Shamima Begum: should we forgive the IS bride?

If you landed in this country and wondered what its problems were you might see the long queues for the health services, the high inflation, the shortage of workers to fill public sector jobs and the difficulties the country has with its supply chains. The New Conservatives are a new fringe Conservative group trying to solve a different problem. They think we need to cut immigration numbers by 400k, stop foreign workers visas, and offer the jobs (that we can't currently fill) to British workers. So that's now on Rishi's plate for him to ponder. We talk to their leader Tom Hunt and ask him how he'd get Brits to do those jobs. And after the press regulator IPSO ruled the Jeremy Clarkson column in the Sun was 'sexist, pejorative and prejudicial' we talk to IPSO's chairman Lord Faulks.

3 Juli 202342min

Rishi Sunak and now former government minister Lord Zac Goldsmith have a war of words over why Goldsmith resigned this morning. Sunak says its because of the latest Privileges Committee report. Goldsmith says it's because Sunak and his government are not serious about climate change. It comes in a week where it's been announced that this June has been the hottest ever, and the head of the Climate Change Committee, Lord Deben, questions how serious the Conservative government are about sticking to net zero policies. Does Rishi Sunak not care about climate change? We speak to Lord Deben himself, Ed Conway, Economics Editor at Sky News, and Lara Spirit of The Times.

30 Juni 202350min

The Court of Appeal thwarts Home Secretary Suella Braverman's eye-wateringly expensive Rwanda plan (for now) - cue a government appeal and derision and fury from a number of Tory MPs, some of whom have also been named in the latest Privileges Committee report for their choice language on Twitter and other social media platforms in response to the findings against Boris Johnson a couple of weeks ago.And why are there riots on the streets of Paris? We talk to writer Nabila Ramdani who's reporting on the streets.

29 Juni 202334min

As we record, the government is on standby in case Thames Water collapses. The country's largest water company has £14billion of debt, and is rudderless after the exit of their chief executive. It's prompting many to ask questions about privitisation more widely. How did bills get so high, as quality got so bad? That's before you even get on to the shit in the sea. We ask what we've learnt about taking essential industries out of public control. And, we discuss football, national identity, brexit , and what it means to lose - with the cast and director of Dear England - James Graham's latest play at the National Theatre.

28 Juni 202337min

Matt Hancock appeared before the Covid inquiry to offer a profound apology. He threw the government pandemic strategy under a bus with his assessment that the covid strategy had been “completely wrong“. Two years ago our gratitude to health workers knew no bounds. This week the harsh reality set in: as the PM confirmed he wouldn’t be able to meet the public pay review recommendations for wage rises. What does that say about our relationship with the NHS? And we talk to actor Tom Hollander currently staring in The Patriots - a play about Putin and modern Russia when the country itself is shifting.

27 Juni 202336min

On Saturday morning it looked like we might see the collapse of one of the world's longest standing dictators, Vladimir Putin. By Monday things were suspiciously calm, and the uprising against him - by his own former chef - was being flat out denied. So what just happened in Russia? Was it the start of a revolution? Or a massive mistake? Will this weaken Putin's grip or strengthen his hand? And what to make of the mercenary leader - Prigozhin- who is literally in it for the money? We talk war tactics and the psychology of an autocrat.

26 Juni 202336min

This week, the world has been captivated ( and wrapped up in hope) by the tragedy of the five people who've died in an attempt to visit the wreck of the Titanic.Jon sits in for Lewis this week and asks whether extreme tourism is going too far - whether we should push the boundaries of exploration (even if at potential great cost to others) and why the public; and the media, have been transfixed by the story.And we speak to Peter Kyle, Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary, on the anniversary of Brexit.

23 Juni 202333min

For the thirteenth time in a row interest rates have gone up. They’re now at 5% - the highest level since 2008. What is the knock on effect for all of us paying mortgages?Why are we struggling so much more than other countries to bring down inflation?And what will the political ramifications to all this be - will it make it easier for Labour to win an election - or will people rally to their government at a time of crisis and prefer the devil they know, to the devil they don't?

22 Juni 202335min