The State of It

The Labour Party is jubilant. Andy Burnham has fired the starting gun for the next general election with one of the most consequential conference speeches in recent memory. He used it to set out a series of major proposals, including an end to the triple lock, the abolition of first-past-the-post and closer ties with Europe.

At the heart of his national project is a care service free at the point of use. Burnham has set out a vision that promises to put Britain on a different road. But can he persuade the country to buy into it?

Steven Swinford, political editor, The Times

Ben Riley-Smith, political editor, The Sunday Times

Producers: Euan Dawtrey, Harry Kitson

Executive producer: Molly Guinness

Pictures: Getty Images

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, the mood is jubilant. They have a popular leader who can speak fluently in public. Andy Burnham's speech on Tuesday will be a big moment and it's expected to be full of announcements. Whitehall and cabinet ministers are trying to keep up.

The problem, as always, is making the sums add up. The prime minister has made social care the main topic of conversation. We discuss whether he is ready to ditch the triple-lock on pensions to pay for social care reform and whether he could fight an election promising tax rises.

In Rachel Reeves's first budget, taxes went up more than £30 billion, and then she had to come back for more. The Treasury wanted to avoid a third tax-raising budget but the numbers are moving against them.

Steven Swinford, political editor, The Times

Ben Riley-Smith, political editor, The Sunday Times

Patrick Maguire, chief political commentator, The Times

Producers: Euan Dawtrey, Harry Kitson

Executive producer: Molly Guinness

Pictures: Getty Images

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Healey, the chancellor, tells us his budget will offer people breathing space on both the cost of living and the cost of business. He said he was concerned about the rising price of fuel and that he wanted wealthy people to stay in Britain. In July, Andy Burnham, the prime minister, said that he would use "any flexibility" in the government's fiscal rules, but Healey was clear that there was no room for manoeuvre on the fiscal rules. Listen to the full interview to hear how he's getting notes in caps lock from Gordon Brown, his thoughts on bringing down the welfare bill and a Treasury Dragon's Den.

Ben Riley-Smith, political editor, The Sunday Times

Producer: Euan Dawtrey

Picture: Getty Images

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Labour Party conference starts in Liverpool this weekend. It's a chance for Andy Burnham to lay out his vision for the country. Expect worldview, class, solidarity and hope. How much criticism is likely to come from allies of Keir Starmer? Darren Jones, Starmer's former right-hand-man, has been giving interviews. Will others do the same?

Could Burnham call a snap election?

An MRP mega poll for The Times and Sky News suggested that if an election were held now Labour would win 241 seats, the Conservatives would have 130 and Reform UK would be in third on 123 seats. The split on the right makes it tempting for Labour to call a snap election. Is that a realistic possibility?

Ben Riley-Smith, political editor, The Sunday Times

Patrick Maguire, chief political commentator, The Times

Producers: Euan Dawtrey, Harry Kitson

Executive producer: Molly Guinness

Picture: Getty Images

00:00 - Tactical Voting: The Left’s New “Cheat Code”?

00:10 - Heading to Liverpool: Navigating Labour Conference

01:26 - Decoding Andy Burnham’s “Hope Again” Vision & Liverpool Roots

04:07 - Inside Number 10: How the New Team is Bedding In

06:56 - The Reform UK Threat & Marginal Seat Panic

09:12 - The Dangers of Relying on Tactical Voting

14:10 - Snap Election Rumours: Is Burnham About to Gamble?

18:55 - Labour Infighting: Sacked Cabinet Ministers Strike Back

23:07 - Critiques From Within & What Success Looks Like

26:07 - John Healey Interview Preview

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What a difference a year makes

The Labour Party conference awaits. Has Andy Burnham's folksy charm and optimism taken the party as far as it can, or can he consolidate power and popularity?

Six-party politics

A YouGov poll for The Times and Sky News puts Reform UK and the Conservative Party on level pegging for the first time in 18 months. Thursday's mega poll, the first MRP from YouGov in a year, will be a fascinating snapshot of the shifting electoral tectonic plates. Labour MPs are pinning their hopes on a split on the right, but will Burnham's government be able to build enough support from potential Green and Liberal Democrat voters?

What will Andy Burnham's government do about welfare?

Three reports into work and benefits are imminent: Charlie Mayfield's recommendations about how to keep people in work, Alan Milburn's report into Neets (young people not in education, employment or training) and a government review of mental health conditions. All of them put the welfare system into the spotlight. The timing creates a political problem for the government because next month's budget will not address the welfare bill. Raising taxes without fixing welfare is difficult for a prime minister who has talked about the power of politics to change things. Meanwhile his chancellor, John Healey, is buffeted by rising borrowing costs, which hit £18.3 billion in August, up nearly a fifth on August last year.

Brexit re-litigated?

On the plane to New York, Andy Burnham refused to rule out rejoining the European Union. A year ago he said he hoped the UK would rejoin the EU in his lifetime. Could he really be tempted to try to boost economic growth by aligning more closely with the EU or putting rejoining the EU in the next manifesto?

