Why do British prime ministers have such a short shelf-life?

Why do British prime ministers have such a short shelf-life?

Reunited in the studio to compare notes in the middle of Starmer's leadership crisis, the team ask what has gone wrong in less than two years. Is this story of disenchantment a uniquely Labour one? Is it all about the electoral pressures on the party, Starmer’s mistakes, or has the UK developed an allergy to incumbents? Plus: Gordon Brown's surprise comeback under the spotlight. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

What is behind the UK's transformed electoral landscape?

With a few reminiscences of past elections thrown in, the team debate a fractured voting public in the run up to May 7th. Are we a UK of "fed-up-niks" and does malaise spring from economics? How intense is the political fervour to left and right? Plus: the hard-to-decipher polling in Scotland. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Are prime ministers too dependent on their top advisers?

After Morgan McSweeney’s first public appearance - in front of the Foreign Affairs committee - we explore the dependence of some prime ministers on their chiefs of staff. Why do they make themselves dependent even when the dependency can lead towards their doom? Plus, did McSweeney emerge as a more complex figure than his caricature and where does this all leave Starmer? ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Will the Mandelson saga do for Starmer's premiership?

After high drama at Westminster, the team debate the low politics that seem to bedevil decision-making at the heart of the government. Has the PM's famous ruthlessness backfired? And how vulnerable is he to a potential challenge after the May 7 elections? Might Scotland provide a twist? ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Is Britain in peril because of Starmer’s complacency on defence spending?’

The former NATO Secretary General and Labour peer, George Robertson , has accused Keir Starmer of being complacent in relation to defence, arguing Britain’s national security and safety are in “peril”. Is he right? Plus, Reform and the local elections. Warning: apologies for the sound quality on Iain’s recording. Do not be alarmed. He sounds ill but that is the result of a problem with the microphone. Please enjoy the rest of the episode and normal service resumes next week. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.