
Politics Weekly UK
Guardian columnist John Harris, political editor Pippa Crerar, and political correspondent Kiran Stacey analyse the week's politics news
Latest episodes

Feb 16, 2023 • 31min
‘I’m a human being’: Nicola Sturgeon resigns – Politics Weekly UK podcast
It’s the end of an era for two politicians: Nicola Sturgeon has announced she will quit as leader of the SNP and Jeremy Corbyn has been blocked from re-entering the Labour party by Keir Starmer. Gaby Hinsliff is in for John Harris and she speaks to Guardian deputy political editor Jessica Elgot and former Conservative cabinet minister David Gauke. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Feb 9, 2023 • 34min
Will the reshuffle save Sunak? Politics Weekly UK
Rishi Sunak has carried out a reshuffle of his ministers and departments in Whitehall. But will it be enough to save his party from electoral wipeout at the next election? To discuss is the Guardian’s Gaby Hinsliff, standing in for John Harris, who is joined by political editor Pippa Crerar and former Conservative special adviser Salma Shah. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Feb 2, 2023 • 38min
Does Britain really regret Brexit? – Politics Weekly UK
It’s been three years since the UK officially left the EU. This week the IMF has predicted we will be the only major global economy to shrink this year. Plus opinion polls suggest people are regretting their vote. The Guardian’s John Harris is joined by columnist Rafael Behr, Brexit correspondent Lisa O’Carroll and economics editor Larry Elliott to look at what Brexit has delivered. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Jan 26, 2023 • 35min
Why can’t Sunak clean up the Conservatives? – Politics Weekly UK
Rishi Sunak came into No 10 promising to earn our trust. But three months into the job he encounters an inquiry into his party chair, questions over Boris Johnson’s appointment for the BBC chair, and a police penalty for failing to wear his seatbelt. The Guardian’s John Harris is joined by columnists Gaby Hinsliff and Rafael Behr to discuss why the prime minister can’t seem to rid his party of sleaze allegations. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Jan 19, 2023 • 46min
The power of the union? Politics Weekly UK
John Harris joins nurses striking on the picket line to find out what life is really like for them. He speaks to Christina McAnea, the head of the union Unison, to find out what it is like negotiating with Conservative ministers. Plus, John is joined by the Guardian’s political editor, Pippa Crerar, and Scotland correspondent, Libby Brooks, to run through the ramifications of the UK government blocking Scotland’s gender recognition bill. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Jan 12, 2023 • 36min
Why has the NHS collapsed? – Politics Weekly UK podcast
Health officials are reporting that the NHS is on its knees. John Harris talks to the Guardian’s health policy editor, Denis Campbell, about what he has seen. Plus, Conservative peer Gavin Barwell and Gaby Hinsliff talk about why NHS reform is such a tricky conversation. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Dec 22, 2022 • 47min
How will 2022 be remembered? – Politics Weekly UK podcast
In a year that saw three prime ministers, two monarchs and a whole lot of political and social unrest, how will 2022 be remembered? The Guardian’s John Harris looks back on the last 12 months, and asks what might happen in the next, with columnist Gaby Hinsliff and political editor Pippa Crerar. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Dec 15, 2022 • 34min
How can Rishi Sunak hold the Tories together? – Politics Weekly UK
Faced with a country brought almost to a standstill by strikes, a cost of living crisis, and an increasingly desperate situation in the channel, just what should the Conservative Party be doing to get a grip on the situation? The Guardian’s John Harris is joined by the Conservative peer and former Downing Street chief of staff Gavin Barwell, and the political strategist Jo Tanner, to ask if, after 12 years in power, the Tories are running out of road.. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Dec 8, 2022 • 36min
What would a Labour government feel like? – Politics Weekly UK
Twenty points ahead in the polls, the Labour party looks closer to power now than it has done for more than a decade. But what do we really know about Keir Starmer’s vision for government? And how much has the UK’s political landscape changed since the 1997 Labour landslide? The Guardian’s John Harris is joined by columnist Gaby Hinsliff and Stewart Wood, a Labour peer and former adviser to Ed Miliband and Gordon Brown, to discuss.. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Dec 1, 2022 • 35min
Strikes hit ‘strongman’ Sunak – Politics Weekly UK
Nurses, rail staff and royal mail workers are expected to strike this winter. Will Rishi Sunak’s ‘Operation Get Tough’ have any impact? And as protests continue to rage in China, the PM used the lavish Lord Mayor’s Banquet earlier this week to announce the ‘golden era’ of relations with China is over. The Guardian’s John Harris is joined by Rafael Behr and Zoe Williams, and will be speaking on China to the Guardian’s former China correspondent Tania Branigan. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod