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 give their view on the government's progress on the 'milestones' set out by the ... Show More
May 2025
Local elections special: end of the two-party duopoly?
This week, we’ve seen Reform UK trounce Labour and the Conservatives across England in local elections. Nigel Farage’s party has secured a fifth MP, clinched two mayorships and seized control of at least seven councils.In response, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is vowing to go ... Show More
35m 28s
Jul 2024
Rory Stewart: “We’re Living in a World of Fairy Tales”
Rory Stewart is a British academic, broadcaster, and former diplomat and politician. He served as a Conservative Member of Parliament for Penrith and The Border from 2010 to 2019 and was a junior minister in four government departments from 2015 to 2019, holding the posts of Mini ... Show More
1 h
Oct 1
On Politics: The Death of the Conservative Party?
In its nearly two hundred years of existence the Conservative Party has survived through a combination of protean adaptability and ruthlessness, not least in its willingness to change leaders. Yet under its present leader, Kemi Badenoch, the party often described (by itself, at l ... Show More
55m 22s
Sep 2024
Brussels’ back-to-school blues
It’s been a particularly chaotic rentrée for Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. In this week’s episode of EU Confidential, we talk about the mad dash to name the new slate of commissioners, while getting the right balance of politics, geography, gender and expertise. Host ... Show More
34m 34s
Sep 2024
Grand Barnier: France’s new prime minister
Two months ago, French politics was thrown into crisis after a snap election left no party with a clear majority. Michel Barnier, the new prime minister, has a huge task ahead. Donald Trump’s campaign took time to adjust to the nomination of Kamala Harris. Now he’s on the attack ... Show More
25m 5s