logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2023
53m 11s

What's the point of the House of Lords?

POLITICO
About this episode
Host Ailbhe Rea takes you inside the weird and wonderful world of the House of Lords, and explores the increasingly bitter battles over its future. Paralympic gold medallist and crossbench peer Tanni Grey-Thompson lifts the lid on what life in the Lords is really like, and Ailbhe has a rare meeting with an endangered species: a hereditary peer, the Earl of C ... Show More
Up next
Yesterday
Can Tory defections take Reform UK toward power?
Reform UK has claimed its biggest scalp so far with Sir Jake Berry, close friend and ally of Boris Johnson and former Conservative Cabinet minister, joining its ranks. Can Reform break the mould of British politics and vie for power at the next election? In this week's episode of ... Show More
34m 24s
Jul 4
Can Keir Starmer survive the next 6 months?
Keir Starmer's authority is under question following a humiliating series of U-turns and a restless parliamentary Labour Party. In this Westminster Insider interview, host Anne McElvoy talks to Maurice Glasman, the Labour peer, who’s seen as the godfather of "Blue Labour" and an ... Show More
27m 17s
Jun 27
Westminster's half-term score card
Even as Keir Starmer faces the threat of all-out rebellion over his welfare bill, Westminster can feel the summer recess approaching. So six months into the year and with the anniversary of Labour's electoral victory approaching, host Sascha O'Sullivan enrols a host of experts to ... Show More
43m 53s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2022
Lords have mercy! How to fix the upper chamber
The House of Lords is constantly embattled – but what value does it have and what really goes on there? Various governments have wanted to reform the chamber – with limited success. Can it be done? Marie Le Conte speaks to Politico’s senior UK correspondent Esther Webber about th ... Show More
28m 42s
Jul 2024
Labour's Big Win
John Lanchester, Tom Crewe and Florence Sutcliffe-Braithwaite join James Butler to dissect Keir Starmer's victory and the historic collapse of the Conservative Party. They discuss what the result tells us about the needs and frustrations of the country, the ways in which the new ... Show More
53m 59s
Jul 2022
Londongrad episode 6: Lord of the spies
It’s no secret that political patronage can get you a place in the House of Lords. But even people who understand the system well - even peers themselves - were appalled when Boris Johnson decided to extend his patronage to Evgeny Lebedev. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy f ... Show More
36m 36s
Aug 2023
Back to the 50s — Is Britain stuck in a time warp?
Living standards are falling to the lowest standards since the 1950s, so why is this government shouting about the so-called success it’s had? Plus, we need to build more homes - pure and simple. But how, and how can it be done? Hannah Fearn has 4 points Labour needs to hit if it ... Show More
57m 30s
Dec 2022
Is the House of Lords indefensible?
On today's episode we launch the Christmas Countdown - our (and your) favourite soundbites of political inanity of 2022. Please send in the moments you want us to revisit and react to.But before we get there, we talk about Sir Keir Starmer's plans to abolish the House of Lords an ... Show More
34m 30s
Oct 2022
What caused the turmoil in British politics?
After the resignation of Liz Truss the UK will soon have its third prime minister this year. Britain has long been considered a politically stable nation. So has something changed? The governing Conservative Party is divided on many issues, including the country’s future directio ... Show More
49m 11s
May 2024
11/05/2024
Ben Riley-Smith of The Telegraph is joined by a range of guests to analyse the latest developments at Westminster.To discuss Labour's prospects following the local election results, Ben speaks to former Labour leader, Lord Kinnock.Labour candidate and economist Miatta Fahnbulleh, ... Show More
27m 58s
Nov 2021
‘I genuinely believe that the UK is not remotely a corrupt country’
This week we examine the row about outside interests for British MPs. Is it acceptable to be earning hundreds of thousands of pounds a year on top of their parliamentary work? And do voters care? Chief political commentator Robert Shrimsley will analyse the situation with politic ... Show More
33m 45s
Jan 2023
What Keir Starmer did at Davos
Sir Keir Starmer and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves gave a pre-Davos interview to the FT before setting off to woo the global elite in Switzerland at the World Economic Forum in a remarkable turnround in Labour sentiment. Why were they going, with what message, while Prime Minis ... Show More
24m 7s
Jun 2020
Quarantine fallout, queueing in parliament, chaos at the top and the UK’s offer to Hong Kong
Boris Johnson’s government found itself confused this week about why it was introducing a 14-day quarantine for all arrivals in the UK. Ministers and MPs warned it would undermine the economy, while scientists said it was not required. So why is the prime minister pushing ahead w ... Show More
30m 2s