The State of It
Episodes
"We’re all just normal people railing against politics"
26 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In the Makerfield by-election, Reform UK have put forward a local plumber in the hope of derailing Burnham’s push for power — but a string of dee...
Inside Keir Starmer's plan to remain PM till 2027
19 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Scoop: Keir Starmer thinks he can remain prime minister till 2027, even if Andy Burnham wins in Makerfield...And if Burnham loses, what then?Fear and ...
What the hell’s going on in Westminster?
14 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Wes Streeting has resigned as health secretary, but he hasn't launched a leadership challenge. Why not? More than 90 Labour MPs have now called for th...
Keir Starmer: the end game
12 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
An extraordinary day in British politics: Keir Starmer vows to fight on, but the resignations keep on coming. How long can the prime minister survive?...
BONUS: Reform shake Labour to its core
08 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
For now, the Prime Minister Keir Starmer vows to stay as the Reform leader Nigel Farage calls this a “truly historic shift in British politics”&nb...
"They're going to have to drag him out" - Starmer prepares for a leadership battle
05 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Thursday's local elections are set to blow apart Britain’s political duopoly, and the fallout for Labour could be existential. Pressure is mounting ...
Mandelson: Starmer’s original sin comes back to haunt him
28 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Morgan McSweeney has told MPs that the revelations about Peter Mandelson's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein were like a knife through his soul. The m...
Starmer picks a fight with the wrong guy
21 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Sir Olly Robbins dropped bombshell after bombshell when he spoke to MPs. Robbins, who was sacked as the Foreign Office’s chief civil servant, has ac...
Can Keir Starmer survive the Mandelson vetting scandal? Bonus episode
17 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Everything you need to know about the latest instalment of the Mandelson scandal. What Labour MPs are saying about Keir Starmer; our verdict on whethe...
Guns and Butter: the great defence spending row
14 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Kidney machines replaced with rockets and guns: Keir Starmer says security is his priority but where will the money for defence come from and when wil...
Get ready for a pub brawl, it's local election time
07 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
As Reform rolls its tanks onto Labour’s lawn across the old Red Wall and the Greens set their sights on London, Starmer braces for a bruising set of...
Labour's Zack Polanski problem
31 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Inside the negotiations between the government and the doctors' union, the BMA. Why is Keir Starmer putting himself front and centre of this rather th...
Angela Rayner's next move and Morgan McSweeney's missing messages
24 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We reveal what happened when Morgan McSweeney lost his phone, and what it means for the Mandelson files. As Angela Rayner looks like she's preparing t...
Why Starmer is happy to argue with Trump — and how he might help him over Iran
17 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
EXCLUSIVE: how the British government could intervene in the Strait of Hormuz. Is falling out with Donald Trump politically helpful for Keir Starmer?W...
The key to the Keir Starmer puzzle: bonus with How To Win An Election
14 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What does Keir Starmer do all day? Who is now pulling the strings in Downing Street? And why is it all going so wrong? Patrick Maguire and Gabriel Pog...
How bad are the Mandelson files for Starmer?
12 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Keir Starmer is being accused of misleading MPs over his appointment of Lord Mandelson as US ambassador. How bad is it for the prime minister? Steven ...
Oil and trouble for the British economy
10 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
While Keir Starmer may get some credit with the public for his response to the war in Iran, he's still stuck with its consequences: rising prices just...
How Starmer's Iran response alienates everybody
03 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We take you inside the Iran discussions in Number 10. What do they reveal about Keir Starmer's thinking and about Labour's electoral predicament?And a...
The end of the Labour party as a going concern in electoral politics?
27 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The end of Britain’s political duopoly now looks complete, as Labour suffers a catastrophic by-election defeat to the Greens in Gorton and Denton. R...
Ukraine extra: burner phones and lost children
26 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Join Caroline as she visits Ukraine on the fourth anniversary of Russia's invasion. Burner phones to make sure the Russians don't track them as they t...
A by-election reckoning — and unexploded bombs everywhere
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Three separate scandals have raised serious questions over Keir Starmer's judgement. It's empowered Labour MPs who were once written off as cranks. An...
Gabriel Pogrund speaks out on Labour Together scandal
17 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The Labour Together scandal is the latest storm threatening to capsize the government - and Gabriel has been right at the heart. For the first time, h...
