Commons People

Boris Johnson has taken the biggest gamble of his premiership with a National Insurance hike to fund the NHS and social care.Labour's leader in the Lords Angela Smith joins Ned Simons, Sophia Sleigh and Paul Waugh to chat through Tory tax rises and where Labour's at ahead of its party conference  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As MPs head off to their constituencies, rising Covid cases and Channel crossings of asylum seekers are ensuring Boris Johnson cannot put his feet up.Home Affairs Committee chair Yvette Cooper joins Ned Simons and Paul Waugh to chat through her joust with the Priti Patel this week, as well as the wider problems facing both the government and Labour this summer.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The chancellor's late, late move to outflank Tory rebels on international aid cuts won the day, despite MPs voting against the three line whip. But is the rebellion over and will Rishi Sunak and his party rue the damage caused to their brand?Ned Simons and Paul Waugh are joined by former international development secretary (and former chief whip) Andrew Mitchell.Make sense of politics. Sign up to the Waugh Zone and get the political day in a nutshell every weekday evening.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Football may or may not be coming home, but Boris Johnson and Liz Truss want British firms to export more abroad. Can the UK’s tricky relations with China help or hinder that post-Brexit ambition?Shadow international trade secretary Emily Thornberry joins Ned Simons and Paul Waugh to chat through trade, as well as the next steps for Keir Starmer’s Labour after its ‘Batley bounce’.Make sense of politics. Sign up to the Waugh Zone and get the political day in a nutshell every weekday evening.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sajid Javid made a phoenix-like return to the Cabinet this week, replacing Matt Hancock after the former health secretary was sensationally caught on camera breaking Covid rules by kissing an aide in his office.Senior Tory and Commons education committee chair Rob Halfon joins Arj Singh and Paul Waugh to discuss a rocky week for the government, and the Covid crisis that’s creeping up in English schools.Make sense of politics. Sign up to the Waugh Zone and get the political day in a nutshell every weekday evening.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s the fifth anniversary of the vote to leave the EU and Brexit is still having a profound impact on British politics.Tory former spad Salma Shah and the UK In A Changing Europe’s Anand Menon join Arj Singh and Paul Waugh to unpack the successes and failures of the last five years, and discuss what Brexit means for politics in 2021 and beyond.Make sense of politics. Sign up to the Waugh Zone and get the political day in a nutshell every weekday evening.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Boris Johnson this week delayed so-called “freedom day” from Covid restrictions in a bid to get more vaccines into more arms and protect the NHS.But the prime minister has angered many Tory MPs, who simply do not believe he will stick to the new “terminus” of July 19th.Lib Dem health spokesperson Munira Wilson joins Arj Singh and Paul Waugh to discuss why her party abstained on extending restrictions, and also why the Tories’ so-called culture war was losing them votes in their traditional southern seats.Make sense of politics. Sign up to the Waugh Zone and get the political day in a nutshell every weekday evening.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s a huge week for Boris Johnson as Joe Biden and leaders of some of the world’s wealthiest countries arrive in Cornwall for the G7 summit.But the prime minister has embroiled himself in a row with the EU over the terms of his own Brexit deal, which has angeried the US president and is threatening to overshadow the event.Labour’s shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy joins Arj Singh and Ned Simons to discuss how Johnson can reset and repair relations with Biden, and discuss what Labour can learn from the US Democrats in the face of the UK’s own culture war.Make sense of politics. Sign up to the Waugh Zone and get the political day in a nutshell every weekday evening.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dominic Cummings took no prisoners this week when laying out claims of a series of “disastrous” government failures that meant tens of thousands of people died of Covid unnecessarily.Conservative MP Bob Seely joins Arj Singh, Paul Waugh and Rachel Wearmouth to talk about the former No.10 aide's explosive select committee appearance, why the government needs to be better prepared for “black swan” moments, and the electoral risk facing the Tories if Boris Johnson proceeds with controversial planning reforms.Make sense of politics. Sign up to the Waugh Zone and get the political day in a nutshell every weekday evening.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Weeks of optimism and cheer as Covid restrictions were eased gave way to another bout of nationwide nervousness amid localised spikes in infections attributed to the variant of the virus first detected in India, prompting debates about how to contain the variant and whether the June 21 unlocking needs to be delayed.Labour MP and Keir Starmer’s new parliamentary private secretary Sharon Hodgson joins Arj Singh, Paul Waugh and Rachel Wearmouth to chat through Covid, winning voters in red wall seats like hers, and being braver on Brexit.Make sense of politics. Sign up to the Waugh Zone and get the political day in a nutshell every weekday evening.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The government’s legislative agenda for the next year or so was unveiled in this week’s Queen’s Speech. But it was perhaps more notable for what wasn’t in it. Boris Johnson’s plan to reform social care was still absent despite his 2019 claim to voters that he had one prepared. And the prime minister is still struggling to define how he will “level up” left behind communities.Conservative MP Kevin Hollinrake, an aide to Michael Gove, joins Arj Singh, Paul Waugh and Rachel Wearmouth to explain why it could take 30 years to finish the job of “levelling up” areas like his in North Yorkshire, and to reflect on whether Labour made a strategic mistake focusing on alleged sleaze ahead of last week’s local elections.Make sense of politics. Sign up to the Waugh Zone and get the political day in a nutshell every weekday evening.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Labour suffered a disastrous series of results in the “super Thursday” local elections, capped by a huge and humiliating defeat to the Tories in a parliamentary by-election in the red wall seat of Hartlepool. There were more losses in red wall and other marginal council areas with the Tories even taking control of Northumberland.It has led to serious questions about Keir Starmer’s leadership, Labour’s strategy, and just where the party goes from here.Senior former Labour adviser Matthew McGregor joins Arj Singh, Paul Waugh and Rachel Wearmouth to discuss how the party can start winning again, and what lessons it can learn from Joe Biden’s campaign in the United States.Make sense of politics. Sign up to the Waugh Zone and get the political day in a nutshell every weekday evening.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s been a nightmare week for Boris Johnson, who kicked the hornet’s nest when he blamed Dominic Cummings for a series of damaging leaks. The former adviser replied with a stinging public attack, which has left the prime minister fending off multiple bad headlines around his handling of the Covid crisis. On top of that, the Tories are now facing an Electoral Commission investigation into who funded the refurbishment of Johnson’s Downing Street flat.Meanwhile, with the Covid situation improving dramatically in the UK, attention has turned to the appalling crisis in India. Is the UK doing enough to help, and should Johnson be wary of getting too close to the country’s PM Narendra Modi?Senior Tory MP and Commons foreign affairs committee chair Tom Tugendhat joins Arj Singh, Paul Waugh and Rachel Wearmouth to discuss what the flat saga means for the local elections, and how the UK should respond to events in Asia.Make sense of politics. Sign up to the Waugh Zone and get the political day in a nutshell every week

