The Rundown by PoliticsHome

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Our weekly podcast from PoliticsHome discussing all the ups and downs in Westminster. Please subscribe and share - and keep up with all the latest news on PoliticsHome.com. Got a question for the team? news@politicshome.com.

  1. 4D AGO

    Sajid Javid on racism, Britishness and social cohesion

    This week The Rundown is breaking with the usual format and host Alain Tolhurst and producer Ewan head out of Westminster to meet with someone who was secretary of state in six different departments, including two of the great offices of state, during a decade-long ministerial career serving three Conservative Prime Ministers, before stepping down as an MP in 2024. Those listeners of a more anorak nature will have already worked out that person is Sajid Javid, who has a new book out called The Colour of Home, about his life growing up in 1970s Britain, the racism he and his family faced, and how he left a childhood of poverty behind to end up at the heart of British politics, and how his story maps onto the big social changes this country has gone through in the past few decades. In his office in St James’s in central London during a fascinating chat he spoke about what he learned writing his memoir, the state of race relations and social cohesion in 2026, and the travails of the Tory party now it’s out of office. To sign up for our newsletters click here This year's Women in Westminster: The 100 is out for 2026. Supported by Lloyds Banking Group, it is a celebration recognising the outstanding achievements of women and the vital role they play in shaping public life. Click here to see who has made this year's list Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot

    29 min

  2. MAR 13

    Can ministers prevent an energy bill crisis?

    This week, with the conflict in the Middle East showing no signs of abating, host Alain Tolhurst takes a look at what impact it might have on the UK, with everything from energy bills to government debt and mortgage rates potentially affected by the spike in oil prices, stock market downturns and global uncertainty. He's joined by Labour MP Bill Esterson, chair of the Commons energy security and net zero committee, to discuss what support ministers might give to mitigate rises in petrol prices and gas and electricity bills, and the politics of government intervention. Alongside him is Paul Johnson, provost of Queen’s College, Oxford and a Senior Advisor at Frontier Economics, along with Niamh O Regan, Senior Researcher at think tank the Social Market Foundation, and Dr Simon Cran-McGreehin, Head of Analysis at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit. To sign up for our newsletters click here This year's Women in Westminster: The 100 is out for 2026. Supported by Lloyds Banking Group, it is a celebration recognising the outstanding achievements of women and the vital role they play in shaping public life. Click here to see who has made this year's list Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot

    36 min

  3. MAR 6

    What did we learn from the Spring Statement?

    This week on The Rundown host Alain Tolhurst takes a look at the state of the economy after a low-key Spring Statement from the Chancellor Rachel Reeves. She unveiled figures from the OBR which suggested there were the green shoots of a potential recovery, only for the outbreak of war in the Middle East to send shockwaves through global markets, threatening another period of stagflation which could choke off any longed-for growth. To discuss whether Reeves was right to try and not make headlines and stick to the Government's promise of just one fiscal event per year - or if she is being too passive in the face of global headwinds and a failure to make a dent in unemployment, on the panel is Labour MP Luke Murphy, who sits on the Treasury select committee, alongside James Smith, chief economist at the Resolution Foundation think tank, and Nick Ridpath, research economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies. To sign up for our newsletters click here This year's Women in Westminster: The 100 is out for 2026. Supported by Lloyds Banking Group, it is a celebration recognising the outstanding achievements of women and the vital role they play in shaping public life. Click here to see who has made this year's list Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot

    34 min

  4. FEB 27

    Reform's revolt on the right

    While Reform are still riding high in the polls and hoping for big successes across the UK in May’s elections, they now for the first time face a threat for the mantle of being the insurgent party on the right of British politics. The launch of former Reform MP Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain party, along with former Reform deputy leader Ben Habib’s Advance UK, both looking to be even more hardline on immigration and cultural issues - represent a challenge to Nigel Farage as he seeks to become the hegemonic force on the right, but also to appeal to more mainstream voters in the hope of putting together an election-winning coalition.  Joining host Alain Tolhurst to discuss whether Reform will distance themselves from the new parties on the right, or whether their very online base will drag them further towards them, are Sunder Katwala, director of the think tank British Future, Scarlett Maguire, founder of pollsters Merlin Strategy, Rob Ford, professor of political science at the University of Manchester, and Tom Scotson, political reporter here at PoliticsHome. To sign up for our newsletters click here Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot

    35 min

  5. FEB 20

    Is this the Green Party's moment?

