Weekly: Guest DAVID BLUNKETT on Johnson’s unlocking gamble and Starmer’s “nightmare job”

As the Roadmap to Unlocking is unveiled, are Johnson’s plans over-cautious, reckless, unrealistic or maybe… reasonable? Special guest former Home Secretary David Blunkett joins us to explain what it’s like to make decisions in a crisis, what he thinks of Keir Starmer’s performance so far, and whether he rates Priti Patel. Plus, do we need a deradicalisation programme for angry white males?

• “If opposition leaders are constantly calling for people to resign and then they don’t, it tends to make them look a bit weak.” – Ayesha Hazarika
• “If Governments want to show how tough they are, they should choose opponents their own size – and maybe not misguided young women.” – David Blunkett on the Shamima Begum case
• “One type of extremism breeds another. You can’t counter one extreme group by creating another.” – Ayesha Hazarika
• “On 9/11 there wasn’t a single person in Cabinet that panicked. I was amazed.” – David Blunkett
• “Starmer’s got a nightmare job because Labour can’t get a hearing… and because the Government are being forced to enact a social democratic programme.” – David Blunkett

Presented by Dorian Lynskey with Ayesha Hazarika and Arthur Snell. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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