Political Analysis of Westminster Turbulence

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK If your best finance people are doing expense reports, chasing receipts, or spending time on monthnd clothes, it's time to get BEX AF, a GentTic finance that eliminates that work before it starts Learn more at brex d. com slash A Organic Valley prrotein pllus ultra filtered milk is pasture raised from cows that might take more steps than most people That's a plus And it has fifty percent more protein and fifty percent less sugar than regular milk. That's a big plus And the fact that I didn't make a pun about moving also a plus Organic Valley protein plus ultra filtered milk Protein plus pasture raised. Learn more at organicvalley. com This An on Monday, the twenty second of June These are the main news stories from Radio Fall. Sakkia Starmer resigns as Labour leader question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question And I accept that answer with good grace He will remain in number ten for the time being. I will do everything I can to ensure an orderly handover of power. I will also give my successor my full and unequivocal support Andy Burnham says he wants to replace Ser Kia. Confirmed that I will put myself forward in the process that will soon be underway. as another potential challenger West Streeting, rules himself out. We could spend the summer splitting hairs on small differences, or we can pull together In this bulletin, we'll examine whether there will be a contest or a coronation, and we'll look back at the short lived premiership of a man who won power in a landslide but struggled to wield that power Also tonight, the former DUP leader, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson is facing a long prison sentence after being found guilty of child sex offences, including rape The Met Office issues a rare red warning for extreme heat in parts of England and Wales There are likely to be health impacts, particularly to vulnerable people, those with underlying health conditions, the elderly and the young, as well as that there could be problems with infrastructure with rail delays, for example. The United States lifts sanctions on Iran's oil industry for sixty days. After less than two years as Prime Minister, Sir Kiir Starmer has announced his resignation after accepting he no longer has the support of his MPs. In at a timees emotional speech outside number ten, he defended his legacy, and said starting the job after his landslide election victory in july twenty twenty four, was the proudest moment of his life Shortly after Sirkir confirmed his departure from Downing Street, his main challenger, Andy Burnham, arrived in London by train to be sworn in as the new MP for Makerfield He confirmed he would run for the leadership and secured the backing of the former health Secretary, West Streeting. Our political correspondent, Damien Gramaticcus reports on a dramatic day at Westminster Door to number ten swung open this morning And Sakia Starmer, clutching his wife Victoria's hand, stepped out. The applause, the whistles came from a small group of loyalists, advisers and staff who stood by him to the end Walking up this street two years ago was the proudest moment of my life a new Labour government The first in fourteen years. page in our country's history turned after years of disappointment and despair. But history can be cruel and MPs once loyal question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election. I have heard the answer of my Parliamentary party to that question And I accept that answer with good grace Every decision I've taken has been about putting the country I love first That is why I will resign as leader of the Labour Party. This was a tough decision for a proud man. akia said he'd turned around a party that had appeared finished when he took over six years ago won an election, no one thought possible and achieved much in two years. tax rises, failed welfare cuts and missteps in government have left him deeply unpopular So his MPs have deserted him And when I leave the biggest job in the country I shall spend more time on the most important job. Being the best husband I can to my fantastic wife Vick, who has been a rock by my side through good times and bad and being the best dad I can. too my beautiful children. Wh are my pride and my joy? Thank you very much. As he spoke, his rival Andy Burnham was heading for London. His emphatic win in the Maker Field by election last week had opened the way for him to try to become Labour leader. Reporters were waiting for him as he arrived at Eouuston station. I made my statement obviously praising the Prime Minister's dedication service And confirm that I will put myself forward in the process that will soon be underway. The man who was most likely to challenge Mr. Burnham for the leadership, the former health Scretary War Streeting then announced he would not enter any contest after cononversations we've had in recent days listening to Andy's ideas, reflecting on some of the ideas I've been setting out in recent weeks. We could spend the next few weeks, we could spend The some are splitting hairs on small differences or we can pull together and we can unite We now come to Uyburnham Mmber for Makerfield Eents still moving fast, the speaker introduced Andy Burnham to the Cons Rome is saved, shouted one MP. I swear by Almighty God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to hisis Majesty King Charles. An MP quoted Monty Python's lifeife of Brian. He iss not the messiah to Burnham's amuseent. He's a naughty boy, Berham replied, grinning, completing the quote