Was The Welfare Rebellion Starmer's Most Damaging Moment?

Newscast

BBC

Politics, News

4.4 • 6.4K Ratings

🗓️ 28 June 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today, we look at where the welfare U-turn leaves Keir Starmer’s government, and the PM himself.

Paddy and Henry Zeffman go through the PM’s first year in office and put it into context by look at where he’s got things right and wrong.

Henry’s been talking to Labour insiders and officials for a documentary: Starmer’s Stormy Year

You can find it here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002f8t1

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Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was made by Chris Flynn with Rufus Gray. The technical producer was Gareth Jones. The weekend series producer is Chris Flynn. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts.
0:04.8	Saturday's newscast has no Laura, but it does have Henry Zephman, fresh from his Starmer's Stormy Year dock.
0:10.2	That's right. Available now on BBC Sounds.
0:12.5	Available on BBC Radio 4 at 11am on Monday.
0:16.4	And what timing? What timing?
0:18.0	It coincided with a third U-turn.
0:20.3	That's right.
0:22.0	Which has, I think, left Kirstarmer ending his first year in a more vulnerable place than he's ever been before.
0:28.5	And you've been doing U-turns, I believe, Patty, this morning.
0:30.9	Yes.
0:31.4	For the purposes of BH on Sunday, I've been in an HGV learning how to do the correct U-turn. Is it easier to do one or harder to do one in HGV compared to a car?
0:40.5	It's harder because the end of the trailer, the wheels scrape sideways.
0:44.6	So there's always collateral damage from a U-turn.
0:46.9	The advice is signal it clearly, use it as a last resort,
0:50.4	and be aware that turning left or right can also be a course correction rather than a U-turn.
0:54.8	Well, having failed my driving test four times before I passed, I'm pleased that I make a documentary rather than doing, I think we're in the right jobs each here.
1:03.0	Well, let's get underway mixing the two on Saturday's newscast.
1:07.0	Newscast from the BBC.
1:09.4	He has just compared me to the fat controller.
1:12.3	Did I say that?
1:13.8	I can't believe I said that.
1:15.2	Next Wednesday?
	...

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