Talking Politics

ITV News

Tom Bradby, Robert Peston and Anushka Asthana discuss the week's biggest political issues every Wednesday in a massive election year.

  • 35 minutes 12 seconds
    Epstein-Mandelson what does it all mean for Starmer?

    Tom and Robert discuss the Peter Mandelson fallout, after the former Business Secretary was forced to resign from the Labour Party and the House of Lords following the latest release of Epstein files.

    Amongst the 3m documents are emails appearing to show that at the height of the financial crisis, Mandelson was sharing highly sensitive government information with the sex-offender financier.

    So what exactly was that information and how could Epstein have used it?

    Meanwhile, where does all this leave Keir Starmer after he made Mandelson US Ambassador when his association with Epstein was public knowledge.

    Mandelson is yet to comment publicly on the allegations, but has said that he regrets his friendship with Epstein.

    Tom and Robert also discuss the Polish PM's claim that Epstein could have been a Russian spy, and the continued problems the Epstein files bring the royal family - with the files revealing more details of the contact Epstein had with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson after his conviction for child sex offences. The former prince has strenuously denied any wrongdoing and the former Duchess has previously expressed regret over her association with Epstein.

    4 February 2026, 7:27 pm
  • 25 minutes
    Behind the scenes of the Starmer vs Burnham by-election row

    As Keir Starmer tries to shake off the backlash of Andy Burnham's failed bid to get on the ballot for the Gorton and Denton by-election...what really went on behind closed doors?

    Downing Street and the Greater Manchester Mayor have both denied reports he was told in advance that he would be blocked by Labour's ruling National Executive Committee. But Robert Peston has the inside story.

    And with Labour leadership candidates waiting in the wings... how should Starmer have handled it instead?

    Meanwhile, Robert exclusively reveals why events in Canada could put King Charles's trip to America in jeopardy.

    28 January 2026, 6:25 pm
  • 26 minutes 39 seconds
    Why the UK is in a TERRIBLE position after Trump's Greenland tariffs threat
    Why has Keir Starmer ruled out economic retaliation against Donald Trump’s new tariff threat over the US purchase of Greenland?

    And what options does it leave him and other world leaders to persuade the US president not to bring in 10% tariffs on 1 February for Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Finland?

    Tom Bradby and Robert Peston discuss the fallout from Trump’s latest jaw-dropping power play in this special edition of Talking Politics.

    Got a question for the team? Email [email protected]
    19 January 2026, 5:10 pm
  • 26 minutes 16 seconds
    Has the government's latest U-turn on digital IDs ruined Rachel Reeves' big day?
    Rachel Reeves today unveiled a huge rail infrastructure project, the long-awaited Northern Powerhouse Rail, which she insists "isn't just political, this is personal.

    "But her big announcement comes on the day of yet another U-turn by the government, this time on digital IDs.

    So, has the latest volte-face overshadowed the Chancellor's big day?

    And with all these U-turns stacking up, we ask the seemingly eternal question: what does this government really stand for?

    Got a question for the team? Email [email protected]
    14 January 2026, 6:44 pm
  • 23 minutes 34 seconds
    Can Labour REALLY solve Britain’s housing crisis?
    Do you want to buy your own home? Are you a renter paying record high housing costs? Are you a council tenant living in squalid conditions?

    Or are you one of the 350,000 homeless without a place to live, trapped in temporary accommodation?

    Having unearthed British housing at its very worst, Investigations Editor Daniel Hewitt grills Housing Secretary Steve Reed on what Labour are doing to solve the national crisis.

    It was the government’s number one priority on the first day of taking office, but 18 months on, house building remains slow, homelessness is still rising, and if the polls are to be believed, voters are not impressed.

    So what’s the plan to turn it around?

    Got a question for the team? Email [email protected]
    13 January 2026, 7:00 pm
  • 32 minutes 33 seconds
    Why Trump REALLY wants Greenland - and why it should worry Starmer
    Tom Bradby and Robert Peston discuss President Trump's frenetic start to 2026, which has escalated fears of a military seizure of Nato territory Greenland.

    As Robert explains, Trump's obsession with the giant Danish island is not going to go away. Trump says it's in the interest of ‘national security’ - but is there something else driving him? Something which Greenland has - and which China has - that the United States doesn't?

