Bloomberg UK Politics

The UK's Prime Minister is facing growing questions over what he knew about Peter Mandelson's relationship with Jeffery Epstein when he appointed him as Ambassador to the US. Keir Starmer fired him after Bloomberg published a series of emails between Mandelson and the convicted paedophile. The departure comes at a difficult time for the government as it prepares to host a state visit for the US President. In this final episode of the Bloomberg UK Politics podcast, our finance reporter Harry Wilson takes us behind the scenes of the Bloomberg scoop. He tells us what the emails reveal, alongside our political correspondent Ellen Milligan. Hosted by Stephen Carroll and Caroline Hepker with Yuan Potts, who share their thoughts on more than 1,000 episodes of the show.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has ended Westminster's summer holidays with a bang. Her admission she underpaid taxes on a property purchase has abruptly torpedoed the government's plans for a reset. Our UK politics reporter James Woolcock explains how the week fell apart for Labour. Meanwhile, we finally have a date for the Budget. Our senior UK economy reporter Philip Aldrick joins to discuss the chancellor's dilemmas over taxes. Hosted by Yuan Potts and Caroline Hepker.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More lobbyists than ever before plan to attend Reform UK’s annual conference next week in a sign corporate Britain is increasingly taking Nigel Farage’s small parliamentary party seriously as an electoral force. Exclusive polling shared with Bloomberg finds that public affairs professionals are now engaging with Reform as if it could become a credible alternative to power. We talk to Jon Gerlis from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations about why business sees Reform UK as impossible to ignore. Hosted by Caroline Hepker and James Woolcock.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour and the Conservatives have both set sky-high ambitions for what artificial intelligence can do for public services and the economy. But are those goals realistic, and will they come quickly enough for voters to see the results? We discuss with Labour MP Josh Simons, and Nic Prettejohn, head of AI for the UK and Nordics at tech firm Palantir, which has several major IT contracts with the government. Hosted by Yuan Potts and Stephen Carroll.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Record levels of pollution have been reported in Britain's water supplies at a time when household bills are skyrocketing. The largest company in the sector, Thames Water, is on the brink of collapse, leaving the Labour government with difficult choices to make. Our reporter Priscila Azevedo Rocha unpacks the debt crisis at the company, and Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney give us her view on what the government should do. Hosted by Stephen Carroll and Lizzy Burden.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Politics is about perception, and while the most serious crimes have been trending downwards, the British public are concerned about the prevalence of theft and fraud. So how can Labour follow through on its pledge to 'take back our streets' and make Britain feel safer? We ask Bloomberg's UK Politics Reporter Lucy White and Former Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Shabnam Chaudhri. Hosted by Caroline Hepker and Stephen Carroll. Produced by Freddy Foulston and Rose Henderson.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The UK Parliament is on recess for the summer break. The Labour Party, in particular, may be reflecting on a year that saw them go from a landslide election victory to declining popularity. While Parliament is away, we’re taking a closer look at some of the potential crises the government could face in the coming year. This week, we’re focusing on plans for children with special educational needs and disabilities. Ballooning costs are placing more financial pressure on England’s already-stretched local councils, highlighting the urgency of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s proposed reforms in this area. However, some view this issue as the next major test for Labour MPs, particularly those who rebelled over welfare cuts. Hosted by Caroline Hepker and produced by Harry Black.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Keir Starmer has signed the UK's biggest trade deal since Brexit, sealing an agreement with India's Narendra Modi. The Prime Minister has succeeded where predecessors Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson failed, but how quickly will it boost UK growth? We discuss with Bloomberg's London Bureau Chief Ruth David and Chair of the International Chamber of Commerce UK and cross bench peer, Karan Bilimoria. Hosted by Yuan Potts and Caroline Hepker.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The dramatic revelation of a massive and expensive data breach has blindsided Westminster. It's the first time that a superinjunction, which stops media reporting, has been used by the government. We talk to Sean Humber, from law firm Leigh Day, who specialises in privacy breach compensation claims and is organising a class action in the case. We ask if the government is getting worse at handling data, and how much it might eventually cost. Hosted by Caroline Hepker and Yuan Potts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Keir Starmer secured a “one in, one out” migrant-return deal with Emmanuel Macron at the end of the first state visit from a French leader in more than 15 years. The Prime Minister is hoping he can prove his self-styled methodical, pragmatic approach works and can fix an issue which looms large in British politics. But there is much more to this visit. We discuss with our foreign policy and defence correspondent Ellen Milligan and Bloomberg Opinion Columnist in Paris, Lionel Laurent. Hosted by Stephen Carroll and Caroline Hepker.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.