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Keir Starmer gets angry
14:46|PMQs today and – as predicted – Keir Starmer came out worst in a pretty unpleasant session. Kemi Badenoch pinned the Prime Minister on the continued Mandelson fallout and now the scandal over Matthew Doyle, the former No. 10 comms chief who – just four weeks after his ennoblement – Labour have already been forced to kick out of their party in the House of Lords, after it emerged he had campaigned for a friend charged with possessing indecent images of children. Once again, one of those mysterious appointments for which the Prime Minister is never responsible came back to haunt him in public – sound familiar?The response from the Prime Minister was to get increasingly shirty, including with Sir Ed Davey, who accused the PM of a ‘catastrophic lack of judgment’ in his most punchy PMQs yet. Are we finally getting to understand the ‘real’ Keir Starmer?James Heale speaks to Tim Shipman and Isabel Hardman.Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
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Is Starmer back from the brink?
13:16|After a dramatic day in Westminster, the threat to Starmer appears to have receded – at least in the short term. But with the Gorton and Denton by-election less than three weeks away, (more) trouble could be on the horizon. Luke Tryl – from pollsters More in Common – and James Heale join Patrick Gibbons to discuss.Produced by Patrick Gibbons.
McSweeney resigns – is Starmer next?
24:12|Morgan McSweeney resigned yesterday as Keir Starmer’s chief of staff and – while it was not a surprise, given his role in appointing Peter Mandelson – the news that the Prime Minister has now lost his closest aide and political fire blanket is a huge shock. The repercussions are numerous: Starmer loses the man widely regarded to have won him his large majority and someone who was popular in No. 10; he has recruited two new deputies to fulfil a role considered insurmountable for one person; and it sets a precedent that anyone who allowed Mandelson to become US ambassador is liable for the chop.For a Prime Minister without a political philosophy, McSweeney was the man with the plan – where does Labour go from here? Is this the end for Starmer – and who might replace him?Tim Shipman and James Heale discuss.Produced by Megan McElroy and Oscar Edmondson.
Morgan McSweeney quits - Sunday Roundup 08/02/2026
12:57|Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows.Morgan McSweeney has resigned as Keir Starmer's chief of staff, just hours after Pat McFadden said he could see 'no point' in making such a change.
Jonathan Hinder: ‘I don’t know if Starmer should fight the next election’
34:17|On this special edition of Coffee House Shots, Tim Shipman is joined by Jonathan Hinder – a rising star of the back benches and a blue Labour acolyte – for a candid discussion about the state of the Labour party and the security of its leader.They discuss the Peter Mandelson scandal and the impact it has had on backbench support for the Prime Minister, as well as the implications it may have regarding decision-making at the top of government. Are Labour MPs considering moving against Keir Starmer? Should he fight the next election?This is set within the context of local elections, which Jonathan forecasts will be ‘bad’ for the Labour party – ‘it’s not a great time to be a Labour MP’, he says. Is there a route back for the Labour party? And could Shabana Mahmood’s tougher line on immigration be the saving grace?Produced by Megan McElroy and Oscar Edmondson.
Keir's worst week – but Kemi's best?
09:45|The sun is setting on Keir Starmer’s worst week in No. 10 – but potentially Kemi’s best. We go into the weekend with MPs publicly calling for his most senior aide, Morgan McSweeney, to step down because of his role in the botched vetting of Peter Mandelson, and with huge questions remaining about how much the Prime Minister knew about Mandelson’s association with Epstein. All of this means that the upcoming by-election on the Labour party’s patch in Gorton and Denton is poised very precariously.Meanwhile, Kemi has seized the opportunity to capitalise on Labour’s woes – but are she cutting through enough? And with her position looking more assured, and fiscal responsibility as their rallying cry, could it nearly be over for her shadow chancellor, Mel Stride?Oscar Edmondson speaks to James Heale and Michael Simmons.Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
Could the herd move on Starmer?
10:45|James Heale, Tim Shipman and Oscar Edmondson discuss the continuing fallout over the Mandelson scandal. The mood amongst Labour MPs is pretty dire – following a bruising PMQs and a government climbdown over the release of Mandelson's vetting files – but is it bad enough for Labour MPs to challenge Starmer? And could his chief of staff – and close Mandelson ally – Morgan McSweeney be in the firing line? How long ago the decision to block Andy Burnham seems now...