moment of levity at a time of great consequence After Andy Burnham was sworn in, he posed for a selfie with a large number of Labour MPs and peers in Parliament's Westminster Hall. Among them were others tipped as potential leadership contenders, including the former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and the ex Defence Minister Al Carnes. Neither has said they will run. Our political correspondent Harry Farley considers the next steps for Mr Burnham and any other challenges Aie Burnham is no stranger to Westminster, having served as cabinet minister in past labour governments and having already made two failed bids to become the party's leader. One of his backbench supporters, Polly Billington, who represents East Thannett in Kent, explained on the worldorld at One why he should now Prime Minister. What you can bring is an ability to be able to connect with the British people and also to be able to combine labour values with British values. That's really important. We've got an existential threat, not only from reform internally, but also from Elon Musk And the tech grows externally as well as Russia. You need to be building your democratic resilience, and your democratic resilience actually needs somebody who can make those connections, can connect with people where they are and bring them to where they need to be. What happens next depends if those opposed to Andy Burnham and a rump does exist, can coalesce behind a challenger with the support of at least eighty one MPs penciled in timetable means nominations for Labour Leader would open on the ninth of July with any contest completed by September But if opinion continues to move as rapidly as it appears towards Mr. Burnham, he could be in Downing Street as early as next month Then comes the question of a mandate to lead. Alan Johnson, the Labour veteran and Tony Blair era cabinet Mister, urged Mrter Burnham to call a general election D you Squeeze the public out of this argument And if you don't see command out from the public, the reputation for British politics being broken and All of that will carry on and that's the only way out of it. Be brave, Andy, be brave Before any question of that, there is another election the Mayor of Greater Manchester prompted by Mrter Burnham's departure. That will happen on the thirtieth of july Prime Minister could already be in place by then The Conservative leader Kemmy Badenoch described Sercius as a terrible prime Minister and questioned the timetable for his departure What are we waiting for? There are critical decisions that need to be made, and the Prime Minister is setting out his farewell tour while Andy Burnham wants a summer holiday. It's really, really important that we ensure that the country is being governed. Kir Starmer has had to resign because his defense secretary said he was not looking after national security. Whatever happens now, we need to make sure that national security is the number one agenda The liiberal Democrat leader, Sir Ed Davy said voters were sick of an endless merigo round of prime ministers I think people just want this government to live the change that they promised There was real disappointment that Kir Starmer failed to do that. And actually this extra chaos at the top of the government reminds us of the Conservatives when there was chaos with Boris Johnson and Liz Trush and Rity Sunak and it didn't bring the change people wanted. Reform UK has called for an immediate general election. Its leader Nigel Farroj said the public deserve to give their opinion Whoever becomes the prrime mininister will not have been voted for by the British public. And if the next prrime mininister is the new MP for Makerfield, Andy Berham, he didn't even stand at the last election on any manifesto at all. And I really do think I really do think that my call for there to be a general election as soon as is possible I think you'll find a lot of support for that Scotland's first Minister John Swweeney, says Sir Kia has made the right decision to step down. It was crystal clear that he was losing the confidence of his party having lost the confidence of the country. and I think it demonstrates as we go through another change of Prime Minister in the United Kingdom after so many changes in the last ten years that the Westminster system is just not working and for Scotland as we observe this constant change of Prime Minister that the answer is for Scotland's future to be in Scotland's hands through the powers of independence In Wales, the First Minister Ren Abyorworth called for a new relationship between his country and Westminster I have been disappointed that our ability as a Welsh government to engage effectively with the UK Prime Minister on issues that matter deeply to the people of Wales has been hampered by instability, at a time when people rightly expect governments to be fully focused on cooperating to deliver on their behalf And in Northern Ireland the First Minister Miche O'Neill, said Serkiia Stahmer's departure underlined the chaos of Westminster Tomorrow will be ten years anniversary since Brexit and what we've saw throughout the course of that time has been a revolving door of British Pime mininisters who never Each and every one of them have never prioritised the needs and the interests of people here. So I think that what we can see unfolding in Westminster today is more of the same During his by election victory speech in Makeer Field last week, Andy Burnham said the result could be the turning point for politics, but his position on key issues such as welfare, immigration, and defense remains to be seen. Our political