Rishi Sunak’s government has decided to block legislation to simplify gender recognition passed by the Scottish Parliament using a mechanism that’s being described as the “nuclear option”. The decision has precipitated a constitutional crisis, with Nicola Sturgeon calling the decision a “full-frontal attack” on devolution.
Anoosh Chakelian, Freddie Hayward and Rachel Wearmouth discuss how a debate over policy has turned into one over Scotland’s power to govern itself. The team also covers claims that the government is trying to inflame tensions as part of a culture war and exploit divisions within the Labour Party over the bill.
Then in You Ask Us a listener asks how the stalemate at Stormont, the Northern Irish Assembly, which has been without a government since February 2022, will end.
If you have a question for You Ask Us, go to newstatesman.com/youaskus   Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Scotland to Stormont, is Rishi Sunak losing the Union?

Politics and ideas from Britain's leading progressive political magazine.
Mondays: leading thinkers illuminate the ideas shaping the world, from politics to culture.
Thursdays: host Anoosh Chakelian is joined by the New Statesman politics team to help you understand the week in politics, in Westminster and beyond. Featuring Andrew Marr, Rachel Cunliffe, Freddie Hayward and more.
Saturdays: the New Statesman team answer your questions in "You Ask Us".
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News & Politics

News

Politics

The longer the Conservatives hang on, the worse it gets. Last week Rishi Sunak lost 474 councillors, the constituency of Blackpool south, and Andy Street’s West Midlands mayoral. And yesterday things went from bad to worse for Sunak with a surprise defection to Labour from Natalie Elphicke MP for Dover and Deal.
The Conservatives can’t seem to escape this endless decline in support and popularity. So when did it all start to go wrong, and can they stop the train before it completely derails?
Freddie Hayward, political correspondent, is joined in the studio by Rachel Cunliffe, associate political editor, and George Eaton, senior editor.
Read: The Tory doomscroll Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Defeat and defection: Tories are down bad

The UK is on course for a huge rise in preventable illness. The Health Foundation charity predicts that by 2040, one in five adults will be living with a serious condition, such as cancer, dementia or heart disease. Meanwhile, economic activity is stagnating, with roughly 2.8 million people currently out of work due to ill health, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.
Our world-leading life sciences sector has the capacity to help reverse this trend. In 2021 alone, it contributed £43.3bn to the UK economy, and supported 646,000 jobs. With the right investment, it could add an additional £68bn to GDP over the next 30 years, create 85,000 more jobs and result in a 40 per cent decrease in disease burden across the UK.
This episode, in partnership with professional services firm PwC, explores how greater investment into vital disease areas such as cancer, obesity and immunology could make British society physically and financially healthier.
Emma Haslett is joined by Chi Onwurah, the shadow minister for science, research and innovation; Dr Dan Mahony, chair of the UK BioIndustry Association (BIA) and the government’s life sciences investment envoy; and Stephen Aherne, pharmaceutical and life sciences leader at PwC UK.
If you enjoyed this podcast you can find more of Spotlight's policy reporting in our standalone Spotlight podcast feed, or at newstatesman.com/spotlight   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How can life sciences investment make the UK healthier? | Sponsored

Keir Starmer is the man poised to be the next leader of the UK. But he is also a man of whom many - including those in his own party - have asked: what does he stand for? 
Four years after Starmer became leader of the Labour party we know a little more about him. We’ve heard about his childhood, the pebble-dashed semi and his time at the Crown Prosecution Service.
But what are the principles behind the man and his project ? What do we really know about ‘Starmerism’? 
Freddie Hayward, political correspondent, is joined by George Eaton, senior editor, who has written this week's cover story.
Read: What is Starmerism? 
 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do we really know about ‘Starmerism’?

It has been a terrible night for the Conservatives who have lost councillors, constituencies, and new Mayoral positions to Labour. Keir Starmer has called this result a sign to move on and for Rishi Sunak to call a general election.
So far the Tories have held onto the Tees Valley mayoral position but Labour have won in Rishi Sunak's backyard. So as the rest of the results continue to trickle in, Rachel Cunliffe, associate political editor, and Ben Walker, senior data journalist, as they analyse what yesterday's elections, and today’s results, tell us about the UK wants from its leadership.

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

Election Special: "by and large, the country has moved against the government"

One week ago, Humza Yousaf, first minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party, terminated the power-sharing deal with the Scottish Greens. There had been mounting pressure on both Yousaf’s leadership and ending the coalition, but the eventual timing of the termination caused the now former leader to appear panicked and triggered a Scottish government crisis.
On Monday, just after 13 months in office, Yousaf resigned, ahead of two no confidence votes. This morning John Swinney announced his leadership to be Scotland’s next first minister, meanwhile this afternoon Kate Forbes has announced that she will not be entering the leadership race.
But the SNP was deeply fractured when Yousaf inherited it, would a successor be able to unite it?
Rachel Cunliffe, associate political editor, is joined by Chris Deerin, Scotland editor, and Freddie Hayward, political correspondent. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Scotland to Stormont, is Rishi Sunak losing the Union?

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