After a thousand leaks, speeches and u-turns, Rachel Reeves has delivered her budget. As predicted there were a range of tax rises and some significant spending increases, not least on welfare. For all the feverish coverage, how much does the budget really change?

Rock & Roll Politics - The Christmas Special is live at Kings Place on the 8th of December for the last show of the year. Tickets are available now at the Kings Place website here.

Subscribe to Patreon to take part in my exclusive live event on the 20th November, plus ad-free podcasts arriving in your feed a day early and bonus podcasts and live events. 

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Written and presented by Steve Richards.

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In spite of the bleak financial inheritance, Rachel Reeves should have some space with a landslide Commons for radical reforms in her budget. Did she partly choose to be trapped, without thinking through the consequences?

Plus brilliant questions on how Britain is governed in relation to Covid Inquiry and Shabana Mahmood’s plans for asylum seekers. 

Rock & Roll Politics -The Xmas Special is live at Kings Place on Dec 8th, days after the budget. Get your tickets here.

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Written and presented by Steve Richards.

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The Cabinet Office Minister, Nick Thomas-Symonds, has written several political biographies. The most recent was on Harold Wilson. What are the differences between being in power now compared with previous Labour governments? How did Wilson deal with leadership threats of the type Keir Starmer faces now? He’s also responsible for the Brexit ’reset’, so does he want to move closer to the EU? And what about the single market?

Rock & Roll Politics - The Christmas Special is live at Kings Place on the 8th of December, just days after the budget. Tickets are available now at the Kings Place website here.

Subscribe to Patreon to take part in my exclusive live event on the 20th November, plus ad-free podcasts arriving in your feed a day early and bonus podcasts and live events. 

Written and presented by Steve Richards.

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Within weeks of becoming Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood has announced a set of wide-ranging policies aimed at deterring illegal asylum seekers. Will they work practically and politically? Plus, has Rachel Reeves got a coherent vision for the economy? How to define the soft left? And are there too many political journalists?

Rock & Roll Politics - The Christmas Special is live at Kings Place on the 8th of December, just days after the budget. Tickets are available now at the Kings Place website here.

Subscribe to Patreon to take part in my exclusive live event on the 20th November, plus ad-free podcasts arriving in your feed a day early and bonus podcasts and live events. 

https://www.patreon.com/RockNRollPolitics 

Written and presented by Steve 

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There's universal consensus that the briefings from Number 10, warning of a leadership challenge from Wes Streeting and the conduct of "feral" Labour MPs, have rebounded badly on Starmer and those involved. Yet the briefings against key Labour figures are part of a pattern under Keir Starmer's leadership… even if he is the biggest victim of these operations and is now in greater danger. Plus brilliant questions on the BBC and much more.

Rock & Roll Politics - The Christmas Special is live at Kings Place on the 8th of December. Tickets are available now at the Kings Place website here.

Subscribe to Patreon to take part in my exclusive live event on the 20th November, plus ad-free podcasts arriving in your feed a day early and bonus podcasts and live events. 

Written and presented by Steve Richards.

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Tim Davie, Deborah Turness and other senior BBC managers have gone out of their way to please the right, from the treatment of Gary Linker to the selection of political panels where there is often an imbalance that favours the right. Ironically and predictably the right wing newspapers have shown yet again their bullying muscularity by triggering the removal of Turness and Davie. Why has the BBC lost its way and is there any route that leads to the BBC's survival? 

Rock & Roll Politics -The Xmas Special is live at Kings Place on Dec 8th, days after the budget. Get your tickets here.

Subscribe to Patreon for live events, bonus podcasts and to get the regular podcast a day early and ad free. 

Written and presented by Steve Richards.

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Labour's so-called 'soft left' is becoming more muscular and vocal, but what binds this part of the party and how does it want this government to change? Plus, can Rachel Reeves make voters recognise the connection between higher taxes and better public services? A key rule for governments: "Make the connections". 

Rock & Roll Politics - The Christmas Special is live at Kings Place on the 8th of December. Tickets are available now at the Kings Place website here.

Subscribe to Patreon to take part in my exclusive live event on the 20th November, plus ad-free podcasts arriving in your feed a day early and bonus podcasts and live events. 

Written and presented by Steve Richards.

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Nigel Farage has torn up Reform's 2024 manifesto, pledging big spending cuts and promising tax cuts. Whether on the right or left, has he framed a distinct and credible argument about the economy? Also, is the Royal Family doomed in modern Britain? Plus brilliant questions and a range of notices for the Rock & Roll Politics co-operative. 

Rock & Roll Politics - The Christmas Special is live at Kings Place on the 8th of December. Tickets are available now at the Kings Place website here. 

Subscribe to Patreon to take part in my exclusive live event on the 20th November, plus ad-free podcasts arriving in your feed a day early and bonus podcasts and live events.  

Written and presented by Steve Richards.

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Keir Starmer refused to rule out breaking pre-election tax commitments at Prime Minister's Questions, suggesting that he and Rachel Reeves are contemplating doing so. Can they get away with it? Or will it be the cause of their fall? 

Rock & Roll Politics - The Christmas Special is live at Kings Place on the 8th of December. Tickets are available now at the Kings Place website here.

Subscribe to Patreon to take part in my exclusive live event on the 20th November, plus ad-free podcasts arriving in your feed a day early and bonus podcasts and live events. 

Written and presented by Steve Richards.

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Finally, Rachel Reeves cites the Brexit deal as one reason why the economy is failing and why she will have to raise taxes in the budget. But is it too little, too late? 

Rock & Roll Politics - The Christmas Special is live at Kings Place on the 8th of December. Tickets are available now at the Kings Place website here.

Subscribe to Patreon to take part in my exclusive live event on the 20th November, plus ad-free podcasts arriving in your feed a day early and bonus podcasts and live events.

Written and presented by Steve Richards.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices