Welcome back to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. In this week's episode, we discuss the latest developments in the headline-making Peter Mandelson scandal, and whether Keir Starmer's recent conduct towards the civil service – and his past mistakes – are enough to see his premiership crumble.

Timecodes

00:00 – Introduction.

01:17 – Who is Peter Mandelson and what's his connection with Jeffrey Epstein?

08:24 – Why did Mandelson get a job if he had failed security vetting?

13:08 – How did Keir Starmer respond?

16:27 – How did senior civil servant Olly Robbins answer to being blamed for getting Mandelson in post?

19:40 – Does former ambassador Karen Pierce not continuing in her role suggest Starmer is running a boys' club?

21:45 – How the Mandelson saga has undermined Keir Starmer's rule-abiding reputation.

23:12 – Why did Starmer take such a gamble on appointing Mandelson?

26:20 – What's next for Keir Starmer as Prime Minister and who would replace him?

36:35 – Morgan McSweeney to give testimony to the Foreign Affairs Committee.

39:00 – Taxpayers will probably fund a large payout for Olly Robbins.

40:00 – How will the Government and the civil service continue working together?

41:30 – Bluffer's Guide and end.

You can follow us at @commons.people on Instagram and TikTok. This is a HuffPost UK podcast. Music provided by Epidemic Sounds. Producer: Sam Cleal

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Welcome back to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. This week, Kevin and Kate discuss why Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves are keen to develop closer ties with the EU, and what that means in the context of Brexit.

Timecodes

00:00 – Introduction

02:29 – Brexit explained (for those who have forgotten!)

04:43 – the King's speech, Trump and why Starmer would want to align more closely with the EU.

09:20 – how do British people feel about the EU?

13:50 – what are the main political parties thinking?

17:14 – British holidaymakers stranded at passport control.

18:17 – MPs are angry at not getting a vote.

21:19 – Steve Reed (Community Secretary) on an EU re-alignment.

23:27 – What will happen next?

28:16 – Bluffer's Guide and end.

You can follow us at @commons.people on Instagram and TikTok. This is a HuffPost UK podcast. Music provided by Epidemic Sounds. Producer: Sam Cleal

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. This week, Kevin and Kate are back together to ask whether Donald Trump’s war in Iran is really over after a two-week ceasefire was agreed to on Tuesday.

Timecodes

00:00 – Introduction

04:44 – Did Trump meet any of his military objectives?

08:14 – The significance of the Strait of Hormuz

12:52 – Iran's 10-point proposal

18:02 – Trump's strained international relations (including with NATO)

21:56 – Keir Starmer and King Charles's relationship with Trump and Trump's comments on UK armed forces

25:13 – Can Iran build a nuclear bomb?

29:05 – Keir Starmer's visit to the Middle East

32:53 – The economic consequences of the war

37:33 – Bluffer's guide and end

You can follow us at @commons.people on Instagram and TikTok. This is a HuffPost UK podcast. Music provided by Epidemic Sounds. Producer: Sam Cleal

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. In this week's episode, Kate is joined by special guest Millie Cooke – political correspondent for The Independent – to discuss whether Parliament is doing enough to tackle misogyny and the rise of the manosphere.

Timecodes

00:00 – Introduction

05:00 – Sarah Everard and the impact of her death on society

06:54 – Is there a pattern of sexist briefings against female cabinet ministers going on?

09:42 – Is Keir Starmer's Government a "boy's club"?

14:37 – What is it like being a female journalist in politics today.

19:40 – What do "Adolescence" and "Inside The Manosphere" have to do with things?

23:05 – Reform's Matt Goodwin and Danny Kruger's anti-women policies

25:47 – What does the future hold – a female first secretary of state

28:26 – What does the future hold – the male MP response

30:25 – How do we make sure women are heard more?

33:04 – Are female political correspondents outliers in Westminster?

35:06 – Should there be a Minister for Men?

36:59 – Bluffer's Guide and end

You can follow us at @commons.people on Instagram and TikTok. This is a HuffPost UK podcast. Music provided by Epidemic Sounds. Producer: Sam Cleal

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. In this week's episode, we're discussing the May local elections and weighing up the chances of all the main parties including Labour, Green, Conservative, Reform and the Lib Dems, as well as the SNP and Plaid Cymru in Scotland and Wales, respectively.

Timecodes

00:00 – Introduction

01:01 – When are the local elections and why are they important?

03:31 – What are Labour's chances in the local elections?

04:48 – How will the Tories fare?

06:09 – Will Reform’s success at the polls be reflected in the elections?

09:17 – Will the Greens continue with their success?

11:22 – How will the Lib Dems affect things?

13:44 – Will wins for the SNP and Plaid Cymru signify the end of United Kingdom?

16:43 – Are we looking at the end of the two-party system in the UK?

19:28 – Will there be a Labour leadership contest after 7 May?

25:33 – What does all the mean for the cost of living crisis?

26:37 – Bluffer’s guide

You can watch full episodes on YouTube @HuffPost-UK and follow us at @commons.people on Instagram and TikTok. This is a HuffPost UK podcast. Music provided by Epidemic Sounds. Producer: Sam Cleal

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. For our returning episode, and our first in four and half years, we're talking about one of the most important subjects in UK politics right now – the Iran war. Join Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson as they dive deep into how the war is having a knock-on effect on the UK’s cost of living already, how it's impacting the UK-US special relationship and whether it's also reshaping other international alliances and existing wars, like Ukraine.

Timecodes

00:00 – Introduction

04:11 – How did we get here?

10:08 – What does the Strait of Hormuz have to do with things?

13:37 – Trump and NATO

17:36 – Will the Gulf countries become more pro-Ukraine?

21:32 – Will the King's state visit go ahead?

23:30 – The knock-on effect on the UK cost of living

26:47 – How long is the war going to last?

30:57 – Will any countries join the war?

35:02 – Bluffer's guide

36:30 – Outro

You can watch full episodes on YouTube @HuffPost-UK. This is a HuffPost UK podcast. Music provided by Epidemic Sounds. Producer: Sam Cleal

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Boris Johnson has taken the biggest gamble of his premiership with a National Insurance hike to fund the NHS and social care.

Labour's leader in the Lords Angela Smith joins Ned Simons, Sophia Sleigh and Paul Waugh to chat through Tory tax rises and where Labour's at ahead of its party conference

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As MPs head off to their constituencies, rising Covid cases and Channel crossings of asylum seekers are ensuring Boris Johnson cannot put his feet up.

Home Affairs Committee chair Yvette Cooper joins Ned Simons and Paul Waugh to chat through her joust with the Priti Patel this week, as well as the wider problems facing both the government and Labour this summer.

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The chancellor's late, late move to outflank Tory rebels on international aid cuts won the day, despite MPs voting against the three line whip. But is the rebellion over and will Rishi Sunak and his party rue the damage caused to their brand?

Ned Simons and Paul Waugh are joined by former international development secretary (and former chief whip) Andrew Mitchell.

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Football may or may not be coming home, but Boris Johnson and Liz Truss want British firms to export more abroad. Can the UK’s tricky relations with China help or hinder that post-Brexit ambition?

Shadow international trade secretary Emily Thornberry joins Ned Simons and Paul Waugh to chat through trade, as well as the next steps for Keir Starmer’s Labour after its ‘Batley bounce’.

Make sense of politics. Sign up to the Waugh Zone and get the political day in a nutshell every weekday evening.

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