

Talking Politics
ITV News
Political Editor Robert Peston and News At Ten Anchor Tom Bradby discuss and debate all the key talking points of the political week - and answer your questions in our weekly Q&A episodes.Got a question for the team? Email talkingpolitics@itv.com You can watch every episode on YouTube, ITVX and Spotify and listen on every podcast platform, including Apple Podcasts. Hit subscribe on any platform to ensure you don't miss an episode.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 10, 2025 • 35min
Why the Mandelson-Epstein birthday book revelations are CATASTROPHIC for Keir Starmer
The Jeffrey Epstein birthday book revelations have further implicated Donald Trump and Bill Clinton and forced a grovelling apology from the UK Ambassador to the US’s Peter Mandelson.In Talking Politics, Robert Peston and Tom Bradby examine why Mandelson’s past letters to the convicted paedophile financier - released now by a US congressional committee - are so catastrophic for Prime Minister Keir Starmer.The duo analyse how Kemi Badenoch used the issue to finally dominate at PMQs, compare Mandelson’s precarious political predicament with Angela Rayner’s recent resignation over unpaid stamp duty and discuss the other biggest headaches facing Starmer heading into Autumn’s Budget, including why tax rises are now inevitable.Got a question for Tom and Robert?Email talkingpolitics@itv.com and we’ll answer it in our weekly Talking Politics Q&A showGot a question for the team? Email talkingpolitics@itv.com

Sep 5, 2025 • 25min
Angela Rayner OUT, Farage gloating: Is Starmer more vulnerable than ever?
After a momentous day in British politics, Julie Etchingham is joined by Political Editor Robert Peston and Political Correspondent Harry Horton who is at the Reform UK conference in Birmingham.Angela Rayner finally fell on her sword, triggering a major reshuffle of Starmer's top team. David Lammy is stepping up as his deputy, Yvette Cooper becomes Foreign Secretary, and Shabana Mahmood fills in as Home Secretary. Is that the end of the chaos in Westminster for now - or is it just beginning?Meanwhile, Harry Horton joins us from Birmingham where Nigel Farage kicked off Reform UK's biggest-ever conference in high spirits. He talks us through some of the familiar faces there, and why party members see it as a watershed moment for their movement.Got a question for the team? Email talkingpolitics@itv.com

Sep 3, 2025 • 27min
Q&A: When did politicians STOP answering the question? Is this year Rachel Reeves’ last chance to fix the economy?
In this Q&A Tom Bradby and Robert Peston answer some of our audience’s burning questions, namely:When did politicians first stop answering the question? And what are your strategies to make them answer it?The cost of living crisis is getting worse and Rachel Reeves appears clueless to fix it. So is this Autumn now her last chance?If Britain is broke, why do we need to give money to wealthy pensioners?Got a question for the team? Email us on talkingpolitics@itv.com or comment on our social media posts.You can catch up with the latest episode of Talking Politics on ITVX, YouTube or on your favourite podcast platform.Got a question for the team? Email talkingpolitics@itv.com

Aug 27, 2025 • 25min
Why is Nigel Farage rowing back on his party's immigration policies?
In this special episode of Talking Politics, Tom Bradby is joined by Scotland Correspondent Peter Smith to discuss Reform, immigration and Nigel Farage’s latest ‘flip-flop’.Why did Mr Farage today change his tune on his party’s immigration policy for women and children, after saying at a press conference just yesterday that ‘absolutely anyone’ who comes here illegally will be detained and deported? How do Reform’s immigration policies in general hold up to scrutiny? And why could tackling the small boats crisis determine which party wins the next general election?You can catch up with the latest episode of Talking Politics on ITVX, YouTube, or on your favourite podcast platform.Got a question for the team? Email talkingpolitics@itv.com and we'll answer them on our Talking Politics Q&A show.Got a question for the team? Email talkingpolitics@itv.com

Aug 26, 2025 • 28min
Why did the UK side with the 'tech bros' over Britain's creatives in AI battle?
In this special episode of Talking Politics, Film director turned Member of the House of Lords Baroness Beeban Kidron exclusively tells ITV News why she thinks the government is pushing the Artificial Intelligence Bill, and siding with the big tech companies.She tells us why celebrities like Elton John and Dua Lipa are backing her campaign to stop the government from using copyrighted creative work to train AI and what AI-produced films could mean for the industry.You can catch up with the latest episode of Talking Politics on ITVX, YouTube, or on your favourite podcast platform.Got a question for the team? Email talkingpolitics@itv.com

