16/05/2026

The Week in Westminster

BBC

Government

4.0 • 258 Ratings

🗓️ 16 May 2026

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Caroline speaks to the Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, who is also Minister for Equalities and Women, about the tumultous week for Sir Keir Starmer as almost 100 Labour MPs called on him to go.

Claire Ainsley, who was policy director for Keir Starmer when he was in opposition and is now at the Progressive Policy Institute and Robert Colville, director of the centre right think tank, the Centre for Policy Studies assess whether Labour is doing enough to promote growth, in the week that the UK economy unexpectedly grew by 0.6% during the first three months of the year.

Conservative peer Matthew Elliott, who was the Chief Executive of the Vote Leave campaign during the Brexit referendum ten years ago and the Liberal Democrats’ Business spokesperson Sarah Olney debate whether Europe is once again becoming a defining issue in British politics after the prime minister vowed to put “Britain at the heart of Europe”.

And two long-term Westminster insiders discuss Labour's leadership challenge: the Labour peer, Ayesha Hazarika, who worked as an adviser to several senior Labour party politicians and LBC presenter and writer Iain Dale.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Caroline Wheeler from the I-Newsspaper with The Week in Westminster.
0:11.5	The week was meant to be all about the state opening of Parliament and the King's Beach.
0:25.7	But instead, it was overshadowed by the threat of political regicide as the fallout from the recent elections plunged Sarkir Starma into turmoil
0:30.3	as almost 100 Labour MPs called on him to go.
0:35.0	Kemi Badenock, the leader of the opposition,
0:37.2	wasted no time in sticking the boot in
0:39.2	as his premiership teetered on the brink. On Wednesday, she told MPs,
0:44.3	This is a highly unusual moment. The Prime Minister is in office, but not in power. Everyone is
0:53.3	trying to pretend it's all right.
0:55.5	It's not all right.
0:57.5	But the embattled PM managed a joke in response.
1:00.8	Let me also thank the leader of the opposition
1:03.7	for the usual warm and generous nature of her contribution.
1:22.6	Oh, wow. of her contribution. In difficult days, her input is always a ray of sunshine. I particularly getting tips from her and how to win friends.
1:31.6	The following day, Wes Streeting resigned as health secretary,
1:35.3	saying he had lost confidence in Kirstama's leadership,
1:38.7	deepening the political crisis.
1:41.3	Hours later, the Labour MP, Josh Simons,
1:53.9	announced he was standing down, paving the way for the Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to return to Westminster in a by-election and potentially challenged the Prime Minister.
1:58.0	A succession of Labour MPs took to the airwaves.
2:00.8	I supported Andy last time he wanted to come back to Parliament and I fully support him wanted to come back to Parliament again. We've got one shot at this. We have to get it right for the country because I'll be really honest. And a many of your viewers have been listening to this who are reform voters, I don't want to reform government. I want to stop reform. And the best chance is Andy Burnham. We have to take that chance.
2:18.2	Get him in because I think, you know, candidly, the country has massive challenges and we need all
	...

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