Electoral Dysfunction

Beth’s been to 11 Downing Street to talk to the Chancellor for Electoral Dysfunction. She took some of your questions (and a couple of Electoral Dysfunction mugs) with her. Rachel Reeves reflects on her first few months in the job, explains what she thinks of the “Rachel from Accounts” label and shares her own money-saving tip which she tries to do every day when at Downing Street. She also hints on what might come in her Spring Statement with some strong words on the need for welfare reform. Email us at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444. And remember, you can also watch us on YouTube!

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has returned from the US after what has been seen by Number 10 as a highly successful meeting with Donald Trump. This week, Beth Rigby, Harriet Harman and Ruth Davidson look at the preparation that went into this visit. Beth reveals how she caught the US president's attention. Plus, what is it like in the Oval Office? And how did Mr Trump react when he got that invitation from the King. They also discuss the resignation of development minister Annelise Dodds after the aid budget was cut to boost defence spending and ask whether this will dent Mr Starmer's post-Trump confidence. Email us at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444. And remember, you can also watch us on YouTube!

What could a pact between Nigel Farage’s Reform party and Kemi Badenoch’s Conservatives look like? Are we about to see the Tory party lurch closer to the right? Beth, Ruth and Harriet answer this and more, as they go through your questions – which means we also get the backstory to the iconic Beth Rigby red lipstick. And how difficult is being married to an MP? We hear from Ruth’s partner Jen about their lives in the spotlight when Ruth was leader of the Scottish Conservatives. Email us at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444. And remember, you can also watch us on YouTube!

Do MPs say one thing in public, and another in private? This week, Beth Rigby, Harriet Harman and Ruth Davidson ask what’s been going on with the two MPs suspended from the Labour party over WhatsApps messages containing offensive comments. Andrew Gwynne and Oliver Ryan both lost the whip after Sunday newspaper revelations. It’s been a difficult week for Harriet – she's worked with Andrew Gwynne for a number of years and says it’s made her question her judgement. Also – are we about to see by elections as a result? And in the week the assisted dying debate is back in the news, we discuss the repercussions of the plan to scrap the need for High Court approval after Beth speaks to the MP who has campaigned for the changes, Labour’s Kim Leadbeater. Email us at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444. Watch us on Youtube too - new videos every week here.

This week, Ruth's changed her opinion about Kemi Badenoch – but it isn't any more favourable for the new Tory leader. Ruth had thought she'd get two years in the job – now she's thinking it might be less than 18 months. Beth's in a hotel room in Preston after an interview with Keir Starmer. She reflects on how the prime minister can push his domestic message when most people want to talk about Donald Trump. And Harriet goes all headmistressy with a warning to new Labour MPs in the "red wall" who've reportedly set up a group to lobby their leader for a tougher stance on migration. She says: "We don't want factionalism and all these different tribes. Don't set up these flipping groups." You can now watch us on YouTube! Just search for "Electoral Dysfunction". Email us at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444.

You can now watch Beth, Ruth and Harriet on YouTube! Just search for "Electoral Dysfunction". The chancellor was trying to channel Love Island when she announced her plans for growth this week. But are her new ideas actually the "bombshell" her advisers hope they'll be? Can they get everyone's attention? And will the strategy be enough for Rachel Reeves to keep all of the cabinet and the Labour Party on side when so many of them have been opposed to the third runway at Heathrow? Meanwhile, on the five-year anniversary of Brexit – is Sir Keir Starmer getting closer to Europe? Email us at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444.

As Axel Rudakubana is sentenced for the murder of three young girls and the attempted murder of 10 more people last year, Electoral Dysfunction reflects on how the prime minister has handled claims that authorities covered up how much they knew about the killer in the days and weeks after. Beth discusses how Sir Keir Starmer answered her questions about those claims. Harriet calls for the public inquiry into the failings to be completed quickly and Ruth agrees with the PM about changing the legal definition of terrorism. Later in the podcast – how will Donald Trump impact UK politics? Email us at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444.

After "going dark" for most of the week, Beth pops up in Poland to talk world politics with Ruth and Harriet. Top security, a slow train and Russian drones are all part of the inside story of the prime minister's visit to Ukraine. Beth explores why UK solidarity with Ukraine could mean British boots on the ground. And overshadowing everything is president-elect Trump. He is already leaving his mark on the world. Trump claimed his impending inauguration piled on the pressure to get the Gaza ceasefire deal through. Ruth, Harriet and Beth work out how the UK needs to manage its role in "Trump World". And in Ukraine, Beth finds out if the Trump era could leave the country feeling betrayed. Email us at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444.

We just want to let you know about a new Sky News podcast which is launching next week! Trump 100 will follow the daily twists and turns of Donald Trump's first 100 days in The White House with the latest updates and analysis...in under 15 minutes. Our top US team of James Matthews, Martha Kelner and Mark Stone will be joined by special guests to delve a little deeper into what's happening and why. It will be available every weekday morning from 6am as well as extended weekend editions. Follow Trump 100 wherever you heard this. Electoral Dysfunction will be back on Friday...as usual!

