Talking Politics

Behind the scenes of the Starmer vs Burnham by-election row

As Keir Starmer tries to shake off the backlash of Andy Burnham's failed bid to get on the ballot for the Gorton and Denton by-election...what really went on behind closed doors? Downing Street and the Greater Manchester Mayor have both denied reports he was told in advance that he would be blocked by Labour's ruling National Executive Committee. But Robert Peston has the inside story. And with Labour leadership candidates waiting in the wings... how should Starmer have handled it instead? Meanwhile, Robert exclusively reveals why events in Canada could put King Charles's trip to America in jeopardy.

Why the UK is in a TERRIBLE position after Trump's Greenland tariffs threat

Why has Keir Starmer ruled out economic retaliation against Donald Trump’s new tariff threat over the US purchase of Greenland? And what options does it leave him and other world leaders to persuade the US president not to bring in 10% tariffs on 1 February for Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Finland? Tom Bradby and Robert Peston discuss the fallout from Trump’s latest jaw-dropping power play in this special edition of Talking Politics. Got a question for the team? Email talkingpolitics@itv.com

Has the government's latest U-turn on digital IDs ruined Rachel Reeves' big day?

Rachel Reeves today unveiled a huge rail infrastructure project, the long-awaited Northern Powerhouse Rail, which she insists "isn't just political, this is personal. "But her big announcement comes on the day of yet another U-turn by the government, this time on digital IDs. So, has the latest volte-face overshadowed the Chancellor's big day? And with all these U-turns stacking up, we ask the seemingly eternal question: what does this government really stand for? Got a question for the team? Email talkingpolitics@itv.com

Can Labour REALLY solve Britain’s housing crisis?

Do you want to buy your own home? Are you a renter paying record high housing costs? Are you a council tenant living in squalid conditions? Or are you one of the 350,000 homeless without a place to live, trapped in temporary accommodation? Having unearthed British housing at its very worst, Investigations Editor Daniel Hewitt grills Housing Secretary Steve Reed on what Labour are doing to solve the national crisis. It was the government’s number one priority on the first day of taking office, but 18 months on, house building remains slow, homelessness is still rising, and if the polls are to be believed, voters are not impressed. So what’s the plan to turn it around? Got a question for the team? Email talkingpolitics@itv.com

Why Trump REALLY wants Greenland - and why it should worry Starmer

Tom Bradby and Robert Peston discuss President Trump's frenetic start to 2026, which has escalated fears of a military seizure of Nato territory Greenland. As Robert explains, Trump's obsession with the giant Danish island is not going to go away. Trump says it's in the interest of ‘national security’ - but is there something else driving him? Something which Greenland has - and which China has - that the United States doesn't? All of this comes just days after Donald Trump attacked Venezuela and captured its president Nicolás Maduro - and just before the US seized a Venezuela-linked Russian oil tanker for violating US sanctions. Tom and Rober discuss the potential consequences of two NATO allies being caught in a military standoff, and what Sir Keir Starmer can do to resolve tensions between the US and Europe - tensions that threaten to put the whole world in a much more dangerous place.  Got a question for the team? Email talkingpolitics@itv.com