Andy Burnham has won, and won big in the Makerfield by-election - what happens next in Downing Street and the Labour Party, and what does it all mean for the next general election?

Sally, Polly, Danny and Hugo discuss Keir Starmer's insistence he won't walk away from No 10, the reaction of the cabinet, who will get the top jobs in a Burnham government, and whether Reform UK will need to change strategy.

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We're only a week away from the Makerfield by-election, when voters could choose the next prime minister.

If Andy Burnham wins, what happens in the hours and days after he arrives in Westminster? Will he seize the moment and try to challenge Keir Starmer immediately, or wait until he has a plan for running the country?

And if he wins, what does it mean for Reform UK's electoral strategy?

We also look at Steve Hilton's journey from David Cameron's modernising adviser to the race to be the next governor of California.

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How is Andy Burnham defining his vision for the country as he tries to win the Makerfield by-election?

Sally, Polly, Danny and Hugo discuss whether the (possible) next prime minister can really wind back the clock back 40 years, whether Nigel Farage has taken a risk in his response to the murder of Henry Nowak, and whether Kemi Badenoch can define Labour as the party of welfare.

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A full list of the candidates in the Makerfield by-election is available here.

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Former cabinet minister, former deputy prime minister, big beast of the Tory jungle - Lord Heseltine joins us for our series looking at how the most significant elections of our lifetimes were won, and how they were lost.

He takes us back to the 1983 general election. Margaret Thatcher was fresh from victory in the Falklands, Labour offered voters the 'longest suicide vote in history', and the polls suggested the SDP-Liberal Alliance could break the old two-party system.

If you enjoyed this episode, listen to more in the series:

Nick Clegg and 2010

William Hague and 2005

Neil Kinnock and 1992

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The Makerfield by-election is going to be huge - if Andy Burnham wins, Labour will believe it has a route to beating Reform UK at a general election. If Reform wins, then it will clear Nigel Farage's path to power and plunge the government into (further) chaos.

Sally, Polly, Danny (and Hugo) weigh up who is the underdog, whether Wes Streeting will run against Burnham, and whether a victorious Burnham could even think about going to the country.

Also, Danny explains why the best parallel for this contest is probably William Gladstone in 1876.

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The struggle for the future of the Labour Party, and the country, has begun, even as Keir Starmer tries to hang on.

The political masterminds look at the potential pitfalls for Wes Streeting, Angela Rayner and Andy Burnham - and discuss whether Labour should give up on its working class roots and try instead to unite liberal Britain.

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Sally Morgan, Polly Mackenzie, Danny Finkelstein (and Hugo) explain what's behind a chaotic day at Westminster - where Keir Starmer vows to carry on, despite a growing number of MPs and ministers calling for him to go.

Why didn't the cabinet speak out, is government continuing to function, and does Wes Streeting need to move within 24 hours or miss out on the leadership?

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Labour has taken a hammering at elections in England, Scotland and Wales, with Nigel Farage calling it an ‘historic shift in British politics’ - does this add up to the end of the two-party system, and does it add up to the end of Keir Starmer?

Sally, Polly, Danny and Hugo explain why things went so badly for the party, how Starmer will respond, and whether the Reform UK leader is going to be the next prime minister.

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Ahead of the local elections in England and parliamentary elections in Scotland and Wales, the political masterminds ask: just how bad can it get for the Labour Party?

If predictions of huge losses come to pass, how will the cabinet, MPs and councillors react, and can Downing Street come up with a plan to circle the wagons around Keir Starmer?

We also discuss what impact the terror attacks in Golders Green, north London, will have on political campaigning.

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As regular listeners know, Danny likes to say there is a market failure in political coups - but does Keir Starmer's handling of the Peter Mandelson vetting crisis mean we're entering a period of maximum danger for the PM?

How will Labour MPs react if their party does as badly in May as the polls predict, and what do they think about Starmer's potential replacements?

Sally, Danny and Hugo are joined by pollster Luke Tryl to discuss focus groups - how much the parties rely on them, and how Phillip Gould used them to help Tony Blair change the Labour Party.

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