturgeon, now behind bars, our team look at the implications of an outrageous scandal. Plus, the latest on the Burnham by-election circus and a policy discussion on social media bans and the coming wave in politics here and in the US - the backlash against big tech.

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    55 mins
  • Will Labour's leadership hopefuls grapple with the UK's real problems?

    Will Labour's leadership hopefuls grapple with the UK's real problems?
    May 20 2026
    As new revelations about the cost and delays to HS2 stun Westminster, the team debates our failures to build. And as the Burnham and Streeting teams gear up for a fight the other side of Makerfield, will the face off deliver substantive plans? Plus: John Swinney is going on. The SNP government is going on.

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    40 mins
  • Will Andy Burnham make it to Downing Street?

    Will Andy Burnham make it to Downing Street?
    May 16 2026
    After a crazy week, in this weekend edition the team takes stock of how we got to a full blown leadership crisis in Labour. Will the most dangerous challenger make it in Makerfield's by-election? Do the explosive set of results from May 7 contain a wider warning than Reform's march across the North West? And perhaps Brenda from Bristol should brace for yet another one. Plus: politics and vitriol.

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    55 mins
  • Why do British prime ministers have such a short shelf-life?

    Why do British prime ministers have such a short shelf-life?
    May 13 2026
    Reunited in the studio to compare notes in the middle of Starmer's leadership crisis, the team ask what has gone wrong in less than two years. Is this story of disenchantment a uniquely Labour one? Is it all about the electoral pressures on the party, Starmer’s mistakes, or has the UK developed an allergy to incumbents? Plus: Gordon Brown's surprise comeback under the spotlight.

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    54 mins
  • What is behind the UK's transformed electoral landscape?

    What is behind the UK's transformed electoral landscape?
    May 4 2026
    With a few reminiscences of past elections thrown in, the team debate a fractured voting public in the run up to May 7th. Are we a UK of "fed-up-niks" and does malaise spring from economics? How intense is the political fervour to left and right? Plus: the hard-to-decipher polling in Scotland.

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    47 mins
  • Are prime ministers too dependent on their top advisers?

    Are prime ministers too dependent on their top advisers?
    Apr 29 2026
    After Morgan McSweeney’s first public appearance - in front of the Foreign Affairs committee - we explore the dependence of some prime ministers on their chiefs of staff. Why do they make themselves dependent even when the dependency can lead towards their doom? Plus, did McSweeney emerge as a more complex figure than his caricature and where does this all leave Starmer?

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    50 mins