This week on The Rundown host Alain Tolhurst takes a look at the state of the economy after a low-key Spring Statement from the Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

She unveiled figures from the OBR which suggested there were the green shoots of a potential recovery, only for the outbreak of war in the Middle East to send shockwaves through global markets, threatening another period of stagflation which could choke off any longed-for growth.

To discuss whether Reeves was right to try and not make headlines and stick to the Government's promise of just one fiscal event per year - or if she is being too passive in the face of global headwinds and a failure to make a dent in unemployment, on the panel is Labour MP Luke Murphy, who sits on the Treasury select committee, alongside James Smith, chief economist at the Resolution Foundation think tank, and Nick Ridpath, research economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

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• This year's Women in Westminster: The 100 is out for 2026. Supported by Lloyds Banking Group, it is a celebration recognising the outstanding achievements of women and the vital role they play in shaping public life. Click here to see who has made this year's list

Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot

While Reform are still riding high in the polls and hoping for big successes across the UK in May’s elections, they now for the first time face a threat for the mantle of being the insurgent party on the right of British politics.

The launch of former Reform MP Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain party, along with former Reform deputy leader Ben Habib’s Advance UK, both looking to be even more hardline on immigration and cultural issues - represent a challenge to Nigel Farage as he seeks to become the hegemonic force on the right, but also to appeal to more mainstream voters in the hope of putting together an election-winning coalition. 

Joining host Alain Tolhurst to discuss whether Reform will distance themselves from the new parties on the right, or whether their very online base will drag them further towards them, are Sunder Katwala, director of the think tank British Future, Scarlett Maguire, founder of pollsters Merlin Strategy, Rob Ford, professor of political science at the University of Manchester, and Tom Scotson, political reporter here at PoliticsHome.

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Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot

This week PoliticsHome has once again teamed up with the pollsters at ThinksInsight, for a special episode looking at the Green Party, and those voters thinking of backing Zack Polanski at the next election.

Like our previous episode on potential switchers to Reform, we’re going to look at the results of focus groups with former Labour voters flirting with the Greens, as well as those strongly thinking about backing them, and assess why they are having a moment within our new multi-party environment, ahead of their three-way fight with Labour and Reform in next week’s by-election in Gorton and Denton, and looking to May’s crucial local elections across the UK.

Joining host Alain Tolhurst to discuss the Greens current success is one of their MPs, Ellie Chowns - who won the  North Herefordshire seat in 2024 - along with Allie Jennings, director at ThinksInsight and who conducted the focus groups and polling, and PolHome editor Adam Payne.

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Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot

There is only really one story in town this week, and despite the relative calm that has descended over Westminster since Monday’s explosive call for Keir Starmer to resign from key ally Anas Sarwar, that is merely a facade.

Like the duck swimming serenely atop the pond, underneath the surface the legs are kicking furiously, as Number 10 fights an increasingly difficult rearguard action against those wishing to topple the Prime Minister, as leadership rivals position themselves for a contest that seems more inevitable than ever.

But when will it happen, how did we get to this point, what could Starmer do to get through to the May elections and beyond, and if not - who is likeliest to take over?

These are all big questions, so host Alain Tolhurst has brought in some reinforcements to help answer them: on the panel is not only PolHome editor, Adam Payne, but two top colleagues from our sister title The House magazine; deputy editor Sienna Rodgers, and making his pod debut, editor Francis Elliott.

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Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot

This week we’re delving into the world of student finance, after a long-simmering row over the loan system for how graduates pay back the cost of their tuition exploded into the mainstream, with accusations successive governments had presided over a "scam" and a "mis-selling scandal".

A growing cohort - including many new MPs - who went to university in the past decade are reckoning with the fact the plan two repayment scheme means they now owe more than they borrowed to go to university, despite years of regular payments.

With host Alain Tolhurst to discuss what the government can do to mitigate this rising feeling of intergenerational unfairness, as some graduates face huge marginal tax rates, are the Labour MP Chris Curtis, alongside Kate Ogden, senior research economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Dani Payne, head of education and social policy at the Social Market Foundation, and Sienna Rodgers, deputy editor of The House magazine.

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Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot

This week, deep breath, we’re delving back into the Brexit years, after a new book about the failed campaign for a second EU referendum is published this week.

