The Rundown by PoliticsHome

Explore one of Parliament’s  – if not one of the country’s – most incredible buildings: Westminster Hall. Historians describe the incredible and brutal secrets held within its walls from 1,000 years of British politics, where major figures from Charles I to Barack Obama have made history. MPs describe how it is still used by politicians for their work today. Hosted by Alain Tolhurst, written...

Every year MPs and their staff receive thousands of requests for help from the people they are elected to represent – ranging from everyday problems about bin collections and parking spaces, to highly sensitive pleas about immigration, medical care and crime. Former Lib Dem leader Tim Farron and dedicated caseworkers speak to PoliticsHome about the vital work their staff in offices across the leng...

📖 PoliticsHome explores how everything politicians say in Parliament is recorded for posterity in something known as Hansard. ✍ We ask historians, MPs and Hansard staff what it's like live transcribing history. How Westminster Works is a new series from PoliticsHome that takes a deep dive into the history, quirks and peculiar practices of UK politics. Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick...

Supporters of the two Tory party leadership contenders, MPs Richard Holden and Alec Shelbrooke, join Alain Tolhurst and Caitlin Doherty from PoliticsHome to talk about radical energy plans, blue-on-blue attacks and the upcoming hustings facing Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss.

As the Tory party leadership contest comes down to the final two candidates Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, supporters of the rivals Simon Hart and Greg Smith join Alain Tolhurst and Eleanor Langford from PoliticsHome to look ahead to where the second stage of the race to replace Boris Johnson will be won and lost, as the pair set out their competing views on taxation in an attempt to win over Tory par...

Conservative Party leadership underdog Rehman Chishti joins PoliticsHome's Alain Tolhurst and Adam Payne to explain why has no regrets about launching his short-lived bid to be the next Prime Minister and hopes his campaign will be remembered for self-belief and conviction above all else. We also discuss the volatile first week of the Tory leadership race, and how it looks to shape up as it enters...

In a special emergency episode of the podcast PoliticsHome reporters Eleanor Langford, Adam Payne and Alain Tolhurst discuss the dramatic resignation of Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The team have been at the heart of the action in Westminster, and give firsthand accounts of the mood inside SWI in what has been a historic week in British politics. And, with Johnson on his way out, they ask: what's...

BPAS' Katherine O'Brien and Baroness Hayter join PoliticsHome's Alain Tolhurst and Adam Payne to discuss the reverberations of the US Supreme Court's overturning of Roe Vs Wade, meaning abortion is now banned or severely restricted in a number of American states. The historic roll-back of women's rights exposes the fragility of UK abortion law, and the long term campaign by MPs to rewrite the law...

Transport select committee chair Huw Merriman joins PoliticsHome reporters Alain Tolhurst, Eleanor Langford and Noa Hoffman to discuss this week’s national rail strikes, public sector pay, RMT union boss Mick Lynch’s cult hero status and what impact a double by-election defeat may have on Boris Johnson’s leadership. The Rundown is presented by Alain Tolhurst, Eleanor Langford and Noa Hoffman. The...

Labour shadow minister Stephanie Peacock and Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney join PoliticsHome's Alain Tolhurst and Adam Payne to look ahead to the double by-election next Thursday and reflect on another hectic week in Westminster. The Rundown is presented by Alain Tolhurst and Adam Payne. The editor is Laura Silver. Produced and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot.

Former government anti-corruption chief, John Penrose, who dramatically resigned over partygate this week, and Onward director Will Tanner join PoliticsHome's Alain Tolhurst and Eleanor Langford to assess the aftermath of Boris Johnson's wounding confidence vote and what Downing Street is doing to win back the trust of rebel MPs. 

Chair of the Northern Research Group of Tory MPs Jake Berry critiques Rishi Sunak's plan to tackle the cost of living crisis and challenges Boris Johnson to "rip up the civil service rule book" and save the “Levelling Up” agenda. The Rundown is presented by Alain Tolhurst and Adam Payne. The editor is Laura Silver. Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey joins PoliticsHome to discuss the fallout from Sue Gray’s final report into the partygate saga, Rishi Sunak’s windfall tax U-turn, and his party’s own plans to take advantage of Boris Johnson’s woes at the polls and force the Tories out of government. The Rundown is presented by Alain Tolhurst and Eleanor Langford. The editor is Laura Silver. Produced and edited by Nick...

