Working to make government more effective

Working to make government more effective

Newly elected Labour MP Damien Egan (centre) with Chris Bryant (front left) surrounded by Labour party supporters after being declared winner in the Kingswood by-election
Podcast

Rishi Sunak's double by-election trouble

Chris Cook of the Financial Times joins the podcast team to explore just how much trouble the PM is in – and what he can do to turn things around.

A double by-election battering for the government has made this a very bad week for Rishi Sunak. The loss of Kingswood and Wellingborough to Labour followed the news that the UK has fallen into recession. Conservative backbenchers are restless. And the polls are showing no signs shifting. Chris Cook of the Financial Times joins the podcast team to explore just how much trouble the prime minister is in – and what he can do to turn things around as a general election approaches.

While the week ended on a high for Keir Starmer, it has not been a happy time for the Labour leader. Far from it. The selection – and then slow rejection – of Labour’s candidate in the Rochdale by-election has put Starmer under pressure – and left Labour without a candidate. So who is to blame for this clumsy handling of an increasingly embarrassing situation?

What we talked about in this episode

People featured in this episode

Topic
Parliament and the constitution Public finances
Keywords
General election Official opposition Majority government Economy
Political party
Labour Conservative
Position
Prime minister Leader of the opposition
Administration
Sunak government
Department
Number 10
Legislature
House of Commons
Public figures
Rishi Sunak Keir Starmer
Publisher
Institute for Government

Related content

10 JAN 2025 Podcast

Happy New Year, Keir?

Theo Bertram, a former adviser to Tony Blair and Gordon Brown joins the pod team to give his verdict on Keir Starmer's tricky start to 2025.