Anneliese Dodds sits down with Beth Rigby for her first long-form interview since stepping down from Labour's front bench.Reflecting on the party's first year in power, the former International Development Minister and Women and Equalities Minister reveals what happened the moment she decided to resign from Sir Keir Starmer's government - and the "uncomfortable" days she spent in the run up to telling the prime minister - who was otherwise engaged... sitting in the White House with Donald Trump.

Dodds explains how difficult her decision was - partly due to her ingrained support for the government - she was once as close as you could get to the prime minister, his shadow chancellor in Opposition. But in this podcast, she gives her assessment on Labour's economic policy and makes the argument for more taxation.

So, how does Dodds rate Labour's first year? And how can the government "change" for the better, going into its second year?

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Summer is here and the government is worrying about riots on the streets. In their final episode of this political term, Beth, Ruth and Harriet unpack No 10's briefing this week that Angela Rayner has warned about the risk of civil unrest, almost a year on from the murders in Southport that sparked a summer of violent protests.

So what is the government's strategy?  And what's really going on in towns like Epping, where asylum hotels have sparked backlash this week?

Plus, the return of Sir James Cleverley to the Tory front bench: is this the start of a Conservative revival or just more reshuffling?

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Who knew what about the Afghan data leak? And could anyone in parliament have done more to help scrutinise the government at the time of the superinjunction? Harriet thinks so.  
  
So in this episode, Beth, Ruth, and Harriet talk about the massive breach, the secret court hearings, and the constitutional chaos it’s unleashed.   
  
Plus - the fallout from the latest Labour rebellion. Four MPs have lost the whip - officially for repeated defiance, but unofficially? A government source called it "persistent knobheadery".  
   
So is Keir Starmer tightening his grip or losing control? And how does this compare to rebellions of Labour past?  
  
Oh and singer Chesney Hawkes gets an unexpected mention.  
  
Responding to claims in the podcast about whether Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle could have scrutinised the government, a Commons spokesperson said: "As has been made clear, Mr Speaker was himself under a superinjunction, and so would have been under severe legal restrictions regarding speaking about this. He would have had no awareness which organisations or individuals were and were not already aware of this matter.  
   
"The injunction could not constrain proceedings in parliament and between being served with the injunction in September 2023 and the 2024 General Election Mr Speaker granted four UQs on matters relating to Afghan refugees and resettlement schemes.  
   
 "Furthermore, as set out in the Justice and Security Act 2013, the Speaker has no powers to refer matters to the Intelligence and Security Committee." 

 
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There's a new plan for deterring migrants from crossing the channel and coming to the UK - but will it actually work? 

This week, Beth, Ruth and Harriet have a deep dive into one of the most divisive and defining political issues of our time: migration. 

In the week France's President Emmanuel Macron has been hobnobbing with the great and the good on his state visit to the UK, he's also agreed a new 'one in, one out' returns deal with the prime minister. So is this a breakthrough deal? 

Also - how could stemming migration cause problems for the UK? Are the numbers really out of control? And how does this all link back to the economy? 

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Could Reform UK get their first taste of government next year? They're the biggest party for Welsh voters, according to exclusive polling from More in Common ahead of the Senedd elections next year. 
 
But what does this mean for Labour? The party was founded in Wales and since devolution in 1999, they've run the government there. Are they now scared of Reform? 
 
So in this extra episode of Electoral Dysfunction, Beth meets Wales's first female First Minister – Labour's Eluned Morgan. She's also been taking the temperature with a group of Welsh voters.  
 
They talk about the "Farage surge" in Wales ahead of the Senedd elections next May as Baronness Morgan admits the threat from Reform is "very serious" and that Labour have got "a lot of work to do" to stay in power.  
 
Also – the first minister attempts to swerve rating the Keir Starmer's first year... but Beth's not letting her get away with it.  
 
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Happy 1st anniversary, Keir Starmer. 

He wanted to be talking about what he sees as Labour’s achievements after 12 months in goverment and his 10-year plan for the NHS. 
  
But, after another dramatic policy U-turn and the sight of his own chancellor crying at PMQs, when he kept his support for her slightly vague, Beth Rigby, Harriet Harman and Ruth Davidson discuss if his start in office has been shattered by this week.  
  
They also wonder if the solution to make relations with his own MPs a bit easier would be to make better use of Angela Rayner. 

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It sounds like concessions are being offered to the dozens of Labour MPs who had threatened to rebel over the government’s planned welfare cuts. 

On this episode, Beth, Ruth, and Harriet went over the possible options for the Prime Minister. They also talk about what Keir Starmer needs to learn from the chaos of the past few days.  

Plus, is President Trump the "daddy" in his handling of the Israel-Iran conflict, as NATO head Mark Rutte may have suggested? 

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Days after Keir Starmer told Beth that a US strike on Iran wasn’t imminent, Trump ordered US bunker busters to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities.  
 
But the UK’s position on the attacks are unclear. The focus is not on what the Prime Minister is saying – but what he isn’t saying. After a brief interview, it’s clear Keir Starmer isn’t willing to either endorse the strikes, or criticise President Trump.  
 
For this extra episode Beth, Ruth and Harriet discuss the delicate situation the UK Prime Minister finds himself after a full-blown escalation of the middle east conflict.  They ask what will be going through the minds of the Prime Minister and those around him – and if there are any answers the government can and will give in the coming days.  
 
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Is Donald Trump about to join Israel in attacks on Iran, and will he ask Keir Starmer to help him out? If he does - would it even be legal?

A lot has happened since Beth, Ruth and Harriet last got together, with further significant developments expected before a big NATO summit next week - a gathering we don't even know if the US president will turn up to.

So how did we get to the point where we're asking whether the UK will allow its ally - the US - to use its airbases? And how does the current situation compare to the invasion of Iraq in 2003?

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A landmark bill is due to be voted on in the House of Commons next week that could decriminalise abortion for women in England and Wales.  
 
Currently, any woman who has had an abortion after 24 weeks - without two doctors signing it off - could be jailed under a Victorian law. So why has it taken until 2025 for this vote? And who are the women whose stories have led to a potential change in the law?  
 
Beth, Ruth and Harriet speak to Tonia Antoniazzi, the Labour MP proposing an amendment on the Crime and Policing Bill.  
 
Also, are we going to see tax rises in the autumn budget after this week’s spending review? And is the Labour Party in turmoil over welfare cuts?  
 
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