Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips

Adam Boulton and guests look ahead to the May elections in England, Scotland and Wales on what will be the first electoral test since the coronavirus outbreak and the UK's departure from the European Union. They assess the key issues in the run up to 6th May and explore whether the current system of local governance works. Joining Adam this week are the Visiting Professor in the Department of Gove...

Adam Boulton and guests discuss the row between the EU and the UK over so called vaccine nationalism as the Prime Minister warns against blockades. They also debate the issues around protests sparked by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill and they weigh up the arguments on the 'papers for the pub' proposals too. Joining Adam on the podcast this week are the Europe correspondent for The I...

This week Boris Johnson outlined his security and defence strategy for the post-Brexit world. It included a plan to lift the number of nuclear warheads the UK is prepared to stockpile, a proposal to strengthen trade links with China and an ambition to make Britain a science and tech superpower. Adam Boulton is joined by Patricia Lewis, who leads in the International Security Programme at Chatham H...

This week, politics and royalty collide as Adam Boulton and guests discuss the fallout from the interview given by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to Oprah Winfrey. They discus the rise of opinion-led broadcasting and they touch on the controversial issue of nurses pay. Joining Adam this week are the columnist Tim Walker, The Economist's senior editor Anne McElvoy and Sky's chief political correspo...

Adam Boulton and guests focus on the complicated row at the heart of politics in Scotland where - in the past week - Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon have given lengthy evidence to a Holyrood inquiry investigating the handling of harassment complaints against Mr Salmond. What's been happening in the Scottish Parliament and where does it leave the First Minister, the SNP and the future of the indep...

Adam Boulton and guests discuss the different approaches to easing lockdown in England and Scotland and whether power should come from the centre or be fairly dispersed in Edinburgh and London. Also this week, have the old left versus right battles over tax now disappeared as we prepare for the Chancellor's Budget next week? Joining Adam for political discussion and analysis are Professor of Polit...

Adam Boulton and guests assess Boris Johnson's options ahead of his announcement on lockdown restrictions next week and the longer term prospects for Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader after his big speech on the economy. Joining Adam this week are the chief leader writer at The Observer, Sonia Sodha; Conservative commentator Tim Montgomerie and Sky's chief political correspondent Jon Craig.

Adam Boulton and guests discuss the Cabinet's messaging on summer holidays and the recent Parliamentary rows over Freedom of Information and genocide. What links the Trade Bill and the government's position on genocide and why have newspapers formed an alliance to raise concerns about FoI requests? Joining Adam this week are the Labour MP for Rhondda Chris Bryant, the Mail on Sunday's deputy polit...

What next for the United Kingdom? This week, there's a state of the union flavour to the podcast with Brexit tensions in Northern Ireland following the row over vaccine exports AND issues in the Scottish National party following the sacking of Joanna Cherry from the front bench. That as the 'who knew what and when' row between Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond continues and threatens to derail any...

In the week when the UK officially recorded 100 thousand Covid-19 related deaths and worldwide infections topped 100 million, Adam Boulton and guests discuss the response to the pandemic and the European vaccines row. The UK has a good vaccines story to tell with more than 7 million people having received their first jab. But an argument has been brewing between the European Commission and the dru...

Adam Boulton hosts from Washington DC where Joe Biden has been inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States of America. Adam and guests discuss the immediate priorities for the Biden administration but the main focus this week is on the coronavirus pandemic, the political decisions that lie ahead and the continuing impact on the economy. What is the data telling us about the virus and is...

Adam Boulton hosts a US Special from Washington DC and this week the panel discuss the extraordinary events in Congress as Donald Trumps is impeached for a second time - and in his final week as President. They also assess whether the Joe Biden era will mark the beginning of the Kamala Harris effect on international relations and what is in store for the UK/US relationship. And what next for the p...

Adam Boulton and guests discuss a significant couple of weeks in politics in the UK and the US and look ahead to the political events of 2021. They reflect on the shocking scenes in Washington DC as Congress prepared to confirm Joe Biden as the next US President, the free trade agreement between the UK and the EU and the latest on the Coronavirus pandemic as the vaccine rollout coincides with the...

