• Who would be Burnham's chancellor?
    Jun 24 2026

    Andy Burnham is on track to become Britain’s next prime minister, but we don’t yet know who he’ll pick as chancellor.

    Could it be Ed Miliband, or would he spook the markets? Perhaps Yvette Cooper is a safe pair of hands, or could Wes Streeting get the keys to Number 11 despite his “brazen disloyalty” to his last boss?

    On this week’s Talking Politics, Tom and Robert ask what a Burnham government could look like, and break down what his major policy changes could be.

    Plus, Peston gives his advice to the next PM on welfare, defence and the pension triple lock.

    Contains mild language.

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    33 mins
  • Starmer resigns but what could go wrong for Burnham?
    Jun 22 2026

    Tom Bradby and Robert Peston are in Downing Street to discuss Keir Starmer's resignation, after he set a timetable for his departure as PM.

    Newly elected MP Andy Burnham has confirmed he will run to replace him as Labour leader.

    Tom and Robert break down what went so wrong for Starmer, less than two years after his landslide election win, and what obstacles could be in Burnham's way.

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    19 mins
  • 'Burnham will be our next PM' - so what happens now?
    Jun 19 2026

    Andy Burnham’s big Makerfield by-election victory is set to reshape British politics as we know it.

    So what happens next?

    In this special Talking Politics episode, Tom Bradby and Robert Peston are joined by Election Analyst Professor Jane Green from Nuffield College, University of Oxford, to answer the key questions.

    Is Britain now waking up to a new prime minister?

    What does the Labour vote share in Makerfield tell us about potential voting in a General Election?

    Would Andy Burnham definitely perform better than Sir Keir Starmer?

    Could he call a General Election once he's prime minister?

    What does it mean for Reform’s chances at a national level?

    Are the Conservatives still in the picture?

    And is electoral reform now inevitable?

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    32 mins
  • Starmer's post-Makerfield plan for Burnham and survival
    Jun 17 2026

    Ahead of one of history’s most consequential by-elections this week, Keir Starmer has revealed how he plans to persuade Andy Burnham not to launch a leadership challenge.

    In this week’s Talking Politics, Robert joins Tom from Evian in France where Starmer is meeting world leaders at the G7 summit - in what could be his last foreign trip as PM.

    As voters in Makerfield prepare to head to the polls on Thursday, Robert explains why Starmer’s strategy to stay in Number 10 if Burnham wins the by-election is “almost emotional blackmail”.

    And: find out what Robert thinks the PM and Millwall Football Club have in common…

    Full list of candidates standing in the Makerfield by-election:

    Jake Austin, Liberal Democrats

    Count Binface, Count Binface Party

    Andy Burnham, Labour Party

    Dan Clarke, Libertarian Party

    John Alfred Dyer, Independent

    Ed Gemmell, Climate Party

    Paul Richard Gould, Independent

    Alan 'Howlin' Laud Hope, The Official Monster Raving Loony Party

    Robert Kenyon, Reform UK

    Robert Pownall, Independent

    Rebecca Shepherd, Restore Britain

    Sarah Wakefield, Green Party

    Peter Ward, Rejoin EU

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    19 mins
  • Why John Healey's resignation is 'devastating' for Keir Starmer
    Jun 11 2026

    Tom Bradby and Robert Peston discuss Defence Secretary John Healey's resignation, after a row with the prime minister over military spending, in which he accused Keir Starmer of making the country "less safe".

    He wrote to the PM to resign with "great regret and reluctance", citing disagreements about defence spending ahead of the release of the delayed Defence Investment Plan (DIP).

    Tom and Robert reflect on why this resignation is particularly damaging for Keir Starmer and whether his position is now beyond saving.

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    Contains mild language.

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    20 mins
  • Belfast riots: How our broken asylum system continues to fuel unrest
    Jun 10 2026

    Tom and Robert are joined by Northern Ireland Reporter Stewart Robson following a night of violence and unrest in Belfast after Monday's stabbing attack.

    Stewart shares what he witnessed on the ground, describing a "real determination from some people to make it as dangerous as possible", and outlines the latest developments in the case - as the politicans, police and the victim's family call for calm".

    Tom and Robert unpack how the economic reality is fuelling anti-immigrant sentiment, discuss why successive Governments have struggled to control immigration, and look at whether opposing parties and their plans to fix the problems have any hope of success.

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    32 mins
  • Henry Nowak murder: 'Incompetence' or 'two-tier policing'?
    Jun 3 2026

    The murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak in Southampton last year has sparked national outrage and accusations from Nigel Farage of “two-tier policing”.

    But is there any evidence to suggest police are treating people differently based on their ethnicity, or was this just a case of “grotesque police incompetence”?

    On this week’s episode of Talking Politics, Tom and Robert react to the disturbing bodycam footage from the scene and examine how a tragic murder became a national political flashpoint.

    They also discuss Farage’s intervention in the case, the family's repeated calls for calm, and why he chose to speak out on the issue after weeks of avoiding media scrutiny.

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    35 mins
  • How embarrassing are new Mandelson files for Labour?
    Jun 1 2026

    A new tranche of files have been released today relating to the appointment of disgraced peer Lord Mandelson as US ambassador. But what do they include, and how embarrassing are they for Keir Starmer and his government?

    Tom Bradby and Robert Peston discuss what’s included in the documents - from private messages between senior Labour figures, to Mandelson telling David Lammy that the government would "never regret" his appointment as ambassador, and Pat McFadden’s criticism of the PM.

    Mandelson has said he regrets his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, denies criminality, and says his priority is to cooperate with the police and clear his name.

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    25 mins