    This week PoliticsHome has once again teamed up with the pollsters at ThinksInsight, for a special episode looking at the Green Party, and those voters thinking of backing Zack Polanski at the next election. Like our previous episode on potential switchers to Reform, we’re going to look at the results of focus groups with former Labour voters flirting with the Greens, as well as those strongly thinking about backing them, and assess why they are having a moment within our new multi-party environment, ahead of their three-way fight with Labour and Reform in next week’s by-election in Gorton and Denton, and looking to May’s crucial local elections across the UK. Joining host Alain Tolhurst to discuss the Greens current success is one of their MPs, Ellie Chowns - who won the  North Herefordshire seat in 2024 - along with Allie Jennings, director at ThinksInsight and who conducted the focus groups and polling, and PolHome editor Adam Payne. To sign up for our newsletters click here Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot

    39 min

  6. FEB 13

    Editors assemble: can Starmer survive?

    There is only really one story in town this week, and despite the relative calm that has descended over Westminster since Monday’s explosive call for Keir Starmer to resign from key ally Anas Sarwar, that is merely a facade. Like the duck swimming serenely atop the pond, underneath the surface the legs are kicking furiously, as Number 10 fights an increasingly difficult rearguard action against those wishing to topple the Prime Minister, as leadership rivals position themselves for a contest that seems more inevitable than ever. But when will it happen, how did we get to this point, what could Starmer do to get through to the May elections and beyond, and if not - who is likeliest to take over? These are all big questions, so host Alain Tolhurst has brought in some reinforcements to help answer them: on the panel is not only PolHome editor, Adam Payne, but two top colleagues from our sister title The House magazine; deputy editor Sienna Rodgers, and making his pod debut, editor Francis Elliott. To sign up for our newsletters click here Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot

    45 min

  7. FEB 6

    Solving the student loan 'scam'

    This week we’re delving into the world of student finance, after a long-simmering row over the loan system for how graduates pay back the cost of their tuition exploded into the mainstream, with accusations successive governments had presided over a "scam" and a "mis-selling scandal". A growing cohort - including many new MPs - who went to university in the past decade are reckoning with the fact the plan two repayment scheme means they now owe more than they borrowed to go to university, despite years of regular payments. With host Alain Tolhurst to discuss what the government can do to mitigate this rising feeling of intergenerational unfairness, as some graduates face huge marginal tax rates, are the Labour MP Chris Curtis, alongside Kate Ogden, senior research economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Dani Payne, head of education and social policy at the Social Market Foundation, and Sienna Rodgers, deputy editor of The House magazine. To sign up for our newsletters click here Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot

    39 min

  8. JAN 30

    The second referendum campaign revisited

    This week, deep breath, we’re delving back into the Brexit years, after a new book about the failed campaign for a second EU referendum is published this week. It tells the story of a rag-tag bunch of Remainers, Europhiles and progressives coming together out of the anti-Brexit movement following the vote to leave in 2016, hoping to drag the country back to the ballot box in the hope of a different outcome. How they got closer than anyone might have expected, and why they ultimately fell short, is the subject of 'No Second Chances The Inside Story of the Campaign for a Second EU Referendum, by the journalist Morgan Jones. Host Alain Tolhurst spoke to her about why that period between 2017 and 2019 has been "memory-holed" by most in Westminster, and what we can learn from that period about how the current government, led by the one-time shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer, is reshaping our relationship with the EU. Speaking alongside her is the Labour MP Andrew Lewin, who back then founded and ran the 'Remain Labour' group, and Anand Menon, Professor of European Politics at King's College London, and the director of the UK In a Changing Europe think tank. To sign up for our newsletters click here Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot

    33 min
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Our weekly podcast from PoliticsHome discussing all the ups and downs in Westminster. Please subscribe and share - and keep up with all the latest news on PoliticsHome.com. Got a question for the team? news@politicshome.com.

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