• Jess Phillips: Starmer Doesn’t Listen
    May 15 2026

    Andy Burnham, Angela Rayner, Wes Streeting - the list of potential names to challenge Keir Starmer is growing but the leadership race is not officially on... yet.

    Jess Phillips, who resigned from the government this week, tells Beth why she's backing Wes Streeting in a future race and why Andy Burnham needs to be careful he doesn't look entitled as he searches for a parliamentary seat. She also gives a devastating verdict on the prime minister, telling Beth he 'finds it hard to listen" in her first interview since resigning.

    Plus, as one Labour MP resigns in Makerfield so Andy Burnham can stand - can the 'King of the North' win a by-election? Or is he gambling his job on a seat he can't win?

    And can Keir Starmer keep a lid on it all?

    Got a question for the burner phone? WhatsApp 07934 200 444 or email electoraldysfunction@sky.uk.

    And if you didn't know, you can also watch Beth, Ruth and Harriet on YouTube.

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    48 mins
  • EXTRA - Are these Keir Starmer’s final days as Prime Minister?
    May 12 2026

    Less than two years into his stint, could it all be over for Keir Starmer? The drama is high after a handful of his government ministers have now resigned, and more than eighty MPs are now calling for the PM to go – so can the Prime Minister continue to hold firm?

    Beth Rigby, Ruth Davidson and Harriet Harman are back with an extra episode to discuss whether Keir Starmer can keep his job, and who his potential challengers are. Plus – could Andy Burnham be the answer to Starmer’s troubles?

    Got a question for the burner phone? WhatsApp 07934 200 444 or email electoraldysfunction@sky.uk.

    And if you didn't know, you can also watch Beth, Ruth and Harriet on YouTube.

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    32 mins
  • Local elections: Reform up, Labour down, Starmer out?
    May 9 2026

    UK politics has been reshaped after a bloodbath for Labour in the May elections, so what’s next for Keir Starmer and his Government?

    It was a historic night for both Reform UK and the Green Party – but will their gains translate when it comes to a general election? And can Nigel Farage keep up his momentum?

    Beth Rigby, Ruth Davidson and Harriet Harman break down the results coming out of Scotland, Wales and England.

    Got a question for the burner phone? WhatsApp 07934 200 444 or email electoraldysfunction@sky.uk.

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    44 mins
  • Can Keir Starmer risk a reshuffle?
    May 1 2026

    If Labour's election losses are as bad as some experts predict, Keir Starmer might need a cabinet reshuffle to try to show some strength of leadership.

    Beth Rigby, Harriet Harman and Ruth Davidson discuss the risks of that and why it might be counter-productive for the PM.

    Plus, pollster Luke Tryl from More in Common returns to chat about the Senedd elections in Wales – why has the voting system changed and why do so few voters seem to understand it?

    For a list of all candidates standing in your area, visit the Electoral Commission website.

    Got a question for the burner phone? WhatsApp 07934 200 444 or email electoraldysfunction@sky.uk

    And if you didn't know, you can also watch Beth, Ruth and Harriet on YouTube.

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    47 mins
  • Will we ever know everything about Peter Mandelson?
    Apr 24 2026

    Sir Keir Starmer says he has "put to bed" the row over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador – but it looks set to rumble on for the PM.

    Starmer's former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney has now been summoned to give evidence to the Commons, as well as Sir Olly Robbins's predecessor at the Foreign Office, Sir Philip Barton.

    Beth explains why Barton's evidence could end up being "box office", while Ruth and Harriet give their assessment on Starmer's very difficult week.

    And the team discuss if it might be easier to reveal all the information which came up during vetting.

    Peter Mandelson denies criminal wrongdoing and has not been charged.

    Plus – Beth's in Manchester interviewing Green Party leader Zack Polanski. Will he be able to persuade voters in Labour heartlands – and beyond - to jump ship?

    For a list of all candidates standing in your area, check the Electoral Commission website: www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/your-election-information

    Got a question for the burner phone? WhatsApp 07934 200 444 or email electoraldysfunction@sky.uk

    And if you didn't know, you can also watch Ruth, Beth and Harriet on YouTube.

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    47 mins
  • EXTRA: Why didn’t Starmer ask more questions about Mandelson?
    Apr 21 2026

    Keir Starmer says that if he'd known Peter Mandelson had failed his vetting, he would never have appointed him US ambassador.

    The PM told the MPs that civil servants in the Foreign Office had made a "deliberate decision" not to tell him, and that it "beggars belief" that he didn’t know.

    This is a story full of political process, about whether rules were followed. But for many it may just boil down to why the Prime Minister did not ask more questions, especially when it concerned a man who had already resigned twice from government.

    In this special extra episode Beth Rigby, Ruth Davidson and Harriet Harman give a full debrief on Keir Starmer’s Commons performance.

    Got a question for the burner phone? WhatsApp 07934 200 444 or email electoraldysfunction@sky.uk

    And if you didn't know, you can also watch Beth, Ruth and Harriet on YouTube.

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    33 mins
  • Is this the election that makes Nigel Farage unstoppable?
    Apr 17 2026

    Are voters about to hand Nigel Farage his biggest win yet? Reform are polling in second place in Scotland, and while Farage’s party might not win in May, could the result change politics in the UK as we know it?

    This podcast was recorded on Thursday morning before the news that Peter Mandelson failed his security vetting.

    Beth, Ruth and Harriet dive into what’s really driving this moment for Reform and whether it’s a protest vote against Scottish independence or something more permanent. And Beth reports back on her trip north of the border with Farage this week, which is part of a series of interviews she is conducting with all the leaders.

    Plus, pollster Luke Tryl from More in Common is back with a focus group of voters to help us understand what could happen across the board in the May elections and what it means for Labour, the Conservatives, and the future of two-party politics.

    For a list of all candidates standing in your area, check the Electoral Commission website: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/your-election-information

    Got a question for the burner phone? WhatsApp 07934 200 444 or email electoraldysfunction@sky.uk

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    50 mins
  • Could the UK sleepwalk into Trumpian politics?
    Apr 10 2026

    The world is reeling, thanks (again) to US President Donald Trump -who started his week by threatening to kill a “whole civilisation”... and is ending it by insulting his NATO allies. It’s left Harriet asking just how Trump got to be so out of control - and how did the checks and balances designed to rein him in fail so spectacularly?

    Ruth and Harriet discuss whether Trump’s chaotic leadership style shows that western democracies - including the UK - might be more fragile than we think, and if there’s a chance we could end up with our very own Trump-style leader.

    They also ask whether the Government was right to block Kanye West from coming to the UK, and what the row over the decision tells us about antisemitism in this country.

    Got a question for the burner phone? WhatsApp 07934 200 444 or email electoraldysfunction@sky.uk.

    And if you didn't know, you can also watch Ruth and Harriet on YouTube.

    Reform UK was given the opportunity to respond to Harriet Harman’s remarks about Nigel Farage in this episode.

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    31 mins