The State of It25 Aug

West Bank sanctions: the snag - and Burnham's blockbuster autumn

Scoop: Ed Miliband is expected to announce two different kinds of sanctions over Israeli settlements in the West Bank. We have the details, but will the plan be enforceable?
Get ready for politics on hyperspeed this autumn: a decision on North Sea oil and gas, an announcement about the prisoner early release scheme, two welfare reviews, conferences, a budget and a 10-year plan. But amidst the flurry of activity, is Andy Burnham putting off some tough decisions?
Reform UK says British-born workers should get priority for social housing. We look at the shifting Overton window on citizenship as three parties on the right - The Conservative Party, Reform UK and Restore UK - jostle for votes.

Steven Swinford, political editor, The Times

Fraser Nelson, columnist, The Times

Producers: Euan Dawtrey, Harry Kitson

Executive producer: Molly Guinness

Picture: Getty Images

00:00 - Parliament Returns: The Autumn Political Agenda

01:45 - Ed Miliband, Gaza Sanctions & West Bank Trade Bans

07:50 - Early Release Scheme & Police Backlash (PC Harper Case)

10:45 - The Mini-Budget, Welfare Reviews & 10-Year Plan

15:00 - Reform UK's Housing Policy & Citizenship Split

23:30 - Kemi Badenoch Meets Giorgia Meloni in Rome

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(70)

Assisted dying is dead. What next?

MPs have voted against the assisted dying bill. The legislation was defeated by a margin of 16 votes, with 286 MPs in favour and 270 against, after 314 MPs backed the plan last year. It's a huge momen...

11 Sep 22min

Why the UK is risking US anger with Israel sanctions

Ed Miliband, the foreign secretary, is announcing sanctions on Israel over West Bank settlements. Why is it such a priority for Andy Burnham's government and what are the risks? It creates yet another...

8 Sep 29min

Reform's conference begins with a crisis

Reform UK’s 2026 conference has begun in Birmingham under a cloud after Channel 4 broadcast allegations of an attempt to circumvent the rules on foreign donations — prompting Nigel Farage to turn on t...

4 Sep 24min

Starmerism with a human face: when vibes meet reality

Andy Burnham wants the first day back in the Commons to be all about hope. But how long can he and his chancellor John Healey keep up the feel-good vibes? After much talk of change, there's a whiff of...

1 Sep 31min

Burnham's three big tests - and trouble at Reform UK

The prison early release scheme is Andy Burnham's first big test as prime minister. There are no good options. Can he make a successful argument that he's picked the least bad?No 10 wants the Autumn B...

18 Aug 35min

Farage wins Clacton – but his £5m headache remains

Nigel Farage has done the inevitable and defeated Count Binface in the Clacton by-election. To celebrate, Reform threw a gigantic Glastonbury-style festival on Clacton beach. Farage-fest 2026 featured...

14 Aug 18min

PC Harper's killers: Andy Burnham's first major test

Last week, Andy Burnham said he had reached “the very limits of what is possible”, appearing powerless to prevent the early release of PC Andrew Harper’s killers. But after a wave of public outrage, h...

11 Aug 29min