Whitehall Sources

Calum is proved right: Nicola Sturgeon has resigned as SNP leader and Scotland's First Minister. Did any other political podcast get it right? Probably not. Join us for some mild gloating, but also the best analysis in the business as Kirsty and Frankie are joined by special guest, Campbell Gunn who was a Special Adviser to both Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon. Why did she go? What did she get wrong? Who'll replace her? Is it time for a new generation? What about independence? Campbell also tells us about the differences in working for Salmond and Sturgeon. Email us: [email protected].

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Kirsty and Frankie tell us their stories of meeting foreign dignitaries from Bill Clinton to Justin Trudeau to Nanci Pelosi who left a plate behind - Frankie will tell you more. We're joined by special guest Alex Bell to review how things are going for Nicola Sturgeon, in the aftermath of the passing of the Gender Reform Bill. There are divisions within her party; the public is not behind the policy, and she's looking more frustrated at press conferences as the days go by. We'll consider President Zelensky's trip to the UK. And how do you manage big personalities in a political party like, for example, Lee Anderson? Join our mailing list to get a special mention next week: whitehallsources.com/mailinglist. Find us on Twitter and TikTok by searching for Whitehall Sources.

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We bring back everyone's favourite: Stop it and Roll it. The last time we did this was for Rishi Sunak's first speech on the steps of Downing Street. We go back through what he said then, and measure it against his performance during his first 100 days. Kirsty describes ferrets with flick knives - it's just one of her many analogies this week. Frankie has some words of wisdom for Sir Keir Starmer if he wishes to take on the ambition for "integrity, accountability and professionalism." And we say hello those of you who have joined our mailing list. If you've not already, pop in your details at whitehallsources.com/mailinglist.

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Kirsty and Frankie assess the state of Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer's "political capital." Where does it come from, where's it going? Will the Prime Minister have any left by the time the Nadhim Zahawi furore is cleared up? Kirsty tells us about her time working with Theresa May in Number 10 when Damian Green had to be fired as first secretary of state and the challenge that was at the time. Frankie assesses where the Labour leader can build his political capital - including by running an MOT of Labour party politicians ahead of the next election. Plus, as the PM and the Cabinet head to Chequers for a lovely away day, Kirsty and Frankie bless us with their away day stories including marshmallows and spaghetti landmarks. And a team bonding session that resulted in the end of someone's employment. Literally. Join our mailing list here: whitehallsources.com/mailinglist

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Kirsty and Frankie discuss how to handle shock resignations from your party, as Jacinda Ardern announces she's standing down as Prime Minister of New Zealand. Kirsty tells us about being on resignation watch when she was "Head of the Weekend" - which is dreamy. Frankie describes the morning of defections from the Labour Party to a new political party. We also dive into why Jacinda Ardern has stood down and whether politics has structural issues which means that women are held back from achieving what they want to. Kirsty tells us she wouldn't have been able to work in Number 10 without her mum helping with childcare. We list off the factions that are known about within the Conservative Party and assess how problematic they are for Rishi Sunak. Frankie has an interesting analysis of factions in the Labour party. Plus, personal reflections on the announcement that teachers in England and Wales will follow Scotland's lead and go on strike. Email with your questions or thoughts: [email protected].

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Welcome to a brand new year on Whitehall Sources! (12th January is also Frankie's birthday). Calum Macdonald, Kirsty Buchanan (Former Special Adviser to Theresa May) and Frankie Leach (former adviser to Jeremy Corbyn) are refreshed and raring to go with analysis, inside stories and insight into life in Whitehall. New year, same strikes - but is this the week progress is being made? Kirsty and Frankie assess the strategies of the government and the opposition when it comes to breaking the strike deadlock. Also, the prime minister head to Scotland. Calum gives a rash political prediction for 2023 based on his Scottish-ness. What does Rishi Sunak hope to achieve when he meets Nicola Sturgeon? And we enter The Tunnel. Brexit negotiations are intensifying so we explain what it all means and who's going to be annoyed about it. Send your thoughts and questions for Kirsty, Frankie and Calum. Email us: [email protected]. Join our mailing list on our website: whitehallsources.com - we'll have some huge announcements for you in 2023. Thanks for joining us.

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Join Calum Macdonald to relive some of our podcast's biggest moments of the year on social media. After 15 episodes and more than one million hits online, it's time to relive what went viral which, very helpfully, tells the story of the unravelling chaos of the last ten weeks since the podcast started. You can also watch this full episode on our YouTube Channel.

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We're old enough to remember when parties in Downing Street were still legal. On this festive episode, Kirsty Buchanan, Special Adviser to Theresa May when she was Prime Minister, and Frankie Leach - adviser to Jeremy Corbyn when he was Leader of the Opposition for Labour - reminisce about their *legal* Whitehall Christmas parties. Kirsty shares her memories of trying to do a Brexit deal in No 10 while staff sung karaoke in the next room, tells us about sleeping over in the press room. Meanwhile, down the street, Frankie is belting out karaoke. But one Christmas was very different - when Jeremy Corbyn's Labour party lost the general election. Email us anytime: [email protected].

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Join Calum, Kirsty and Frankie to review some of the most jawdropping moments of 2022. Also on this episode: Chris Mason (BBC Political Editor), Robert Peston (ITV Political Editor), Lucy Fisher (Times Radio Chief Political Commentator), Pippa Crerar (The Guardian Political Editor), Ben Nunn (Former Director of Communications for Sir Keir Starmer) and Jake Richards (Former adviser to Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves). They discuss the downfall of Boris Johnson, the premiership and downfall of Liz Truss, the downfall of Liz Truss's mini budget, the downfall of the Conservative Party Conference, the downfall of Matt Hancock and Rishi Sunak's turn as Prime Minister so far. Email your thoughts: [email protected].

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This week's episode is a special one - we're joined by a new co-host, our new third person. Who is it? There's drama and suspense galore. Listen in to find out. Also this week: strikes and immigration. Nurses have walked out on strike. We discuss whether government strategy should differentiate between the different groups that are currently striking. On immigration, Kirsty and... our new co-host... decide this is no longer an issue of left and right, and while Rishi Sunak wants to be appear to be a strong Prime Minister, there's a lot to consider. Also this week, our new co-host tells us they didn't have time to grieve after an election loss; we discuss how to get on the front foot when you're constantly dealing with government crises, and we tease you about what to expect from the podcast over Christmas. We'd love for you to email us before then, even just to say the one word: hello. Email [email protected] so we can say hello to you too.

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