logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2024
47m 36s

Rishi Sunak: embattled or beleaguered?

SKY NEWS
About this episode
As the prime minister tries to shake off rumours of a Tory coup and faces more delays to his Rwanda legislation - Beth Rigby, Ruth Davidson and Jess Phillips discuss where his leadership is at. 
 
What could happen if the local elections on May 2nd end badly for Rishi Sunak? 
 
Although he's standing down, they think Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar is having a better week – was this a good time for him to go?  
  
And two politicians answer a listener question about why politicians never answer the question.  

Email Beth, Ruth, and Jess at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444.      
   
Warning: some explicit language.
Up next
Oct 30
Nothing left to tax – are painful cuts on the way?
It’s the first budget of the Andy Burnham Government – but Chancellor John Healey’s been accused of kicking important decisions around welfare spending and defense into the long grass. So did John Healey play it too safe, or was he wise to try and avoid market and political upset ... Show More
47m 29s
Oct 23
Could Andy Burnham come unstuck on immigration and welfare?
It’s been almost 100 days since Andy Burnham became PM, but do the people who voted him in in Makerfield feel he has been living up to their expectations – and do they think he will be able to take on the electoral minefields of immigration and welfare policy?Beth Rigby, Ruth Dav ... Show More
45m 6s
Oct 16
Does Andy Burnham know enough about AI?
Is the UK Government ready for artificial intelligence (AI) – and will there be any jobs left for the next generation? Former technology secretary Liz Kendall joins Beth Rigby, Ruth Davidson and Harriet Harman to discuss her push to get the UK to the forefront of AI development – ... Show More
46m 26s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2024
Will the economy save Sunak?
<p>The prime minister is urging his MPs to unite or face electoral defeat. Rishi Sunak has rallied backbenchers to hold their nerve, as he cleaves to the prospect of an improving economy rescuing the Tory party’s fortunes. But in a week where the government’s flagship Rwanda poli ... Show More
34m 54s
Dec 2023
Rishi Sunak's Nightmare Before Christmas
<p>While Rishi Sunak gives evidence to the Covid inquiry, at Westminster his MPs are debating whether to back his Rwanda policy. Can he find a way out of his nightmare before Christmas, and save his premiership? Matt is joined by three wise experts to look at the options.</p><br> ... Show More
49m 7s
Dec 2023
Sunk! Is Sunak’s Tory Party over?
It’s been a bruising 24 hours for Rishi Sunak including a ministerial resignation, emergency prime ministerial press conference and a former home secretary now firmly on manoeuvres. Amol and Nick discuss the Today programme’s exclusive interview with that former home secretary, S ... Show More
50m 16s
Jun 2024
EMQs: Is Rishi California Dreamin’?
<p>Is Rishi Sunak California dreamin’ of a post-PM life? Or are the rolling hills of Yorkshire calling him to stick around? Ed Balls and George Osborne ponder what the Prime Minister will do next if he loses his premiership next week. How can good polling change an election outco ... Show More
30m 21s
Oct 2023
Rishi Sunak’s ‘questionable radicalism’
<p>Rishi Sunak is pitching himself as the change candidate at the next election with a raft of policy shake-ups - but does the substance match the rhetoric? The FT’s Whitehall editor Lucy Fisher is joined by columnist Robert Shrimsley and political editor George Parker to discuss ... Show More
31m 52s
Feb 2022
The net tightens for Boris Johnson
<p>We ask whether the prime minister can survive the latest scandal engulfing his government. Is the departure of his closest and longstanding aide Munira Mirza the beginning of the end? Or the start of a reset? Chief political correspondent Jim Pickard will discuss with chief po ... Show More
34m 17s
Oct 2022
The Leadership Race... What next?
Chris Mason and Alex Forsyth talk it all through with Adam Fleming. What will happen this week? How does the leadership race work? And how much support has each candidate got?Rishi Sunak says he is in the race to be the next Conservative leader (and prime minister), Business Secr ... Show More
29m 16s
Feb 2023
Northern Ireland: Rishi Sunak’s big test
<p>A deal to resolve the bitter dispute over post-Brexit trade in Northern Ireland was due this week but the UK prime minister appears to have a fight on his hands to stop it unravelling as he faces opposition from Tory Eurosceptics and the Democratic Unionist party. Is Sunak fac ... Show More
23m 18s