Commons People

Dominic Cummings took no prisoners this week when laying out claims of a series of “disastrous” government failures that meant tens of thousands of people died of Covid unnecessarily. Conservative MP Bob Seely joins Arj Singh, Paul Waugh and Rachel Wearmouth to talk about the former No.10 aide's explosive select committee appearance, why the government needs to be better prepared for “black s...

Weeks of optimism and cheer as Covid restrictions were eased gave way to another bout of nationwide nervousness amid localised spikes in infections attributed to the variant of the virus first detected in India, prompting debates about how to contain the variant and whether the June 21 unlocking needs to be delayed. Labour MP and Keir Starmer’s new parliamentary private secretary Sharon Hodgson jo...

The government’s legislative agenda for the next year or so was unveiled in this week’s Queen’s Speech. But it was perhaps more notable for what wasn’t in it. Boris Johnson’s plan to reform social care was still absent despite his 2019 claim to voters that he had one prepared. And the prime minister is still struggling to define how he will “level up” left behind communities. Conservative MP Kevin...

Labour suffered a disastrous series of results in the “super Thursday” local elections, capped by a huge and humiliating defeat to the Tories in a parliamentary by-election in the red wall seat of Hartlepool. There were more losses in red wall and other marginal council areas with the Tories even taking control of Northumberland. It has led to serious questions about Keir Starmer’s leadership, Lab...

It’s been a nightmare week for Boris Johnson, who kicked the hornet’s nest when he blamed Dominic Cummings for a series of damaging leaks. The former adviser replied with a stinging public attack, which has left the prime minister fending off multiple bad headlines around his handling of the Covid crisis. On top of that, the Tories are now facing an Electoral Commission investigation into who fund...

Allegations of cronyism and government by WhatsApp have been intensifying around the Conservatives as Boris Johnson’s texts to manufacturer and Tory donor James Dyson add to the lobbying scandal engulfing former PM David Cameron and members of the Cabinet. Labour think they’ve found a message to take to the doorstep for local elections, but are claims of Tory sleaze enough to take power nationally...

With local elections around the corner, Boris Johnson’s Tories find themselves in a stronger position than they would have imagined just a few short months ago. Will the successful deployment of coronavirus vaccines wipe the memory of the issues Britain endured during repeated lockdowns, giving the prime minister a vaccine bounce? Arj Singh, Paul Waugh and Rachel Wearmouth are joined by Tory peer...

The scale of protests, anger and shared feeling amongst women that they aren’t safe in British society after the killing of Sarah Everard has sparked a change in attitudes towards women’s safety in Westminster. But is a government led by a prime minister who’s been accused of sexism multiple times really capable of the change needed? Joining Arj Singh, Paul Waugh and Rachel Wearmouth to discuss ho...

The disappearance of Sarah Everard, Harry and Meghan’s bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview, and the resignations of two government equality advisers have revealed just how much work there still is to do to make Britain a more equal society for all. Joining Arj Singh, Rachel Wearmouth and Paul Waugh, Tory chair of the Commons women and equalities committee, Caroline Nokes discusses the need for Royal...

This week Rishi Sunak delivered his heavily-trailed Budget, revealing a spend now, tax later approach to the economic recovery from coronavirus. It included big spending on Covid support measures but a sting in the tail as taxes were hiked to their highest level since the 1960s. There were also accusations of “pork barrel politics” as Tory areas benefited from funding for levelling up. Joining Arj...

After Boris Johnson revealed his “road map” for the country to exit lockdown but with the vaccination programme continuing to go well, attention is turning towards the path to economic recovery. What will chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Budget next week do to help those in need now? What might it tell us about the government’s vision for the future? And are vaccine passports inevitable to allow the econo...

As the lockdown continues in Britain, attitudes are changing across Westminster to problem gambling as restrictions leave people couple up at home, inundated with betting ads and turning to online gambling sites for entertainment. Can an unlikely cross-party coalition of campaigners bring about change? Labour MP and PPS to Keir Starmer, Carolyn Harris, joins Arj Singh, Paul Waugh and Rachel Wearmo...

