Talking Politics

Shockwaves are surging through British politics after a dramatic by-election in Gorton and Denton. In this episode of Talking Politics, Robert and Tom unpack what the Greens’ victory means for Labour - was Starmer “nuts” for not taking the left-wing party more seriously? And will he have to step down? With cries of dodgy practices and unfair treatment, they also discuss ‘family voting’ and whether...

In a week that started with Peter Mandelson's arrest, and will end with a crucial by-election for the PM, Tom and Robert discuss whether Mandelson's arrest will prove terminal for Starmer. They unpack why Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle warned the Met that Mandelson was a flight risk - triggering his arrest. The former Business Secretary denies any wrongdoing, and says his overriding priority is to...

Meet Senator Mark Kelly: distinguished Navy Pilot, NASA astronaut and Democratic Senator for Arizona, but when Kelly urged service members to refuse illegal orders, Donald Trump said he should be punished “by death”. Trump later clarified, "I'm not threatening death, but I think they're in serious trouble." Now Kelly's contemplating a run for the Presidency himself. Tom sits down with the Senator...

Tom and Robert discuss how much trouble how much trouble Sir Keir Starmer is in, who could replace him as PM and how Labour chooses a new leader. It follows the latest relation that Downing Street's former Director of Communications Matthew Doyle was given a peerage, despite him campaining in 2017 for a councillor who had been charged with child sex offences. At Prime Minister's Questions, Starmer...

Can Sir Keir Starmer survive the Peter Mandelson scandal? Tom Bradby and Robert Peston discuss his chances, after Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar becomes the most senior serving Labour figure to call for the PM to stand down. It comes after the resignation of Downing Street Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney, who had masterminded Starmer's path to power but accepted responsibility for advising the...

Tom and Robert discuss the Peter Mandelson fallout, after the former Business Secretary was forced to resign from the Labour Party and the House of Lords following the latest release of Epstein files. Amongst the 3m documents are emails appearing to show that at the height of the financial crisis, Mandelson was sharing highly sensitive government information with the sex-offender financier. So wha...

As Keir Starmer tries to shake off the backlash of Andy Burnham's failed bid to get on the ballot for the Gorton and Denton by-election...what really went on behind closed doors? Downing Street and the Greater Manchester Mayor have both denied reports he was told in advance that he would be blocked by Labour's ruling National Executive Committee. But Robert Peston has the inside story. And with La...

Why has Keir Starmer ruled out economic retaliation against Donald Trump’s new tariff threat over the US purchase of Greenland? And what options does it leave him and other world leaders to persuade the US president not to bring in 10% tariffs on 1 February for Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Finland? Tom Bradby and Robert Peston discuss the fallout from Trum...

Rachel Reeves today unveiled a huge rail infrastructure project, the long-awaited Northern Powerhouse Rail, which she insists "isn't just political, this is personal. "But her big announcement comes on the day of yet another U-turn by the government, this time on digital IDs. So, has the latest volte-face overshadowed the Chancellor's big day? And with all these U-turns stacking up, we ask the see...

Do you want to buy your own home? Are you a renter paying record high housing costs? Are you a council tenant living in squalid conditions? Or are you one of the 350,000 homeless without a place to live, trapped in temporary accommodation? Having unearthed British housing at its very worst, Investigations Editor Daniel Hewitt grills Housing Secretary Steve Reed on what Labour are doing to solve th...

Tom Bradby and Robert Peston discuss President Trump's frenetic start to 2026, which has escalated fears of a military seizure of Nato territory Greenland. As Robert explains, Trump's obsession with the giant Danish island is not going to go away. Trump says it's in the interest of ‘national security’ - but is there something else driving him? Something which Greenland has - and which China has -...

It's Trump vs the BBC as the President of the United States attempts to sue the broadcaster for $10bn over its Panorama documentary. The BBC has admitted it made a "mistake" with its edit of a Trump speech on the day his supporters stormed the Capitol. The President's lawyers said it falsely portrayed him as a "violent insurrectionist" and was a “brazen attempt” to interfere in the US election. Th...

