Whitehall Sources

By Shortbread MediaNews Politics

Whitehall Sources episodes

September 20, 2023 Net Zero, KamiKwaze and the Contaminated Blood Scandal
Calum and Kirsty are joined by Sam Richards - a former energy and environment adviser to Boris Johnson and founder of pro-growth campaign group Britain Remade… to react instantly to Rishi Sunak's announcements on net-zero. After 24 hours of chaos, Kirsty reflects on the comms strategy, and Sam analyses what this means for you, for business and for industry. James Price who served as a Government Senior Special Adviser across five departments, including as the Chief of Staff to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and who is now at the Adam Smith Institute discusses one year since Liz Truss's Mini Budget. And the Political Editor of The Sunday Times - Caroline Wheeler - joins us to discuss her new book which is the culmination of 20 years of reporting on the contaminated blood scandal.
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59 min
September 14, 2023 Why can't PMs deliver their vision?
Calum and Kirsty are joined by Chris Wilkins, who was Theresa May's Director of Strategy and David Muir, who was Gordon Brown's Director of Strategy during the financial crisis 2008-2010. We discuss the issues of the week: will either party commit to maintaining the triple lock on pensions and Sir Keir Starmer's illegal migration proposals. Plus, as Theresa May publishes her book - The Abuse of Power: Confronting Injustice in Public Life - Kirsty and Chris assess her legacy and, more broadly, we all question why Prime Minister's can seemingly never deliver on their vision. Why is their legacy always so radically different? David outlines his experiences of working with Gordon Brown during the financial crisis, which blew Brown's government off its intended course, to respond to a global crisis.
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1 hr 15 min
September 06, 2023 Concrete comms; One Year Since Liz Truss
We’re back with a fresh start for the new parliamentary session. Calum Macdonald is joined by Kirsty Buchanan - former Special Adviser to Theresa May when she was Prime Minister - and Alice Perry, who was a Labour Councillor for 11 years; was on Labour’s National Executive Committee for eight years, including one as chair, and was involved in drafting three general election manifestos for the party as well. They discuss the government’s response to the crumbly concrete in public buildings crisis.

Plus, James Heale from The Spectator who, along with Harry Cole from The Sun, wrote Out of the Blue: The inside story of the unexpected rise and rapid fall of Liz Truss…and Mark Littlewood, who is Director General of the Institute of Economic Affairs - the free market think tank which inspired Liz Truss as she took office, join the podcast to reflect on one year since Liz Truss took office - and very slightly more than one year since she left.
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1 hr 8 min
August 31, 2023 🚨RESHUFFLE (A mini one, anyway)
Calum and Kirsty rev their engines for a new parliamentary term, as Downing Street throws crime week out the window to announce a mini reshuffle. We talk about new Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, and new Business and Net Zero Secretary Claire Coutinho. Plus, the countdown to the new parliamentary term is well and truly on...
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39 min
August 24, 2023 (not) Education week
Kirsty and Calum discuss education week, in light of A-level results and GCSEs as well - plus Sir Keir Starmer's claim that he couldn't afford to go to university nowadays. There's reaction to the Lucy Letby conviction and sentencing and what it should mean for the NHS. And will he or won't he? Rishi Sunak's reshuffle has bitten the dust...it would seem.
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47 min
August 17, 2023 Will we all feel better off next year?
Rishi Sunak says we'll all feel better off next year. So we assess whether he's right or not. Plus, A-level results, First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf, and Calum's extremely large mic muff.
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51 min
August 10, 2023 Stop the Boats week
Calum and Kirsty discuss Stop The Boats week - as outlined by the government. Will it actually work? Kirsty brings some nerdy research to the pod and is available for Ted talks...
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41 min
August 03, 2023 The Connectivity of Politicians
Calum and Kirsty are joined by Adam Bell, Director of Policy at Stonehaven, who used to be head of energy strategy at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, to discuss Rishi Sunak's Energy Week - what are the big announcements and what do they mean? Plus, we talk about the PM appearing on a radio station no-one has ever heard of which is called LBC and to which no-one listens nor pays attentions. And interest rates are going up, again. It's potentially politically potent.
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44 min
July 27, 2023 Yet More Foot-Shooty
Calum and Kirsty are back to discuss the fall out of last week's three by-elections. Plus Nigel Farage brings down the CEO of NatWest in yet another influential victory. And Sir Keir Starmer discusses what a woman is: can this ever win votes, or is it an all out vote loser? With the Conservative Party's deep electoral troubles and a shift towards the right-wing faction, we'll discuss how Rishi Sunak's loss in the party leadership race to Liz Truss has ignited a change in strategy. We'll examine the focus on socially divisive issues and the impact it may have on the party's core vote, as well as the lessons to be learned from the controversial Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) and its potential influence on climate action becoming a wedge issue in future elections.

Thanks for your lovely emails for Kirsty as she goes through chemo. Please send messages to [email protected]
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46 min
July 20, 2023 A Standard Dangle Trick
Calum and Kirsty turn their attention to rumours of upcoming reshuffles for both the Labour Party and the Conservatives. While rules prevent us from discussing the specifics of the by-elections, speculation continues to circulate regarding potential changes within the main political parties. The Labour reshuffle is said to possibly occur in September, while a Tory reshuffle might be approaching sooner, on Friday. We analyse the current state of affairs at Number 10 as staff are exhausted and nearing the summer recess. What about Nigel Farage and his bank account? Are there important principles of democracy at stake? We dive into Labour's difficult week, particularly concerning the two-child benefit limit policy. Internal disagreements within the party have arisen, with some criticising the policy as unfair and exacerbating child poverty. We unpack the defence of the policy by Sir Keir Starmer, who argues that spending money they don't have is not a viable option. What's the point in Labour, ask the SNP - is it an effective message?
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34 min

About Whitehall Sources

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Top advisers to our significant political leaders analyse the successes and failures of today's politics, sharing their experiences of working in Whitehall. Jo Tanner is a political adviser and…