Allegations of cronyism and government by WhatsApp have been intensifying around the Conservatives as Boris Johnson’s texts to manufacturer and Tory donor James Dyson add to the lobbying scandal engulfing former PM David Cameron and members of the Cabinet. Labour think they’ve found a message to take to the doorstep for local elections, but are claims of Tory sleaze enough to take power nationally?A scandal of another sort has however overshadowed the Greensill story, as failed plans by the so-called “big six” Premier League teams to create a breakaway European “super league” united rival fans and political parties in a backlash which may usher in a watershed moment for English football. Labour ex-cabinet minister Lord Peter Mandelson joins Arj Sngh, Paul Waugh and Rachel Wearmouth to discuss what the super league scandal means for politics, and how Labour need to “turn the Tories inside out” to win again.Clips from Joe, Sky Sports News, Sky News, LBC, Tom Sheldrick ITV interview with Jill Mortimer and P

With local elections around the corner, Boris Johnson’s Tories find themselves in a stronger position than they would have imagined just a few short months ago. Will the successful deployment of coronavirus vaccines wipe the memory of the issues Britain endured during repeated lockdowns, giving the prime minister a vaccine bounce?Arj Singh, Paul Waugh and Rachel Wearmouth are joined by Tory peer and polling expert Lord Robert Hayward to discuss whether the success of the rollout compared to the EU’s haphazard jabbing programme could help the Tories at the ballot box, what the by-election in Hartlepool means for Labour, and how the infighting in the SNP might affect their Holyrood seats and calls for a second independence referendum.Make sense of politics. Sign up to the Waugh Zone and get the political day in a nutshell every weekday evening.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The scale of protests, anger and shared feeling amongst women that they aren’t safe in British society after the killing of Sarah Everard has sparked a change in attitudes towards women’s safety in Westminster. But is a government led by a prime minister who’s been accused of sexism multiple times really capable of the change needed?Joining Arj Singh, Paul Waugh and Rachel Wearmouth to discuss how to improve things is shadow domestic violence minister Jess Phillips, who calls for cross-party talks, why Liz Truss needs to do more, and also whether the Hartlepool by-election will reveal the direction of travel for post-Brexit, post-pandemic Britain.Make sense of politics. Sign up to the Waugh Zone and get the political day in a nutshell every weekday evening.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The disappearance of Sarah Everard, Harry and Meghan’s bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview, and the resignations of two government equality advisers have revealed just how much work there still is to do to make Britain a more equal society for all.Joining Arj Singh, Rachel Wearmouth and Paul Waugh, Tory chair of the Commons women and equalities committee, Caroline Nokes discusses the need for Royal transparency, why women feel unsafe on our streets, and why she wears “woke” as a “badge of honour”.Make sense of politics. Sign up to the Waugh Zone and get the political day in a nutshell every weekday evening.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week Rishi Sunak delivered his heavily-trailed Budget, revealing a spend now, tax later approach to the economic recovery from coronavirus. It included big spending on Covid support measures but a sting in the tail as taxes were hiked to their highest level since the 1960s. There were also accusations of “pork barrel politics” as Tory areas benefited from funding for levelling up.Joining Arj Singh and Paul Waugh, shadow Treasury minister Pat McFadden talks through the repercussions of the 2021 Budget, including how Labour deals with a high taxing, high spending Conservative Party.Make sense of politics. Sign up to the Waugh Zone and get the political day in a nutshell every weekday evening.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After Boris Johnson revealed his “road map” for the country to exit lockdown but with the vaccination programme continuing to go well, attention is turning towards the path to economic recovery. What will chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Budget next week do to help those in need now? What might it tell us about the government’s vision for the future? And are vaccine passports inevitable to allow the economy to open up?Joining Arj Singh, Paul Waugh and Rachel Wearmouth, ex-Treasury Sonia Khan discusses the balancing act Sunak will have to perform.Make sense of politics. Sign up to the Waugh Zone and get the political day in a nutshell every weekday evening.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As the lockdown continues in Britain, attitudes are changing across Westminster to problem gambling as restrictions leave people couple up at home, inundated with betting ads and turning to online gambling sites for entertainment. Can an unlikely cross-party coalition of campaigners bring about change?Labour MP and PPS to Keir Starmer, Carolyn Harris, joins Arj Singh, Paul Waugh and Rachel Wearmouth to discuss what needs to happen and why those calling for a challenge to Keir Starmer’s leadership need to get off the Zoom calls.Make sense of politics. Sign up to the Waugh Zone and get the political day in a nutshell every weekday evening.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.