The Week in Westminster

BBC Radio 4

Radio 4's weekly assessment of developments at Westminster

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Caroline Wheeler of The Sunday Times assesses the latest developments at Westminster. Following the publication of the assisted dying bill, Caroline speaks to one of its supporters, the Labour MP and former surgeon, Peter Prinsley, and the palliative care expert and long-time campaigner against assisted dying, Baroness Ilora Finlay.To discuss what the election of Donald Trump means for the war in Ukraine, Caroline brings together the former Conservative Defence Secretary, Grant Shapps, and Nato's former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, General Sir John McColl.Dale Vince, founder of the green energy company Ecotricity and one of Labour's biggest donors, discusses the COP29 summit in Azerbaijan and the UK's drive for net zero.And, as Donald Trump appoints Elon Musk to look at ways to cut trillions from US government spending, Caroline asks if the UK could benefit from a similar endeavour with Labour MP, and chair of the Treasury Select Committee, Meg Hillier, and the former Director General of the Institute of Economic Affairs, Mark Littlewood.

Episodes

Caroline Wheeler of The Sunday Times assesses the latest developments at Westminster. Following the publication of the assisted dying bill, Caroline speaks to one of its supporters, the Labour MP and former surgeon, Peter Prinsley, and the palliative care expert and long-time campaigner against assisted dying, Baroness Ilora Finlay.To discuss what the election of Donald Trump means for the war in Ukraine, Caroline brings together the former Conservative Defence Secretary, Grant Shapps, and Nato's former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, General Sir John McColl.Dale Vince, founder of the green energy company Ecotricity and one of Labour's biggest donors, discusses the COP29 summit in Azerbaijan and the UK's drive for net zero.And, as Donald Trump appoints Elon Musk to look at ways to cut trillions from US government spending, Caroline asks if the UK could benefit from a similar endeavour with Labour MP, and chair of the Treasury Select Committee, Meg Hillier, and the former Director General of the Institute of Economic Affairs, Mark Littlewood.

Ben Riley Smith of The Daily Telegraph looks back on the week in Westminster. In the week of the election of Donald Trump as the next US President, Ben discusses the implications of the result with Stewart Woods, Labour peer and former adviser to Gordon Brown and Sir Liam Fox, the former Conservative Defence Secretary - and International Trade Secretary during Donald Trump's first presidency.To discuss the impact of the changes to inheritance tax on farms Ben is joined by Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Dyke and the Deputy Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Helen Miller.The former Universities Minister and Conservative peer, Jo Johnson, discusses the government's announcement, earlier this week, that tuition fees for students in England would rise next year.And, as the new Conservative party leader, Kemi Badenoch, faced Sir Keir Starmer for the first time at Prime Minister's Questions, Quentin Letts, political sketchwriter for the Daily Mail and Jessica Elgot, Deputy Political Editor of the Guardian give us their verdict.

Radio 4's weekly assessment of developments at Westminster

Jack Blanchard of Politico analyses the latest developments at Westminster.He speaks to former Labour Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, for his take on the Commonwealth summit and calls from some leaders for the UK to start meaningful dialogue on slavery reparations. As the Government launches a major consultation on reforming the NHS, Jack brings together two MPs with experience of working in the health service: Labour's Paulette Hamilton and Conservative Luke Evans.The former Conservative Justice Secretary, Alex Chalk, and London's Independent Commissioner for Victims, Claire Waxman, discuss the government's sentencing policy review.And, after the Trump campaign accuses the UK Labour Party of "interference" in the US election, Jack is joined by spokeswoman for Republicans Overseas UK, Sarah Elliott, and Keir Starmer's former political director, Luke Sullivan.