Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips

Adam Boulton and guests look at the state of the parties after this week's Old Bexley and Sidcup by-election in which the Conservatives held the seat with a reduced majority. The panel assess the impact of the Reform Party - which finished third - and speculate on when there could be another general election. They also reflect on the latest attempt by Sir Keir Starmer to get Labour on the front fo...

Adam Boulton and guests discuss the issue at the top of the political agenda - the distressing news of the deaths of 27 people who drowned in the English Channel trying to reach the UK. They also asses the Prime Minister's fortunes as Boris Johnson attempts to get back on the front foot after the sleaze row, the HS2 controversy, the rebellion on social care plans, a somewhat bungled speech to the...

Adam Boulton and guests discuss the government's levelling up agenda through the prism of changes to the HS2 and Northern Powerhouse rail projects. They also analyse the ongoing sleaze row which isn't going away despite the Prime Minister's attempts to close it down with a move to clean up the system. Joining Adam on the this week's podcast are the former Chair of the National Infrastructure Commi...

Adam Boulton and guests discuss the sleaze allegations circling UK politics. The controversy has focused on Conservative MPs with second jobs, Sir Geoffrey Cox carrying out paid external work from his House of Commons office and the issue of lobbying following the Owen Paterson row. Should MPs have second jobs and how should the Conservatives respond to the claims? Joining Adam this week are the S...

Adam Boulton and guests analyse the good, the bad and the bubbly from this week's Budget statement by Rishi Sunak. Big spending commitments in line with Brown and Blair rather than Osborne and Cameron - and big tax rises to boot, with the tax burden now at a level not seen since 1949. A big boost for workers on Universal Credit and a business rate discount for shops, restaurants and gyms.. But wit...

Adam Boulton and guests discuss two types of risk this week. The risk to the public from Covid as ministers rule out introducing a Plan B to tackle rising cases of the virus - a decision which seems at odds with the advice from from the British Medical Association and the NHS Confederation. And the panel assess the risk to MPs and their safety as they remember Sir David Amess MP who died on Octobe...

Brexit is back on the agenda this week as Adam Boulton and guests discuss the thorny issue of Northern Ireland protocol. Negotiations have resumed between the UK and the European Union over the implementation of the protocol with the EU offering concessions on checks. But the role of the European Court of Justice appears the major sticking point so what next? Joining Adam this week are the former...

Adam Boulton and guests reflect on the Conservative Party conference in Manchester where Boris Johnson outlined an optimistic vision for the country against a backdrop of rising prices and the removal of the Universal Credit uplift. Plenty of focus on the 'levelling up' agenda and a high wage, high skill, high productivity economy - but very little in terms of hard policies. Joining Adam are the c...

Adam Boulton and guests reflect on Labour's conference in Brighton where Sir Keir Starmer had to overcome internal rows and a resignation before making his pitch to the party and the country in his first 'in person' speech as leader. And with the perfect storm of a supply chain problem, the end of the furlough scheme, the universal credit cut, and a cost of living crisis we'll look ahead to the Co...

Adam Boulton and guests look ahead to the Labour Party conference in Brighton as Keir Starmer finally gets his wish to address the party faithful in person. The leader has already outlined his vision in a 14 thousand word essay on 'The Road Ahead' but it could be a bumpy one as he grapples with the issue of changing the one-member-one vote approach to leadership elections. Joining Adam to preview...

Adam Boulton and guests discuss the ins and outs of the Prime Minister's reshuffle and asses what they mean for Boris Johnson's government as he looks to grip both the domestic and international agendas for the months ahead. They also analyse the UK, US Australia security pact designed to help equip Australia with a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines - in what's seen as the latest effort to count...

Adam Boulton and guests deliver an end of term report as Boris Johnson marks two years as Prime Minister. The pledges made on the steps of Number Ten Downing Street in 2019 have been overshadowed somewhat by the coronavirus pandemic. But what about the future? How can he reset the agenda to achieve the goals he set out on that sunny day in Westminster two years ago. Joining Adam this week are the...

