Politics At Sam and Anne's

With one month to go until the local elections in England, Wales and Scotland - is the electoral map about to be redrawn?In his first major test since the general election, Sir Keir Starmer faces a major health check and verdict on his government and leadership. Could the results reshape his premiership?In this special episode, Sam and Anne are joined by elections analyst Professor Rob Ford to discuss the key battlegrounds across the country.Can the SNP hold on for a fifth term at Holyrood?Could Welsh Labour lose power in the Senedd for the first time in its electoral history?Will Reform UK and the Greens' surge end the conventional two-party political system for good?Can the Conservatives stop the bleeding of votes across the board?Was the Liberal Democrat revival short-lived?Sam and Anne return for daily episodes from Monday 13 April.

MPs may be on recess - but as the Iran war enters its fifth week should Whitehall ramp up contingency planning for its impact at home?With the Strait of Hormuz still shut and reports of a potential U.S. ground invasion the Prime Minister will host a roundtable with key stakeholders from industry to discuss the ongoing impacts.Elsewhere, Labour launch its local elections campaign, and the duo look at the polls from a national perspective, assessing the state of the parties with a key month ahead to May 7th.Next Monday Sam and Anne return with a lookahead to the local elections with academic and pollster – Professor Rob Ford. Normal service will resume from Monday 13th April.

The Iran conflict may be dominating the headlines, but it’s the unintended consequences back home that are bothering the Prime Minister.With Tehran rejecting Donald Trump’s 15-point peace plan, will the government be forced to step up contingency planning to cover issues as diverse as fertiliser, fuel costs and even helium production?Sir Keir Starmer is in Finland for a military summit – so Sam and Anne assess the urgent priorities at home and abroad.But back in Westminster, the Morgan McSweeney phone theft story simply won’t go away. Are there yet more questions for No.10 to answer?

How does the government plan for making sure the country has enough fuel without accidentally triggering a change in public behaviour which causes shortages?Sam and Anne discuss that tightrope this morning. Ministers will be frustrated by comments from the CEO of Shell about ‘ripple effects’ from the Iran war.The UK says supplies are solid, but it’ll be looking at different approaches being taken elsewhere in Europe.It’s the last PMQs before recess and what’s the story with Morgan McSweeney’s phone theft?

Does Donald Trump always chicken out or is Keir Starmer in the dark about what is going to happen next in the Middle East? The U.S. President has paused military action in Iran for five days, but pressure remains on the government to support those struggling with energy bills.Sam and Anne unpack a turbulent 24 hours for the Prime Minister - examining how far the Chancellor can go to help those in need and whether she can afford it.Has Rachel Reeves learnt the lessons from Liz Truss – can she steady the markets and are there tricky decision coming down the line?Elsewhere, we have our weekly check-in on the polls – has the Starmer drama died down?Plus, Sam has a deep dive investigation in local councils wasting money on “unreasonable” planning decisions.

As oil prices climb again – with neither the U.S. nor Iran backing down over the re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz – what can the Prime Minister do to ease the economic strain?Later today Keir Starmer will convene an emergency COBR meeting to assess the cost-of-living impacts of the Iran war and consider if the government can further support households with a potential energy crisis looming.Sam and Anne examine the economic challenges facing the PM and the Chancellor, what role Britain is really playing in the conflict and how long could it go on for.Elsewhere, does the Home Secretary have multiple headaches over the Hillsborough law and a deal with the French to curb migrant crossings over the English Channel.

After a targeted attack on Shabana Mahmood’s immigration reforms, has Angela Rayner forced another climbdown from the Starmer premiership?Rayner allies are eyeing her return to frontline politics before the May elections – will Rachel Reeves be her next target? And does the Prime Minister really need his former deputy’s support?Sam and Anne consider all the factors and assess how credible a Rayner vision for Britain would be.Elsewhere, the UK launches a 50% tariff on all steel goods being imported into the country, but what is the move trying to achieve?Plus, what does the public really think of the policing system – and is the minister responsible immune from the issues?

With a full-on pointed and personal attack at the Prime Minister – is Angela Rayner beginning to position herself for something bigger?The former deputy prime minister ramped up the rhetoric – claiming that the future of the Labour party was at stake if mistakes continued and that certain reforms were “un-British.”Sam and Anne pore over her explosive comments, assessing what an ‘Ange-Britain’ could look like, where she differs from the current approach being taken by Keir Starmer and what the overall strategy is.Away from Westminster, up in Holyrood MSPs vote against assisted dying - but will the decision have an impact on the legislation going through Westminster?

Global insecurity and transatlantic tensions dominate the agenda for Keir Starmer - but is the UK about to edge closer to the EU?Chancellor Rachel Reeves will deliver a speech on plans to deepen the ties with the European Union, as Donald Trump ramps up the rhetoric on Britain’s limited involvement in the Iran war.But - with oil and gas supplies under pressure - how long can the Prime Minister hold back from supporting the U.S. President before needing Washington’s help to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to stabilise global supply chains?Back in London, President Zelenskyy makes a visit to Downing Street - a timely reminder that the war in Ukraine against Russia rumbles on.Plus, is Angela Rayner slowly making a return to front line politics and how does it fit in with Labour's promises of reform when they came in?