Beth, Harriet, and Ruth dive into the storm surrounding Elon Musk's incendiary comments about UK grooming gangs, Sir Keir Starmer, and safeguarding minister Jess Phillips. They unpack the political fallout, whether Labour's response has been enough, and if the Conservatives have been opportunistic in their approach. Plus, how Musk's influence mirrors larger challenges, from misinformation to political donations. You can catch Beth's full interview with Jess Phillips in the Electoral Dysfunction podcast feed. Email us at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444

In this extra episode of Electoral Dysfunction, Jess Phillips sits down with Beth and reveals what she has lived through in the past few weeks. Elon Musk accused the Labour MP of being a "rape genocide apologist", putting her in the middle of a political storm. As the safeguarding minister, Jess Phillips also explains what the government is doing to tackle violence against women and girls. Email us at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444.

Former Conservative cabinet ministers Penny Mordaunt and Gillian Keegan join Beth, Ruth and Harriet in the studio to take us behind the scenes of the final days of the last government. For their final podcasts of 2024, Beth and Ruth ask how the Conservatives fell from power and they get the inside track on Labour’s election campaign from Harriet. In Part 2, we go inside the Cabinet Room in No 10 Downing Street and we find out what the King was up to on the day the election was called. Also – how do you deal with an election campaign full of gaffes? And what happens when you lose your parliamentary seat? Email us at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444.

Former Conservative cabinet ministers Penny Mordaunt and Gillian Keegan join Beth, Ruth and Harriet in the studio to take us behind the scenes of the final days of the last government. For their final podcasts of 2024, Beth and Ruth ask how the Conservatives fell from power and they get the inside track on Labour's election campaign from Harriet. In Part 1, Penny and Gillian look back at the low mood in the party at the end of 2023, going into the election year. What led Rishi Sunak to call the election early? And just how bad was it to have a front seat to the dysfunction? Email us at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444.

Beth, Harriet, and Ruth with their first Christmas episodes - answering your emails and voice notes. From how to modernise the House of Lords, to what the fall of the Assad regime in Syria means for women. And, who hosts the best Christmas party in Westminster? Email us at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444.

As Sir Keir Starmer sets out the six 'milestones' his government wants to hit before the next general election, Beth, Ruth and Harriet discuss if leaving immigration off the list was a wise move for the PM. Plus, as middle-class women of a certain age, they have some thoughts on the allegations against MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace. Email us at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444. Sky News has contacted representatives for Gregg Wallace for comment on the allegations against him. His lawyers say it is "entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature". A BBC spokesperson said any issues raised are taken seriously and there are "robust processes in place" to deal with them.They added: "We are always clear that any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated," Banijay UK, the Masterchef production company, has appointed a law firm to lead its investigation, It said the company takes complaints "incredibly seriously" but will not comment on individual allegations while the investigation is ongoing.

As well as this week’s usual episode, Beth, Ruth and Harriet decompress after a busy Friday in Westminster. The Assisted Dying Bill, which allows adults who are terminally ill to be provided with assistance to end their own lives, has passed through parliament. Ruth and Harriet react to the historic vote. Plus, a cabinet minister has resigned after a "mistake" revealed by Sky News, less than five months into government. What does it mean for Keir Starmer 👉 Click here to follow Electoral Dysfunction wherever you get your podcasts 👈 Email Beth, Ruth and Harriet at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444.

Does Kemi Badenoch need to work harder to get the public to understand what she’s about and what she stands for? Ruth’s got some advice for the new Conservative leader after her first few weeks in the job. After a run of wins in local council seats, we ask if Labour and the Conservatives need to be more worried about Nigel Farage and Reform. And, if you listen to this podcast sped up, things are going to get even faster at the start of the episode! Email us at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444.

In the week farmers descended on Westminster, Beth, Ruth and Harriet ask just how difficult these protests are for the government. They question whether the chancellor could roll back on her budget commitment to scrap the inheritance tax relief for agricultural property worth over £1m and whether Labour can afford to lose the rural vote. Also, as Labour's Scottish leader Anas Sarwar distances himself from the government over winter fuel payments, Beth, Ruth and Harriet explore what the prime minister stands for as he grapples with huge domestic rows while meeting world leaders abroad at the G20 Summit. They also reflect on the life of John Prescott – the longest serving deputy leader of the Labour party and Harriet's old colleague. Email us at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444. You can read this explainer for more on the farmers' protest and the row over inheritance tax.

As well as this week's usual Electoral Dysfunction, Beth, Ruth and Harriet can be found on a another podcast for one week only. They debate what should lead the news on Tortoise's The News Meeting with host Basia Cummings. The agenda includes the need for a public inquiry into Mohamed Al Fayed, why we need to talk about Ukraine, and what Gary Lineker leaving Match of the Day says about impartiality at the BBC. Listen here: https://www.tortoisemedia.com/listen/the-news-meeting/

MPs are about to get their first chance to debate and vote on an assisted dying bill for almost a decade. It'll be about a proposed law for England and Wales. Ruth, Beth and Harriet discuss the hugely divisive issue on this episode - including whether Health Secretary Wes Streeting should have said that the law could impact other NHS services. Hariet thinks he's crossed a line. He plans to vote against the bill. They also talk about trust in public institutions following the resignation of Justin Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury, asking has anyone got any faith left in them? Email us at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444. You can read our Sky News explainer about the assisted dying bill here.