Aug 18, 2025 • 24min
Ukraine peace talks at the White House: Has Zelenskyy evaded Putin's 'trap'?
In this emergency episode of Talking Politics, Tom Bradby is joined by Global Security Editor Rohit Kachroo and US Correspondent Dan Rivers to react to the talks hosted by President Trump at the White House today. Is this a major step towards real, lasting peace in Ukraine - or has the difficult part of the discussions only just begun? What will the possible Ukraine-Russia-US meeting have in store - and is there any agreement on territories that will satisfy the different demands of Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy?You can watch all episodes of Talking Politics on YouTube or the news section of ITVX.Got a question for the team? Email talkingpolitics@itv.com

Aug 11, 2025 • 27min
Nicola Sturgeon's 'searingly personal' interview with Julie Etchingham
In this special episode, Julie Etchingham is joined by ITV News' Scotland Correspondent Peter Smith to discuss her exclusive interview with the former First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon.Julie reveals how Sturgeon is "lifting the lid" on some deeply personal matters - and Peter explains how the "formidable" politician was one of the few people he would get nervous about interviewing.They also reflect on some of the biggest moments of her titanic career, such as her relationship with Alex Salmond, her arrest in 2023, her attempt at gender recognition reform and much more.You can watch 'Nicola Sturgeon: The Interview' on ITVX and on the ITV News YouTube page.And, you can catch up with the latest episode of Talking Politics on ITVX, YouTube or on your favourite podcast platform.Got a question for the team? Email talkingpolitics@itv.com and we'll answer them on our Talking Politics Q&A show.Got a question for the team? Email talkingpolitics@itv.com

Aug 6, 2025 • 17min
Q&A: Are the far left finished in UK Politics? What are the chances of a coalition government in 2029?
In this Q&A special Tom Bradby and Robert Peston answer our audience’s questions, namely:Are the far left finished in UK politics? Or could Jeremy Corbyn’s new party pose a threat to Labour?What are the odds of our next government in 2029 being a coalition?Will Reform end up defeating itself? And could you ever see Nigel Farage leading the Conservatives?Got a question for the team? Email us on talkingpolitics@itv.com or comment on our social media posts.You can catch up with the latest episode of Talking Politics on ITVX, YouTube or on your favourite podcast platform.Got a question for the team? Email talkingpolitics@itv.com

Jul 28, 2025 • 20min
Trump talks at Turnberry: The new deadline set for Russia
On this special edition of Talking Politics, Carl Dinnen joins Tom Bradby from President Trump’s golf course in Turnberry where he hosted Prime Minister Keir Starmer for talks.Tom asks Carl what it was like being in the room with the two very different leaders and what he made of the issues discussed, including: Trump’s shifting position on Putin and the new ceasefire deadlineHow well Keir Starmer is handling the UK/US relationship with Trump in powerTrump and Starmer’s positions on the starvation crisis in GazaThe awkward moment Trump reignited his beef with the Mayor of London Sadiq KhanWhy Trump struggled with deflecting questions about his relationship with Jeffrey EpsteinGot a question for our Q&A show? Email talkingpolitics@itv.comGot a question for the team? Email talkingpolitics@itv.com

Jul 23, 2025 • 24min
Why Starmer was EXPOSED in front of MPs | Could Farage really deport prisoners? | Why is the PM's team so secretive?
What’s the problem at the heart of Nigel Farage's new prison pledge? And why was Keir Starmer so unprepared to talk poverty? With Tom Bradby away, Paul Brand joins Robert Peston to discuss that, plus:- Why Kemi Badenoch’s reshuffle may have surprised James Cleverly- Can the PM placate Donald Trump during his golfing holiday in Scotland?- Why are UK officials - unlike other nations - so reluctant to reveal details of the PM’s movements?Got a question for our Q&A show? Email talkingpolitics@itv.comGot a question for the team? Email talkingpolitics@itv.com