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The Week in Westminster: Daily Summaries Delivered
by BBC Radio 4
Radio 4's weekly assessment of developments at Westminster
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- 3 days ago28 min
13/06/2026
Following the bombshell resignation of John Healey as Defence Secretary, Ben speaks to Sir Michael Fallon, a former Conservative Defence Secretary, and Luke Charters, a Labour MP who has campaigned on defence finance issues.After the horrific knife attack in Belfast on Monday, and the street violence that followed, Ben brings together the former First Minister of Northern Ireland, Baroness Foster, and the Labour Chair of the Northern Ireland Select Committee, Tonia Antoniazzi.Could next week's by-election in Makerfield precipitate a change of Prime Minister? And, if so, how tricky is it to change a leader in the middle of a parliament? Ben hears from Professor Philip Cowley of Queen Mary University of London and Cleo Watson, a former senior aide to Boris Johnson.And, as the World Cup gets underway, Ben talks football and politics with two superfans, former Scottish Conservative leader, Ruth Davidson, and comedian and political interviewer, Matt Forde.
- 1 weeks ago27 min
06/06/2026
Pippa Crerar discusses the political reaction to the murder of 18-year-old student Henry Nowak, following the release of police bodycam footage. She is joined by Labour peer and human rights campaigner Shami Chakrabarti and Reform UK MP Richard Tice, who is also the party's deputy leader.To discuss the battle of ideas and leadership sparked by former Labour prime minister Tony Blair's recent essay, Pippa is joined by Stewart Wood, Labour peer and former adviser to Gordon Brown, and the Conservative peer David Willetts, who is president of think tank the Resolution Foundation. This week, the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally, led her first debate in the House of Lords on the impact of artificial intelligence on human relationships and society. To discuss this, Pippa is joined by the Lord Bishop of Leicester, Martyn Snow, and crossbench peer Beeban Kidron, who both took part in the debate. This year marks the centenary of the 1926 general strike. Pippa discusses the impact and legacy of the strike with Labour peer and former general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, John Monks, and journalist and author Anne Perkins, who wrote a book about the strike, A Very British Strike.
- 3 weeks ago28 min
23/05/2026
As Andy Burnham is confirmed as the Labour candidate for the Makerfield by-election, George Parker asks whether this signals the start of a long goodbye for Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister. He brings together Labour MP, Miatta Fahnbulleh, who resigned as an Energy minister earlier this month, and Jonathan Ashworth, formerly a member of Keir Starmer's Shadow Cabinet.The question of whether Britain should one day rejoin the EU has reared up once again in this shadow Labour leadership contest. To discuss that George speaks to the EU's former ambassador to the UK, Joao Vale de Almeida.Following the Government's confirmation that HS2 could eventually cost over £100bn and may not open until 2039, George turns to Labour MP Ruth Cadbury, who chairs the Transport Select Committee, and Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the Conservative chairman of the Public Accounts Committee.And, is Kemi Badenoch doing a good job as Conservative leader? George speaks to Lee Cain, former Number Ten Director of Communications to Boris Johnson, and Times columnist, Seb Payne.
- May 16, 202628 min
16/05/2026
Caroline speaks to the Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, who is also Minister for Equalities and Women, about the tumultous week for Sir Keir Starmer as almost 100 Labour MPs called on him to go. Claire Ainsley, who was policy director for Keir Starmer when he was in opposition and is now at the Progressive Policy Institute and Robert Colville, director of the centre right think tank, the Centre for Policy Studies assess whether Labour is doing enough to promote growth, in the week that the UK economy unexpectedly grew by 0.6% during the first three months of the year.Conservative peer Matthew Elliott, who was the Chief Executive of the Vote Leave campaign during the Brexit referendum ten years ago and the Liberal Democrats’ Business spokesperson Sarah Olney debate whether Europe is once again becoming a defining issue in British politics after the prime minister vowed to put “Britain at the heart of Europe”.And two long-term Westminster insiders discuss Labour's leadership challenge: the Labour peer, Ayesha Hazarika, who worked as an adviser to several senior Labour party politicians and LBC presenter and writer Iain Dale.
- May 9, 202628 min
09/05/2026
Radio 4's assessment of developments at Westminster
- May 2, 202627 min
02/05/2026
The appointment of Peter Mandelson as US Ambassador dominated Commons proceedings again this week. Isabel discusses where it leaves Sir Keir Starmer's authority with Labour MP Sarah Champion and Conservative MP Sir Bernard Jenkin. Isabel discusses the Golders Green attack where two Jewish men were stabbed with Labour peer, John Mann who has served as the UK government's Independent Adviser on Antisemitism since 2019. Earlier this week, a report on the health of the nation was published showing a drop in the number of healthy years that British people can expect live to. Former Conservative health minister Steve Brine and Labour MP, Anna Dixon who used to work in health policy review the findings. And, with local elections in England, the Scottish parliament and Welsh assembly next week, Isabel brings together Conservative peer and political anaylst Robert Hayward and Sienna Rodgers, the deputy editor of The House Magazine for their predictions.
- Apr 25, 202627 min
25/04/2026
George Parker analyses the latest developments at Westminster.To discuss the ongoing row over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US Ambassador, and what it means for the Prime Minister's authority, George is joined by Labour MP, Preet Gill, and former Conservative Attorney General, Dominic Grieve.This week the Assisted Dying Bill was finally laid to rest after it ran out of time in the House of Lords. To discuss whether the legislative campaign is over George speaks to one of the Bill's supporters, Green MP Ellie Chowns, and Ruth Fox, director of the Hansard Society.The Commons and Lords were engaged in some parliamentary ping pong this week on the issue of banning social media for under 16s. Former Conservative Schools Minister, Lord Nash, debates with Labour MP, Helen Hayes, chair of the Education Select Committee.And, as the Government announces that its new complaints system for upholding free speech in universities will come in to force later this year, George brings together former Conservative Cabinet minister, Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, and Professor Alison Scott-Baumann of SOAS University of London.
- Apr 18, 202628 min
18/04/2026
The row over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US Ambassador erupted again this week. Sonia discusses the issues raised over security clearance with Hannah White, Director of The Institute for Government and Caroline Slocock, a former civil servant who was private secretary to Margaret Thatcher and John Major. Sonia discusses the impact on the UK economy of the war in Iran with Labour peer Stewart Wood, who is a former adviser to Gordon Brown and Chair of the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee. And Rupert Harrison, who worked alongside George Osborne at the Treasury, and is now a senior adviser at the investment management company Pimco.Earlier this week, the Prime Minister spoke of closer ties with the EU on food and other goods. To discuss this Sonia is joined by Labour MP Catherine West who is a former Foreign Office Minister and Reform UK MP Danny Kruger.And, last month legislation was finally passed to remove the remaining hereditary peers from the House of Lords. To reflect on their removal Sonia is joined by two hereditary peers: crossbencher Charles Courtenay, the 19th Earl of Devon and the Liberal Democrat Lord Thurso, who is also a former MP.
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