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Are big donors a boon or a burden to political parties?
44:28|With news of Reform UK's record £9m donation, our weekend episode finds the team reunited to explore whether money from individuals or organisations implies something in return. Should Britain opt for state funding of political parties? Or is going back to mass membership a better approach and a predictor of success?
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Post-Budget storm: A media frenzy or fatal for Starmer and Reeves?
58:23|Since the Budget the main question in the media and from some of the government’s political opponents has been did Rachel Reeves deliberately mislead? But is the Chancellor’s integrity the right target for her many opponents? Is the substance of the Budget getting less attention than it deserves from supporters and opponents? Plus, is this the end of juries and Your Party?Have Reeves and Starmer saved themselves with their Budget?
46:32|After all that drama, did the government get away with the Budget? Was Kemi Badenoch’s attack on the Chancellor a criticism too far or a justified direct hit? The NAO team agree that the UK’s lack of growth is the cause of disillusionment with mainstream parties, but how should we secure higher growth? Has the Budget made that even harder? And which party benefits from the emergence of the old dividing line - investment in public services against tax cuts?What can Rachel Reeves learn from recent Chancellors?
37:42|As Rachel Reeves prepares for the most talked about budget in decades we discuss a galaxy of previous chancellors often facing epic challenges. Standby for portraits of Healey, Howe, Lamont, Brown and Osborne, and of course the team’s latest reflections of Reeves as she prepares for this Wednesday.Does Shabana Mahmood have the right answers on asylum?
01:00:12|Via a brief pre-Budget detour, the team debates the Home Secretary's major new policy. Will it work? Is it hardline for one set of critics and not tough enough for the rest? Stop the boats was a slogan that sunk the previous government. Will the substance or the positioning be more dangerous to this one?Where has Labour's chaotic week left the PM?
42:02|High drama has dominated as the Chancellor signals a huge u-turn on Budget tax plans, while briefings designed to shore up Keir Starmer backfired on Number 10 in spectacular fashion. In this weekend's episode the team focus on dysfunction, paranoia and rivalry at the very top. How much trouble is the government in?Is this the end for the BBC?
57:55|With the Director General and BBC head of news fired in the wake of a scandal over President Trump and bias, our team ask whether the Beeb is doomed. Or is this yet another confected media row? And how is journalism changing? Plus - what is the latest on Starmer and the looming Budget?