Talking Politics

Andy Burnham’s big Makerfield by-election victory is set to reshape British politics as we know it.
So what happens next?
In this special Talking Politics episode, Tom Bradby and Robert Peston are joined by Election Analyst Professor Jane Green from Nuffield College, University of Oxford, to answer the key questions.
Is Britain now waking up to a new prime minister?
What does the Labour vote share in Makerfield tell us about potential voting in a General Election?
Would Andy Burnham definitely perform better than Sir Keir Starmer?
Could he call a General Election once he's prime minister?
What does it mean for Reform’s chances at a national level?
Are the Conservatives still in the picture?
And is electoral reform now inevitable?

Ahead of one of history’s most consequential by-elections this week, Keir Starmer has revealed how he plans to persuade Andy Burnham not to launch a leadership challenge.
In this week’s Talking Politics, Robert joins Tom from Evian in France where Starmer is meeting world leaders at the G7 summit - in what could be his last foreign trip as PM.
As voters in Makerfield prepare to head to the polls on Thursday, Robert explains why Starmer’s strategy to stay in Number 10 if Burnham wins the by-election is “almost emotional blackmail”.
And: find out what Robert thinks the PM and Millwall Football Club have in common…

Full list of candidates standing in the Makerfield by-election:
Jake Austin, Liberal Democrats
Count Binface, Count Binface Party
Andy Burnham, Labour Party
Dan Clarke, Libertarian Party
John Alfred Dyer, Independent
Ed Gemmell, Climate Party
Paul Richard Gould, Independent
Alan 'Howlin' Laud Hope, The Official Monster Raving Loony Party
Robert Kenyon, Reform UK
Robert Pownall, Independent
Rebecca Shepherd, Restore Britain
Sarah Wakefield, Green Party
Peter Ward, Rejoin EU

Tom Bradby and Robert Peston discuss Defence Secretary John Healey's resignation, after a row with the prime minister over military spending, in which he accused Keir Starmer of making the country "less safe".
He wrote to the PM to resign with "great regret and reluctance", citing disagreements about defence spending ahead of the release of the delayed Defence Investment Plan (DIP).
Tom and Robert reflect on why this resignation is particularly damaging for Keir Starmer and whether his position is now beyond saving.
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Contains mild language.

Tom and Robert are joined by Northern Ireland Reporter Stewart Robson following a night of violence and unrest in Belfast after Monday's stabbing attack.
Stewart shares what he witnessed on the ground, describing a "real determination from some people to make it as dangerous as possible", and outlines the latest developments in the case - as the politicans, police and the victim's family call for calm".
Tom and Robert unpack how the economic reality is fuelling anti-immigrant sentiment, discuss why successive Governments have struggled to control immigration, and look at whether opposing parties and their plans to fix the problems have any hope of success.

The murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak in Southampton last year has sparked national outrage and accusations from Nigel Farage of “two-tier policing”.
But is there any evidence to suggest police are treating people differently based on their ethnicity, or was this just a case of “grotesque police incompetence”?
On this week’s episode of Talking Politics, Tom and Robert react to the disturbing bodycam footage from the scene and examine how a tragic murder became a national political flashpoint.
They also discuss Farage’s intervention in the case, the family's repeated calls for calm, and why he chose to speak out on the issue after weeks of avoiding media scrutiny.