James Heale

As Ed Davey condemned Donald Trump's military manoeuvres abroad, Annabel Denham looked on and asked 'what's the point of the Liberal Democrats?'. Thinking about the Lib Dem's longstanding europhile stance, the senior political correspondent at the Telegraph wrote: 'the party that once stood on a tradition of civil liberties now wants us to rejoin a bloc which regulates everything'. Calum Miller MP – foreign affairs spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats – joins Annabel and deputy political editor James Heale to address Annabel's challenge that the party is defined more by opposition the other parties than by their own policies. So, from localism and the UK's place in the world to free markets and social care, what do the Lib Dems stand for? And what constitutes 'liberalism' today?

Yesterday was a breathless day in Westminster. The defection of Robert Jenrick spawned plenty of headlines and even more memes. But now that the dust has settled, how has the news been received? Was it a total victory for Reform, and evidence that they are slowly swallowing up the Tory party, or is Kemi still in the race? Today, the assisted dying bill is back in the Lords. As discussions about this legislation drag on, does its implementation look increasingly unlikely? Oscar Edmondson speaks to Tim Shipman and James Heale. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

Robert Jenrick has sensationally defected to Reform. After a day that started with his sacking from the Conservatives – over plotting to reject – continued with the will-he-won’t-he drama of whether Farage would accept him as a new Reform member this afternoon; it ends with a press conference welcoming him to Farage’s gang. So what happens now? Kemi Badenoch was praised for her show of strength in swiftly expelling Jenrick, but she is undoubtedly weakened after this news and her frontbencher looks considerably lighter. Is this an inflection point for the Conservative party? And what role will Bobby J play in Reform – could he be their new shadow chancellor? Oscar Edmondson, Tim Shipman and James Heale discuss a hectic day on the British right. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

The Liberal Democrats have unveiled a new strategy on the NHS. Sir Ed set out his big, bold plan this morning: scrapping the UK–US pharmaceutical deal to redirect £1.5 billion into social care. It sounds like a substantial sum – until you remember it amounts to less than 1 per cent of the NHS’s annual budget. In today’s podcast, the team discuss why Ed Davey is leaning into being deliberately boring, in an effort to appeal to the perceived sensibilities of Middle England. Meanwhile, with the dust settling after Nadhim Zahawi’s defection, is Reform at risk of losing its outsider appeal, given that his resignation from government caused such a public outcry? Megan McElroy is joined by Luke Tryl, UK Director of More in Common, and James Heale.

How many Tories is too many? That’s the question Westminster is asking after the unveiling of Reform’s latest defector. Nadhim Zahawi, Boris Johnson’s brief-lived Chancellor of the Exchequer, is Nigel Farage’s latest recruit. He told journalists that the UK had reached a ‘dark and dangerous’ moment, and that the country needed ‘a glorious revolution’. But are Reform just turning into the Tories 2.0? And what will Zahawi’s role be – is he the elusive shadow chancellor Farage has been searching for? Oscar Edmondson speaks to Tim Shipman and James Heale. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

Britain’s mums are backing Nigel Farage. One in five Mumsnet users intend to vote for Reform at the next general election, the first time a party other than Labour has topped its poll. Having been more negative towards Farage and the right in the past, why are its politically engaged users changing their minds? Are they swayed by issues like single-sex spaces, or does it reflect a wider collapse of confidence in the establishment? James Heale speaks to Tim Shipman and Sonia Sodha. Produced by Megan McElroy.

2025 was the easy part for Reform. If they win the election, however, how do they actually govern? In The Spectator this week, Tim Shipman writes about the party’s plans to tackle Whitehall bloat, bypass the Lords and restore the authority of the Prime Minister over the various institutions of state. The man tasked with working this out is Danny Kruger, who is working up plans to push change through using Orders in Council – a device in the Privy Council – as well as statutory instruments and ministerial guidance to avoid the need for primary legislation. But the party is only in the foothills, and one source warns that ‘Nigel doesn’t trust other politicians’: can he build a winning team? Who has his ear? And does he actually want to be Prime Minister?

It’s our first podcast back in the office of 2026 – and the year has started with a bang, of course, after the successful US operation to remove Nicolas Maduro from Venezuela. He will appear in a Manhattan court later today. This throws up all sorts of problems for Labour and the left more broadly – they seem to be hedging their bets on whether to condemn this as a breach of, if not international law, then certainly international norms, or to celebrate the removal of a corrupt regime. Could this be a dividing line for the Labour party? Elsewhere, the battle that Labour want to focus on is the cost of living crisis.

James Heale sits down with Sir John Curtice, the doyen of British polling, to take stock of an extraordinary year in UK politics and to look ahead to what 2026 might hold. Curtice explains why the rise of Reform UK during the spring local elections marked a historic turning point – establishing the longest period in polling history where a party outside the traditional Conservative–Labour duopoly has led nationwide and assesses Labour’s continued slide, the unprecedented collapse in support for both major parties, and the growing influence of the Greens under new leadership.