correspondent Ben Wright looks at what challenges Mr. Burnham could face If he became Prime Minister Change, as Sakkarmer discovered, is easier to promise than deliver. And if Andy Burnham does get to number ten, he will face the same knaotghty problems on many fronts. A pressing decision is defense. Sekstaharmer was unable to find the money needed to keep the country safe, according to the former Defense Secretary John Healy The next Prime Minister will need to decide whether to boost military spending further and how to pay for it Andy Burnham has said getting more welfare recipients into work would reduce the benefits bill and ensure more money for the military. Ezier said. Done and secure Starmer's efforts to tackle welfare reform hit a wall of opposition from labour MPs. Andy Burnham has pledged no crude short term cuts The challenges pile up. A long term funding fix for social care in England, tackling the high costs of housing, handling the disruption from AI And what will a new labour leader do about immigration the small boat crisis to visa rules for migrants who already live here Buffle trying to kindle some economic growth According to Hannah White from the Institute for Government, Whitehall will need to work better too Anyone coming into to run goovernment at this point has a lot in their intro and they will face the same frustrations that Kir Stalmer and his team did about getting government to work to deliver on those instructions they think they're sending from the centre the levers they think they're pulling, and then not enough happened in the government machine. And all the while you have a public that is restive, that is frustrated, that doesn't understand why government isn't delivering on the things they think are really important Much of Sakkhir Stam's time as Prime Minister was taken up by foreign affairs, Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, managing a mercurial American president, building closer relations with Europe at home and abroad The next Pime Minister will face severe tests of leadership Imossible to predict Andy Burnham has previously stated he would stick to the fiscal rues set by the current Chancellor if he becomes Prime Minister Our deputy economics editor Dalhini David, considers how Mr. Burnham could manage the government's finances Despite the drama in Westminster, the markets were largely unmoved. They were braced for this, and instead we willll wait to see who willll end up not just in number ten, but also as Chancellor in number eleven what their approach is and how that addresses our economic challenges. The economy is in better shape than once feared at the start of the Iran war But growth remains underpowered and the jobs market weak, while welfare spending is soaring. Andy Burnham has hinted he'd favour things like more devolution and greater state control of utilities. Matthew Lawrence from the Think Tank Commonwealth has been talking to Andy Burnham about economic policy buses energy care, It's too expensive, it's too scarce, it's too volatile And there's a structural reason for that Osourced, privatized, deregulated, many of those core essential services then in other advanced economies that are richer, more dynamic and more equal than our own have strong re forforms of public ownership contontrol It had mean a bigger role for the state and a more costly one, but he is constrained by fragile public finances and has indicated he'll stick to rules to curb borrowing. So there may be a need to raise money from elsewhere. But whoever takes the top job may find they have to temper their ambitions when confronted with financial reality if they're to keep the markers as well as voters happy Voters across the country have been reacting to the Prime Minister's resignation. Our Midlands correspondent Afage Johal has been gauing a opinion in West Bromwich, where Labour ran the local council for forty seven years until reform UK gained control in last month's elections The empty box is being thrown away at the market in West Bromwich. There's a resident in Downing Street who could use them soon. Kistar has resigned. Has he? He has, yeah. What dod you make of that? What do I think about? He' bad tooy and be bloody useless. Dave used to be a bin man before he retired. He spoke to us while waiting for his wife to finish her shop. I've been sitting here for the last or I Do you think it's good for our country to be changing prrime ministers so regularly? No, because you changed the next ones is just as bad as a f. what's a point. You know, letem out five years and clear them off that way. Victory and Ikma are eighteen year old college students. They just couldn't believe the news. Isama, the Prime Mister has resigned Azie? I know Really? I am absolutely shocked. I am flabbergusted. When did that happen? happenaed this morning? This morning That's a lie. I heard. prromiseed that happen this morning. mres Kuma is a teaching assistant. I think Starmer's resignation sends the wrong message to politicians I'm not very happy about it, the fact that I actually voted for labour, not in favour that he took the easy way out, but I would have expected him to fight for his position a bit more and give him back to the British people. And the British people are once again looking on as a new prime Minister who is tasked with leading the country. The Attorney Genal Lord Hermmer is a close friend and political ally of Sakir. He said history would look kindly on the Starmer Premiership, which had, in his view, played a huge role in reestablishing the UK as a major player on the international stage. Our political correspondent, Joe