The Week in Westminster

Radio 4's weekly assessment of developments at Westminster

Jack Blanchard of Politico analyses the latest developments at Westminster.

He speaks to former Labour Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, for his take on the Commonwealth summit and calls from some leaders for the UK to start meaningful dialogue on slavery reparations.

As the Government launches a major consultation on reforming the NHS, Jack brings together two MPs with experience of working in the health service: Labour's Paulette Hamilton and Conservative Luke Evans.

The former Conservative Justice Secretary, Alex Chalk, and London's Independent Commissioner for Victims, Claire Waxman, discuss the government's sentencing policy review.

And, after the Trump campaign accuses the UK Labour Party of "interference" in the US election, Jack is joined by spokeswoman for Republicans Overseas UK, Sarah Elliott, and Keir Starmer's former political director, Luke Sullivan.

Pippa Crerar, political editor of the Guardian, is joined by a range of guests.

To look ahead to the Budget on 30 October, she speaks to Labour MP and parliamentary aide to the Cabinet Office Torsten Bell and the shadow housing minister Baroness JoJo Penn.

With the foreign secretary David Lammy heading to China this week, Labour peer, Helena Kennedy, who co-chairs the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China and the former Conservative MP Richard Graham, who, until recently, chaired the all-party parliamentary group on China assess UK-China relations.

Former cabinet minister and Conservative MP, Sir Gavin Williamson MP explains why he wants to remove all 26 bishops from the House of Lords.

And to discuss how the Taylor Swift row has been handled, Pippa spoke to Tom Baldwin, a former Labour party communications director and biographer of Keir Starmer and Katie Perrior, the founder of the public relations firm iNHouse.

George Parker of the Financial Times analyses the week's political developments at Westminster.

In the week of Sir Keir Starmer's 100 days in Number Ten, the former deputy chief of staff to David Cameron, Baroness Kate Fall, and Tony Blair's former director of political operations, John McTernan, discuss the political fallout of the resignation of the Prime Minister's chief of staff, Sue Gray.

To discuss the forthcoming budget George is joined by former Treasury minister and crossbecnh peer, Lord O'Neill and the Head of Bloomberg Economics, Stephanie Flanders.

Following his retirement from the House of Lords, the Labour politician and founding member of the Social Democratic Party, Lord Owen, discusses his life in politics.

George Parker of the Financial Times analyses the week's political developments at Westminster.

Following the Prime Minister's visit to Washington, the former UK Ambassador to the US, Lord Darroch, and Sir Keir Starmer's former director of strategy, Deborah Mattinson, assess the global security situation and what impact the US election will have on Western foreign policy.

To discuss the state of the NHS following a damning report from former minister Lord Darzi, George is joined by former Labour Health Secretary, Patricia Hewitt, and former Conservative Chair of the Health Select Committee Steve Brine.

Professor Richard Davies of the LSE, presenter of a new radio documentary about the Port Talbot steel works, explains what this week's government announcement about the plant means for the future of steel-making in Britain.

And, as the Spending Review gets underway, George brings together two former Treasury ministers, Danny Alexander and David Gauke, to lift the lid on how departments can wring money out of the exchequer.

Caroline Wheeler of the Sunday Times is joined by a range of guests.

To analyse Labour's first few weeks in government, she speaks to Labour MP Rosie Duffield and the former shadow cabinet minister Jonathan Ashworth, who now heads up the Labour Together think tank.

Two former Conservative leadership contenders, Sir David Davis and Dame Andrea Leadsom discuss the Tory leadership contest.

A leading authority on disaster recovery, Professor Lucy Easthope looks at the long awaited report into Grenfell and what lessons should be learnt.

And, two new MPs, Labour's Jonathan Hinder and Lib Dem Marie Goldman, discuss what it's like to make a maiden speech.

Is the new Labour government right to claim it's inherited the worse public finances since the second world war? How can regional mayors help in the mission to train and skill up the British workforce? Can a new Conservative leader rebuild the party after its catastrophic defeat at the election? And how are sketchwriters, addicted to rollercoaster politics, adapting to a new era of political civility?

Pippa Crerar, political editor of The Guardian looks back at the political week in which the new Labour government presented its first KIng's Speech in fifteen years. To discuss the government's legislative programme Pippa is joined by former Conservative Minister George Freeman MP and by Labour MP Mary Creagh, who was re-elected to Parliament earlier this month - having lost her seat in the 2019 election.

The BBC's Deputy Political Editor, Vicki Young, hosts a live edition of The Week in Wesminster, in the week the general election was announced.

Joining her in the studio: The Spectator's Political Editor, Katy Balls, the Financial Times' Political Editor, George Parker, and Guardian columnist and writer, Gaby Hinsliff.

Sonia Sodha of The Observer assesses the latest developments at Westminster. Following the Prime Minister's speech on global insecurity she speaks to former Conservative Defence Secretary, Sir Liam Fox MP, and former Labour International Development Secretary, Douglas Alexander. Theo Bertram, director of the Social Market Foundation and a former Labour adviser, discusses whether election 'pledge' cards are a good idea following Sir Keir Starmer's campaign event this week. After a knife-edge vote on excluding from Parliament MPs accused of serious offences, Sonia speaks to Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Wendy Chamberlain MP and Conservative MP Nigel Mills. And, after claims a Liberal Democrat candidate was deselected because of his Christian faith, Sonia brings together the Rt Rev Nick Baines, Bishop of Leeds, and Polly Toynbee, journalist and vice president of Humanists UK, to discuss whether Christianity and modern politics are compatible.