Hello and welcome to this edition of The Westminster Hour with me, Ben Wright, and my guests.

Coming up, President Trump is looking forward to a glittering royal welcome,

but will his second state visit to the UK be overshadowed by questions

about the sacking of Lord Mandelson over his links with Geoffrey Epstein?

We'll hear from a previous ambassador to Washington.

Some Labour backbenchers have openly questioned the Prime Minister's leadership,

how dangerous is the situation for Sir Keir Stama. We'll discuss all that and find out why

bearded election candidates are at a disadvantage and what the number of fish and chip shops

reveals about a

constituency, among other nuggets from academic political research. But first, let's meet my panel.

Helen Hayes is the Labour MP for Dulwich and West Norwood. Before entering Parliament, she was a town

planner and served as a local councillor. Helen now chairs

the Education Select Committee in the Commons. Now, the Education Secretary Bridget Philipson

launched her campaign for the Labour Deputy Leadership this afternoon. But Helen, you have thrown

your weight behind Lucy Powell. Why? So a couple of reasons. I think that Lucy in her political background from her constituency has all of the political challenges that the government faces right in front of her. She has a seat which is 50% red wall and 50% urban Manchester. That speaks to some of the challenges we face in places like mine. So I think

she understands the whole picture and the challenges the Labour Party faces from all directions at the

moment. I also think in this current moment, having a deputy leader who can do that role as a full-time

job is a benefit. And do you see Bridget Philipson as the number 10 candidate in this contest?

Well, I have every respect for Bridget and whatever happens in this contest, we have a

challenge, a choice of two very strong labour women. I think having a deputy leader who is not in the cabinet at this particular point in time would be an advantage.

So John Whittingdale is the Conservative MP for Mulden in Essex, a seat he's held for more than 30 years.

He served as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport under David Cameron and currently sits on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.

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