Hello, I'm Hugo Rifkin, and now we're going to be unpacking the politics of the day,

and today we'll be asking why a massive electoral majority no longer guarantees a period of physical stability,

whether we should be optimistic that the future might not be a dystopian hell zone,

and whether we should all embrace a bit of arrogance. And joining me are two people who may be big-headed, but only because they've got such enormous brains. And they are Jenny Russell. Hello, Jenny. Morning. How are you? I'm very well. Thank you. Lovely to have you with us. And Matthew Syed as well. Hello, Matthew. Hi, Hugo. It's great to be in the studio alongside you. I mean, you could

have dressed up a bit that. What do you mean? This is one of my best grey t-shirts. Go on with it.

Where's it from? I think it's from Gap or something. No, no, it does suit you. It's kind of restrained. I say you're a sort of sartorial icon to me.

Can I just say, Matthew, I'm wearing a bright turquish shirt just to cheer us up.

Oh, there we are.

And you've got some great books behind you.

That's a very... to me. Can I just say, Matthew, I'm wearing a bright turquish shirt just to cheer us up. Oh, there we are.

And you've got some great books behind you. That's a very... Listeners love this stuff, all the visual. It really, really works well. I was, I feel I put some effort into my appearance. Stig was praising my trousers earlier. No matter. Let's crack on. There are many, many more important things to talk about. We will start with, of course, the big, big, big politics of the week. Kirst Starmer has only this

morning is... Let's crack on. There are many, many more important things to talk about. We will start with, of course, the big, big, big politics of the week. Kirste-Star-Starma has only this morning issued a personal apology to Wes Streeting after he was the subject of various vicious briefings by Downing Street over the last couple of days. Kirstarmer has launched an investigation in an attempt to discover the source of the briefings and has made clear that anyone behind them will be sacked.

Meanwhile, unnamed cabinet ministers have called for the Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney to lose his job if he had advanced knowledge of these briefings.

The Energy Secretary Ed Miliband was on Times Radio and he was asked what was going on in number 10 and he said this.

Search me, gov. I mean, look, I think it's been an unfortunate two days, to put it mildly.

But, you know, these briefings happen that they're bad.

I'm sure Keir's absolutely furious about it.

And I tell you, though, the thing that sustains you in politics through these turbulence,

and I have been around a long time, and I remember the Blair Brown briefings, which were

actually far worse than this. And what sustains you through this turbulence is mission.

It's a broad question, this, but I find I really do want it answered. Matthew, what's going on?

I think we have to acknowledge something, Hugo, which is a difficult thing to admit,

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