The State of It

Ranking history

About the show

Latest episodes

• Andy Burnham's radical British reset

  September 29, 2026 · 18 min

  The Labour Party is jubilant. Andy Burnham has fired the starting gun for the next general election with one of the most consequential conference speeches in recent memory. He used it to set out a series of major proposals, including an…

• Labour parties like it's 1997

  September 28, 2026 · 32 min

  At the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, the mood is jubilant. They have a popular leader who can speak fluently in public. Andy Burnham's speech on Tuesday will be a big moment and it's expected to be full of announcements. Whitehall…

• EXCLUSIVE - John Healey: budget will prove I'm pro-business

  September 26, 2026 · 35 min

  John Healey, the chancellor, tells us his budget will offer people breathing space on both the cost of living and the cost of business. He said he was concerned about the rising price of fuel and that he wanted wealthy people to stay in…

• A snap election - surely not?

  September 25, 2026 · 28 min

  The Labour Party conference starts in Liverpool this weekend. It's a chance for Andy Burnham to lay out his vision for the country. Expect worldview, class, solidarity and hope. How much criticism is likely to come from allies of Keir…

• Raise taxes, fix welfare later: Labour's tough sell

  September 22, 2026 · 33 min

  What a difference a year makes The Labour Party conference awaits. Has Andy Burnham's folksy charm and optimism taken the party as far as it can, or can he consolidate power and popularity? Six-party politics A YouGov poll for The Times…

• Trump and Burnham meet: what could go wrong?

  September 18, 2026 · 30 min

  The Burnham Trump meeting Andy Burnham and Donald Trump will meet for the first time in New York next week. It's the biggest foreign policy moment in Burnham's premiership so far and there are many different ways in which it could go…

• Mr Hope and Mr Sensible step into the danger zone

  September 15, 2026 · 36 min

  Will Labour raise taxes? The cost of government borrowing is going up and up. That means the chancellor, John Healey, may well need to cut spending or raise taxes next month - and tax rises are much more likely. Labour MPs are…

• Assisted dying is dead. What next?

  September 11, 2026 · 23 min

  MPs have voted against the assisted dying bill. The legislation was defeated by a margin of 16 votes, with 286 MPs in favour and 270 against, after 314 MPs backed the plan last year. It's a huge moment in the House of Commons. Why did the…