The government is facing another big Tory rebellion, this time over the cladding scandal which has seen people trapped in unsafe, unsellable flats after the Grenfell disaster, because their buildings are covered in unsafe material. Boris Johnson’s lockdown caution is also causing consternation on the backbenches, as the vaccine rollout continues to move along at pace. Meanwhile, a week to forget f...

Monica Lennon and Anas Sarwar join Rachel Wearmouth and Paul Waugh to discuss what Scottish Labour’s future is in Scotland and what they would do as the next Scottish Labour leader.  Will they support an independence referendum? And how do they view the stewardship of the devolved government by the SNP in Holyrood? And what view do they take on Brexit affecting Scotland and its place in a pos...

Yet more sobering coronavirus death statistics this week raised the prospect of restrictions continuing for some while yet. And with lockdown comes renewed attention to the plight of many juggling work and childcare, with many left without the means to provide classes or food for their children. The government looks set to make another U-turn on Universal Credit - but was the political damage avoi...

This week Britain faced a grisly milestone, with the highest number of daily deaths with coronavirus reported. The government has vowed to get tough on members of the public who are flouting lockdown measures, but is that where blame should lie? As the government tries to explain that we’re all in this together, senior ex-MPs Caroline Flint and Caroline Spelman talk about their cross-party work to...

If you thought 2020 was bad, get a load of 2021. It started with Boris Johnson putting England into a seven-week coronavirus lockdown with cases spiralling out of control. In the race of injections versus infections, has the prime minister overpromised again? Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s desperate bid to cling to power despite losing the US election reached a day of reckoning as a pro-Trump mob storm...

Enjoy Christmas with your family, but don’t enjoy it too much, or for too long, or with too much of your family. That was the message from Boris Johnson this week as a coronavirus spike sparked a rethink of the government’s festive Covid message. Is the government right to emphasise personal responsibility over the long arm of the state? Not content with one national emergency, the prime minister...

Brexit talks were on, then off, then back on again after another crunch week of negotiations passed without Boris Johnson or the EU deciding to compromise and get a deal, or go for no deal. The prime minister’s dinner in Brussels with Ursula von der Leyen failed to break the deadlock and fears of no deal are rising with just weeks left until the end of the transition. Joining Arj Singh and Paul Wa...

This week brought the welcome news that the first coronavirus vaccine has been approved for use in the UK. Has the announcement on the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine come at a useful time for Boris Johnson as his backbenchers show their dismay at lockdown tiers being imposed across the country? Another potential pitfall for Johnson is the enduring Brexit negotiations that are going down to the wire - but...

Rishi Sunak warned that the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic was only beginning as he unveiled his spending review. While there were giveaways to former red wall seats to assist in ‘levelling up’, the decision to cut the overseas aid budget drew cross-party criticism. Will the government be forced to back down on the plans? Joining Arj Singh, Paul Waugh and Rachel Wearmouth, Tory forme...

Factional infighting ruled Westminster this week as two of its most divisive figures returned to the front pages. For Boris Johnson, Dominic Cummings leaving the No.10 team offered a chance to reset his government, only for another bout of isolation after coming into contact with an MP infected with coronavirus thwarting him. But in Labour, the reinstatement of former leader Jeremy Corbyn after hi...

Downing Street splits burst open this week with the resignation of Dominic Cummings ally and longstanding Boris Johnson aide Lee Cain as director of communications. Cummings didn’t follow through on threats to follow Cain out of the door but what may seem like a Westminster bubble story does really matter. Senior Tory MP Tom Tugendhat joins Arj Singh and Paul Waugh to discuss what’s going on in No...

Lockdown life returns to the UK but for the moment the country is gripped with the fiercely contested US presidential election. Joe Biden looks on course for victory and if he wins, will Donald Trump go quietly? And which outcome works in Britain’s favour? With attention elsewhere, the chancellor has performed another U-turn, this time on the furlough scheme, as England’s second lockdown begins. H...

In a parliamentary recess special, Matt Hancock’s former special adviser Jamie Njoku-Goodwin joins Arj Singh for Commons People to discuss his new role as chief executive of UK Music and their new study which looks at representation in the music industry. While the report shows encouraging news about representation of minorities, it has warned that it is concentrated in younger, more junior levels...