The Week in Westminster

The Week in Westminster

By BBC Radio 4Government
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The Week in Westminster episodes

  • 12/09/2026

    Caroline Wheeler discusses the defeat of the Assisted Dying Bill, in the House of Commons, with the former Cabinet Minister and supporter of the Bill Liz Kendall.

    This week the Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband set out the government's new approach to Israel and the occupied West Bank. To discuss the implications of this move Caroline was joined by Labour MP Sarah Champion, who is the chair of the International Development Committee and Conservative peer Mark Harper who is a member of Conservative Friends of Israel.

    To discuss the protests against small boat arrivals, Caroline is joined by Labour MP Tom Hayes and Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin.

    As a new family arrives at 10 Downing Street, Caroline discusses what it's like for the family of a Prime Minister to be in the public eye. She's joined by journalist Sarah Vine who is the author of a book, 'How Not to Be a Political Wife' and Rachel Cunliffe, the Associate Editor of The New Statesman.

    29 min
  • 05/09/2026

    George discusses Andy Burnham's first week at Westminster as prime minister with former Home Secretary and Labour peer, David Blunkett and the political editor of The New Statesman, Ailbhe Rea.

    Reform UK's conference takes place this week as the party faces a controversy over donations. George speaks to Tim Montgomerie, a former influential Conservative activist who defected to Reform UK.

    Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch reshuffled her team this week. To discuss, George is joined by Tory MP Sarah Bool, who was made a Shadow Justice minister in the reshuffle, and the former Conservative cabinet minister, Sir David Gauke.

    Speculation about whether Andy Burnham should call an early general election is hanging over the conference season. George debates whether it is a good idea with elections analyst and professor of Political Science at Manchester University, Rob Ford, and Liz Bates, who served as an advisor in Sir Keir Starmer’s government.

    29 min
  • 18/07/2026

    Vicki Young assesses what an Andy Burnham government will mean for the country and reflects on Sir Keir Starmer's premiership.

    She is joined by Guardian Columnist Gaby Hinsliff, Lucy Fisher, the Whitehall Editor of the Financial Times, Sebastian Payne, columnist and leader writer for The Times and Labour peer Charlie Falconer.

    28 min
  • 11/07/2026

    George reports on the political reaction to Friday's shocking news that police had launched a murder investigation in to Ann Widdecombe's death.

    Following Sir Keir Starmer's appearance at the Nato summit in Ankara, George is joined by Deputy Prime Minister, David Lammy, to reflect on the Prime Minister's record on the global stage.

    Andy Burnham is set to become Prime Minister without a contest as over 300 hundred Labour MPs this week nominated him for the leadership. To debate whether that is good for the country George is joined by Burnham supporter, Labour MP Emily Darlington, and the former Conservative Deputy Prime Minister, Sir Oliver Dowden.

    To discuss Nigel Farage's decision to call a by-election in Clacton, George is joined by Reform UK MP, Danny Kruger, and Times columnist, Fraser Nelson.

    And, ahead of the England Norway World Cup quarter final, George speaks to the Norwegian Ambassador to the UK, Tore Hattrem, and the Conservative Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committe, Dame Caroline Dinenage.

    29 min
  • 04/07/2026

    Sonia Sodha discusses the long-awaited Defence Investment Plan, which was published this week, with the former Conservative Security minister Tom Tugendhat and the Labour MP and former Royal Marine Fred Thomas.

    To review Andy Burnham's devolution plans, Sonia speaks to the Labour Mayor of the East Midlands Claire Ward and Greg Clark, a former Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, who was one of the architects of devolution policy when the Conservatives were in government.

    Following a series of maternity scandals, Baroness Amos published her independent review this week. The Liberal Democrat MP, Layla Moran, who chairs the Health Select Committee and the Labour MP Michelle Welsh, who is the government's national maternity adviser discuss what has gone wrong.

    And to discuss Brand Burnham, Sonia brought together Rachel Cunliffe, the Associate Political Editor of the New Statesman and Farzana Baduel, the co-founder of Curzon PR and presenter of BBC Radio 4’s ‘When It Hits the Fan’.

    29 min
  • 27/06/2026

    Caroline Wheeler discusses the resignation of the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and what this means for the government. She is joined by Labour backbencher and Andy Burnham supporter Clive Lewis and Labour peer Charlie Falconer, who held a number of positions under Tony Blair, and has been a close ally of the Prime Minister.

