While Boris Johnson was discussing the boarding up of Churchill’s statue, Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford was campaigning for free school meals over the summer. Rashford’s open letter to the government saw a U-turn within 48 hours. With schools reopening also causing consternation, it hints at a government unsure of which way to turn.
Conservative MP Robert Halfon joins Arj Singh, Paul Waugh and Rachel Wearmouth to discuss whether the government needs to pay more attention to its own backbenchers instead of treating them as an inconvenience.
Make sense of politics. Sign up to the Waugh Zone and get the political day in a nutshell every weekday evening.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

210: Has The Government Taken Its Eye Off The Ball? With Robert Halfon MP

Each week, the HuffPost UK Politics team unpack the biggest stories from Westminster and beyond. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

Baroness Angela Smith...On Tory Tax Bombshells And Labour's Future

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

Yvette Cooper On The Art Of Govt And Opposition

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.
Make sense of politics. Sign up to the Waugh Zone and get the political day in a nutshell every weekday evening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sunak's Overseas Aid Ambush: With Andrew Mitchell

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

Trading places: Will Liz Truss’s ‘Donut’ Strategy Leave Us With Brexit Indigestion?

Sajid Javid made a phoenix-like return to the Cabinet this week, replacing Matt Hancock after the former health secretary was sensationally caught on camera breaking Covid rules by kissing an aide in his office.
Senior Tory and Commons education committee chair Rob Halfon joins Arj Singh and Paul Waugh to discuss a rocky week for the government, and the Covid crisis that’s creeping up in English schools.
Make sense of politics. Sign up to the Waugh Zone and get the political day in a nutshell every weekday evening.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

210: Has The Government Taken Its Eye Off The Ball? With Robert Halfon MP

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