This week, as Andy Burnham prepares to take power, PoliticsHome has once again partnered with ThinksInsight, the global research and strategy consultancy, on their bi-annual 'mood of the nation' survey, as they take the temperature of how Brits feel about the government, the economy, and how optimistic they are about the future.

They also conducted focus groups with voters in four constituencies who backed Labour in 2024, but are now considering other parties, about what the new Prime Minister needs to do to win them back round.

So to discuss all of that host Alain Tolhurst is joined by Ben Shimshon, the co-founder and CEO of Thinks Insight, to talks through the research, along with PolHome editor, Adam Payne, and two Labour MPs; Tonia Antoniazzi, the member for Gower in South Wales and a select committee chair, and Sarah Hall, elected as the member for Warrington South at the last election.

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Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced and edited by Ewan Cameron and Lulu Goad for Podot

As the country hurtles towards appointing its seventh PM in a decade, this week The Rundown asks has the UK become ungovernable? And if so, why? And what can be done, if anything can be, to stop the rot and get back to a period of relative stability in our national politics.

Joining host Alain Tolhurst in looking at where Keir Starmer failed, as Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss, Boris Johnson, Theresa May and David Cameron did before him, and whether Andy Burnham will end up going the same way, is Caroline Slocock, former Private Secretary to two Prime Ministers and a longtime senior civil servant, who has a new book out entitled ‘Bad Government’, going behind the famous black door of Number 10 to reveal why the ship of state is so hard to steer, and exploring why successive leaders have failed in their promises to reset government and rebuild trust.

Alongside them are Joe Hill, director of strategy at the think tank Re:State, as well as Hannah Keenan, associate director at the Institute for Government.

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Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced and edited by Ewan Cameron and Lulu Goad for Podot

This week’s episode is a heady mix looking both backwards and forwards at the state of British politics; as The Rundown marks the tenth anniversary of the the vote to leave the EU by interviewing one of the key architects of Brexit, and by discussing what happens now following Andy Burnham’s remarkable victory in the Makerfield by-election, as he returns to Westminster to challenge Keir Starmer.

So later in the episode host Alain Tolhurst speaks to Matthew Elliott, Conservative peer and the former chair of Vote Leave, the official Brexit campaign, about his new book Ten Years On; The Untold Story of Brexit, on his reflections from that momentous period, and the lessons learned a decade on.

But before that PolHome's editor Adam Payne, and The House magazine deputy editor Sienna Rogers joined Alain very shortly after it was announced on Friday morning that Andy Burnham had romped to victory over Reform, what the next few days will look like now, and how likely he will become Prime Minister in the coming weeks.

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Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced and edited by Ewan Cameron and Lulu Goad for Podot

After the shocking scenes of disorder in Belfast this week, fuelled by the spread of inaccurate and inflammatory information online following Monday’s knife attack, the debate on what should be done to combat social media misinformation has been reignited.

As well as calls for further regulation on the big tech firms, a new report from the Social Market Foundation think tank found disinformation to be thriving in places with the least local journalism outlets, while the areas with strong coverage by traditional media had far less local misinformation.

So joining host Alain Tolhurst to look at what the government can do to harness local journalism and help ensure people can find truthful information in their area, is one of the paper’s authors, Jamie Gollings, deputy research director at the SMF.

Alongside them are John Penrose, the Conservative former minister who served as the UK Anti-Corruption Champion for five years, and who since leaving Parliament helped set up the Council for Countering Online Disinformation, and Theo Bamber, chief executive of journalism industry group the News Media Association.

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Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced and edited by Ewan Cameron and Lulu Goad for Podot

Two weeks out from potentially the most consequential by-election in modern British political history, The Rundown takes a look at one of the key issues for the people of Makerfield; that of rugby league.

Looking at it’s importance to local communities across the north of England, how the sport intersects with the politics of place and local pride, but also the precarious nature of the 13-man code’s finances and what that means for those who rely on it.

Joining host Alain Tolhurst to discuss how Andy Burnham might harness the power of the game to propel himself back to Westminster and into Downing Street, are two rugby league mad Labour MPs from either side of the Pennines; Warrington North’s Charlotte Nichols, and Jade Botterill, member for Ossett and Denby Dale in West Yorkshire.

Alongside them we have historian Anthony Broxton, author of the book Hope & Glory, which charts the untold story of rugby league in Thatcher's Britain, as well as PolHome's resident league fanatic, editor Adam Payne.