Labour’s Justin Madders and the Institute for Government's Alex Thomas join PoliticsHome’s Alain Tolhurst and Suzannah Brecknell, co-editor of PoliticsHome's sister publication Civil Service World to pick through the government’s plans to shake up Whitehall with 91,000 job cuts and put an end to working from home. The Rundown is presented by Alain Tolhurst. The editor is Laura Silver. Produced and...

Former Northern Ireland secretary Julian Smith and Irish Times columnist Finn McRedmond unpack a seismic week in Northern Irish politics, which looks likely to amp up further as the UK threatens to rip up the contentious protocol.  The Rundown is presented by Alain Tolhurst and Adam Payne. The editor is Laura Silver. Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Elections analyst Lord Robert Hayward joins PoliticsHome's Eleanor Langford and Adam Payne to unpack what you should watch for as the local election results unfold. Voters headed to the polls on Thursday to cast their votes for over 6,800 council seats across England, Wales and Scotland . These elections have been tipped as both a referendum on Boris Johnson’s leadership and a key political test f...

Caroline Nokes – Conservative MP and chair of the women and equalities committee, and Abena Oppong-Asare – Labour MP and chair of the Labour Women's Network, join PoliticsHome reporters Eleanor Langford and Noa Hoffman to discuss the continued issue of misogyny in parliament, as Westminster once again reckons with scandal over sexism after an MP was accused of watching porn in parliament. 

Conservative MP Stephen Hammond and the Institute for Government's Dr Alice Lilly join PoliticsHome's Adam Payne and Noa Hoffman to discuss the government's dramatic privileges committee U-turn and the latest threat to Boris Johnson's leadership.

Labour leader Keir Starmer issues a strongly-worded attack on the Prime Minister's character in an interview with Political Editor Adam Payne. Starmer insists that he has “nothing in common” with Boris Johnson as he questions the Prime Minister’s integrity and ability to lead the country at a time of crisis. He addresses the row over LGBT+ rights playing out across Westminster, accusing the g...

Leading pollsters Sir John Curtice and Chris Curtice join PoliticsHome's Eleanor Langford and Adam Payne to offer insight into how the public is feeling about the government as 'partygate' rages on and the grip of the cost-of-living crisis tightens.  "Once someone gets a reputation for not telling the truth, it is very difficult to recover," Curtice, a Professor of Politics at the University...

Emily Thornberry, Labour's shadow attorney general, joins PoliticsHome's Eleanor Langford and Adam Payne on this week's episode of The Rundown, and asks "where is Boris Johnson's lawyer?" after Downing Street spent days wrangling over whether 'partygate' fine recipients broke the law. This week's episode drops as key changes likely to exacerbate the cost-of-living crisis come into effect – namely...

Labour shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves, the Institute for Fiscal Studies' Paul Johnson and Conservative chair of the treasury select committee Mel Stride join PoliticsHome's Alain Tolhurst and Noa Hoffman to discuss how Rishi Sunak's Spring Statement has landed.  Reeves said “it's all a bit of a game” for her opposite number, after Sunak announced an income tax cut by the end of this Parliame...

On this week's episode of The Rundown – Alain Tolhurst, Adam Payne and Eleanor Langford discuss the upcoming Spring Statement, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's release from prison in Iran after six years, and Boris Johnson's energy-emergency trip to the middle east.  We're joined by Labour’s Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Pat McFadden to discuss what more Rishi Sunak needs to do to help th...

On this week's episode of The Rundown from PoliticsHome, Alain Tolhurst is joined by PoliticsHome's Political Editor Kate Proctor and Political Reporter Eleanor Langford to discuss the Home Office's chaotic response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis. Then, Alain is joined by former justice secretary Robert Buckland to discuss whether the UK is pulling its weight when it comes to welcoming those flee...

On this week's episode of The Rundown from PoliticsHome, Alain Tolhurst is joined by PoliticsHome's Political Editor Kate Proctor and Political Reporter Eleanor Langford to discuss how Westminster is responding to the myriad issues raised by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Then, Alain is joined by former Deputy Prime Minister Damian Green to look at whether the UK could, and should, be doing more fo...