Adam Boulton and guests review a significant political year choosing their people and moments of the past 12 months. Coronavirus has dominated the political landscape and as well as the domestic developments, there have been some seismic moments in the US too. Joining Adam in the final episode of 2020 are the journalist and author Rob Hutton, the comment editor of City AM Rachel Cunliffe and Sky N...

Adam Boulton and guests are on familiar territory this week as we await an outcome on talks about a post-Brexit trade deal between the UK and the European Union. 'Major differences' remain, we're told, after a meeting between the Prime Minister and the European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen in Brussels. They DID agree for their negotiators to continue discussions and for a 'firm decisi...

Adam Boulton and guests discuss the political fallout from the Tory rebellion over England's covid 'tier' system which replaced the national lockdown. They also assess the delicate state of the Brexit negotiations as the end of the transition period looms. Plus, was it 'thanks to Brexit' that the the UK was able to move quickly on regulatory approval for a vaccine? And what about the timetable for...

Adam Boulton and guests assess the Chancellor's Spending Review with a particular focus on the decision to cut the international budget from 0.7 to 0.5 percent. The move breaks a Conservative manifesto commitment and causes the Prime Minister some political discomfort with the threat of a backbench rebellion. And what of the Brexit endgame? No mention of the 'B' word in Rishi Sunak's statement but...

Adam Boulton and guests discuss the Prime Minister's 'relaunch' after the rather public behind the scenes battles in Number Ten. Where does the command lie in the corridors of power? The plans were derailed somewhat by Boris Johnson having to self-isolate in Downing Street before apparently telling a group of Conservative MPs in northern England that 'devolution had been a disaster north of the bo...

Adam Boulton and guests assess the fallout from the US Presidential election and examine what the near future holds for the UK's 'special relationship' with America under a Joe Biden administration. They also discuss the challenges ahead on handling the coronavirus pandemic during a week in which we have edged closer to vaccine but also marked the sad milestone of 50 thousand Covid-related deaths...

Adam Boulton and guests discuss an extraordinary week for Labour as the party suspends its former leader Jeremy Corbyn following his response to a report by the human rights watchdog on anti-Semitism. They also assess the state of play in the United States as America prepares to decide between another four years of Donald Trump or a change of direction with the Democrat challenger Joe Biden. Joini...

Adam Boulton and guests discuss the devolution deals across England as the Prime Minister battles on several fronts over coronavirus restrictions. They discuss the government's financial fight with Greater Manchester's Mayor Andy Burnham and assess how damaging this row could be to Boris Johnson particularly in northern England where red wall Conservative MPs have been in mutinous mood. Also, divi...

Brexit and Covid collide on this week's episode as Adam Boulton and guests examine the political movements on both topics. Boris Johnson's deadline for a free trade agreement is upon us and we're not quite in the so-called 'tunnel' phase of the negotiations. So where are we? Also this week, more tension between the government, scientists and regional leaders over coronavirus restrictions as the Pr...

As Nicola Sturgeon introduces tighter restrictions across Scotland in response to rising cases of Covid-19, the government is reportedly planning to close pubs and restaurants in parts of northern England from next week. Adam Boulton and guests assess the politics of the decision making as the burden of fighting the coronavirus appears to fall on those 'red wall' areas which helped Boris Johnson s...

Adam Boulton and guests discuss the fall out from the chaotic 'interruptathon' - the first US Presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden - and examine the significance of the US election to the UK. Also, the Prime Minister and his government are reprimanded by the Speaker of the House of Commons over Coronavirus legislation - on the day Boris Johnson asks the country for forbearance an...

Adam Boulton and guests discuss the new restrictions imposed across the UK in response to the rising cases of coronavirus. Too far or not far enough? And with differences of approach by the devolved nations as Scotland and Northern Ireland go further than England, are we starting to witness the slow motion evaporation of the Union? Also, this would have been the week in which the Labour leader was...