Not Another One

With MPs back at Westminster this week, we ask which bit of the government in tray looks more scary: the domestic fiscal squeeze and search for growth or the epoch making shifts in geopolitics? And our team ask whether voters will make any allowances for the international backdrop if things don't get better on the home front. Plus, a regular listener has sent us a cake and a note which sparks an important, serious discussion.

In an Easter special, our team assess the fortunes of the government and opposition parties since the start of 2025. How is Keir Starmer adapting to power and dealing with Donald Trump? Can Reform build on its strong showing in the polls? What are the pitfalls for Nigel Farage? How bad is the situation for the Tories? And what of Ed Davey and the Lib Dems and the SNP in Scotland?

All the main parties backed some form of state intervention to save the Scunthorpe steel plant. Does this rare consensus mark a new era of the active state? Plus, the wider implications of the refuse strike in Birmingham. And which of us refers most to Mrs Thatcher in the podcast? A listener has monitored every podcast to provide the answer.

Opinion polls often determine the political mood but now party leaders face the first set of elections since the general election, and a by-election. If the polls are right, Reform is set to make a significant breakthrough in local government and the Conservatives face another electoral hammering. How significant is this campaign at a local and national level?

The market impact of President Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff war has been dramatic and disastrous already. The team asks whether Trump's political and corporate backers, and American voters, will stick with him or peel off as the ride becomes scary. Will he back down? Plus, how can and should the UK respond to Trump "unleashed"?

With Labour targeting “working people” and implementing benefit cuts, and their opponents seeking to woo the better off who vote reliably, are the poor being left behind? Plus, a related issue, as supermarkets close their cafes and fracturing social media flourishes where are the institutions that bind communities together?

With Trump on the verge of announcing tarrifs and negotiating sympathetically with Putin where does this leaves Starmer’s polite diplomacy? Are other leaders more effective in taking an aggressive stance? Plus our take on Ed Davey riding a toy horse to launch his party’s local election campaign and Le Pen’s route to the presidency being blocked dramatically.

Trump is unique for many reasons. One of them is his public projection, his near permanent presence on the TV screen commentating on his own presidency, updating on sensitive negotiations and announcing new ideas that are far from concrete policies. Compare him with other presidents who restrict their appearances to the point they can be close to silent or invisible for relatively long periods of time. What will be the consequences of Trump’s freakish ubiquity and are there lessons for more reticent leaders sticking to the old ways when they convey their messages?

In another pivotal week for the Labour Chancellor our team discuss the degree to which Reeves is trapped and explore the options available. Our suggestions range widely and there is no consensus in the podcast around any of them, other than agreement that the Chancellor is in trouble. Our team ask: how long will Reeves be Chancellor?