Share
The State of It
Angela Rayner's next move and Morgan McSweeney's missing messages
•
- We reveal what happened when Morgan McSweeney lost his phone, and what it means for the Mandelson files.
- As Angela Rayner looks like she's preparing to challenge Keir Starmer, other senior Labour MPs are jostling for position.
- What is the government willing and able to do to help in the Strait of Hormuz? Spoiler: not much.
- And as the questions about Britain's economy and place in the world get harder, are fewer Labour politicians interested in asking, let alone answering, them?
Steven Swinford, political editor, The Times
Patrick Maguire, chief political commentator, The Times
Gabriel Pogrund, Whitehall editor, The Sunday Times
Producers: Euan Dawtrey, Harry Kitson
Executive producer: Molly Guinness
Picture credit: Getty Images
Email us: thestateofit@thetimes.co.uk
This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.
More episodes
View all episodes
Why Starmer is happy to argue with Trump — and how he might help him over Iran
25:51|EXCLUSIVE: how the British government could intervene in the Strait of Hormuz. Is falling out with Donald Trump politically helpful for Keir Starmer?What is the government likely to do about energy bills?Angela Rayner is back and she's trying to reassure the City that everything would be fine if she were PM.Steven Swinford, political editor, The TimesPatrick Maguire, chief political commentator, The TimesGabriel Pogrund, Whitehall editor, The Sunday TimesProducer: Euan DawtreyExecutive producer: Molly GuinnessPicture credit: Getty ImagesEmail us: thestateofit@thetimes.co.uk
The key to the Keir Starmer puzzle: bonus with How To Win An Election
19:23|What does Keir Starmer do all day? Who is now pulling the strings in Downing Street? And why is it all going so wrong? Patrick Maguire and Gabriel Pogrund speak to Hugo Rifkind about their updated edition of their book, Get In: The Inside Story of Labour Under Starmer. Hugo Rifkind, presenter, Times Radio and How To Win An ElectionPatrick Maguire, chief political commentator, The TimesGabriel Pogrund, Whitehall editor, The Sunday TimesPicture credit: Russel HernemanEmail us: thestateofit@thetimes.co.ukTimes+ members can buy it here with a 20% discount https://timesbookshop.co.uk
How bad are the Mandelson files for Starmer?
17:07|Keir Starmer is being accused of misleading MPs over his appointment of Lord Mandelson as US ambassador. How bad is it for the prime minister? Steven Swinford, political editor, The TimesPatrick Maguire, chief political commentator, The TimesGabriel Pogrund, Whitehall editor, The Sunday TimesProducer: Euan DawtreyExecutive producer: Molly GuinnessPicture credit: Getty ImagesEmail us: thestateofit@thetimes.co.uk
Oil and trouble for the British economy
28:07|While Keir Starmer may get some credit with the public for his response to the war in Iran, he's still stuck with its consequences: rising prices just when he'd said he was going to cut the cost of living. Meanwhile has Reform UK's response compromised its ability to campaign on the cost of living? Also, who is now wielding the power in Number 10?Steven Swinford, political editor, The TimesPatrick Maguire, chief political commentator, The TimesGabriel Pogrund, Whitehall editor, The Sunday TimesProducer: Euan DawtreyExecutive producer: Molly GuinnessPicture credit: Getty ImagesEmail us: thestateofit@thetimes.co.uk
How Starmer's Iran response alienates everybody
31:26|We take you inside the Iran discussions in Number 10. What do they reveal about Keir Starmer's thinking and about Labour's electoral predicament?And as polling suggests that two parties with 2% of MPs command 44% of the vote, does Labour have a coherent argument to coax voters away from the Green Party and Reform UK? Steven Swinford, political editor, The TimesPatrick Maguire, chief political commentator, The TimesProducer: Euan DawtreyExecutive producer: Molly GuinnessPicture credit: Getty ImagesEmail us: thestateofit@thetimes.co.uk
The end of the Labour party as a going concern in electoral politics?
19:25|The end of Britain’s political duopoly now looks complete, as Labour suffers a catastrophic by-election defeat to the Greens in Gorton and Denton. Reform comes second, while the Tories lose their deposit with just 2% of the vote. Keir Starmer is now a prisoner of the left, and Britain is undergoing a tectonic realignment of its electoral politics.Steven Swinford, political editor, The TimesPatrick Maguire, chief political commentator, The TimesGabriel Pogrund, Whitehall editor, The Sunday TimesProducer: Euan DawtreyExecutive producer: Molly GuinnessPicture credit: Getty ImagesEmail us: thestateofit@thetimes.co.uk
Ukraine extra: burner phones and lost children
15:32|Join Caroline as she visits Ukraine on the fourth anniversary of Russia's invasion. Burner phones to make sure the Russians don't track them as they travel in on a train called the Bravery Express. A meeting with the first lady, and with a woman who was captured and held in a forced labour camp. Kyiv is a busy, modern city where some residents have to find tents to get heating and electricity.Caroline Wheeler, political editor, The Sunday TimesProducer: Euan DawtreyExecutive producer: Molly GuinnessPicture credit: Getty ImagesEmail us: thestateofit@thetimes.co.uk
A by-election reckoning — and unexploded bombs everywhere
31:52|Three separate scandals have raised serious questions over Keir Starmer's judgement. It's empowered Labour MPs who were once written off as cranks. And with many files still to come out, the questions will keep on coming.Meanwhile, the PM is selling the idea that the Gorton and Denton by-election is a two-horse race between Reform UK and Labour, but will voters believe him when the Green Party is campaigning hard on Gaza? Also, is parliament fit for purpose on the subject of the royal family?Steven Swinford, political editor, The TimesPatrick Maguire, chief political commentator, The TimesGabriel Pogrund, Whitehall editor, The Sunday TimesProducer: Euan DawtreyExecutive producer: Molly GuinnessPicture credit: Getty ImagesEmail us: thestateofit@thetimes.co.uk