Shows / Politics Weekly
Politics Weekly
Political analysis from the Guardian and Observer's top journalists and commentators.
Episodes
- Politics Weekly
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…
- Politics Weekly
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…
- Politics Weekly
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…
- Politics Weekly
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…
- Politics Weekly
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…
- Politics Weekly
Starmer takes the gloves off in fight with Farage
The Prime Minister has used his conference speech to take aim at Nigel Farage, warning that Reform UK offers only ‘division and decline’ while promising…
- Politics Weekly
Andy Burnham live in conversation
Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey sit down with the mayor of Greater Manchester live at the Labour party conference in Liverpool. Help support our independent…
- Politics Weekly
Kent, where the politics of small boats and asylum has exploded
The conversation about asylum and immigration is at the centre of British politics, and nowhere more so than in Kent. This week, John Harris is on the road in…
- Politics Weekly
Labour’s Lucy Powell: ‘We’ve taken our progressive voters for granted’
John Harris is joined by the Labour MP Lucy Powell, a former cabinet minister who is a running for deputy leadership of the party, to discuss why the…
- Politics Weekly
What does the UK recognising Palestinian statehood really mean?
Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss the UK’s recognition of Palestine as a state. With the US and Israel criticising the move, what will it mean for the war…
- Politics Weekly
Trump on tour: pomp, pageantry and politics
Donald Trump is back on UK soil for his ‘unprecedented’ second state visit. Will the US president’s trip help to distract from Keir Starmer’s challenges at…
- Politics Weekly
Could Trump’s visit be a useful distraction for Starmer?
Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss the fallout from Keir Starmer’s handling of the sacking of the US ambassador, Peter Mandelson. And with growing questions…
- Politics Weekly
Will the UK ever rejoin the EU?
Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey speak to the minister for EU relations, Nick Thomas-Symonds, about the fallout from Brexit and our relationship with the European…
- Politics Weekly
Starmer’s Mandelson mess and deputy leadership damage
As the race to replace Angela Rayner as Labour’s deputy leader exposes tensions within the party, John Harris speaks to the former transport secretary Louise…
- Politics Weekly
Reshuffle, Rayner resignation and rift with the unions: a big week for Labour
Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss the fallout from Angela Rayner’s resignation and Keir Starmer’s subsequent cabinet reshuffle. Why has Rayner’s departure…
- Politics Weekly
What’s feeding the rise of Reform? On the road in Birmingham
John Harris is at the Reform UK conference, asking how this once insurgent party came to dominate the political mainstream. And he speaks to people in…
- Politics Weekly
Flags, flats and Labour in trouble (again)
It’s the first week back after summer recess and Labour is already in trouble, with the deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, referring herself to the…
- Politics Weekly
Starmer’s back-to-school headaches – podcast
Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey are back, talking through all of the challenges the government faces as MPs return to Westminster. Plus, they discuss the prime…
- Politics Weekly
No going back: Nigel Farage’s immigration plan
In a major speech this week, Reform UK set out how it would lower immigration. With controversial plans to deport hundreds of thousands of migrants and scrap…
- Politics Weekly
A year of hate: what I learned when I went undercover with the far right – from The Audio Long Read
Working for Hope Not Hate, I infiltrated an extremist organisation, befriended its members and got to work investigating their political connections Written…
- Politics Weekly
Revisited: A day on the frontline of England’s social care crisis
An ageing population, a funding squeeze and a recruitment crisis have taken England’s adult social care system to breaking point. In this episode, recorded and…
- Politics Weekly
How does woke start winning again? – from The Audio Long Read
British progressives have suffered major setbacks in recent years, in both public opinion and court rulings. Was a backlash inevitable, and are new tactics…
- Politics Weekly
Our list of the summer’s best culture picks
Politics Weekly is taking a break for the summer. But, as is tradition, John Harris has a roundup of some of his favourite cultural picks Get In: The Inside…
- Politics Weekly
Your questions answered: opinion polls and celebrity politicians
You asked, we answered. In this special episode, Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey sit down to chat through some of the questions you’ve sent to us. Fancy another…
- Politics Weekly
Dale Vince on net zero, Gaza and why he’s still backing Labour
John Harris is joined by the eco-activist, entrepreneur and political donor Dale Vince to chat through his journey from new age traveller to renewable energy…
- Politics Weekly
Catherine Ashton on the UK’s role in a changing world
Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey sit down in a special episode with peer Catherine Ashton to hear from the former EU commissioner and trade negotiator on what she…
- Politics Weekly
Summer riots: what have we learned a year on?
