Commons People

Sep 10 2021 260 ep. 34 mins 2k

Commons People Podcast artwork

Each week, the HuffPost UK Politics team unpack the biggest stories from Westminster and beyond.
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Baroness Angela Smith...On Tory Tax Bombshells And Labour's Future

Sep 10 2021 34 mins

Boris Johnson has taken the biggest gamble of his premiership with a National Insurance hike to fund the NHS and social care.Labour's leader in the Lords Angela Smith joins Ned Simons, Sophia Sleigh and Paul Waugh to chat through Tory tax rises and where Labour's at ahead of its party conference Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yvette Cooper On The Art Of Govt And Opposition

Jul 23 2021 34 mins

As MPs head off to their constituencies, rising Covid cases and Channel crossings of asylum seekers are ensuring Boris Johnson cannot put his feet up.Home Affairs Committee chair Yvette Cooper joins Ned Simons and Paul Waugh to chat through her joust with the Priti Patel this week, as well as the wider problems facing both the government and Labour this summer. Hosted on Acast. See

Sunak's Overseas Aid Ambush: With Andrew Mitchell

Jul 16 2021 29 mins

The chancellor's late, late move to outflank Tory rebels on international aid cuts won the day, despite MPs voting against the three line whip. But is the rebellion over and will Rishi Sunak and his party rue the damage caused to their brand?Ned Simons and Paul Waugh are joined by former international development secretary (and former chief whip) Andrew Mitchell.Make sense of polit

Trading places: Will Liz Truss’s ‘Donut’ Strategy Leave Us With Brexit Indigestion?

Jul 09 2021 41 mins

Football may or may not be coming home, but Boris Johnson and Liz Truss want British firms to export more abroad. Can the UK’s tricky relations with China help or hinder that post-Brexit ambition?Shadow international trade secretary Emily Thornberry joins Ned Simons and Paul Waugh to chat through trade, as well as the next steps for Keir Starmer’s Labour after its ‘Batley bou

Return Of The Saj

Jul 01 2021 33 mins

Sajid Javid made a phoenix-like return to the Cabinet this week, replacing Matt Hancock after the former health secretary was sensationally caught on camera breaking Covid rules by kissing an aide in his office.Senior Tory and Commons education committee chair Rob Halfon joins Arj Singh and Paul Waugh to discuss a rocky week for the government, and the Covid crisis that’s creepin

Brexit Birthday Special

Jun 24 2021 39 mins

It’s the fifth anniversary of the vote to leave the EU and Brexit is still having a profound impact on British politics.Tory former spad Salma Shah and the UK In A Changing Europe’s Anand Menon join Arj Singh and Paul Waugh to unpack the successes and failures of the last five years, and discuss what Brexit means for politics in 2021 and beyond.Make sense of politics. Sign up t

Is The Tory Culture War Backfiring In Its Traditional Heartlands?

Jun 17 2021 34 mins

Boris Johnson this week delayed so-called “freedom day” from Covid restrictions in a bid to get more vaccines into more arms and protect the NHS.But the prime minister has angered many Tory MPs, who simply do not believe he will stick to the new “terminus” of July 19th.Lib Dem health spokesperson Munira Wilson joins Arj Singh and Paul Waugh to discuss why her party abstaine

Joe Biden Jets In Amid An Almighty Brexit ‘Mess’

Jun 10 2021 37 mins

It’s a huge week for Boris Johnson as Joe Biden and leaders of some of the world’s wealthiest countries arrive in Cornwall for the G7 summit.But the prime minister has embroiled himself in a row with the EU over the terms of his own Brexit deal, which has angeried the US president and is threatening to overshadow the event.Labour’s shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy joins Ar

Why Cummings Showed The UK Must Ditch ‘Glorious Amateurism’

May 28 2021 35 mins

Dominic Cummings took no prisoners this week when laying out claims of a series of “disastrous” government failures that meant tens of thousands of people died of Covid unnecessarily.Conservative MP Bob Seely joins Arj Singh, Paul Waugh and Rachel Wearmouth to talk about the former No.10 aide's explosive select committee appearance, why the government needs to be better pr

Why Labour Should Be Braver To Win Back The Red Wall

May 20 2021 44 mins

Weeks of optimism and cheer as Covid restrictions were eased gave way to another bout of nationwide nervousness amid localised spikes in infections attributed to the variant of the virus first detected in India, prompting debates about how to contain the variant and whether the June 21 unlocking needs to be delayed.Labour MP and Keir Starmer’s new parliamentary private secretary