Joan Armatrading, Spare Rib and Virago at 50, Defra Minister Victoria Prentis MP, Mermaids

The singer songwriter Joan Armatrading received an Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contemporary Song Collection in 1996. Best known for hits such as Love And Affection, Me Myself I and Drop The Pilot, she has released more than 20 studio albums. Later this week Joan will receive The Music Producers Guild Outstanding Contribution Award. She joins Emma to discuss her music and this latest achievement.

50 years ago this month the first edition of the iconic feminist magazine Spare Rib was published. It set out to offer an alternative to existing women’s magazines at a time when the women’s liberation movement was challenging women’s secondary place in society. Also in that year - 1972 – and inspired by its founders, Rosie Boycott and Marsha Rowe, Carmen Callil founded Virago – the book publisher which still gives a voice and platform to female writers today. Tonight a party is being held at the British Library in celebration, and Emma is joined by all three women.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has won the backing of a majority of Tory MPs in a confidence vote despite a significant revolt against his leadership. He won 59% of the vote, meaning he is now immune from a Conservative leadership challenge for a year. In all, 211 Tory MPs voted they had confidence in the PM's leadership while 148 voted against him. We've since heard from a number of male MPs, but where are all the female MPs? Vanishingly few women from the Conservative Party have spoken publicly on this - especially from the rebel side. Emma is joined by Victoria Prentis, Minister of State for the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs.

Every year HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria kill more than 5 million people. Much has been done to try to eradicate these diseases, and international donor funds are intent on curing them by 2030. The UK has historically been one of the main donors, but due to the covid-19 pandemic, priorities have shifted and some funds have been redirected. The Kenyan campaigner Maurine Murenga, who lives with HIV herself, is asking for the international community to bring their attention back to these deadly diseases. She joins Emma in the studio.

If you happened to be strolling along the seafront at Plymouth at the start of the Jubilee weekend you may have looked down and spotted a very large gathering of mermaids sunning themselves. Pauline Barker organised the event to kick off celebrations in the city by the sea, and to try and break a Guiness world record - she tells Emma how it went.