Coffee House Shots Podcast

Prime Ministers Questions today, and there was lots on the agenda. It is often a fools game to guess what the leader of the opposition will lead on, but today she had a wide choice of ammunition from unemployment to welfare to the governments new stance on migration to the war in Gaza. Kemi Badenoch looked assured when holding Keir Starmer to account on the Chancellors jobs tax and on funding for childrens hospices. But can we attribute her performance to growing confidence in the role or is the news just getting worse for Keir Starmer?

There were a couple of notable moments from the Prime Minister, including an attack on Reform and his response to Liz Saville-Roberts, leader of Plaid Cymru, when she called him out on his use of the phrase island of strangers earlier this week. Keir Starmer appeared tetchy is he taking a leaf out of Rishi Sunaks book?

Lucy Dunn speaks to James Heale and Isabel Hardman.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

Keir Starmer has succeeded in keeping immigration at the top of the news agenda for another day although he may not be happy with the headlines.

After his set-piece announcement yesterday, the Prime Minister is caught between fire from both sides. On the left, he is accused of pandering' to Nigel Farage and even echoing the rhetoric of Enoch Powells Rivers of Blood speech with regard to Starmer's statement about Britain becoming an island of strangers. Meanwhile, Farage has called the Prime Minister insincere and playing catch-up.

Within Labour, some backbench MPs have broken ranks. But it is the quiet, soft-left faction already uneasy about winter fuel, foreign aid etc. that will concern the PM most. Might immigration be the issue that forces them to rebel? And is this really a departure for Keir Starmer, or a return to the language of New Labour?

Oscar Edmondson speaks to Isabel Hardman and Danny Shaw, former adviser to Yvette Cooper.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

Keir Starmer has kicked off what may be one of his most significant weeks in the job with a white paper on immigration. In it, the government details its plan to take back control of migration, promising that numbers will fall significantly although no target number has been given. The plan includes the following: English tests for all visa applicants (and their adult dependants); an increase in the residency requirement for settled status from five to ten years; and new measures making it harder for firms to hire workers from overseas, including abolishing the social care visa and raising the threshold for a skilled worker visa.

Many have interpreted the move as an attempt to stem the rise of Reform by beating them at their own game. The Prime Minister gave a press conference this morning to announce the plans. His language marked a sharp contrast with speeches he made upon becoming leader. Gone are the days of making the case for the benefits of migration now replaced with we are becoming an island of strangers. Are Labour making promises they cant keep and are they merely echoing Reform?

Oscar Edmondson speaks to James Heale and Karl Williams, research director at the Centre for Policy Studies.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

Isabel Hardman presents highlights from Sunday morning's political shows.

The home secretary announces new measures to curb immigration numbers, and Starmer has a US trade deal. But not everyone believes the deal is much of a win.

Produced by Joe Bedell-Brill.

The post-mortem has begun on a historic set of local elections – but where does each party go from here? Is Reform unstoppable? Is Kemi the one to lead the Conservative rebuild? Do Labour really ‘get it’? Michael Gove, James Heale and Lucy Dunn are joined by special guests Zia Yusuf and Jacob Rees-Mogg to unpack these questions – as well as the broader ramifications of the local elections on British politics.

Listen for: Zia’s understanding of why Reform did so well; Jacob’s concession that a Tory/Reform pact of some description could be the only way for the Conservatives to avoid extinction; and Michael’s assessment of whether Labour will force us closer to the EU.

This podcast was originally recorded live at the Emmanuel Centre in Westminster on Wednesday 7 May.