Pike considers what went wrong over the past two years His premiership started with a stunning electoral success, but it's been on the slide for months, and will ultimately be remembered as one of early eras, wasted opportunities and plummeting popularity Sakir Stamma was named after Kir Hardi, Labour's first parliamentary leader But it was fifty two years before he entered Parliament in twenty fifteen. Do you want to be a prime Mis? I'm not going to fall into Should I askking me whether I want to play foring I'm senting the other day. Shall I play for Asenal, Chelsea when I go off? I mean that kind of conversation, I think is that helpful. And another five before he became Labour leader His lack of politics was to sum his selling point but it also contributed to his downfall Within weeks of Labour's twenty twenty four landslide, the PM and Chancellor announced one of their most unpopular policies cuts to inter fuel payments for pensioners They reversed on that almost a year later And there were other major policy U turns on welfare cuts, inheritance tax for farmers and an inquiry into grooming gangs In each case, Saka Stalmer's instincts seemed sluggish But perhaps his biggest lapse of judgment was appointing Peter Mandelson as U.S. ammbassador Sekia's domestic legacy includes scrapping the two child benefit cap free breakfast clubs in England, a new law to strengthen workers' rights, as well as the upcoming social media ban for under sixteenens. So can I present a letter from a King, Thank you very much But it was foreign policy whereher PM had more success Dubbed Never Heere Kia for his frequent trips abroad His initial handling of Donald Trump resulted in a better trading relationship than many other countries He attempted to keep the U.S. committed to Ukraine, diverged from Washington in recognizing a Palestinian state And more recently disagreements over Iran have fractured that friendship. This is not Winston Churchill that we're dealing with. Sakir Starmer achieved something remarkable in turning around his party's fortunes fast But he failed to do the same with his country And the speed of that failure has been remarkable too Lately in the bulletin, we'll he the verdicts of our political editor, Chris Mason on the turbulence at the heart of government Before that, round up off the today's other news If your best finance people are doing expense reports, chasing receipts, or spending time on monthnd clothes, it's time to get BEX AF, a gentTch finance that eliminates that work before it starts. Learn more at breEX d. com slash aF Organic Valley protein plus ultra filtered milk is pastur raised from cows that might take more steps than most people That's a plus And it has fifty percent more protein and fifty percent less sugar than regular milk That's a big plus And the fact that I didn't make a pun about moving also a plus Organic V valley protein plus ultra filtered milk. Protein plus pasture raised. Learn more at organicvalley. com The former leader of Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party, saidir Jeffrey Donaldson has been found guilty of historical child sex offensces, including one count of rape Donalson was charged after two women accused him of sexually abusing them when they were children Our island correspondent Chris Page reports from Newy Crown Court Donaldson was driven away from the court in a prison van after being remanded into custody. The judge indicated he was facing a lengthy jail term The former politician showed no emotion as the jury delivered its verdict after ten hours of deliberations He was convicted of all eighteen charges against him one of rape teteen of indecent assault and four of gross indecency The crimes were committed between nineteen eighty five and two thousand eight. Donaldon's two victims gave evidence during the course of the trial, which lasted for more than four weeks The defendant suggested to the court that his accusers were lying, but a prosecution barrister put it to Donaldson that the only person telling lies was him and that he'd been sinful and deceitful Donaldson resigned as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party shortly after he was arrested and charged in twenty twenty four didn't stand in the general election that year been in Parliament for almost three decades, making him the longest serving MP in Northern Ireland The current DUP leader, Gavin Robinson, said Donalson should be stripped of his knighthood. abuse Praying on the innocent. and taking advantage of the vulnerability of children particular evil that Jeffrey Donaldson's lies and his cover upps have been uncovered And the spotlight of justice shone upon them should serve as a reminder that perpetrators cannot outrun Justice. Donaldson's wife, Lady Eleanor Donaldson, was charged with five offensces, including four of aiding and abetting her husband's offending She was ruled unfit for a conventional trial on mental health grounds and instead went through a legal process known as a trial of the facts, where there could be no criminal conviction. jury find that she did the acts of which she was accused Mr. Jeffrey Donaldon will return to court in the autumn when he'll be sentenced. A rare red warning for heat has been issued by the Mit Office for parts of England and Wales, indicating a risk to life as temperatures are forecast to climb as high as forty Celsius this week The warning, which is the most severe of the Met Office alerts, is in place for Wednesday and covers London areas of the Midlands and south of England as well as South Wales Here's our climate editor Justin Rolat. Rad weather warnings are very