Adam Boulton and guests assess the government's Covid gamble after the Prime Minister lifted all remaining restrictions in England against a backdrop of increasing infections and deaths. The vaccination programme is powering on but those IN power have had to change tack somewhat over the issue of self-isolation and so called 'vaccine passports' which will soon be required at nightclubs and other l...

Adam Boulton and guests discuss politics and racism, two issues which have come together this week following the online abuse received by some of England's footballers after the defeat to Italy in the final of Euro 2020. This in the week the Runnymede Trust published a report suggesting racism is still 'systemic' in England and that people from ethnically diverse backgrounds still face inequalitie...

As England is gripped by football fever ahead of the Euro 2020 final, Adam Boulton and guests assess the impact on the political scene in the country. They discus English identity and so called 'gesture politics' as the debate over taking the knee and booing national anthems continues. Joining Adam this week are: The editor-in-chief of The New Statesman and author of 'Who Are We Now? Stories of Mo...

Adam Boulton and guests assess the fallout from the Batley and Spen by election as Labour hold on with a slim majority. What does the result mean for Sir Keir Starmer and his party following the recent defeat in Hartlepool and the losses in the local elections? And what about the Conservatives who failed to add another blue brick to the red wall and follows the defeat in Amersham. The panel also d...

Adam Boulton and guests assess the dynamic between numbers 10 and 11 Downing Street and the apparent tensions over the approach to tax and spend. Can the government keep its manifesto promise on the pensions triple lock and the pledge to sort out social care in England 'once and for all?' And what about the 200 million pound bill to pay for the successor to the Royal Yacht Britannia. It's all abou...

Adam Boulton and guests reflect on the week that was on the home and international fronts. The fallout from the G7 summit in Cornwall, the ongoing row over the Northern Ireland protocol, the Prime Minister's decision to delay removing all Covid restrictions in England by four weeks and the latest explosive claims by his former adviser Dominic Cummings. They also examine this week's meeting between...

Adam Boulton and guests assess the UK's place in the world as the G7 summit gets underway in Cornwall. Where are we with the special relationship with the US? How are the leaders going to address the coronavirus pandemic and accelerate the progress of vaccinating the world? And what about the row over the government's decision to cut the aid budget which has angered many Conservative MPs this week...

Adam Boulton and guests discuss the explosive evidence given by the Prime Minister's former adviser Dominic Cummings to two select committees on the government's handling of the pandemic. In seven hours of testimony, Mr Cummings said that 'tens of thousands of people died, who didn't need to die,' suggested Boris Johnson is 'not fit for office' and argued that the Health Secretary should have been...

Adam Boulton and guests focus on government messaging and decision making on Covid restrictions. With the Indian variant of the virus being talked about as a potential threat to the June 21st 'grand reopening' what options are open to the Prime Minister. And what exactly ARE the rules on travelling somewhere on the 'Amber' list after a week of somewhat mixed messaging. Joining Adam this week are:...

Adam Boulton and guests examine the fallout from last week's elections from a Labour perspective and assess the government's policy agenda following the Queen's Speech. They also look ahead to the public inquiry into the government's handling of coronavirus pandemic. Joining Adam this week are the Assistant Comment Editor at The Telegraph Olivia Utley, The Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee and Sky'...

Adam Boulton and guests discuss the fallout from the Hartlepool by-election as the Conservatives take the seat from Labour for the first time in 57 years. Another chunk of the Red Wall has been dismantled leading to some tough questions for Sir Keir Starmer over his grip on Labour and its future direction. Joining Adam to analyse where it went wrong for Labour are the Director of the IPPR North th...

Adam Boulton and guests examine another challenging week for the Prime Minister who's faced days of scrutiny over allegations of inappropriate comments and sleaze. Who paid for what and when in terms of the refurbishment of the Downing Street flat? Did he suggest he would rather see bodies piled high than order another lockdown? The panel assess the Prime Minister's handling of events, why all thi...

A podcast of two halves this week as Adam Boulton and guests asses the political response to the frantic 48 hours in football as plans for a European Super League veered into offside territory. They also dissect what Keir Starmer has referred to as 'sleaze, sleaze, sleaze' over lobbying in Westminster. Joining Adam are the Chief Executive of the Business Services Association and Deputy Chairman of...