Politics Weekly UK

On Tuesday Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak were fined by the Metropolitan police for breaching lockdown rules. But neither have resigned. John Harris is joined by the Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff and the former special adviser Salma Shah to talk about how damaging this is for the PM, his party and the country. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

In a week when the Metropolitan police fined the former Cabinet Office’s director of ethics for attending a lockdown party, and Tory MP David Warburton faces allegations of sexual harassment and cocaine use, John Harris is joined by the Guardian’s Zoe Williams, and Miatta Fahnbulleh from the New Economics Foundation to talk about the return of a perception of sleaze and excess in the party. Plus, as Rishi Sunak’s popularity plunges after the spring statement, Miatta, who knows him personally, gives insight into where he has gone wrong.. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

To hear the full episode, be sure to search for and subscribe to Politics Weekly America wherever you get your podcasts. During the Senate confirmation hearings for Joe Biden’s nomination for supreme court justice, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was repeatedly asked about an unfounded claim that originated in the QAnon community. Joan E Greve and Alex Kaplan of Media Matters look at why some in the GOP are turning to a far-right extremist group for attack lines. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Boris Johnson is again defending himself against allegations he lied about lockdown parties in Downing Street. Guardian journalist John Harris speaks to columnist Gaby Hinsliff and political correspondent Peter Walker about how damaging this is for Boris Johnson within the Tory party and with the public, and asks why Labour doesn’t seem to be capitalising on the government being mired in scandal again. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

To hear the full episode, be sure to search for and subscribe to Politics Weekly America wherever you get your podcasts. Florida’s governor seems to relish addressing whatever culture war is raging. He might have learned a thing or two from his former backer, Donald Trump. If the polls are right, the two might end up fighting against each other in the Republican primaries for the 2024 presidential election. So who is DeSantis, and what are his chances? Jonathan Freedland speaks to Ana Ceballos of the Miami Herald and Peter Schorsch of Florida Politics to learn more about him.. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

On the day of Rishi Sunak’s spring statement, Robin Burgess from the Hope Centre in Northampton tells Guardian political columnist John Harris just how desperate the cost of living situation is. John is also joined by Miatta Fahnbulleh, the chief executive of the New Economics Foundation, and David Gauke, former chief secretary to the Treasury, to discuss why the Tories seem resistant to helping those most in need. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

To continue listening to Jonathan Freedland’s analysis of what’s happening in Washington and beyond, be sure to like and subscribe to Politics Weekly America wherever you get your podcasts. This week, Jonathan Freedland speaks to Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence of Michigan, who has chosen to not to run again this November. She shares her thoughts on the war in Ukraine, why she chose to leave office, and who in the Republican party worries her the most for 2024.. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

The Ukrainian MP Kira Rudyk, in Kyiv, tells Guardian political columnist John Harris how she and her fellow MPs are running the country despite escalating Russian aggression. John is then joined by the Guardian’s defence and security editor, Dan Sabbagh, and Clive Lewis, the Labour MP for Norwich South, to discuss Nato and the Russian nuclear threat. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod