PodcastsGovernmentThe Week in Westminster

The Week in Westminster

BBC Radio 4
The Week in Westminster
Latest episode

25 episodes

  • The Week in Westminster

    17/01/2026

    1/17/2026 | 28 mins.
    Sunday Times political editor Caroline Wheeler reports on the latest developments at Westminster.
    Following the defection of Robert Jenrick from the Conservatives to Reform UK, Caroline speaks to Henry Hill, the deputy editor of Conservative Home and James Orr, a Cambridge University academic and senior advisor to Nigel Farage.
    Karl Turner, the Labour MP for Kingston-upon-Hull East is a prominent critic of the government's plans to restrict jury trials. He discusses this and other Labour u-turns with Claire Ainsley, former policy director to Keir Starmer, now at the Progressive Policy Institute.
    Crossbench peer, Beeban Kidron and Baroness Nicky Morgan, the former Culture Secretary discuss Elon Musk backing down in the row over sexualised deepfakes produced by its AI tool, Grok and whether the UK has the right regulatory framework for the online sphere.
    And the chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Dame Emily Thornberry and the former Conservative Security Minister Tom Tugendhat speak to Caroline about Iran, Greenland and whether a Chinese mega-embassy should be built in London.
  • The Week in Westminster

    10/01/2026

    1/10/2026 | 28 mins.
    Following a week of intense activlty in the international arena - including US action in Venezuela - George discusses the week's events with Labour peer George Robertson, the former Secretary General of NATO, and Sir Simon Fraser, the former permanent secretary at the Foreign Office who now chairs the foreign affairs think tank Chatham House.
    To discuss the challenges facing graduates seeking jobs after university and the impact of artificial intelligence on future employment, George is joined by Labour MP Lauren Edwards who co-chairs the all-party parliamentary group on Skills, Careers and Employment and Paul Johnson, the former Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies and now Provost of The Queen's College Oxford.
    Recently, there has been debate online anout London: is it one of the best cities in the world or is it a failing city? To discuss this George is joined by Labour MP Rachel Blake who represents the Cities on London and Westminster constituency, and Alex Wilson a Reform UK member of the London Assembly.
    Lobby journalists report on political events and can ask questions to the prime minister’s official spokesperson – a civil servant. Until this week, that was twice a day but the briefing has now been reduced to one a day. To discuss the pros and cons of this move George is joined by Kate McCann a lobby jounralist and co-presenter of the Times Radio Breakfast show, and Tom Baldwin, a former lobby journalist who later became communications director for the Labour Party.
  • The Week in Westminster

    20/12/2025

    12/20/2025 | 28 mins.
    To discuss the major political stories and developments over the last twelve months, and what lies ahead for 2026, Ben Wright is joined by George Parker, the political editor of the Financial Times, Pippa Crerar, the political editor of the Guardian and Sebastian Payne, columnist and leader writer for The Times.
  • The Week in Westminster

    13/12/2025

    12/13/2025 | 27 mins.
    Radio 4's assessment of developments at Westminster
  • The Week in Westminster

    06/12/2025

    12/06/2025 | 28 mins.
    The Daily Telegraph's political editor, Ben Riley-Smith, analyses the latest developments at Westminster.
    Following further fallout from Rachel Reeves' Budget, and accusations that she misled the public about the state of the public finances, Ben speaks to two members of the Treasury select committee who have been investigating the issue: Labour MP, Yuan Yang, and Conservative MP, Dame Harriet Baldwin.
    After the Prime Minister signalled that the government would make a fresh attempt to reform the welfare system, Ben is joined by the Labour chair of the Work and Pensions select committee, Debbie Abrahams, and the former Conservative Work and Pensions Secretary, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, who introduced Universal Credit.
    Former Labour Home Secretary, Jack Straw, and former Conservative Justice Secretary, Alex Chalk, debate the government's proposals to reduce the number of jury trials.
    And the state of Anglo-German relations was in focus this week following a state visit by the German President. To discuss this Ben brings together two German-born British politicians: Former Labour MP, Baroness Gisela Stuart, and Wera Hobhouse, the Liberal Democrat MP for Bath.

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About The Week in Westminster

Radio 4's weekly assessment of developments at Westminster
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