This week marks a year since the murder of three young girls in Southport became a catalyst for riots that spread to many parts of the UK. With scenes of…
- Politics Weekly
Angela Rayner on lessons learned from Labour’s first year
Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey speak to Angela Rayner about Labour’s first year in government and the challenges ahead. The deputy prime minister reveals the…
- Politics Weekly
Gaza: if the UK won’t act now, then when?
As hundreds of thousands of people face starvation in Gaza, this week the foreign secretary, David Lammy, joined a chorus of global condemnation over Israel’s…
- Politics Weekly
The big stink: will new watchdog clean up our waterways?
Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss the government’s plans to overhaul the water industry. Will they be able to clean up the waterways of England and Wales…
- Politics Weekly
Will the Afghan data leak cover up be a gift for Reform UK?
The revelation that the government concealed a huge story about the resettlement of people from Afghanistan after their lives were put at risk by a data breach…
- Politics Weekly
Have tax rises become inevitable?
Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey look at how Rachel Reeves will try to reassure her party and the country about the state of the economy in a major speech this…
- Politics Weekly
More headaches for Labour: Send, strikes and small boats
Only a week after the government was forced to retreat on benefits reform, there’s now controversy over its plans for children with special educational needs…
- Politics Weekly
Is Send the next battleground for Labour? – Politics Weekly UK
Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss why backbenchers and campaigners are already gearing up for another fight, this time over children’s special educational…
- Politics Weekly
One year of Labour - Politics Weekly live at Crossed Wires festival
One year on from Keir Starmer’s election victory and Labour are well behind Reform in the polls, while the government is already having to bend to the will of…
- Politics Weekly
Unhappy birthday? Labour in turmoil after one year in government – Politics Weekly UK
This week marks one year since Keir Starmer came to power after a landslide election victory. But with questions over the Chancellor’s future, historically low…
- Politics Weekly
How the welfare bill went wrong – Politics Weekly Westminster
Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss how the government was forced into backtracking on its plans to cut disability payments. Will changes to the welfare bill…
- Politics Weekly
The welfare cuts rebellion – Politics Weekly UK
Keir Starmer is vowing to push ahead with plans to cut disability payments. But with more than 100 Labour MPs threatening to rebel, could he be forced into…
- Politics Weekly
UK walks diplomatic tightrope over Trump’s attack on Iran – Politics Weekly Westminster
Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss how Keir Starmer’s government is responding to the US president’s decision to launch attacks on Iranian nuclear sites…
- Politics Weekly
Trump edges closer to war: could he drag the UK in? – Politics Weekly UK
As Israel and Iran trade escalating blows, and the horrific situation in Gaza continues, Trump has suggested the US could get directly involved. So how is Keir…
- Politics Weekly
Grooming gang inquiry U-turn; and how will the UK respond to Israel-Iran conflict? - Politics Weekly Westminster
Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss the UK’s reaction to the Israel-Iran conflict, and whether Gaza has influenced the government’s response. And as Keir…
- Politics Weekly
Reeves relaunches – but will it save Labour from Farage? – Politics Weekly UK
The chancellor has announced extra money for housing, energy, the NHS, defence and more, so is this the start of a new phase for the government? And should…
- Politics Weekly
Winter fuel U-turn and spending review standoff – Politics Weekly Westminster
Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss Rachel Reeves’s U-turn on winter fuel payments: will it be enough to undo the damage done by the policy? Plus, they look…
- Politics Weekly
Missing in the Amazon: the disappearance – episode 1