Tom and Robert discuss Trump's National Security Strategy - a 33-page document which sets down in black and white his vision of the world, and which has ramped up anxiety across Europe. In it, the threat of aggression from Russia and President Putin are all but disregarded - no wonder Moscow says it's 'largely consistent' with their own vision for global affairs. There's also little attention paid...

Warning: This episode contains some discussion of racist language which listeners may find distressing. A week on from Rachel Reeves' Budget, Paul Brand and Robert Peston take stock of the extraordinary row between the Treasury, the Chancellor, and the OBR over who knew and said what about the public finances in the preceding weeks. Robert says it's the result of one of the 'biggest shambles in te...

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has finally revealed her Budget plans, albeit after the Office for Budget Responsibility published them first, by mistake. But will tax rise upon tax rise win over doubting voters - or will her tactic to delay many of the key measures coming in return to haunt Labour? In Talking Politics, Paul Brand and Robert Peston are joined by Professor Jane Green, director of the Nuff...

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has told ITV News his government has restored respect to politics since coming into power. When he came into Downing Street in July 2024, Starmer promised to "restore honesty and integrity to government”. However, since then, it's fair to say it's been a stormy ride for him and the Labour Party. Shortly after becoming prime minister, he attracted attention for the s...

After months of furious speculation, briefing, leaking, and U-turning, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves is finalising her all-important second Budget. It now looks like the rates of income tax won't rise after all - but, as Robert explains, there is a more hidden 'tax' on income that will affect millions of British workers and raise billions of pounds. How will it all affect you, and how will it affec...

It is about to get a lot harder to claim asylum in Britain. The Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced significant changes to the UK's immigration system - the biggest, the government claims, of the modern era. She insists they will 'unite a divided country', but denies playing a political game to gain support from Reform voters.  Robert sat down with the Home Secretary to dig into the plans...

This week on Talking Politics, Tom Bradby and Robert Peston analyse the rumours of a coup to oust Sir Keir Starmer. In an extraordinary 24 hours, the Health Secretary Wes Streeting is forced to deny on the record that he wants the top job. And the Prime Minister has had to say he will fight any leadership challenge. Also, what next for the BBC after the Director General resigns and Donald Trump th...

Rachel Reeves has, once again, said it without really saying it: Brace yourselves for tax rises. In an unusual pre-budget speech today, the Chancellor said she would "make the choices necessary” as speculation mounts that she is preparing to raise income tax to help fill a gap in the public finances. In her first in-depth interview since becoming Labour's deputy leader, Tom and Robert are joined b...

In this episode of Talking Politics, Tom Bradby and political editor Robert Peston analyse the Chancellor's dwindling options for her upcoming budget and predict the impact of the decisions she might make. They discuss how Rachel Reeves will fill that multi-billion-pound hole in the country's finances, whether she will increase income tax despite previous promises not to, and how she can hold onto...

Robert is joined by the Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, who says he wants his children to feel "confident" in the UK and England flags.  The Deputy PM - and Justice Secretary - claimed the flag was being appropriated by the far-right. He also spoke about a new AI tool being used in the justice system to help transcribe interviews. And he said it was "right" that MPs scrutinise Prince Andrew's l...

Tom Bradby and Robert Peston chat with Lord Simon Case, who has served as right-hand man to both Prince William and four Prime Ministers, as Cabinet Secretary. They discuss the growing pressure on the government to officially strip Prince Andrew of all his titles, including his Dukedom. Lord Case also breaks down the threat China poses to the UK and explains why No.10 remains dysfunctional over a...

Dominic Cummings has disclosed in an exclusive interview with ITV News that government data has been stored on infrastructure owned and controlled by Chinese interests. He told the Talking Politics podcast that he had been warned about the Chinese ownership in “early 2020”, shortly after becoming chief aide to the then Prime Minister Boris Johnson. UK official sources have confirmed to Peston that...

Donald Trump has hailed the Gaza ceasefire as a new dawn but what obstacles still stand in the way of lasting peace in the Middle East? A diplomatic solution has long been sort but the President has a different approach: money. Will he be able to successfully sell the commercial opportunities of peace in the long term?  Robert and Tom also weigh up Tony Blair's potential part in the path to peace,...