Politics Weekly

In a stunning setback for Labour, the Green party has decisively won the Gorton and Denton byelection, with Reform UK finishing second. Does this result signal the end of Labour's safe seats? And could it mark the beginning of the end for Keir Starmer? John Harris, Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey unpack the fallout – and explore what might happen next. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

As the dust settles on the government's landmark changes to children's special educational needs and disabilities provision, what will their impact really be on young people, their families and schools? John Harris and Kiran Stacey look at what we know so far. And, a growing backlash from graduates over student loan payments, led by the influential consumer champion Martin Lewis, is causing a headache the government was not anticipating. Why did they overlook this and what changes could be made?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss the government's long-awaited plans for the special educational needs and disabilities system. Can the controversial overhaul convince parents and MPs? Plus, the latest on the Gorton and Denton byelection. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Reform UK has this week announced its ‘shadow cabinet'. But with a familiar cast of former Conservative ministers, can Nigel Farage shake off claims that his ‘one-man band' is little more than a Tory 2.0 project? Kiran Stacey and Peter Walker discuss what the appointments reveal about Reform's policy direction. Plus: who is Antonia Romeo, the newly appointed cabinet secretary? Please send your questions and messages for Pippa Crerar, Kiran Stacey and John Harris to politicsweeklyuk@theguardian.com. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

What is Blue Labour? Can Andy Burnham's ‘Manchesterism' be replicated elsewhere? And is the two-party system over in British politics? In a special episode, Pippa and Kiran take your questions. Please keep sending them to politicsweeklyuk@theguardian.com. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

After a week when it seemed all but over for Keir Starmer, John, Pippa and Kiran unpack how the prime minister survived – and what it means for Labour in the long run. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Keir Starmer's future as prime minister suffered another major blow when the Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, called for him to go. With the cabinet rallying around him, the PM seems to be safe for now, but for how much longer? Pippa and Kiran look at what might happen next Please send your questions and messages for Pippa Crerar, Kiran Stacey and John Harris to politicsweeklyuk@theguardian.com. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

As Starmer apologises for believing Mandelson's ‘lies', just how damaging will the latter's links to Jeffrey Epstein be for the PM's own reputation? John Harris and Kiran Stacey discuss the latest. Plus, the mood on the ground from the Gorton and Denton byelection Why this Manchester byelection is a lesson in 21st century politics – video Please send your questions and messages for Pippa Crerar, Kiran Stacey and John Harris to politicsweeklyuk@theguardian.com. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Peter Mandelson has resigned his Labour party membership after new details of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein came to light. But why did Labour ever decide to appoint him as US ambassador? Pippa and Kiran chat through what No 10 knew and when. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Keir Starmer held talks with the Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week and proclaimed Britain should have a more ‘sophisticated' relationship with China. Pippa Crerar, who was with the prime minister on the trip, tells Kiran Stacey what all this means. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Reform UK has announced Matt Goodwin as its candidate for the hotly anticipated Gorton and Denton byelection. John Harris and Kiran Stacey discuss his chances. Plus, John speaks to Esther Ghey about why the government should back a social media ban for under-16s. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

The Labour party has once again been plunged into turmoil after the NEC blocked Andy Burnham from standing in the Gorton and Denton byelection. Will the row quickly fade, or does it risk piling further pressure on the prime minister? Meanwhile, Pippa Crerar will be joining Keir Starmer on his trip to China – but can he focus on diplomacy abroad, or will the Westminster psychodrama continue to overshadow the visit?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

John Harris is joined by Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey to discuss Donald Trump's climbdown on tariffs over his move to buy Greenland. Plus, Labour MP Andrew Gwynne is to stand down, which could open the way for Andy Burnham to take his seat. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Leader of the Green party, Zack Polanski, tells Pippa and Kiran that Nato is over and the UK should consider expelling the US from British military bases. Plus he explains why he isn't worried about billionaires leaving the country. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Keir Starmer has held an emergency press conference in response to Donald Trump's tariff threats over Greenland. Pippa and Kiran discuss what the UK prime minister said and how it may be received. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Sacked, suspended and the whip removed – Kemi Badenoch announced in spectacular fashion that Robert Jenrick was booted out of the Tory party for plotting to defect. John Harris and Kiran talk about how this will play out. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Ofcom has launched an investigation into X over its AI tool Grok – but what does it mean when the platform is widely used by the government? Plus, Pippa and Kiran discuss Nadhim Zahawi's defection to Reform UK, and why it could both help and hinder the party. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