    All of this comes just days after Donald Trump attacked Venezuela and captured its president Nicolás Maduro - and just before the US seized a Venezuela-linked Russian oil tanker for violating US sanctions.

    Tom and Rober discuss the potential consequences of two NATO allies being caught in a military standoff, and what Sir Keir Starmer can do to resolve tensions between the US and Europe - tensions that threaten to put the whole world in a much more dangerous place. 

    Got a question for the team? Email [email protected]
    7 January 2026, 8:26 pm
  • 32 minutes 47 seconds
    Can the BBC survive Trump's $10bn lawsuit?
    It's Trump vs the BBC as the President of the United States attempts to sue the broadcaster for $10bn over its Panorama documentary.

    The BBC has admitted it made a "mistake" with its edit of a Trump speech on the day his supporters stormed the Capitol. The President's lawyers said it falsely portrayed him as a "violent insurrectionist" and was a “brazen attempt” to interfere in the US election.

    The question now is, what could the consequences be for the BBC? Should they fight the case or settle with the President? And what will the broadcaster look like as the government begins a consultation on its future? Tom Bradby joins Political Editor Robert Peston to discuss.

    Also, what will politics have in store for us in 2026? Tom and Robert both predict that Sir Keir Starmer will still be Prime Minister this time next year, despite all the recent talk of plots and challenges to his authority.

    Got a question for the team? Email [email protected]
    17 December 2025, 7:41 pm
  • 30 minutes 42 seconds
    How Trump's new Security Strategy changes EVERYTHING for Britain and Europe
    Tom and Robert discuss Trump's National Security Strategy - a 33-page document which sets down in black and white his vision of the world, and which has ramped up anxiety across Europe. In it, the threat of aggression from Russia and President Putin are all but disregarded - no wonder Moscow says it's 'largely consistent' with their own vision for global affairs. There's also little attention paid to the threat from China; instead, it's Britain and the EU who come under fire, as it warns of "civilisational erasure" as a result of immigration. What can Britain, and its European allies, do as the United States appears to take another step away from them? And how grave are the implications of this new Strategy for Ukraine? 

    Got a question for the team? Email [email protected]
    10 December 2025, 4:24 pm
  • 31 minutes 57 seconds
    Inside the Reeves-OBR Budget 'shambles' as Chancellor faces calls to resign
    Warning: This episode contains some discussion of racist language which listeners may find distressing.

    A week on from Rachel Reeves' Budget, Paul Brand and Robert Peston take stock of the extraordinary row between the Treasury, the Chancellor, and the OBR over who knew and said what about the public finances in the preceding weeks.

    Robert says it's the result of one of the 'biggest shambles in terms of Budget preparation' that he can recall. But has the Chancellor ridden out the storm - or could she still have to resign?

    Also: A former classmate of Nigel Farage has alleged the Reform UK leader racially "tormented" him when they were at school together. Farage says the claims are 'categorically' untrue - but how politically damaging could they be for him?

    Got a question for the team? Email [email protected]
    3 December 2025, 6:22 pm
  • 36 minutes 19 seconds
    Will Budget tax rises and delay tactics come back to haunt Rachel Reeves?
    Chancellor Rachel Reeves has finally revealed her Budget plans, albeit after the Office for Budget Responsibility published them first, by mistake.

    But will tax rise upon tax rise win over doubting voters - or will her tactic to delay many of the key measures coming in return to haunt Labour?

    In Talking Politics, Paul Brand and Robert Peston are joined by Professor Jane Green, director of the Nuffield Politics Research Centre, to pick apart the Budget strategy.



    Got a question for the team? Email [email protected]
    26 November 2025, 6:09 pm
  • 11 minutes 28 seconds
    Starmer claims his government has restored respect in politics
    Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has told ITV News his government has restored respect to politics since coming into power.

    When he came into Downing Street in July 2024, Starmer promised to "restore honesty and integrity to government”.

    However, since then, it's fair to say it's been a stormy ride for him and the Labour Party.

    Shortly after becoming prime minister, he attracted attention for the scale of the gifts he had been receiving, and more recently in September his deputy Angela Rayner resigned after breaking the ministerial code.

    When asked if he could "hand on heart" say that his government had restored respect to politics, Starmer answered, "yes".





    Got a question for the team? Email [email protected]
    21 November 2025, 9:38 pm
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