The Week in Westminster

BBC Radio 4

4.2 (24)
GOVERNMENT
UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Radio 4's weekly assessment of developments at Westminster

15 HR. AGO

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
DEC 14

14/12/2024

Pippa Crerar, political editor of The Guardian, assesses the latest developments at Westminster. To discuss the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, Pippa is joined by Sir Simon Fraser who was Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Office during the Arab Spring and now chairs the foreign affairs think tank Chatham House, and Sarah Champion, Labour MP and chair of Parliament's International Development Select Committee. Labour MP Dan Tomlinson and Conservative MP Greg Smith debate the government's reforms to the planning system which it hopes will help deliver 1.5 million more homes over the course of this Parliament. As the House of Lords debates the government's Hereditary Peers Bill for the first time, Pippa speaks to Charles Hay, Earl of Kinnoull, convener of the independent crossbenchers and a hereditary peer himself, about his ideas for reforming the upper chamber. And, to discuss the 5 year anniversary of the 2019 election, Pippa brings together former Conservative MP, Dehenna Davison, who won the seat of Bishop Auckland in that election, and Jane Green, professor of politics at Oxford University and co-director of the British Election Study.

28 min
DEC 7

07/12/2024

Ben Riley-Smith of The Daily Telegraph assesses the latest developments at Westminster. Following the Prime Minister's 'Plan for Change' speech, Ben speaks to the architect of Sir Keir Starmer's five missions, Peter Hyman, who was a senior adviser to the Prime Minister until the election and former Downing Street Director of Communications, Sir Craig Oliver To discuss the Prime Minister's speech on foreign affairs at the Lord' Mayor's Banquet, Ben is joined by Dr Karin von Hippel, the Director-General of the defence think tank, the Royal United Services Institute. Parliament's newly created Modernisation Committee is considering ideas on 'driving up standards, improving culture and working practices and reforming procedures'. To discuss their thoughts on this. Ben is joined by two new MPs, Tom Morrison, the Liberal Democrat MP for Cheadle and Dr Beccy Cooper, the Labour MP for Worthing West. And, finally, as Oxford University Press announces its 'word of the year' Ben is joined by Susie Dent, lexicographer and resident expert on Channel Four’s Countdown and Tom Peck, parliamentary sketch-writer of The Times, to discuss their thoughts on the political words and phrases of the year.

29 min
NOV 30

30/11/2024

Sonia Sodha of The Observer assesses the latest developments at Westminster. Following the debate and vote on the Assisted Dying Bill in the House of Commons, Sonia speaks to two MPs with opposing views. Labour MP Anna Dixon voted against the Bill. She has a background in health and social care policy, and specifically in ageing. Former Conservative Cabinet Minister Kit Malthouse is a long-standing proponent of legalising assisted dying. To explain what happens next with the Assisted Dying Bill Sonia is joined by Dr Hannah White, the Director of the independent think tank The Institute for Government. To discuss the continued fallout from last month's Budget, Sonia is joined by Labour MP Liam Byrne, who chairs the Business and Trade Select Committee and Karan Bilimoria, a businessman and crossbench peer who is also a recent President of the Confederation of British Industry. And ahead of the broadcast of the television series which follows the home life of former Conservative Cabinet Minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg and his family, Sonia brings together Times and Spectator magazine columnist Matthew Parris, and Observer columnist Gaby Hinsliff, to discuss the pros and cons of politicians appearing on reality TV.

28 min
NOV 23

23/11/2024

To discuss the increasingly fraught state of world affairs, Jack speaks to Sir David Liddington, who was deputy to Prime Minister Theresa May, and now chairs the defence and security think tank RUSI and the Labour MP and chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Emily Thornberry. As thousands of farmers attend a rally in Westminster to protest against last month's budget, Jack speaks to Labour MP, Jeevan Sandher, who sits on the Treasury Select Committee and the former Conservative MP and environment minister Rebecca Pow, who comes from a long line of farmers in Somerset. Children's rights campaigner and crossbench peer, Beeban Kidron discusses whether social media should be banned for under-16s. And to reflect on the life of John Prescott, who died this week, Jack speaks to two people who knew him well from his years in government, the associate editor of the Mirror, Kevin Maguire, and a former minister and chief whip in Tony Blair’s government, Hilary Armstrong, who now sits in the House of Lords.

28 min

5 Episodes

4.2

out of 5

24 Ratings

Favorite podcast

04/21/2012

Newsjunkie84

My favorite thing to listen to in the garden or at the gym.
No uploads

10/06/2021

jib59

I enjoy the show, or rather I used to until they stopped uploading it.
Great podcats

04/14/2009

uw in oregon

I think this is the best podcast on itunes it's great when you replay it in you mind LooooooL