Wes bottles it and Labour's left grabs the steering wheel
10 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Listen to what Labour ministers and MPs are saying about their colleagues in a week of chaos in Westminster. The prime minister thought it was all ove...
Bonus episode: Epstein tried to befriend me
04 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A guest slot to give you a taste of our new podcast, The State of It: USA. Give it a go and please subscribe.His enemies were hoping that Donald Trump...
How the Mandelson scandal threatens Starmer
03 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The extraordinary emails between Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein could constitute the biggest scandal since the Profumo affair. Lord Mandelson has...
Bonus episode: Flying to China with the PM
28 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Bonus episode.Join Caroline and Steve on the plane with the prime minister. Why did he end speaking to journalists from a loo? What's it like to trave...
Lose this by-election and all hell breaks loose
27 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We reveal what MPs are saying about the decision to block Andy Burnham from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election. It creates a new D-Day for ...
Widespread bafflement and anger
20 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The extraordinary tale of how the Chagos deal went down in Number 10. Plus, how long can Keir Starmer maintain his softly, softly approach to Donald T...
No one likes us, we don't care
13 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Keir Starmer's sending mixed messages to his MPs: warm words but ice cold briefings about any leadership machinations. Can the two positions co-exist?...
Starmer, Farage and your monthly bills
06 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Starmer wants to win over voters on the cost of living but can he make a convincing case, especially when Nigel Farage is planning to campaign on the ...
Get ready for a wild year in Westminster
30 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hold onto your hats for a year that promises plenty of political drama.Steven Swinford, political editor, The TimesCaroline Wheeler, political editor,...
The State of It's Christmas Awards
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Political moment of the year? Civil war of the year? And who or what gets The Actual State of It Award? 2025 offered rich pickings for our inaugural C...
Who will move first: Streeting or Burnham?
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Senior Labour figures say a challenge to Keir Starmer's leadership could come as early as next month. But who will move first? Andy Burnham, Wes Stree...
Angela Rayner's main character energy
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Angela Rayner turned down a chance to appear on I'm a Celebrity because she wasn't done with politics. Will she return to cabinet or make a bid for th...
The stench of decay coming from Downing Street
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The budget gave Labour MPs a lift but for how long? They're already getting uneasy, and some members of the cabinet are so cross that they're proactiv...
Bonus Episode: Labour's economics-free budget
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The dust has settled on Rachel Reeves’s budget. What does it really mean for the country? Is there any real economics behind it? And is it political...
Starmer and Reeves's reverse Midas touch
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel Reeves may have appeased Labour MPs but at what cost? We exclusively reveal just how bad relations are between Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana....
Mahmood vs the liberal luminaries
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Shabana Mahmood brings Blue Labour values to the Home Office, but can the human rights lawyer in Keir Starmer hold the line? Also, after last week's e...
Have a go if you think you're hard enough
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We reveal how the prime minister intends to fight a leadership challenge that he now sees as inevitable. Meanwhile the chancellor plans to scrap the t...
If you're going to raise taxes, why not just say so?
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Before the election, Rachel Reeves said she wasn't going to raise taxes on working people. Well, guess what? It looks like that's exactly what she's a...
Has Starmer gone woke?
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this half-term special, Gabriel Pogrund and Patrick Maguire tackle the week’s heavyweight political stories. Gabriel lifts the lid on a capital S...
The tepid bath of managed decline
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A two-scoop episode. We reveal one of the controversial measures coming in next month's budget. And there's trouble ahead for the UK's most senior off...
Is that a dungeon you're planning?
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is Tony Blair his own nation state? Did the security minister mislead the House? And what's lurking in the basement of the proposed Chinese embassy? W...
Badenoch woos WhatsApp plotters
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We have details about a secret WhatsApp group of MPs who are tempted to move against Kemi Badenoch sooner rather than later. At the Conservative Party...
What ministers won't say in public
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to The State of It, coming to you from Liverpool where the Labour Party is finishing its annual conference. Keir Starmer's team seem happy aft...
Introducing...The State of It
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Real reporting from the coalface of British politics. Join The Times and The Sunday Times’s political heavyweights Steven Swinford, Caroline Wheeler...