It tells the story of a rag-tag bunch of Remainers, Europhiles and progressives coming together out of the anti-Brexit movement following the vote to leave in 2016, hoping to drag the country back to the ballot box in the hope of a different outcome.

How they got closer than anyone might have expected, and why they ultimately fell short, is the subject of 'No Second Chances The Inside Story of the Campaign for a Second EU Referendum, by the journalist Morgan Jones.

Host Alain Tolhurst spoke to her about why that period between 2017 and 2019 has been "memory-holed" by most in Westminster, and what we can learn from that period about how the current government, led by the one-time shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer, is reshaping our relationship with the EU.

Speaking alongside her is the Labour MP Andrew Lewin, who back then founded and ran the 'Remain Labour' group, and Anand Menon, Professor of European Politics at King's College London, and the director of the UK In a Changing Europe think tank.

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Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot

After the PM’s chief secretary Darren Jones set out plans to ‘move fast and fix things’, we’re asking, is it too late for this government to try and rewire the state ahead of the next election? 

And how does wholesale transformation of public services and the way Whitehall operate fit together with getting the so-called ‘barnacles off the boat’ in a slimmed down operation meant to be laser-focused this year on improving the cost of living?

To answer those questions and much more on Labour’s attempts at civil service reform, host Alain Tolhurst is joined by Hannah Keenan, associate director at the Institute for Government and lead author of their Whitehall Monitor 2026 report

Alongside her is Alexander Iosad, Director of Government Innovation at the Tony Blair Institute, and who co-wrote their recent paper on Public-Service Reform in the Age of AI, as well as Luke Sullivan, director at Headland Consultancy, who was Keir Starmer’s political director until the 2024 election, and a former special adviser in the Cabinet Office.

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Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot

Joining host Alain Tolhurst to discuss the ways our democracy is under attack from the continued abuse and intimidation of our politicians are Electoral Commission chief executive Vijay Rangarajan, along with Hannah Phillips, respectful politics policy manager at the Jo Cox Foundation, and the Labour MP John Slinger, vice chair of  new all-party parliamentary group on defending democracy.

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Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot

Amid another row over whether ministers and their departments should stay on X, this week The Rundown takes a look at the role of social media in this government's communications.

After AI tool Grok began creating non-consensual indecent images of women, and even child sexual abuse material, the long-running arguments over whether Downing Street should join the growing ranks of MPs and finally come off the website formerly known as Twitter were re-ignited, with the focus on what other methods they use to speak to people and get its messaging across.

To discuss all that host Alain Tolhurst and PolHome reporter Zoe Crowther are joined by former Number 10 director of strategic communications, James Lyons, and later in the episode they talk to Labour MP Sarah Owen, chair of the Commons women and equalities committee.

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Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot

As we enter 2026, The Rundown looks ahead at what is likely to be yet another crucial and turbulent year in British politics, giving the listeners the inside track on what to look out for over the next 12 months, and guiding you through the big stories ahead.

To help navigate through all of that, host Alain Tolhurst is joined by LBC’s political editor and returning guest Natasha Clark, and alongside her is Adam Payne, editor at PoliticsHome.

The trio starts the discussion with May’s crucial local elections, which, despite plans to further delay voting in some areas due to the conversion of councils into unitary authorities, will still have a massive impact on shaping the political year for all of the main parties.

For Labour, will a bad night in Wales and Scotland precipitate a leadership challenge against the Prime Minister? Or can the government manage expectations and calm nervous Labour MPs into giving Keir Starmer more time?

They discuss Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham's prospects of returning to the House of Commons in 2026, and whether the willingness of Conservative MPs to stick with Kemi Badenoch will be tested by another bruising set of election results.

For Reform UK, it is another big chance for Nigel Farage's party to prove that its rise to the top of the polls can be translated into electoral wins, but the bigger story could be about how well the councils and mayoralties it has already picked up are faring under Reform rule, after bumpy starts at its flagship council in Kent and elsewhere.

The panel also looks at whether the Green Party's surge under Zack Polanski will be maintained in 2026, whether the Liberal Democrats can make their voices heard, and how much of an impact the war in Ukraine, the peace settlement in Gaza, and Donald Trump's volatility will overshadow any attempts by Starmer to maintain domestic stability.

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Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot