Whitehall Sources

Calum Macdonald and Kirsty Buchanan discuss various topics related to the upcoming election. They talk about the length of the campaign, the impact of polling, and the challenges faced by the Conservative Party. Kirsty also shares her experience at her son's school and discusses the views of children on politics. Adam Bell, former Energy SpAd and now Director of Policy at Stonehaven joins. We explore energy policy in the UK and the...

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The conversation covers various aspects of the ongoing election campaign, including the performance of the Conservative and Labour parties, the impact of policy announcements, the handling of key issues such as Brexit and the economy, and the upcoming manifesto launches and leadership debates. The discussion also delves into the strategies and challenges faced by the party leaders, as well as the role of media and public perception...

Jo Tanner joins Kirsty and Calum. The conversation discusses the announcement of the general election and the strategy behind it. It explores the mishaps and challenges faced by the Conservative Party, including the timing of the announcement and the optics of the Prime Minister speaking in the rain. The conversation also delves into the potential impact of the election on issues such as the compensation scheme for victims of the c...

Kirsty Buchanan, former special advisor to Theresa May, and Calum Macdonald discuss the prison system in the UK, and Sir Keir Starmer's six pledges for the next general election. The conversation touches on the challenges of the prison system, the need for a fresh look at remand and recall, and the importance of rehabilitation and reform. It also explores the effectiveness of political pledges and the need for realistic and achieva...

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We're joined by James Price.

The conversation covers various topics including the investigation into Conservative MP Mark Menzies, standards in public life, and the ongoing debate over the Rwanda deportation bill. The hosts and guests discuss the lack of action by the Conservative Party in response to the allegations against Menzies and the need for better crisis management. They also explore the challenges of maintaining standards...

Support the podcast by becoming a member at: https://plus.acast.com/s/whitehallsources.

Support the podcast by becoming a member at: https://plus.acast.com/s/whitehallsources.

Support the podcast by becoming a member at: https://plus.acast.com/s/whitehallsourc...

The centre of government has failed successive prime ministers. That's according to the Institute for Government think tank, which outlines 7 recommendations for "radical reform" to make our government function better. Programme Director Alex Thomas joins Calum and Kirsty to discuss why the Cabinet Office needs to dissolve, and why Number 10 should look next door, to the Treasury, for inspiration.

Another racism row engulfs the ...

Calum Macdonald, Kirsty Buchanan and Chris Ward discuss the budget.

Kirsty was a Special Adviser to Theresa May and Chris was an adviser to Sir Keir Starmer, working on several budgets with the Labour leader.

The conversation discusses the recent budget and its implications. It explores the lack of impact and ill feeling within the Conservative Party. The topic of national insurance contributions is also examined, along with the publ...

We're joined by Director of the Project on Center-Left Renewal at the Progressive Policy Institute Claire Ainsley, who was policy director to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, to debrief on a chaotic week in Westminster and look ahead to what might come next. Did the last seven days descend into a worst case scenario for the Labour Party, or will they be feeling it could have gone worse? How might the upcoming by-election in Rochdale...

This conversation covers the Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch's denial that the former Chairman of the Post Office had been instructed to stall payments in order to allow the government to "limp" into the next General Election, the potential for tax cuts being announced at the budget in March and what they mean for us. MPs are also debating a motion in Parliament put forward by the Scottish National Party (SNP) calling for an immed...