Burnham's three big tests - and trouble at Reform UK episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 18, 2026 · 35 MIN

Burnham's three big tests - and trouble at Reform UK

from The State of It

The prison early release scheme is Andy Burnham's first big test as prime minister. There are no good options. Can he make a successful argument that he's picked the least bad?No 10 wants the Autumn Budget to be all about devolution, but they also need to raise money - a lot of money. Fraser believes there are reasons to be cheerful about welfare reform. Can Labour MPs really get behind a plan that inevitably will come with painful political decisions?Reform UK has suspended Tim Montgomerie as a member. What's going on within the party?And Gabriel lifts the veil on Insight's reporting into George Cottrell and Christopher Harborne's donations to Nigel Farage and Reform UK.Steven Swinford, political editor, The TimesGabriel Pogrund, Insight editor, The Sunday TimesFraser Nelson, columnist, The TimesProducers: Euan Dawtrey, Harry KitsonExecutive producer: Molly GuinnessPicture: Getty ImagesThis podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 18, 2026

Embed this episode

Ready to play

Burnham's three big tests - and trouble at Reform UK

0:00 35:25

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of The State of It?

This episode is 35 minutes long.

When was this The State of It episode published?

This episode was published on August 18, 2026.

Can I download this The State of It episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!