Three years ago, British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian indigenous defender Bruno Pereira vanished while on a reporting trip near Brazil’s remote Javari…
- Politics Weekly
Will Labour’s spending squeeze kill its big housing promise? – Politics Weekly UK
Labour’s pledge to build 1.5 million homes is reportedly under serious threat. What’s gone wrong? And what happens if the government breaks its promise to…
- Politics Weekly
Is the UK ready for war? – Politics Weekly Westminster podcast
Keir Starmer promised to make Britain ‘battle-ready’ as he announced the government’s defence spending plans. But what does that actually look like? And how…
- Politics Weekly
Is Labour being outflanked on the left by Nigel Farage? – Politics Weekly UK
Nigel Farage seems to have upstaged the Labour government, pledging to scrap the controversial two-child benefit cap and reverse the cuts to the winter fuel…
- Politics Weekly
Labour takes action over Gaza: what took them so long? – Politics Weekly UK
The government has suspended trade talks with Israel and denounced its actions in Gaza. But why are we only now seeing this kind of action and moral outrage?…
- Politics Weekly
Ghosts of Brexit past haunt new UK-EU deal – Politics Weekly Westminster
The UK and EU have reached a deal, in what Downing Street hopes will be a reset with Brussels after Brexit. But with negotiations coming down to the wire and…
- Politics Weekly
Starmer’s migrant rhetoric: a squalid chapter? – Politics Weekly UK
Keir Starmer has defended the language he used in a speech on immigration this week. But many Labour MPs have criticised his choice of words, with some even…
- Politics Weekly
How Labour plans to ‘take back control’ on migration – Politics Weekly Westminster
Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss the government’s plans to drastically reduce net migration. Will it work? And how will it land with the public and the…
- Politics Weekly
Rage against the mainstream: did UK politics just change for good? – Politics Weekly UK
As Reform UK reaches new highs in the polls, it feels more and more likely that Nigel Farage’s triumph at local elections will be remembered as a huge turning…
- Politics Weekly
Farage here to stay: the local elections that changed everything– Politics Weekly Westminster
After Reform UK stormed to victory at local elections, has its leader reshaped politics for ever? And how will Labour and the Conservatives respond? Pippa…
- Politics Weekly
‘Reform all the way’: on the road in Doncaster – Politics Weekly UK
Before this week’s local elections, John Harris is on the road in Doncaster – which could prove to be a canary in the coalmine for the government. Labour has…
- Politics Weekly
Could Reform be the big winners at local elections? – Politics Weekly Westminster
Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss whether Nigel Farage can translate Reform UK’s rise in the polls into success at the ballot box as local elections take…
- Politics Weekly
Will rising child poverty be Labour’s legacy? – Politics Weekly UK
The government began to roll out its free breakfast club scheme this week as part of plans to help struggling families. But with predictions that child poverty…
- Politics Weekly
How the Beatles helped my autistic son find his voice – Today in Focus
John Harris speaks to the Today in Focus podcast about how music helped him connect with his autistic son, James. He tells Helen Pidd what he’s learned about…
- Politics Weekly
What’s next for British Steel? – Politics Weekly UK
The future of the steelworks in Scunthorpe has been hanging in the balance after the government stepped in to try and save it from collapse. So what happens…
- Politics Weekly
Trump triggers global meltdown while Starmer scrambles – Politics Weekly UK
As fears of a global recession continue in the wake of Donald Trump’s tariffs, Keir Starmer insists the UK should keep a cool head. But with markets in turmoil…
- Politics Weekly
Trump explodes the world economy: what should the UK do? – Politics Weekly UK
After weeks of cosying up to Donald Trump, the UK has still been hit with 10% tariffs on exports to the US, which is bad news for the economy and the public…