Bloomberg UK Politics

The revelation that Keir Starmer's chief of staff Sue Gray earns more than the Prime Minister is sparking debate around Westminster about public servants' pay. Matthew Lesh, policy fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs think-tank, and a country manager at business consultancy Freshwater Strategy, makes the case for higher salaries for politicians. Hosted by Stephen Carroll and Caroline Hepker. 

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Until recently, Waheed Alli was a relatively unknown Labour peer, but in recent weeks his name has been thrust into the spotlight as details emerge about the extent of his longstanding influence within the party and access to power. Bloomberg associate editor Ailbhe Rea joins us to discuss her latest reporting. Hosted by Lizzy Burden and Stephen Carroll. 

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Health Secretary Wes Streeting has just given junior doctors a 22% pay rise, saying it's now time to think about reforming the NHS. Handily, the left-leaning think tank the IPPR are publishing a a three-year piece of work on how to make Britain a healthier nation, which Streeting is set to launch later in the week. The Head of the Commission Chris Thomas is on to explain what's in it. Hosted by Caroline Hepker and Yuan Potts 

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A week before the the first Labour conference since their landslide election win, the government is being dogged by controversies over party donors, and reports of in-fighting in Number 10 involving chief of staff Sue Gray. Our UK Political Editor Alex Wickham joins us to discuss. Hosted by Stephen Carroll and Yuan Potts. 

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As the chancellor plans her budget, former Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable says he hopes Rachel Reeves can learn from some of the mistakes made by the coalition in its approach to public spending. We get his thoughts on the challenges facing the new government, the prospects of re-joining the EU, and what the future holds for his party. Hosted by Yuan Potts and Caroline Hepker.  

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 Andy Burnham, Labour's prominent Mayor of Greater Manchester, discusses how the relationship with Westminster has shifted since his party took power. But he tells us he wants changes to the winter fuel allowance, after the move to means-test the payment passed through Parliament, and he makes his pitch for Manchester to get greater control of its budget. Hosted by Stephen Carroll and Caroline Hepker. 

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The government has been under fire for cutting pensioners' winter fuel payments. We ask former pensions minister Steve Webb, now at consultancy Lane Clark & Peacock, if the move has wasted too much political capital and what the government should do to make pensions work better. Hosted by Yuan Potts and Stephen Carroll.

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The Covid inquiry starts its latest phase today, a reminder of the mark the pandemic has left on the UK and on politics. Transparency International UK say Covid procurement contracts worth more than £15 billion raise three or more 'corruption red flags'. CEO Daniel Bruce tells us what went wrong during the crisis, how other countries did it better and what we can learn for the future. Hosted by Lizzy Burden and Yuan Potts. 

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Five candidates remain in the Conservative Party leadership contest after former Home Secretary Priti Patel was eliminated in the latest ballot. Those vying for the top job are focused on the future, but how can the eventual winner reinvigorate the party's base? We discuss with Chris Wilkins, former chief speechwriter for Theresa May, now CEO of Audley Advisors. Hosted by Yuan Potts and Stephen Carroll.  

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The chair of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry has delivered a damning conclusion after years of gathering evidence about the fire at the high-rise block in 2017 which saw 72 people lose their lives. The report concluded the deaths were 'all avoidable', blaming the construction industry, government and others for a litany of failures. We discuss the findings with Bloomberg's Jack Sidders who covers the building industry. Hosted by Caroline Hepker and Yuan Potts. This episode contains distressing audio

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