In just one week Venezuela's president was kidnapped by the US, Donald Trump talked of needing Greenland, the UK and France agreed to deploy troops in Ukraine if a peace deal was reached, and two oil tankers were seized with help from the UK. Is this the new world order – or lack thereof? John Harris and Kiran Stacey are joined by the Guardian's defence and security editor, Dan Sabbagh, to find out. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Pippa and Kiran discuss the mounting pressure on Keir Starmer to condemn the US capture of Nicolás Maduro. The prime minister is keen to walk the diplomatic tightrope but at what cost to his reputation globally and within his own party?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

In this podcast from 4 April, John Harris speaks to Today in Focus about how music helped him connect with his son, James. Harris tells Helen Pidd what he has learned about the way some autistic people experience music, and how songs opened up the world for James. Plus, they discuss the challenges and stereotypes autistic people still face. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Many of his supporters hoped the prime minister would restore the UK's commitment to international law. Yet Labour's record over the past year has been curiously mixed By Daniel Trilling. Read by Simon Darwen. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey look back at some of their best interviews of 2025. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

John Harris, Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey look back at the biggest political moments of 2025, and discuss what 2026 might bring. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Pippa and Kiran speak to the Guardian's sketch writer, John Crace, about his latest book, The Bonfire of the Insanities: How Does This Government Thing Work Again?, which is a compilation of his daily work starting from Rishi Sunak's government to Keir Starmer's. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

The Free Birth Society was selling pregnant women a simple message. They could exit the medical system and take back their power. By free birthing. But Nicole Garrison believes FBS ideology nearly cost her her life. This is episode one of a year-long investigation by Guardian journalists Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne Listen to the full series from The Guardian Investigates podcast. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

John Harris speaks to Yinka Bankole about his treatment as a nine-year-old at Dulwich college when Nigel Farage was a prefect. Plus, Kiran Stacey and John discuss whether Reform UK supporters will start to feel uneasy about the allegations of racism against Farage. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

As Keir Starmer hosts Volodymyr Zelenskyy in London, Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss what the ‘coalition of the willing' can achieve. Also in the spotlight is Labour's shifting position on the EU. Plus, with pressure mounting on Nigel Farage, can the Reform UK leader handle so much scrutiny?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Nigel Farage was handed a £9m donation this week, amid reports he said elsewhere that a deal with the Conservatives before the general election was ‘inevitable'. John Harris speaks to Kiran Stacey about what this means for Reform UK. They also discuss David Lammy's plan to scrap some jury trials, and answer questions from Politics Weekly UK listeners. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Pippa and Kiran discuss the prime minister's speech on Monday and ask whether it will take attention away from allegations that the chancellor misled the public with her budget statements. Plus: chaos at Your Party's first conference. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

John Harris, Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey give their reactions to the chancellor's autumn budget. Has Rachel Reeves done enough to silence her critics?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

It is finally budget week, so Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss the context of Rachel Reeves's big moment and how high the stakes are. Plus, Kiran talks about what happened behind the scenes of his trip to Johannesburg with Keir Starmer, including how talks over the Ukraine peace plan unfolded. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

There was outrage from Labour MPs on Monday evening as Shabana Mahmood outlined her plans to shake up the asylum system. Will these policies be watered down? John Harris finds out what is happening behind the scenes with Kiran Stacey. Plus, now that Labour has adopted Reform UK rhetoric on immigration, where does the party go from here? John talks to Guardian columnists Gaby Hinsliff and Rafael Behr. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey look at radical plans from the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, to tackle the ‘out of control' asylum system. Plus, has the briefing row only made Keir Starmer's rivals more coordinated?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

John Harris is joined by Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey as an attempt to halt leadership manoeuvres against Keir Starmer has spectacularly backfired and put Starmer's potential rival Wes Streeting on the front foot. Plus, the BBC is in crisis again – but this time it involves a $1bn lawsuit filed by Donald Trump. Jane Martinson, the former head of media at the Guardian, discusses the future of the BBC. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss the resignations of the BBC's director general, Tim Davie, and its head of news, Deborah Turness. Plus, the growing unease within Labour about Keir Starmer's leadership and what MPs might do about it. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

