Westminster Hour

Ben Wright's guests are the Labour MP and Chair of the Education Select Committee, Helen Hayes; Shadow Scotland Secretary, Andrew Bowie; and Professor of Politics, Philip Cowley. They discuss the anticipated resignation of Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister - and what a government led by Andy Burnham might mean for the country. Ben interviews the former Labour leader, Lord Kinnock; economist Professor Michael Jacobs; and political historian Sir Anthony Seldon. Lara Spirit - deputy political editor of the Sunday Times - brings additional insight and analysis.

Defence spending, a possible social media ban and the Makerfield by-election.

Ben Wright is joined by the Labour chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Dame Emily Thornberry; Conservative peer and former Cabinet minister, Mark Harper; and the founder of the Centre for Social Justice, Tim Montgomerie - a prominent supporter of Reform UK. They discuss funding for defence and look ahead to the Makerfield by-election. Ben also interviews the chief executive of the NSPCC, Chris Sherwood, about a social media ban for under-16s. And Lucy Fisher - Whitehall editor of the Financial Times - brings additional expert insight and analysis on all the topics.

Policing, the impact of AI and Scottish politics.

Ben Wrigth is joined by the Labour backbencher Chris Curtis; Conservative former Science minister, George Freeman; and the polling expert, Scarlett Maguire. They discuss the controversy over policing following the murder of Henry Nowak and how it's been handled by different political parties. They also look ahead to London Tech Week and consider the possible benefits as well as the negative impacts of AI. Ben interview Rohan Silva, a former tech adviser to the Cameron government. The panel are later joined by Kirsty Blackman - chief whip for the SNP at Westminster - to talk about the two forthcoming by-elections on the east coast of Scotland. The Guardian's deputy political editor, Jessica Elgot, brings additional expert analysis.

The Prime Minister under fire, and what is "Progressive Politics"?

Ben Wrigth is joined by Labour MP Jack Abbott; Conservative former Cabinet minister John Glen; and Lib Dem spokesperson for Energy Security and Net Zero, Pippa Heylings. They discuss the Prime Minister's future and what is meant by "progressive politics". Bloomberg opinion columnist Rosa Prince brings additional insight and analysis. And ahead of a Commons committee hearing on government compensation schemes, Ben interviews former sub-postmaster Lee Castleton about his long-running battle for redress from the Post Office over the Horizon IT scandal.

Sentencing policy, the minimum wage and the case for the centre ground.

Nick Eardley's guests are the Labour backbencher Kevin Bonavia; Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities, Mims Davies; and Ryan Wain - senior director at the Tony Blair Instiute for Global Change. They discuss the controversy over the sentencing decision in a teenage rape case and how the government can best help the young unemployed into work. Kevin Schofield - political editor of Huffpost UK - brings additional insight and analysis. The programme also includes an interview with the Bishop of Kensington - Emma Ineson - about her new book, making the case for the middle ground.

Ben Wright and guests on the latest convulsions in the Labour Party.

A make or break week ahead for Keir Starmer?

Facing up to the costs of the Iran war.

Washington shooting and domestic difficulties for the Prime Minister

Keir Starmer’s Commons showdown and the Scottish election

Prospects for peace on Iran, elections here and pensions triple lock, is it sustainable?