Electoral Dysfunction

Could Zack Polanski win in the St Pancras and Holborn by-election – and how crushing would a loss be to the Green Party’s momentum?

Harriet Harman, Ruth Davidson and Beth Rigby discuss – and mull over whether the whole thing will be an early headache for Andy Burnham, or a chance to prove he can regain the confidence of young left-wing voters.

Plus – Harriet responds to criticism from Kemi Badenoch after she t...

Do lobby journalists bear some responsibility for the collapse of the Starmer Government – or was it down to poor polling and a loss of authority?

Beth Rigby, Ruth Davidson and Harriet Harman discuss whether the chaos around Keir Starmer turned into “a game” for the media - and unpack what it’s like to cover a Prime Minister’s last days in office.

Plus – the panel answer more of your questions, inc...

How are our political parties funded – and is it time for a cap on donations?

Ruth Davidson and Harriet Harman pull back the curtain on political donations – and discuss whether bots astroturfing social media are rapidly becoming a major threat to democracy.

Author and journalist Peter Geoghegan joins the pod to explain how we got here and what exactly is going on online, while former Attorney General Dominic Grieve break...

Nigel Farage is an MP once again as he was victorious in the Clacton by-election, winning 63% of the vote and overcoming his main competitor - Count Binface.

But has the vote left us with more questions than answers? And why didn’t Farage go to the count?

Ruth Davidson and Harriet Harman are joined by pollster Luke Tryl, executive director of More In Common, to dissect Farage’s victory.

Plus, Harriet explains what happens ...

Hear from Jess Phillips regularly on our Tuesday members episode, subscribe at https://skynews.com/electoraldysfunction

Jess Phillips joins Beth Rigby to reflect on her time as a minister under Keir Starmer.

And she asks whether Andy Burnham can fulfil the Labour manifesto commitment to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. Are disinterested government departments to blame for slow progress?

Plus, why did Gaza nea...

Beth Rigby and Harriet Harman dive into what went wrong for Sir Keir Starmer – and why the public turned against him so quickly.

And Harriet asks if the Labour party might, in retrospect, have been able to ride out those disastrous local election results without changing its leader.

Plus – why has the Labour party waited so long for a female leader, and is a woman-only shortlist the answer?

We’ll be back on Tuesday f...

In appointing his new cabinet Andy Burnham has removed many of Keir Starmer's faithfuls, including previously key figures like Rachel Reeves and Darren Jones.

And critics feel 'traitors' who had tried to destabilise the recently departed PM are being rewarded for their disloyalty.

Former Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, called for Starmer to go back in February. Now he's off to the Lords for a ministerial job under Burnham.

At the...

We didn't get details of Andy Burnham's top team until most people had gone to bed... so why did it take so long?

Beth, Jess, Harriet and Ruth discuss whether some ministers negotiated for different jobs – and whether nobody wanted to be justice secretary.

Harriet also has stern words for "bitter" former cabinet ministers who are criticising the new government from the sidelines.

If you would like to subscribe to Sky News Inside...

We're in a transition as Andy Burnham becomes Labour leader three days before he becomes Prime Minister.

In Ukraine, Beth Rigby asks the outgoing PM, Keir Starmer, about why he chose to see President Zelenskyy on his final foreign trip.

Ruth Davidson and Harriet Harman hold the Electoral Dysfunction fort back home.

They weigh up whether Burnham should favour ability over popularity in his new cabinet - and consider how the polls are g...

Rachel Reeves says if Nigel Farage wants to "spend the summer arguing with a bin" then that's up to him.

The Reform leader triggered a by-election by resigning this week. He is standing again to fight for the seat. Count Binface is one of those planning to stand against him in Clacton but the main parties won't be there.

Beth, Ruth and Harriet dig into whether there are cracks in Farage's plan to reset the narrative after claims abou...

The New Labour band might be getting back together around Burnham’s cabinet table. Good for nostalgia, but the women have other thoughts if there are set to be two Milibands in the great offices of state and no women.

This week, Harriet tells Beth and Ruth this week that trust is broken between female Labour MPs and the top of the party, and now they’re expecting hard proof from Burnham that he sees them equally – ...

Andy Burnham is closing in on Downing Street as Nigel Farage endures a tricky political week. But does Burnham actually have a mandate to be Prime Minister? Or should we have a general election?

Beth Rigby, Ruth Davidson and Harriet Harman give their takes on what Burnham's first 100 Days could look like and who might be in his cabinet, including the all-important role of chancellor. Harriet says one of her picks for the job has to ...

The prime minister has resigned after less than two years in Downing Street.

In this extra episode, Beth Rigby and Harriet Harman react to a dramatic morning in Westminster and ask the question now hanging over Labour: has the party failed, or is this the reset it desperately needed? And could Andy Burnham be the answer?

Beth takes listeners inside the final hours of Starmer's premiership, from cabinet pressure to the emotional resig...

Andy Burnham is coming back to Westminster – is he about to become prime minister? And could Sir Keir Starmer be in denial?

After a stunning victory in the Makerfield by-election, Burnham has gone from mayor of Greater Manchester to Labour MP, instantly kickstarting the speculation about a challenge to Starmer's leadership.

So is this the beginning of the end for Starmer and will his MPs turn against him? Harriet has the lowdow...

Find out how to subscribe to our members' club, Sky News Insider, here: https://skynews.com/electoraldysfunction

Beth Rigby, Harriet Harman, Jess Phillips and Ruth Davidson are back early this week with details of the first ever Electoral Dysfunction members’ only episode. To listen to the full podcast, follow the link above for all the information.

In her first podcast back with the ED gang since quitting the government, Jess ...

As we sat down to get voters’ verdicts on the prime minister in Makerfield, he suffered yet another massive headache – his Defence Secretary, John Healey, resigned. And a few hours later, two more resignations. How weak is Keir Starmer now? And is this a problem for the safety of the UK?

Beth Rigby, Ruth Davidson, and Harriet Harman hear from locals voting next week - do they think Andy Burnham is destined for Number 10?...

"Pure cold rage": Will Nigel Farage regret his intervention over the murder of Henry Nowak?

Beth, Ruth and Harriet discuss whether Farage is pandering to the far right, or if he has a point about "two-tier policing" in Britain.

And, as Nicola Sturgeon attempts to distance herself from her estranged husband Peter Murrell – Ruth asks if her legacy is now forever tarnished.

Nicola Sturgeon has said she was “completely cleared...

Beth has a punchy exclusive interview with Andy Burnham for this extra episode of Electoral Dysfunction.

Saying the quiet bit out loud, Beth asks if Burnham is using this as his path to Number 10 Downing Street or whether he would be loyal as an MP and serve in Keir Starmer’s cabinet? You might want to watch on YouTube to see his response...

She also asks how Burnham's ideas for the country are different to what we already have...

Is the UK on its way to becoming ungovernable?

And what does a £5m gift to Nigel Farage from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne tell us about scrutiny and transparency in British politics?

Harriet Harman, Beth Rigby and Ruth Davidson discuss in a special live edition of the pod, recorded at the Hay Festival.

Plus, Harriet offers advice to Green Party leader Zack Polanski on how to handle his council tax row - inspired by her own ...