In a special, bonus episode of Politics Weekly, Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey sit down with Scotland's former first minister Nicola Sturgeon for a frank conversation about her time in office and the future of nationalist politics. Nothing is off the table: her leadership, Covid, the gender row that dogged her final days in office and the alleged financial fraud at the SNP. Oh, and how she dealt with some wild stories about her personal life... Send your thoughts and questions to politicsweeklyuk@theguardian.com. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

John Harris speaks to the Guardian's economics editor, Heather Stewart, about the unenviable choice facing Rachel Reeves. What price will she pay if she raises the basic rate of income tax for the first time in half a century? Meanwhile, has language and policy that would once have been confined to the far-right fringe entered mainstream politics? Sunder Katwala, the director of the thinktank British Future, joins John to discuss whether racist rhetoric can be pushed back to the margins Send your thoughts and questions to politicsweeklyuk@theguardian.com. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Nigel Farage promised to set out his fiscal stall in a major speech in the City of London, but what did he actually say? Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss Farage's retreat from its election promise to cut £90bn of taxes, his failure to commit to the pensions triple lock and his desire to woo the wealthy. Meanwhile, Rachel Reeves continues to labour on the autumn budget. What's going on behind the scenes? Send your thoughts and questions to politicsweeklyuk@theguardian.com. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

No one likes being unpopular, so you could forgive both of the UK's main political parties for wanting to look away when another damning poll dropped this week. Support for both parties has never been so low at the same time, the Green party is seeing record support and Reform UK continues to top the popularity contest. Does recent polling really suggest the end of the two-party hegemony? King of the pollsters John Curtice helps Politics Weekly UK read the runes. And, in the run-up to the budget next month, Keir Starmer has given the strongest indication yet that tax rises may be on the way, while immigration dominates headlines and the escaped sex offender whose case sparked protests at the Bell hotel in Epping is sent back to Ethiopia – with £500 in his back pocket. Pippa Crerar is joined by the Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff to discuss the government's game of immigration whack-a-mole and the consequences Labour could face if it breaks its manifesto pledge not to raise key taxes.. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Another week, another immigration crisis. A powerful parliamentary committee has accused the Home Office – for this government and the last – of squandering billions of pounds on asylum accommodation and overseeing a ‘failed, chaotic and expensive' system. The report came days after the barely believable revelation that the convicted sex offender whose case sparked protests at the Bell hotel in Epping was accidentally let out of prison on Friday instead of being deported. He is now back in custody. Pippa Crerar and Eleni Courea discuss the ongoing firefighting at the Home Office and its impact on the public consciousness. Plus, what now for Labour after a crushing defeat in Caerphilly and the election of its new deputy leader, Lucy Powell? Finally, we go back to the China spy row – will this be the week the mystery is cracked open? • Send your thoughts and questions to politicsweeklyuk@theguardian.com. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Labour's electoral dominance in Caerphilly, deep in the party's Welsh heartlands, has collapsed while Reform UK and Plaid Cymru have hoovered up votes. On a visit to the south Rhymney Valley ahead of a historic byelection, John Harris finds a polarised community, reminiscent of the final days of the European referendum contest. Kiran Stacey joins him to discuss the significance of the Caerphilly byelection, how it is being fought on the ground and online, and what it tells us about the future of UK politics. Plus, we look at problems facing the grooming gangs inquiry as a fourth survivor quits and the prime minister brings in the trusted trouble-shooter Louise Casey to try to shore up the process. And finally, Labour's deputy leadership contest comes to a close … at last • Send your thoughts and questions to politicsweeklyuk@theguardian.com. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Rachel Reeves is facing difficult choices before her second budget next month and has been busy preparing the ground. In a significant shift in the government's narrative, Reeves has – at last – stressed the long-term damage done to the UK economy by Brexit. Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss the options available to the chancellor and whether the pivot to blaming Brexit will convince the public. Plus, what a foul-mouthed meeting tells us about Reform, why the imminent result of Labour's deputy leader contest matters, and what parliament can do about Prince Andrew. Send your thoughts and questions to politicsweeklyuk@theguardian.com. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod