James Heale

Santa will have had a tricky time this year fulfilling all the Christmas wish lists in Westminster. Keir Starmer is desperately hoping for a change in the political weather, and Kemi Badenoch would like an in with Donald Trump. Ed Davey dreams that Labour’s electoral troubles will get so bad that proportional representation starts to look appealing. Nigel Farage, meanwhile, wants to avoid what usually happens with him and keep his party from falling out – or perhaps Elon Musk will give him a Christmas bonus in the form of a generous donation.

Last night we got the news that Peter Mandelson is expected to be named the next UK ambassador to Washington. Despite months of speculation, Labour held firm on making a decision until the results of the US election, and with Trump entering the White House in the new year they have gone with an experienced diplomat and a political appointment. A government source is quoted as telling the BBC: ‘The fact the Prime Minister has chosen to make a political appointment and sent Lord Mandelson to Washington shows just how importantly we see our relationship with the Trump administration.’ They cited the former Business Secretary’s ‘unrivalled political and policy experience’ and claimed he was ‘the ideal candidate to represent the UK’s economic and security interests.

After days of speculation online, the alleged Chinese spy has been named as Yang Tegbo. This latest example of Chinese espionage has opened up a number of debates in Westminster, firstly around Labour's push to ‘reset’ its relationship with China, as well as the conversation around the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme – a number of China hawks such as IDS and Tom Tugendhat are pushing for it to be implemented sooner than summer 2025. Can Labour's China policy survive this latest wave of Sino-scepticism? Also on the podcast, it’s happened: Nigel Farage has met with Elon Musk to discuss his party’s electoral prospects. What’s the readout from their meeting? Katy Balls speaks to Cindy Yu and James Heale. Produced by Cindy Yu and Oscar Edmondson.

Labour is supposed to be going for growth, so Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves will be disappointed with the news today that the economy unexpectedly shrank in October, and for the second month in a row. Rachel Reeves's mood seems to have visibly changed in the last month or so, is she having her George Osborne moment? And can she turn things around, or have the dynamics of the Labour–UK plc relationship changed irreversibly?  James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Isabel Hardman. Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Oscar Edmondson.

Labour are planning to publish a 10-year plan to get on the front foot when it comes to the prisons crisis. Shifting from the previous government’s preference to run the system hot to a policy of early release and carving out more places, the headline figure is that there will be 14,000 more prison places by 2031. But the fear today is that these won’t be enough to tackle the critical lack of space in UK jails. So, will Labour’s ongoing sentencing review advocate for greater leniency for certain offenders? And will the public see that as justice being served? James Heale speaks to Katy Balls and Danny Shaw, former adviser to Yvette Cooper. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

The SNP presented their budget this week in Holyrood with the news that all pensioners would receive a winter fuel allowance and a pledge to scrap the two-child benefit cap. Questions remain about how they will make this budget work financially, but it is clear that they have one eye on the 2026 Scottish Parliament elections. How could this impact Labour north, and south, of the border? And, after a torrid year for the SNP, can First Minister John Swinney turn things around?  Iain MacWhirter and Lucy Dunn join James Heale to discuss.  Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

There is a feeling of deja-vu in Westminster today as Keir Starmer unveiled his plan for change and six 'milestones' (not pledges) to turn the country around. They are: raising living standards in every part of the UK; rebuilding Britain with 1.5 million homes and fast-tracking planning decisions on major infrastructure projects; ending hospital backlogs and meeting the standard of 92 per cent of patients being treated within 18 weeks; putting police back on the beat; giving children the best start in life; and securing homegrown energy and putting the UK on track to 95 per cent clean power by 2030. The problem with setting out any list of priorities is that others are conspicuous by their absence, namely immigration.

Keir Starmer is preparing to give his big reset speech on Thursday. But the more interesting address is perhaps the one he gave last night at the annual Lord Mayor’s Banquet, where the Prime Minister gave his first major speech on foreign policy. The most interesting passage saw Starmer reject the notion that Britain will need to pick sides between the US and the EU under the looming Trump presidency – particularly in the event of a trade war. How long can No. 10 afford to keep their foreign policy preferences ambiguous?  Also on the podcast, Sir Chris Wormald has been announced as the successor to Simon Case as Cabinet Secretary, in another example of Labour prizing experience when it comes to senior civil service roles.