The Week in Westminster

Radio 4's weekly assessment of developments at Westminster

Ben Riley-Smith of The Daily Telegraph discusses the latest developments at Westminster in the week that the Democratic Unionist Party ended its boycott of the Northern Ireland Assembly after reaching a deal with the UK government over post-Brexit trading arrangements. Ben speaks to the Conservative chairman of Parliament's Northern Ireland Committee, Sir Robert Buckland MP, and Claire Hanna, MP for the nationalist SDLP.

To discuss Nicola Sturgeon's evidence to the Covid inquiry, and her legacy as Scotland's First Minister, Ben speaks to Ian Blackford MP, former SNP Westminster leader, and Kezia Dugdale, ex leader of Scottish Labour and now director of the John Smith Centre at the University of Glasgow.

The Foreign Secretary, Lord Cameron, declared this week that the UK is ready to bring forward formal recognition of a Palestinian state. To analyse that Ben is joined by Tom Fletcher, formerly David Cameron's foreign affairs adviser and then UK Ambassador to Lebanon, and Alicia Kearns MP, the Conservative chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.

And, as Labour begins formal 'access talks' with the civil service, Ben gets some reflections on how the civil service approaches such talks with the former Cabinet Secretary Robin, now Lord, Butler.

Pippa Crerar, political editor of The Guardian analyses the latest political developments at Westminster.

Former Conservative Cabinet Minister Damian Green and Labour MP Sarah Owen discuss whether the government should introduce tax cuts in the forthcoming Budget.

This week marks the centenary of the first Labour government. Journalist and broadcaster Anne Perkins and Tom Baldwin, former Labour adviser and author of ‘Keir Starmer: The Biography’, discuss what that victory meant for the Labour movement and the current fortunes of Keir Starmer.

The newly-appointed chair of the Standards in Public Life Committee, Doug Chalmers, discusses his new role.

And, Katy Balls, Political Editor of The Spectator magazine, discusses the digital strategy of political parties with Tom Edmonds, who runs a digital consultancy. He also worked for the Conservative party and ran their digital campaigns, under David Cameron, at the 2015 election.

Paul Waugh, chief political commentator of the i Newspaper, assesses the latest developments in Westminster.

In a week of challenges for the Conservative Party over their Rwanda plan, Paul is joined by Sir John Hayes MP and Labour's Baroness Hayter, to discuss what happens next.

Meanwhile in the small Swiss town of Davos, government ministers and tech billionaires rub shoulders to discuss global challenges. Former Downing Street Director of Communications, Guto Harri, is joined from Davos by the Financial Times' Gillian Tett to discuss what it's all about.

Gareth Davies, Comptroller & Auditor General of the National Audit Office sets out the challenges facing government following his speech to Parliament this week.

And finally, in a week of polls, Deltapoll's Joe Twyman and Sophie Stowers from UK in a changing Europe, discuss how seriously we should take the polls as we prepare for a general election this year.

George Parker, political editor of the Financial Times, assesses the latest developments at Westminster as the Prime Minister authorises air strikes against Houthi rebels in the Red Sea and pays a surprise trip to Ukraine. George speaks to former UK ambassador to Washington and former national security adviser, Lord Darroch, about the military action and the global security situation. With the Post Office scandal taking centre stage in Parliament this week George brings together Conservative MP and former postal services minister, Paul Scully, and SNP MP and chair of the Post Office All Party Parliamentary Group, Marion Fellows. Conservative MP Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg and Labour's Dame Angela Eagle debate the role of the Office for Budget Responsibility in shaping economic policy. And, as Rishi Sunak pitches himself as the continuity candidate ahead of a general election, George speaks to John Major's former political secretary, Lord Hill, and Keir Starmer's former director of policy, Claire Ainsley, about whether the 1992 election provides any lessons for the main parties.

Radio 4's weekly assessment of developments at Westminster

Radio 4's weekly assessment of developments at Westminster

The Observer's Sonia Sodha and guests look back on the political week. Conservative MP Danny Kruger and executive co-chair of the National Care Association Nadra Ahmed discuss migration and social care. Labour MP and former culture secretary Ben Bradshaw and Conservative MP and chair of the British Museum APPG Tim Loughton talk about the row over the Parthenon sculptures. PMQs is dissected by Ayesha Hazarika, former political adviser to Ed Miliband and Harriet Harman, and Sir Craig Oliver, former director of communications at No 10 under David Cameron. And the late Alistair Darling is remembered by Catherine MacLeod and Torsten Bell, who were both his former advisers.

Ben Riley-Smith and guests look back on a week in which the general election battle lines became clearer. Did the Chancellor's Autumn Statement give with one hand to take away with another? Are the UK's net migration figures unsustainably high? How are the main parties selecting candidates for the next election? And what's the point of state visits?

Producer: Leala Padmanabhan

What's the future for the UK's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda? Does Rishi Sunak have an ideological core? What are the UK's big challenges on the world stage? And what role does the 'people's channel' GB News have in political culture?