Westminster Hour

Westminster Hour

By BBC Radio 4NewsGovernment
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Westminster Hour episodes

  • Rows over the EU "reset", the fallout from the US mid-terms and big money in politics

    Ben Wright's guests are the Labour MP David Pinto-Duschinsky, Conservative peer Tina Stowell and foreign policy expert Sophia Gaston. They discuss the details emerging of the government's reset of relations with the EU and the implications of the US mid-term elections. Kevin Schofield - political editor of Huffpost UK - brings additional insight and analysis. And Ben talk to the chief executive of the Electoral Commission - Vijay Rangarajan - about party political finance and so-called "mega-donations".

    48 min
  • Budget fallout and should we get closer to the EU?

    Ben Wright is joined by Labour MP and chair of the Treasury Select Committee, Dame Meg Hillier; Conservative peer and former Cabinet minister, Mark Harper; and the Liberal Democrat frontbencher Bobby Dean. They discuss the reaction to the Budget and the Home Secretary's expected announcement on changing immigration rules. Jessica Elgot - deputy political editor of the Guardian - brings her expert insight and analysis. And Ben reports from Stoke-on-Trent on how people there and the local MP feel about re-opening the Brexit debate.

    47 min
  • What's the chancellor planning in his first Budget?

    Ben Wright's guests are the Labour MP Catherine West, Conservative former Cabinet minister Sir John Whittingdale, and Hannah Peaker - deputy chief exectuive of the New Economics Foundation. They discuss Catherine's role in the ending Sir Keir Starmer's time in Downing St, and Andy Burnham's first 100 days in office. They also look ahead to the Budget, with Shevaun Haviland from the British Chambers of Commerce outlining what the business community wants to see. And the panel consider the Prime Minister's call for an "honest discussion" about freedom of movement with the EU.

    51 min
  • Live discussion from the Conservative Party conference

    Ben Wright is at the Conservative Party conference with Tory deputy leader, Alex Burghart, polling expert Scarlett Maguire and Lucy Fisher - Whitehall editor of the Financial Times. They discuss Kemi Badenoch's blueprint for government and her focus on economic growth - with Treasury minister Dan Tomlinson also joining in down the line. Ben spends time speaking to grassroots party members to assess their morale. And the programme includes a report from the Green Party of England and Wales conference in Brighton - where delegates passed a controversial motion declaring that "Zionism is racism".

    49 min
  • Analysis from the Labour Party conference in Liverpool

    Ben Wright broadcasts from the Labour Party conference in Liverpool with guests including the Cabinet minister and Leader of the House of Lords, Angela Smith; Professor of Politics at Liverpool University, Jon Tonge; and Jessica Elgot - deputy political editor of The Guardian. They discuss the Prime Minister's pledge to fix social care and the competing demands on the public purse. Ben reports on the mood among delegates - and with a different perspective, Conservative frontbencher Joy Morrissey also joins the panel down the line. And is it time to reassess the impact of the IMF crisis, fifty years after the dramatic events of September 1976?

    49 min
  • The PM prepares to meet President Trump, and the Lib Dem Conference

    Ben Wright is joined by the Labour MP and new Chair of the Justice Select Committee, Catherine Atkinson; Conservative health spokesman Neil Shastri-Hurst; and the Liberal Democrats' foreign affairs spokesperson, Calum Miller. The former diplomat and National Security Adviser, Sir Mark Lyall Grant, joins them to discuss the Prime Minister's trip to the UN General Assembly and expected first meeting with Donald Trump. The panel also consider changes to the way courts operate, intended to speed up rape trials. And Harry Farley speaks to grassroots Lib Dems, attending their annual conference in Brighton, about their ambitions for the party. Lara Spirit - deputy political editor of The Sunday Times - brings additional insight and analysis.

    50 min
  • What is the government doing about social mobility?

    Ben Wright is joined by Labour MP Zubir Ahmed, Conservative frontbencher Mims Davies and the education specialist and online commentator, Sam Freedman. They discuss the latest developments over political funding - following the recent mega-donations to Reform UK - and a forthcoming meeting of pro-independence First Ministers. Sienna Rodgers - deputy political editor of The House magazine - brings additional insight and analysis. And Ben speaks to Alun Francis - head of the Social Mobility Commission - after the government announced a new approach to the issue, including a "class unit".

    50 min
  • Economic growth, the Reform UK conference and the assisted dying Bill returns to Parliament

    Ben Wright's guests are the Labour MP Emily Darlington; Conservative peer and former government insider, Kate Fall; and Alex Wilson - member of the Greater London Assembly for Reform UK. They discuss efforts to stimulate economic growth - ahead of a big speech by the new Chancellor, John Healey - and the events of the Reform UK conference. James Heale - deputy political editor of The Spectator - provides additional context and analysis. And Ben interviews backbencher Lauren Edwards, about bringing the Bill to allow assisted dying back to Parliament.

    50 min

About Westminster Hour

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The big political stories with lively discussion and expert comment and analysis from politicians and journalists, 10pm every Sunday on BBC Radio 4.

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