Electoral Dysfunction

Beth, Harriet and Ruth reassemble after Angela Rayner’s resignation prompts one of the biggest cabinet reshuffles in years. She admitted she didn’t pay enough stamp duty on the purchase of a new home and, after an ethics investigation, quit as deputy prime minister and housing secretary. David Lammy takes the deputy role with a move to justice secretary. Keir Starmer’s had two resets in a week – c...

Was the deputy prime minister trying to evade and dodge tax? Is she a 'hypocrite'? Or was she simply doing what she thought was the right thing?    Beth takes Ruth and Harriet behind the scenes of her interview with Angela Rayner this week as they ask whether she will survive in government, or if she will have to resign.    It all emerged after Rayner admitted she didn't pay enough tax on her home...

In an exclusive interview, the Deputy Prime Minister admits she considered resigning after discovering she didn’t pay enough stamp duty on her second home.      After weeks of speculation in the papers, Angela Rayner reveals what really happened – she tells Beth she got inaccurate expert advice and was unable to speak out before due to confidential clauses in place to protect her son, who she is o...

In their final summer Q&A, Beth, Ruth, and Harriet dig into why politics feels permanently stuck in panic mode.     Why does it feel like there's an election imminent when the prime minister isn't required to call one for four years? What's fuelling the chaos? And is the media to blame?     Plus, your questions on whether Reform defections are actually a problem for the Tory party, what happen...

Can Britain afford both welfare and warfare? Beth takes us inside the row that could define Sir Keir Starmer's premiership. From that huge Commons rebellion over welfare cuts to the looming pressure on defence spending, how can the government look after Britain at home, whilst holding the line abroad? For this special episode, Beth speaks to the former chancellor Jeremy Hunt and ex-Labour welfare...

Nigel Farage's Reform won more than 40% of seats at May's council elections. The Conservatives lost control of 16 English councils and won 20% of seats - one of the lowest proportions in the past two decades.      How do the Tories make sure they keep right-wing voters at future elections?      Beth talks to shadow chancellor, and former work and pensions secretary, Mel Stride on this episode abou...

Jeremy Corbyn's back - with Zarah Sultana and a new party. But is it a real threat to Labour, or just political theatre?      This week Beth, Ruth and Harriet answer your questions on whether Corbyn's comeback could fracture the left and hand seats to the Tories and Reform.     What does it mean for Starmer? Could the Green Party seize the moment? And is this a political headache - or just a red h...

Anneliese Dodds sits down with Beth Rigby for her first long-form interview since stepping down from Labour's front bench. Reflecting on the party's first year in power, the former International Development Minister and Women and Equalities Minister reveals what happened the moment she decided to resign from Sir Keir Starmer's government - and the "uncomfortable" days she spent in the run up to te...

Summer is here and the government is worrying about riots on the streets. In their final episode of this political term, Beth, Ruth and Harriet unpack No 10's briefing this week that Angela Rayner has warned about the risk of civil unrest, almost a year on from the murders in Southport that sparked a summer of violent protests. So what is the government's strategy?  And what's really going on in t...

Who knew what about the Afghan data leak? And could anyone in parliament have done more to help scrutinise the government at the time of the superinjunction? Harriet thinks so.      So in this episode, Beth, Ruth, and Harriet talk about the massive breach, the secret court hearings, and the constitutional chaos it’s unleashed.       Plus - the fallout from the latest Labour rebellion. Four MPs hav...

There's a new plan for deterring migrants from crossing the channel and coming to the UK - but will it actually work?  This week, Beth, Ruth and Harriet have a deep dive into one of the most divisive and defining political issues of our time: migration.  In the week France's President Emmanuel Macron has been hobnobbing with the great and the good on his state visit to the UK, he's also agreed a n...

Could Reform UK get their first taste of government next year? They're the biggest party for Welsh voters, according to exclusive polling from More in Common ahead of the Senedd elections next year.    But what does this mean for Labour? The party was founded in Wales and since devolution in 1999, they've run the government there. Are they now scared of Reform?    So in this extra episode of Elect...

