Trump’s "demented" Easter announcement, Britain’s squeezed middle and getting “the ick” for Zack Polanski…

Anoosh Chakelian and Will Dunn round up the stories of the week.

READ: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/the-sketch/2026/04/the-trumps-wish-the-world-a-very-demented-easter

https://www.newstatesman.com/international-politics/economy-international-politics/2026/04/britains-vanishing-middle-class

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AI is embedded in the machinery of the British state: drafting legislation, shaping spending decisions, informing interest rate policy and writing speeches delivered in parliament.

Has Britain handed over political power without ever really deciding to, and without fully understanding to whom?

Tom McTague is joined by Will Dunn to discuss.

READ Will's piece: https://www.newstatesman.com/technology/2026/04/the-silent-coup

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The pollution of Britain’s waterways is well known, but the full extent of the carelessness and vandalism of Britain’s biggest water company, Thames Water, is a catalogue of wrongdoing on an industrial scale.

Will Dunn speaks to the MP with the dubious honour of representing the constituency that is worst affected by sewage spills - Liberal Democrat MP, Charlie Maynard.

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As the war in Iran enters its second month, President Trump has delivered a prime time address promising, simultaneously, that the conflict will be over “very shortly” and that the United States is preparing to hit Iran “extremely hard”.

Thousands more US troops have arrived in the region in recent days, including a marine expeditionary unit as the president is reportedly weighing options for a potential ground assault, such as an attempt to seize the Iranian oil export hub on Kharg Island, which Trump has said the US could take “very easily.”

But what options does the President actually have and what would be involved in an attempt to forcibly re-open the strait of Hormuz? 

Katie Stallard is joined by Ruben Stewart, senior fellow for land warfare at the IISS think tank and a former infantry officer and UN peacekeeper.

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Keir Starmer delivered one of his routine updates on the war in Iran in a press conference from Number 10 this morning - but this one was a little meatier than usual.

Will Lloyd is joined by Ailbhe Rea to discuss

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Green Party support is surging after its by-election victory in Gorton and Denton last month.

But is Zack Polanski’s party leaving its environmental principles behind? 

Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Megan Kenyon to discuss.

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As ministers and backbenchers criticise Shabana Mahmood’s immigration plans, is Labour about to water them down? And what is behind the splits over the policy?

Anoosh Chakelian and Ailbhe Rea go behind the scenes of Labour’s battle over immigration reform.

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Morgan McSweeney’s stolen phone, Kemi Badenoch’s council tax claims and the UAE defence attache, Group Captain Sandy Sandilands. 

Will Dunn and Anoosh Chakelian round up their stories of the week.

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