Listen on * Spotify * Apple Music * Amazon Music * Sky News As the head of MI6 prepares to make her first public speech, is the UK facing a “new age of uncertainty?” Sam and Anne discuss the priorities for Blaise Metreweli – identifying where the perceived threats are coming from and how Britain is being targeted. Before he jets off to Berlin for more Russian-Ukraine peace talks, the prime minister will face the liaison committee as parliament begins to wind down for the year. Plus, Rishi Sunak makes another appearance at the Covid Inquiry.

Listen on * Spotify * Apple Music * Amazon Music * Sky News As UK-EU reconnection talks continue in Brussels and London, are more deals in the offing, what does it mean and when will the public see the difference? Anne has been speaking to the minister for European relations, Nick Thomas-Symonds, to see if any progress has been made and whether Britons can avoid the queues at immigration over the festive period. Back in Westminster, with a week until the Christmas break, there’s plenty of business for the government to get through, but it’s not all plain sailing.

Listen on * Spotify * Apple Music * Amazon Music * Sky News “Weak” – the word US President Donald Trump used to describe European leaders. But how will it go down here in the UK and across the continent? Anne is in Brussels mopping up reaction from the “decaying” group of nations to that explosive interview from the President as re-connection talks between the UK and EU continues. Elsewhere, Sam speaks to Kemi Badenoch about what success looks like for the Conservatives at the next set of local elections – clue: it may not be winning. Plus, has the ghost of Andy Burnham returned to haunt Keir Starmer with a leadership challenge?

Listen on * Spotify * Apple Music * Amazon Music * Sky News Some of the country’s biggest investment managers have sent a stark signal to Labour MPs. They worry that any attempt to oust Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister could rattle the markets, weaken the pound and risk a Truss-style shock. As Labour Together, the group that campaigned for Starmer’s leadership, tests the waters for potential successors, Sam and Anne unpack what’s happening inside the party. In Downing Street, Starmer hosts a high-stakes gathering with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz, as Donald Trump publicly pressures Ukraine to accept his peace terms. Sam and Anne look at what could be unfolding behind closed doors. Plus, in Clacton, Nigel Farage has been referred to police over his electoral expenditure. Reform UK denies the claims.

Listen on * Spotify * Apple Music * Amazon Music * Sky News How vulnerable is the British state to Russian attacks? Sam and Anne discuss how the government will fund the additional defence spending and the rumblings of some unhappiness in the British deep state. Away from defence, Sam hears of some tensions building between Number 10 and Number 11 over the handling of the budget as a formal leak inquiry is launched. Plus, is the government machine grinding to a halt?

Listen on * Spotify * Apple Music * Amazon Music * Sky News With reports of a merger, or that Nigel Farage expects to do a deal with the Conservatives before the next election – is it game over for the Tories or Reform? Sam and Anne discuss what this potential pact could mean for the right of British politics and whether the move will be seen as weakness from the Reform UK leader, in essence admitting that he can’t sweep to power alone. Away from party politics – Anne has the latest on the talks to end the Ukraine war.

Listen on * Spotify * Apple Music * Amazon Music * Sky News It’s almost a decade since the referendum on leaving the EU – and it feels like Sir Keir Starmer has turned up the dial on his Brexit rhetoric. He said it would be “reckless” to use Brexit as a template for foreign policy. Sam and Anne discuss what the PM had to say. Elsewhere, how good is the UK-US zero-tariff drugs deal really, and how are voters feeling about Labour as the budget dust starts to settle? Anne has some intel on the race to replace Lord Mandelson as the UK’s Ambassador to the United States. Plus, a listener asks why the PM didn’t dress properly for the Guildhall last night.

Listen on * Spotify * Apple Music * Amazon Music * Sky News The budget fallout continues, but did the prime minister and the chancellor exaggerate the size of the black hole? Sam and Anne question whether Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves misled the cabinet and the country to justify the smorgasbord of tax rises, as pressure mounts across the political divide. Elsewhere, have reset talks with the European Union hit the buffers over defence? Plus, the spotlight is on the head of the Office for Budget Responsibility as the investigation into the budget leak is given to the Treasury.

Listen on * Spotify * Apple Music * Amazon Music * Sky News After all the drama can MPs, the markets, business and voters stomach Rachel Reeves’s budget? Sam and Anne look behind the headlines and dive deeper into items which were not noticed as much in the chancellor’s budget, questioning whether it could be seen as a return to austerity. Plus, the duo also consider the practicalities of some of the new taxes and how they will be collected and monitored. Away from Westminster, Anne has an update on Ukraine and the push for a peace deal.

Listen on * Spotify * Apple Music * Amazon Music * Sky News A mansion tax, gambling tax, milkshake tax and scrapping the two-child benefit cap – today we finally get all the details of the most trailed budget in political history. So, who is the 2025 Rachel Reeves budget for – and why? Sam and Anne assess how MPs and the markets will feel against voters and businesses. Politically, the giveaways look like they’re worth every penny – but, ultimately, it’s a tax raising budget that will hit everyone somehow. There will be a second episode later today – a debrief on what’s happened in the budget at around 6.30pm.