Episodios

  • Trump's sneezed – can Starmer stay calm?

    Trump's sneezed – can Starmer stay calm?
    Apr 4 2025
    Another episode, another cheap hotel room to record the podcast for Beth as she follows Keir Starmer for the Labour local election launch.

    Ruth and Harriet are a bit closer to home to discuss the real implications of Donald Trump's scoreboard of tariffs.

    It might have felt a bit Eurovision but how does the PM stay calm about what it means for the UK? Harriet explains how there are three camps in Labour with different views on whether the Chancellor's promise not to raise any more taxes can hold.

    She also thinks one consequence of a UK-US trade deal could be 'heartbreaking'.

    And with the makers of Netflix hit Adolescence going to Downing Street this week – we talk about how TV drama can make a difference in real life.

    Email us at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444.

    Remember you can also watch us on YouTube!

    Help us understand more about our listeners by taking our survey This form should only take a few minutes to complete, and Sky anonymises the responses as much as possible.
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    48 m
  • Can Starmer silence the rebels?

    Can Starmer silence the rebels?
    Mar 28 2025
    Beth Rigby, Ruth Davidson and Harriet Harman analyse Rachel Reeves’s spring statement and how Donald Trump may have made things worse for her.

    The chancellor has redone her maths to make sure she sticks to her own rules on running the economy - but in doing that she has got tougher on welfare cuts. Can Labour keep the dissenting voices within their own party quiet? Harriet has some insight on how they'll be trying to do that.

    And do Trump's tariffs on US car imports (and the prospect of more tariffs looming) just put the chancellor on the backfoot anyway?

    Also, after an American journalist was added to a US government Signal group, how much government business is done on apps? And how much loose-lipped gossip is on there?

    Meanwhile, as Beth goes into the last few weeks of London marathon training, did we just start the Electoral Dysfunction run club?

    Email us at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444.
    Remember you can also watch us on YouTube!

    Help us understand more about our listeners by taking our survey This form should only take a few minutes to complete, and Sky anonymises the responses as much as possible.

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    43 m
  • Is Rachel Reeves about to have a very tough week?

    Is Rachel Reeves about to have a very tough week?
    Mar 21 2025
    As Rachel Reeves prepares to unveil the spring statement next week, Beth, Ruth and Harriet discuss what cuts the chancellor will make to close her budget deficit and how difficult it will be for her to justify her actions.

    They also examine the effects of this week's welfare reforms and look at what a change in the personal independence payment, or PIP, means for those who rely on it.

    Also, how will Sir Keir Starmer's "coalition of the willing" protect Ukraine from Russia without US support? The three look at how the prime minister is performing on the world stage and what difference he can make.

    Email us at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444.

    Remember you can also watch us on YouTube!

    Help us understand more about our listeners by taking our survey This form should only take a few minutes to complete, and Sky anonymises the responses as much as possible.

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    43 m
  • Is Keir Starmer bringing back austerity?

    Is Keir Starmer bringing back austerity?
    Mar 14 2025
    Sir Keir Starmer is doubling down on his bid to reduce government waste, but is his plan a fix or just more spending spin? Beth is in Hull after hearing what the Labour leader is promising, including scrapping NHS England to "cut bureaucracy" and bring management of the health service "back into democratic control".

    Alongside Harriet and Ruth, they also discuss Starmer potentially facing down a rebellion from his own MPs over plans to shake up benefits reform and welfare payments.

    The cracks are widening for Reform UK’s internal spat. Beth speaks to Andrea Jenkyns, who left the Tories to join Reform, on the party's latest bust-up, and Ruth and Harriet look at whether the party’s chaos is helping both Labour and the Conservatives.

    Email us at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444.

    And remember, you can also watch us on YouTube!
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    36 m
  • Rachel Reeves: "People want to talk me down... I'll prove I can do it"

    Rachel Reeves: "People want to talk me down... I'll prove I can do it"
    Mar 7 2025
    Beth’s been to 11 Downing Street to talk to the Chancellor for Electoral Dysfunction.

    She took some of your questions (and a couple of Electoral Dysfunction mugs) with her.

    Rachel Reeves reflects on her first few months in the job, explains what she thinks of the “Rachel from Accounts” label and shares her own money-saving tip which she tries to do every day when at Downing Street.

    She also hints on what might come in her Spring Statement with some strong words on the need for welfare reform.

    Email us at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444.

    And remember, you can also watch us on YouTube!
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    1 h
  • Will a ministerial resignation dent Starmer's post Trump high?

    Will a ministerial resignation dent Starmer's post Trump high?
    Feb 28 2025
    Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has returned from the US after what has been seen by Number 10 as a highly successful meeting with Donald Trump. This week, Beth Rigby, Harriet Harman and Ruth Davidson look at the preparation that went into this visit. Beth reveals how she caught the US president's attention. Plus, what is it like in the Oval Office? And how did Mr Trump react when he got that invitation from the King.

    They also discuss the resignation of development minister Annelise Dodds after the aid budget was cut to boost defence spending and ask whether this will dent Mr Starmer's post-Trump confidence.

    Email us at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444.

    And remember, you can also watch us on YouTube!
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    35 m
  • A pact between Farage and Badenoch?

    A pact between Farage and Badenoch?
    Feb 21 2025
    What could a pact between Nigel Farage’s Reform party and Kemi Badenoch’s Conservatives look like? Are we about to see the Tory party lurch closer to the right?

    Beth, Ruth and Harriet answer this and more, as they go through your questions – which means we also get the backstory to the iconic Beth Rigby red lipstick.

    And how difficult is being married to an MP? We hear from Ruth’s partner Jen about their lives in the spotlight when Ruth was leader of the Scottish Conservatives.

    Email us at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444.

    And remember, you can also watch us on YouTube!
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    28 m
  • Labour WhatsApps: "If you’ve got racist thoughts then you shouldn't be an MP!"

    Labour WhatsApps: "If you’ve got racist thoughts then you shouldn't be an MP!"
    Feb 14 2025
    Do MPs say one thing in public, and another in private? This week, Beth Rigby, Harriet Harman and Ruth Davidson ask what’s been going on with the two MPs suspended from the Labour party over WhatsApps messages containing offensive comments.

    Andrew Gwynne and Oliver Ryan both lost the whip after Sunday newspaper revelations.
    It’s been a difficult week for Harriet – she's worked with Andrew Gwynne for a number of years and says it’s made her question her judgement.

    Also – are we about to see by elections as a result?

    And in the week the assisted dying debate is back in the news, we discuss the repercussions of the plan to scrap the need for High Court approval after Beth speaks to the MP who has campaigned for the changes, Labour’s Kim Leadbeater.

    Email us at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444.

    Watch us on Youtube too - new videos every week here.
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    40 m