rare. This is only the second time one has been issued for heat It means even the fit and healthier are at risk the Ridgeway Special needes School in Bedford peop are already struggling to cope Lulu Stainer Martin is head teacher. For Some pupils it might have an increase in epilepsy. We have some puils who can't regulate the temperature. We have some pupils that might become more dysregulated And it's not just the young. older people also find it hard to regulate their temperature. Mike Pageam is chair of the Independent Care Group, which represents social care providers in the UK They can become dehydrated very quickly They can lose balance, they can be more confused, particularly for those people with dementia. So it's very important Human civilization rose up during roughly twelve thousand years of unusual climate stability The fear now is that the warming we've seen in the last few decades is starting to break that stability down. Stephven Belcher is the Met Office's chief scientist We will need to consider ourselves as living in a hot country. We will need to look after water. We will need to change manyany of the things we do live in a new climate And the Met Office has published a forecast for what a severe heat wave would look like in that new climate in twenty fifty six. Temperatures in England could peak at forty five degrees Celsius, forty one in Wales, thirty eight in Scotland, and thirty in Northern Ireland. Remember, this isn't Asia or Africa, but the M office is Best guess for the UK in just thirty years time Extreme heat is also causing disruption across large parts of Western Europe In southern France, two children, aged two and four were found dead in a car, apparently from heat suffocation, after returning from a shopping trip with their mother A maximum red heat wave alert now covers more than half of France, where temperatures have broken the average record for June. The heat is also touching forty Celsius in Spain and Portugal Police investigating maternity failings at Nottingham University Hospital's NHS Trust have arrested two men in connection with operating practices in its mortuary service. They are being held on suspicion of misconduct in a public office. The findings of an independent inquiry by the senior midwife, Donna Ocenden into the Tust's maternity services will be published on Win state The United States has said it will suspend sanctions on Iranian oil production and exports for sixty days in what appears to be the first tangible result from the ongoing peace talks between the two countries in Switzerland, the U. S. Treasury Secretary, Scott Besson said Tehran had agreed to open the Strait of Homu and allow nuclear inspectors back into the country. although an Iranian spokesman later suggested no nuclear commitments had been made Our Europe correspondent, Jessica Parker reports from Bergenstall. These talks have put in place structures for the negotiations and for resolving disputes, building on last week's interim agreement. Speaking before he left Switzerland, JD Vance highlighted the aims of ensuring ships can pass freely through the Strait of Hormuz, and of implementing a fragile ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and the Iran backed armed group Hezbollah The U. S. Vice presresident also claimed that Iran had agreed to invite international nuclear inspectors back into their country. At a news conference, he was asked when that might happen. In terms of when the nuclear inspectors are going start It's funny, we were trying to call some of the inspectors last night around two in the morning As you can expect, not many people are answering their phone at two in the morning. I expect that will happen at the minimum this week. Iran's foreign ministry later said it had not accepted any new commitments regarding its nuclear program. However, there does appear to be some quid pro quo in play, as the US also announced the easing of sanctions on Iran's oil sector sixty days. That's about the same time frrame that's been set by both sides for a final deal to be reached. The messaging around these talks has been upbeat, but negotiators face the task of tackling highly complex issues at high speed, including ones that have dogged U.S Iran relations for decades. Alan Greenspan, the influential economist who steered U S monetary policy for nearly two decades as Chairman of the Federal Reserve, has died aged one hundred He led the U.S. Central Bank during one of the longest periods of economic expansion in American history, but critics say his decisions help to create the conditions for the two thousand eight global financial crisis The American music executive Clive Davis, who shaped the careers of Eretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteeen, and Whitney Houston, among many others, has died at the age of ninety four. He became a household name in the music industry despite not being a performer himself, having propelled acts from a wide range of genres to stardom The musician Johnny Ma is putting the majority of his guitar collection up for sale. More than ninety instruments owned by the former Smith's guitarist will be auctioned in September. Our music correspondent Mark Savich has the details. For one hundred thousand pounds, you could be the new owner of the Cherry Red Gibson that Johnny Maar used to write this. m. A more reasonable eight thousand pounds would get you the fender played here. Mamar says he's selling the instruments to ensure they keep being used. I didn don't like the idea of my studio space becoming a museum. and the idea of someone in Belfast, Dundee or you know Tokyo or whatever