logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2024
33m 31s

Too Easy To Sack Your MP?

THE TIMES
About this episode

It's been a decade since the introduction of recall, meaning MPs who break the rules can be kicked out of the Commons. As another recall petition opens in Blackpool South, Matt asks whether it's become too easy to remove them from the job.


Plus:  A taster of the latest episode of How to Win an Election, where political masterminds Peter Mandelson, Polly Mackenzie and Daniel Finkelstein discuss the impact of Lee Anderson's move to Reform UK.


How To Win An Election (03:28)

Total Recall (08:11)



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

Up next
Today
Trump Takes Credit For Gaza Deal
President Trump says Israel and Hamas have agreed to phase one of his plan for peace in Gaza. Is he on track for a Nobel Peace Prize? Plus, why is Matthew trying to avoid calling Nigel Farage by his name? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. 
33m 38s
Yesterday
Badenoch's Tax-Cutting Promises
Hugo Rifkind unpacks Kemi Badenoch's speech to Conservative Party conference in which she pledged to scrap Labour's tax rises and abolish stamp duty. But has she discovered her own magic money tree?Plus: Margaret Thatcher also struggled to make an impact in her first year, how do ... Show More
16m 49s
Oct 7
Jenrick Moves Centre Stage
Robert Jenrick has been announcing a series of policies at Conservative conference, and defending comments he made about the lack of 'white faces' in an inner-city area of Birmingham. Was he just making a point about integration? Is he trying to destabilise Kemi Badenoch's leader ... Show More
28m 11s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2024
Why would anyone want to become an MP?
The chaos in parliament over the vote on a Gaza ceasefire motion has segued into a debate on the threats facing MPs – and the lengths deemed appropriate to safeguard against them. A tumultuous week in politics leaves the fate of the Commons Speaker hanging in the balance. The FT’ ... Show More
38m 53s
Nov 2021
The return of 'Tory sleaze'? Owen Paterson and the rules on MPs lobbying
A debate on changing the procedure by which standards in Parliament are upheld last week led to a backlash from MPs - and a major u-turn. So, as the government defends itself against allegations of 'sleaze', where, does it leave the current system of policing standards in Westmin ... Show More
35m 16s
May 2022
Neil Parish's Exit Interview
Neil Parish, the MP who resigned after it was revealed he had watched porn in the Commons, joins Christopher Hope to give his final interview before handing in his badge at Westminster. The former Conservative MP for Tiverton and Honiton expresses his wish to apologise to the wit ... Show More
48m 21s
Mar 2023
Is it over for Boris Johnson?
After swearing an oath on the King James Bible, Boris Johnson spent nearly three and a half hours being quizzed by fellow MPs on the privileges committee about gatherings in Downing Street during lockdown. The same afternoon, only 22 Tories followed him through the lobbies, defyi ... Show More
31m 39s
Apr 2024
Tory ‘red wall’ seats under threat
Many ‘red wall’ constituencies across northern England, the Midlands and north Wales switched from Labour to the Conservatives in the 2019 general election partly thanks to then prime minister Boris Johnson’s energetic pledge to revitalise struggling communities outside the south ... Show More
33m 59s
Apr 2024
Local elections: What’s at stake - for voters and parties?
The 2 May local elections will have more than 2,600 seats are at stake across 107 English councils. Labour’s Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham are among the 10 city mayors up for re-election.   Those in Blackpool South will also be voting for their next MP after ex-Tory Scott Benton br ... Show More
17m 34s
Jan 2022
How Many Letters? (with Harriett Baldwin MP)
Conservative MP Harriett Baldwin says if the official report finds the Prime Minister lied to Parliament then that is a red line. But she tells Bloomberg Westminster's Caroline Hepker and Yuan Potts she received more constituent complaints about Dominic Cummings breaking lockdown ... Show More
22m 27s
Feb 2024
Commotion and a no confidence motion: What damage has the Commons Gaza row done?
The third largest party in the House of Commons, the SNP, says it doesn't have confidence in its Speaker, Lindsay Hoyle. The Speaker himself says he took decisions about how MPs debated and voted on calls for a ceasefire in Gaza because he wanted as broad a discussion as possible ... Show More
26m 14s
Feb 2024
Will Young: popstar to politician? Plus Westminster ceasefire row
Nish and guest co-presenter Liz Bates set the scene on what went on to become a chaotic night  in the Commons, that put speaker Lindsay Hoyle’s job at risk. They call out the “pathetic and petty” political game playing that sought to use the suffering of people in Gaza to embarra ... Show More
56m 22s
Mar 2024
Theresa Rules Out a May Election
Today we look at the announcement that Theresa May will leave the commons at the next election with two former close colleagues. Ali Donnelly, her former deputy spokesperson tells Adam what it’s like to receive a death stare from her.Former political adviser Cleo Watson says Brex ... Show More
39m 7s