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Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced and edited by Ewan Cameron and Lulu Goad for Podot

As Westminster watchers try to work out what Andy Burnham’s ‘Manchesterism’ agenda might mean for the country if he wins the Makerfield by-election and becomes Prime Minister, this week host Alain Tolhurst looks at what it might mean for our democracy, given his strongly and long-held views about electoral reform.

So to discuss whether PR’s time might have finally come under a Burnham premiership, or whether it will be lost along the wayside once more, are the Labour MP Alex Sobel, a veteran supporter for ditching first past the post for general elections, as well as Olly Glover, the Lib Dem MP for Didcot and Wantage, whose party has long campaigned for reform.

Alongside them are Emma Harrison, CEO of the campaign group Make Votes Matter, and Darren Hughes, chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society.

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Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced and edited by Ewan Cameron and Lulu Goad for Podot

With the idea of rejoining the European Union suddenly back on the agenda after Andy Burnham's selection for the Makerfield by-election and the positioning ahead of potential Labour leadership contest, this week we’re looking at whether 10 years on from the referendum, could Brexit ever be reversed? 

Would there ever be the political will, the public backing or the practical ability, for Britain to once again be a part of the EU, and would stirring up a maelstrom that seemed finally settled, blow up our politics irreparably?

Later in the episode host Alain Tolhurst speaks to Professor Anand Menon, director of the think tank UK in a Changing Europe, along with the former Conservative minister Steve Baker, who now writes the Fighting for a Better Future substack, about how serious the idea of rejoining is.

But first the Labour MP Stella Creasy, chair of the Labour Movement for Europe, spoke to Alain about how the party should approach the UK’s future relationship with the EU.

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Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced and edited by Ewan Cameron and Lulu Goad for Podot

NB: This episode was recorded *before* Wes Streeting resigned and Josh Simons stood aside for Andy Burnham

After crushing defeats across the UK last week for Keir Starmer, dozens of Labour MPs have called for him to announce he will not lead the party into the next election, and to set out a timetable to go as Prime Minister.

But despite several ministerial resignations he has remained resolute that no contest has been triggered and he will remain in post, and fight any challenger who gets the nominations to stand against him.

To discuss what has brought us here, and where Labour - and therefore the country - goes next, host Alain Tolhurst is joined by Calder Valley MP Josh Fenton-Glynn, one of those calling for an ‘orderly transition’ to another leader, alongside Steve Akehurst, director of research firm Persuasion UK, as well as Sienna Rodgers, deputy editor of The House magazine, and  Ryan Wain, senior director at the Tony Blair Institute.

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

As voters nationwide prepare to go to the polls for a highly anticipated set of local elections, this week we have a special episode giving you a guide to the key results, when to expect them, how to interpret them, and what might happen next.

With around 5,000 council seats in England up for grabs on 7 May, along with six mayoralties, every seat at Holyrood and in the newly expanded Senedd, the Labour Party is braced for an extremely painful evening, which will likely put renewed pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer's leadership over the weekend.

At the same time, the Conservatives' electoral woes are expected to continue, in what would be a reminder of the work leader Kemi Badenoch has to do to repair the party's brand following its heavy general election defeat in 2024.

Meanwhile, signs point to the UK's insurgent smaller parties, Nigel Farage's Reform UK and Zack Polanski's Greens, winning many hundreds of seats across the country, while there are also expected to be gains for Liberal Democrats and independent candidates, further demonstrating Britain's shift to multi-party politics.

To discuss all of that and more, host Alain Tolhurst, is joined by Luke Tryl, UK Director at think tank More in Common, along with Dr Hannah Bunting, Senior Lecturer at Exeter University and co-director of The Elections Centre, alongside PoliticsHome's editor Adam Payne and The House magazine's deputy editor Sienna Rodgers.

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

With Parliament prorogued Westminster is in full campaigning mode a week out from the May 7 elections, and while the conversation largely centres around potential massive Labour losses across the UK and Reform’s continued rise, there is another story going on too; which is that with predictions of another terrible set of results for the Tories, could the party once known as the most successful election-winning machine in the world be sliding fully into irrelevance?

To discuss whether Kemi Badenoch can turn the Conservative’s fortunes around, or whether another drubbing at the polls next week further cements Nigel Farage place as the dominant force on the right, host Alain Tolhurst is joined by the Tory MP Jack Rankin, who has been the member for Windsor since 2024.

Alongside him is the former Tory Cabinet minister David Gauke, now vice-chair of centrist pressure group Prosper UK, as well as Tali Fraser, assistant editor at the Conservative Home website, and political reporter at PolHome - Matilda Martin.

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