The State of It

Political moment of the year? Civil war of the year? And who or what gets The Actual State of It Award? 2025 offered rich pickings for our inaugural Christmas awards.Steven Swinford, political editor,...

23 Des 202533min

Senior Labour figures say a challenge to Keir Starmer's leadership could come as early as next month. But who will move first? Andy Burnham, Wes Streeting and Angela Rayner are all on manoeuvres. Stev...

16 Des 202529min

Angela Rayner turned down a chance to appear on I'm a Celebrity because she wasn't done with politics. Will she return to cabinet or make a bid for the leadership herself? Patrick has been told what s...

9 Des 202535min

The budget gave Labour MPs a lift but for how long? They're already getting uneasy, and some members of the cabinet are so cross that they're proactively ringing The Times. Also, Patrick reminisces ab...

2 Des 202528min

The dust has settled on Rachel Reeves’s budget. What does it really mean for the country? Is there any real economics behind it? And is it politically fatal for Labour? Tune in to our bonus episode re...

28 Nov 202528min

Rachel Reeves may have appeased Labour MPs but at what cost? We exclusively reveal just how bad relations are between Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana. We also discuss whether recent allegations agains...

25 Nov 202531min

Shabana Mahmood brings Blue Labour values to the Home Office, but can the human rights lawyer in Keir Starmer hold the line? Also, after last week's episode unleashed chaos in Westminster, we look at ...

18 Nov 202539min

We reveal how the prime minister intends to fight a leadership challenge that he now sees as inevitable. Meanwhile the chancellor plans to scrap the two-child benefit cap to appease some Labour MPs, e...

11 Nov 202533min