    To discuss the tenth anniversary of the Brexit vote, Caroline brings together Labour MP Stella Creasy, who is the chair of the Labour Movement for Europe, and Conservative peer Ross Kempsell, who was special adviser to Boris Johnson during Brexit years.

    Andy Burnham was not the only new MP being sworn in this week. Caroline spoke to the SNP’s Lara Bird and the Conservative Douglas Lumsden, both of whom won the two recent by-elections in Scotland, about their first week in Westminster as MPs.

    We will soon have our seventh Prime Minister in ten years. To discuss why, Caroline is joined by Conservative peer and Times columnist Daniel Finkelstein and

    Caroline Slocock, a former civil servant, who was private secretary to Margaret Thatcher and John Major. She has written a book called: ‘Bad Government: And How To Make It Better'.

    28 min
  • 20/06/2026

    Vicki Young assesses Andy Burnham's Makerfield by-election win, which paves the way for a leadership challenge against Sir Keir Starmer.

    She is joined by FT political editor, George Parker; New Statesman political editor, Ailbhe Rae; GB News political editor Christopher Hope and Labour peer and broadcaster Ayesha Hazarika.

    29 min
  • 13/06/2026

    Following the bombshell resignation of John Healey as Defence Secretary, Ben speaks to Sir Michael Fallon, a former Conservative Defence Secretary, and Luke Charters, a Labour MP who has campaigned on defence finance issues.

    After the horrific knife attack in Belfast on Monday, and the street violence that followed, Ben brings together the former First Minister of Northern Ireland, Baroness Foster, and the Labour Chair of the Northern Ireland Select Committee, Tonia Antoniazzi.

    Could next week's by-election in Makerfield precipitate a change of Prime Minister? And, if so, how tricky is it to change a leader in the middle of a parliament? Ben hears from Professor Philip Cowley of Queen Mary University of London and Cleo Watson, a former senior aide to Boris Johnson.

    And, as the World Cup gets underway, Ben talks football and politics with two superfans, former Scottish Conservative leader, Ruth Davidson, and comedian and political interviewer, Matt Forde.

    29 min
  • 06/06/2026

    Pippa Crerar discusses the political reaction to the murder of 18-year-old student Henry Nowak, following the release of police bodycam footage. She is joined by Labour peer and human rights campaigner Shami Chakrabarti and Reform UK MP Richard Tice, who is also the party's deputy leader.

    To discuss the battle of ideas and leadership sparked by former Labour prime minister Tony Blair's recent essay, Pippa is joined by Stewart Wood, Labour peer and former adviser to Gordon Brown, and the Conservative peer David Willetts, who is president of think tank the Resolution Foundation.

    This week, the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally, led her first debate in the House of Lords on the impact of artificial intelligence on human relationships and society. To discuss this, Pippa is joined by the Lord Bishop of Leicester, Martyn Snow, and crossbench peer Beeban Kidron, who both took part in the debate.

    This year marks the centenary of the 1926 general strike. Pippa discusses the impact and legacy of the strike with Labour peer and former general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, John Monks, and journalist and author Anne Perkins, who wrote a book about the strike, A Very British Strike.

    28 min
  • 23/05/2026

    As Andy Burnham is confirmed as the Labour candidate for the Makerfield by-election, George Parker asks whether this signals the start of a long goodbye for Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister. He brings together Labour MP, Miatta Fahnbulleh, who resigned as an Energy minister earlier this month, and Jonathan Ashworth, formerly a member of Keir Starmer's Shadow Cabinet.

    The question of whether Britain should one day rejoin the EU has reared up once again in this shadow Labour leadership contest. To discuss that George speaks to the EU's former ambassador to the UK, Joao Vale de Almeida.

    Following the Government's confirmation that HS2 could eventually cost over £100bn and may not open until 2039, George turns to Labour MP Ruth Cadbury, who chairs the Transport Select Committee, and Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the Conservative chairman of the Public Accounts Committee.

    And, is Kemi Badenoch doing a good job as Conservative leader? George speaks to Lee Cain, former Number Ten Director of Communications to Boris Johnson, and Times columnist, Seb Payne.

    29 min

About The Week in Westminster

From the publisher's feed

Radio 4's weekly assessment of developments at Westminster

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