The Week in Westminster

BBC Radio 4
The Week in Westminster

Radio 4's weekly assessment of developments at Westminster

Episodes

  1. 19 HR AGO

    18/01/2025

    The Telegraph's Ben Riley-Smith assesses the latest developments at Westminster. Following a ceasefire deal in Gaza and the Prime Minister's trip to Ukraine, Ben speaks to former Conservative Defence Secretary, Sir Ben Wallace, and the Labour peer, Baroness Ashton, formerly the EU's foreign policy chief, about how the imminent second Trump presidency is already shaping global geopolitics. After another uncomfortable week for the Chancellor, Ben is joined by the Labour MP and chair of the Treasury Select Committee, Dame Meg Hillier, and former Conservative Treasury Minister, Sir Simon Clarke, to discuss the economic and fiscal outlook for the UK. Tech entrepreneur, Matt Clifford, who also advises the Prime Minister on artificial intelligence, explains how AI will change the country in the week the government unveiled his AI Action Plan. And, after the Government's decision to bring an early end to the Latin Excellence Programme, which funds the teaching of Latin in some state schools, Ben catches up with former Education Secretary, Sir Gavin Williamson, who introduced the policy, and Labour MP, Sarah Smith, who used to work in youth services and takes a special interest in education policy.

    28 min

  2. 11 JAN

    11/01/2025

    Caroline Wheeler, political editor of The Sunday Times, assesses the latest developments at Westminster. To discuss whether there should be a national inquiry into grooming gangs, Caroline is joined by Labour MP Paul Waugh who represents Rochdale, and former Conservative MP Laura Farris, who served as Safeguarding Minister in Rishi Sunak's government. Following the announcement of the government's plans to reducing waiting lists in England, Caroline speaks to surgeon and former Labour Health Minister Ara Darzi who now sits in the House of Lords as an independent peer. He is the author of the recent government review into the NHS in England. As the Chancellor Rachel Reeves visits China, Caroline brings together the chair of the business and trade select committee, Liam Byrne, and Conservative MP, Tom Tugendhat, who is a former Security Minister. And, finally, the beginning of the Westminster week was dominated by political interventions made by the owner of the social media platform X. To discuss how the Prime Minister should handle such interventions, Caroline brought together Katie Perrior, former Downing Street Director of Communications for Theresa May and David Yelland, a former newspaper editor who is co-presenter of Radio 4's ‘When It Hits the Fan’.

    28 min

  3. 21/12/2024

    21/12/2024

    The BBC's deputy political editor, Vicki Young assesses a year when the political landscape shifted with the Whitehall Editor of the Financial Times Lucy Fisher, commentator and director of the London Defence Conference Iain Martin and Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff.

    29 min
  • 3 Episodes

About

Radio 4's weekly assessment of developments at Westminster

Information

  • Creator
    BBC Radio 4
  • Years Active
    2007 - 2025
  • Episodes
    3
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © (C) BBC 2025
  • Show Website
    The Week in Westminster

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