Ex-SNP chief’s embezzlement scandal and the shady role of money in politics

Has Nigel Farage lost his Midas touch?

Nigel Farage has spent decades turning political setbacks into opportunities. Parties have risen and fallen around him, controversies have come and gone, and yet he has always managed to emerge stronger. But this week feels different. Questions over a £5 million gift from a crypto billionaire, lucrative outside earnings, a series of disappointing by-election results and an unusually defensive run of media appearances have prompted fresh questions about whether Britain's most resilient political survivor is finally losing his golden touch. Helen MacNamara and Cleo Watson ask whether this is just another Westminster bubble story or the first real sign that Farage is being judged not as a political insurgent, but as a prime minister-in-waiting. Executive Producer: Rod Ardehali Find the best clips from the podcast and more from Helen and Cleo on the show's Instagram page here [https://instagram.com/intheroom.pod]. Email your questions to Helen and Cleo on intheroom@independent.co.uk [intheroom@independent.co.uk]. This podcast is part of The Independent Podcast Network and is produced in association with Next Chapter Studios. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Andy Burnham wants to be Britain’s least powerful PM

Devolution – or devo-maxxing – was the order of the day in Andy Burnham’s most significant speech yet on how he would govern. In front of an eager press pack that scrambled up from London, the prime minister-in-waiting set out a bold agenda focused on devolving power, reforming Whitehall and reindustrialising Britain. But devolution is a tune plenty of leaders have played before. Tony Blair turbo-charged it after 1997, George Osborne promised a Northern Powerhouse, and Boris Johnson made plenty of noise about levelling up. Still, Britain remains top-heavy, with power and wealth concentrated in London. The UK also sends a far greater share of tax revenue to central government than almost all other major economies. So is now the right time to devo-maxx? And is Burnham the right man to do it? Executive Producer: Rod Ardehali Producer: Sam Durham Video Editor: Vali Raza Find the best clips from the podcast and more from Helen and Cleo on the show's Instagram page here [https://instagram.com/intheroom.pod]. Email your questions to Helen and Cleo on intheroom@independent.co.uk [intheroom@independent.co.uk]. This podcast is part of The Independent Podcast Network and is produced in association with Next Chapter Studios. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Why Andy Burnham might not be ready for No 10

Andy Burnham’s camp is caught between euphoria and fear. After his victory in the Makerfield by-election and Keir Starmer’s resignation, the path to No 10 appears to have opened up for the former Manchester mayor. On what would be his third attempt at the Labour leadership, Burnham could be prime minister by mid-July – and the UK’s seventh in ten years. But with the clock already ticking, is his team prepared for power? Helen MacNamara and Cleo Watson assess the mood inside Burnham’s camp, the mistakes he must avoid repeating from the Starmer years, and why greater urgency and ruthlessness will be needed if he is to govern successfully. Executive Producer: Rod Ardehali Producer: Sam Durham Find the best clips from the podcast and more from Helen and Cleo on the show's Instagram page here [https://instagram.com/intheroom.pod]. Email your questions to Helen and Cleo on intheroom@independent.co.uk [intheroom@independent.co.uk]. This podcast is part of The Independent Podcast Network and is produced in association with Next Chapter Studios. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Makerfield by-election: Has Andy Burnham united the left?

It wasn’t so close after all. Andy Burnham achieved 9,241 votes more than the second place Reform candidate, Robert Kenyon. Even talk of Restore Britain stealing votes from Reform mattered little in the end. The reality of the Makerfield by-election is it’s a thumping win for Labour’s Andy Burnham, and a disappointing night for Nigel Farage, whose attempts to dial up division in recent weeks didn’t pay off. In this bonus episode we react to this week’s two Westminster by-elections where voters in Makerfield and Aberdeen South went to the polls. The latter is an interesting case study of single issue campaigning and a sign of a possible Tory revival in Scotland. We also reveal what our advice to Andy Burnham would be as efforts to oust Keir Starmer from No 10 heat up. Executive Producer: Rod Ardehali Producer: Sam Durham Find the best clips from the podcast and more from Helen and Cleo on the show's Instagram page here [https://instagram.com/intheroom.pod]. Email your questions to Helen and Cleo on intheroom@independent.co.uk [intheroom@independent.co.uk]. This podcast is part of The Independent Podcast Network and is produced in association with Next Chapter Studios. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Starmer activates legacy mode while Farage activates Substack

This week, Keir Starmer announced a ban on social media for under-16s. It’s a punchy policy announcement. And it’s a clear sign that he has activated legacy mode. Today, we ask: what will his legacy really look like? And why are prime ministers obsessed about their legacy? On the week of the announcement, Nigel Farage has dialled up his divisive rhetoric with a brand new Substack page. His numbers on the platform are already towering over Starmer’s. We’ll discuss the prime minister's inability to engage in and win arguments with fringe political leaders, giving breathing room to extremist ideas in the UK - and ask: why the hell are politicians all on Substack anyway? Executive Producers: Olivia Foster and Carrie Rose Producer: Sam Durham Find the best clips from the podcast and more from Helen and Cleo on the show's Instagram page here [https://instagram.com/intheroom.pod]. Email your questions to Helen and Cleo on intheroom@independent.co.uk [intheroom@independent.co.uk]. This podcast is part of The Independent Podcast Network and is produced in association with Next Chapter Studios. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.