Revolt on the right! Reform, Rishi and (Red) Wall-to-Wall Chaos
Radical with Amol Rajan
BBC
4.5 • 919 Ratings
🗓️ 14 March 2024
⏱️ 41 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Lee Anderson grabbed the headlines this week as he defected from the Conservatives to become Reform UK’s first MP. This prompted rumours of further red wall MPs thinking about defecting. This week we ask, is there a new revolt on the right?
Amol is joined by James Kanagasooriam, the pollster who first identified and the defined the red wall, to look at what will happen in those constituencies in the coming general election and whether Reform UK offers a genuine threat.
Dame Andrea Jenkyns gives Amol the lowdown on the mood among Conservative MPs and says she would like to see a new leader before the election.
Plus property presenting duo Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer call in to give Amol their moments of the week.
And Nick’s away – but the pod squad have come up with a genius way of ensuring his presence is felt…
Episodes of The Today Podcast land every Thursday and watch out for bonus episodes.
Subscribe on BBC Sounds to get Amol and Nick's take on the biggest stories of the week, with insights from behind the scenes at the UK's most influential radio news programme. If you would like a question answering, get in touch by sending us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 4346 or email us Today@bbc.co.uk
The Today Podcast is hosted by Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson, both presenters of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the UK’s most influential radio news programme. Amol was the BBC’s media editor for six years and is the former editor of the Independent, he’s also the current presenter of University Challenge. Nick has presented the Today programme since 2015, he was the BBC’s political editor for ten years before that and also previously worked as ITV’s political editor.
The senior producer is Tom Smithard, the producers are Hazel Morgan and Joe Wilkinson. The editor is Louisa Lewis. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths. Technical production from Matt Hewitt and digital production from Elliot Ryder.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:04.8 | Well, well, well, what a week, another bonkers week in British politics. |
| 0:09.2 | And it all started rather badly for Rishi Sunak on Monday morning. |
| 0:13.4 | Reform UK has offered me the chance to speak out in Parliament on behalf of millions of people up and down the country. |
| 0:20.5 | That was Lee Anderson, former Labour man, former Deputy Chairman of the Conservatives, who has now defected to Reform UK. He is their first Member of Parliament. And the week's not got much better for Richness than that, because there is a racism ral engulfing the government as I speak these words. I'm flying solo this week because Nick is off for a well-earned break, |
| 0:38.9 | but rest assured, we're going to find a way to make sure he's still with us. |
| 0:42.9 | The most powerful question in politics. |
| 0:46.9 | Whose side are you on? |
| 0:48.9 | Sorry, what was that, Nick? |
| 0:50.8 | Whose side are you on? |
| 0:53.6 | It's almost as if he's here, |
| 0:55.7 | that of course it's very sad that he's not. |
| 0:58.1 | The reason that we play Nick asking that question |
| 1:01.0 | is because it really is the question. |
| 1:03.5 | It is the question that we have to ask |
| 1:05.8 | when it comes to why Lee Anderson has decided |
| 1:08.7 | that if he wants to represent his constituents in Ashfield |
| 1:11.8 | and his parents, he needs to do it through another party. |
| 1:15.9 | We've got some absolutely terrific guests to try and understand the revolt on the right. |
| 1:21.3 | This is Reform, Rishi and the Red Wall to Wall Chaos. |
| 1:26.2 | Let's do it. |
| 1:39.6 | Music and the red wall-to-all chaos. Let's do it. Hi, it's a mole in the Today Podcast studio. |
... |
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