Steven Swinford, political editor, The Times

Patrick Maguire, chief political commentator, The Times

Producer: Harry Kitson

Executive producer: Molly Guinness

Picture: Getty Images

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Burnham Trump meeting

Andy Burnham and Donald Trump will meet for the first time in New York next week. It's the biggest foreign policy moment in Burnham's premiership so far and there are many different ways in which it could go wrong. Burnham wants to be more confrontational with Trump than Starmer was...without damaging relations with the US.

Autumn budget: the walls are closing in

It's now accepted that next month's budget will be a money-raising budget. Does the new government have a plan for growth?

Are the Liberal Democrats still relevant?

The Liberal Democrats are about to hold their conference and some of their MPs are worried that Ed Davey isn't doing enough as leader. We look at their electoral strategy and their prospects.

Steven Swinford, political editor, The Times

Ben Riley-Smith, political editor, The Sunday Times

Lara Spirit, deputy political editor, The Sunday Times

Producer: Harry Kitson

Executive producer: Molly Guinness

Pictures: Getty Images

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will Labour raise taxes?

The cost of government borrowing is going up and up. That means the chancellor, John Healey, may well need to cut spending or raise taxes next month - and tax rises are much more likely.

Labour MPs are overwhelmingly happy for the first time in living memory, but is that because they haven't woken up to the grim economic reality? The Labour Party conference slogan this year is 'Hope Again', but while the prime minister is projecting optimism, the chancellor is cutting a much more sombre figure as his fiscal headroom shrinks. Will Andy Burnham's desire to lead on economic policy survive next month's budget?

How likely is an early election?

The assumption has been that Burnham will either stick to the Labour manifesto or he'll call an early election. Would he consider breaking, or at least bending, the manifesto to pay for all the things he wants to do?

The donations row explained

Labour's plan to block donations to Reform UK from Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo is nakedly partisan. The row shines a light on the strange world of political donations and the surprisingly vague laws that govern them. How much of a difference would the £72m make to Reform's electoral prospects?

Steven Swinford, political editor, The Times

Ben Riley-Smith, political editor, The Sunday Times

Lara Spirit, deputy political editor, The Sunday Times

Patrick Maguire, chief political commentator, The Times

Producer: Harry Kitson

Executive producer: Molly Guinness

Picture: Getty Images

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

MPs have voted against the assisted dying bill. The legislation was defeated by a margin of 16 votes, with 286 MPs in favour and 270 against, after 314 MPs backed the plan last year. It's a huge moment in the House of Commons.

• Why did the support for it fall away?
• How much of a difference did it make that Andy Burnham was not a supporter?
• Does it mean the issue is off the table for the foreseeable future?
• Where do we go from here? Does it galvanise the prime minister's mission to reform social care and palliative care?

Plus, Andy Burnham is turning left, trying to appeal to the voters that Keir Starmer lost to the Greens and the Liberal Democrats. Will it work? And are the odds of an early election narrowing?

Steven Swinford, political editor, The Times

Ben Riley-Smith, political editor, The Sunday Times

Producer: Harry Kitson

Executive producer: Molly Guinness

Picture: Getty Images

Audio: Parliament TV

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

• Ed Miliband, the foreign secretary, is announcing sanctions on Israel over West Bank settlements. Why is it such a priority for Andy Burnham's government and what are the risks? It creates yet another diplomatic sticking point for the prime minister when he meets President Trump later this month.
• At Reform UK's conference, a protester who disrupted Nigel Farage's speech was whacked with a stick and had her hair pulled. The party's economic spokesman Robert Jenrick says she had it coming. An astute political calculation or will it put off wavering voters?
• Has Reform weathered the storm after last week's resignations in the wake of the Verbatim/Channel 4 undercover investigation that showed senior aides arranging off-the-books polling? The party denies all wrongdoing. Does the story seriously damage them in the eyes of voters?
• John Healey's first speech as chancellor was a chance to show a radical new vision and also to show the markets he can be trusted not to do anything too radical. The problem is you can't do both. We look at some of the calculations going into next month's budget.

Ben Riley-Smith, political editor, The Sunday Times

Lara Spirit, deputy political editor, The Sunday Times

Producer: Harry Kitson

Executive producer: Molly Guinness

Picture: Parliament TV

Audio: Sky News

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Reform UK’s 2026 conference has begun in Birmingham under a cloud after Channel 4 broadcast allegations of an attempt to circumvent the rules on foreign donations — prompting Nigel Farage to turn on two of his closest aides, Dan Jukes and James Orr. 

Farage’s relationship with Jukes has been described as “father-son” so it’s a huge step for Farage and for Reform. Find out how it all unfolded in the early hours. 

The extraordinary fallout has overshadowed Farage’s big migration announcement with Jordan Bardella, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally running mate and the man who hopes to be the next French prime minister.

Nigel Farage says Reform UK has done nothing wrong and that the investigation was carried out by far left activists. How much does the story damage Brand Reform? Are voters more interested in his small boats policy or in the questions raised by the documentary?

Steven Swinford, political editor, The Times

Ben Riley-Smith, political editor, The Sunday Times

Lara Spirit, deputy political editor, The Sunday Times

Patrick Maguire, chief political commentator, The Times

Producers: Euan Dawtrey, Harry Kitson

Executive producer: Molly Guinness

Picture: Getty Images

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.