10/05/2025

Available for over a year

Sonia Sodha delves in to the latest developments at Westminster. Sir Keir Starmer celebrated not one, but two, new trade deals this week: with the United States and India. But has Britain got good deals? The Labour chair of the Business and Trade Select Committee, Liam Byrne, and former Conservative trade minister and UK trade envoy to the US, Sir Conor Burns, discuss the merits of the agreements. Following the local election results, in which Reform UK made strong gains at the expense of the main parties, restive Labour MPs have been making their feelings known to the Prime Minister about the government's performance. One of those MPs, Jo White, chair of the Red Wall Group, joined Joe Dromey, General Secretary of the Fabians, to discuss whether Labour needs a change of direction. A spate of recent cyber attacks on retailers including M&S and Co-op have caused alarm in business circles and in government. Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden this week said the attacks were a "wake-up call" for business. To discuss that Sonia speaks to Ciaran Martin, former chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre and now a professor at Oxford University. And, to reflect on the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Sonia is joined by Lord Michael Heseltine, former Deputy Prime Minister, who witnessed the celebrations in 1945, and Alex Baker, the first Labour MP to represent Aldershot - the home of the British Army.