Happy 1st anniversary, Keir Starmer.  He wanted to be talking about what he sees as Labour’s achievements after 12 months in goverment and his 10-year plan for the NHS.     But, after another dramatic policy U-turn and the sight of his own chancellor crying at PMQs, when he kept his support for her slightly vague, Beth Rigby, Harriet Harman and Ruth Davidson discuss if his start in office has been...

It sounds like concessions are being offered to the dozens of Labour MPs who had threatened to rebel over the government’s planned welfare cuts.  On this episode, Beth, Ruth, and Harriet went over the possible options for the Prime Minister. They also talk about what Keir Starmer needs to learn from the chaos of the past few days.   Plus, is President Trump the "daddy" in his handling of the Israe...

Days after Keir Starmer told Beth that a US strike on Iran wasn’t imminent, Trump ordered US bunker busters to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities.     But the UK’s position on the attacks are unclear. The focus is not on what the Prime Minister is saying – but what he isn’t saying. After a brief interview, it’s clear Keir Starmer isn’t willing to either endorse the strikes, or criticise President Trum...

Is Donald Trump about to join Israel in attacks on Iran, and will he ask Keir Starmer to help him out? If he does - would it even be legal? A lot has happened since Beth, Ruth and Harriet last got together, with further significant developments expected before a big NATO summit next week - a gathering we don't even know if the US president will turn up to. So how did we get to the point where we'r...

A landmark bill is due to be voted on in the House of Commons next week that could decriminalise abortion for women in England and Wales.     Currently, any woman who has had an abortion after 24 weeks - without two doctors signing it off - could be jailed under a Victorian law. So why has it taken until 2025 for this vote? And who are the women whose stories have led to a potential change in the...

As Rachel Reeves prepares for next week’s spending review, Beth explains why it could be a defining moment for the government and the chancellor is faced with difficult choices.  Harriet talks about the two-child benefit cap and whether the government can afford to scrap it.   And as Sir Keir Starmer puts the country on a war footing, Sky's defence correspondent Deborah Haynes joins Beth, Ruth and...

Beth is catching up with Andy Burnham - the Mayor of Greater Manchester – in his office for an extra episode this week, recorded on Tuesday. It’s just days to go until the chancellor unveils her Spending Review, and it’s set to be good news for the North – they are about to get billions for big transport projects. But is that a good enough offer to keep working-class Labour voters interested? Burn...

Nigel Farage is using parliamentary recess to grab the microphone – he's been out and about during the half term holiday criticising the government and claiming Reform UK as the party for families. Harriet and Ruth ask whether he’s been smart in copying the tactics we’re used to seeing from leaders of the opposition.    It’s just a week on from that EU debate he missed in the House of Commons beca...

Are Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves falling out over winter fuel payments? Beth tells us what she’s been hearing in Westminster about a rift between the pair and although it’s denied by Number 11, she’s heard there’s a “palpable tension” between the principal players over the change in policy.     Also, with a vote on welfare reforms coming up next month Beth, Harriet Harman and Ruth Davidson discu...

Another week, another sticky situation for the prime minister and some of his MPs - this time it's centred around his language on immigration. When Sir Keir Starmer announced his White Paper, he argued that Britain "risked becoming an island of strangers" if immigration levels were not cut. So was he intentionally evoking Enoch Powell's infamous 1968 Rivers Of Blood speech? Or was this a big mista...

With Ruth away, Beth and Harriet are joined by Salma Shah, a former Conservative special adviser from 2014-2018 and now a political commentator.      They unpack Donald Trump's surprise UK trade deal announcement and what it means for Keir Starmer, who's also landed a deal with India and is gearing up for key EU negotiations.       But while the global optics look strong, the domestic mood is tens...

Beth Rigby, Harriet Harman, and Ruth Davidson assemble for an elections debrief.   Beth's been following a very happy Nigel Farage after Reform gained an MP in Runcorn, took the Greater Lincolnshire mayoralty and seized control of several councils.   But, how does the party promising change in its very name prove itself with greater power and responsibility?   They also discuss how Keir Starmer re...

Beth, Harriet and Ruth discuss the UK Supreme Court's judgment on how a woman should be defined in law.  They also hear from Ellie, a trans woman who says she's now afraid for her safety and her future.  Harriet literally wrote the law in question, the Equality Act 2010 - she and the team dig into what the judgement means for individuals and institutions across the country.  And on May 1st, there...