As ministers and backbenchers criticise Shabana Mahmood’s immigration plans, is Labour about to water them down? And what is behind the splits over the policy?

Anoosh Chakelian and Ailbhe Rea go behind the scenes of Labour’s battle over immigration reform.

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Morgan McSweeney’s stolen phone, Kemi Badenoch’s council tax claims and the UAE defence attache, Group Captain Sandy Sandilands. 

Will Dunn and Anoosh Chakelian round up their stories of the week.

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Follow The Exchange on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube for more episodes like this.

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What does the Instagram and YouTube verdict mean for the UK's proposed social media ban?

A California jury has found Meta and Google liable in a case that accused them of building intentionally addictive platforms.

Here in the UK, the government is consulting on whether to ban children from using social media. Australia and Spain have already implemented similar bans, and France has backed a ban for under-15s.

So, are the social media giants facing a reckoning? And should the government intervene in our kids’ social media use?

Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Hannah Barnes.

READ: Parents must also take responsibility for online safety

https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/social-media/2026/03/parents-must-also-take-responsibility-for-online-safety

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Ed Miliband, everyone would agree, is a central part of the Labour government. The ex-Labour leader is a hugely popular figure within the party.

Is his power and influence greater than we realise?

Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Will Lloyd to discuss.

READ: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2026/03/a-certain-idea-of-ed-miliband

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Donald Trump is grappling with the consequences of staging a military intervention in Iran without a clear plan.

Modern conflicts are often driven less by coherent national interest than by the instincts and ambitions of powerful leaders.

From the Strait of Hormuz, to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, to the tension between China and Taiwan - miscalculation, overconfidence, and the enduring unpredictability of war are reshaping global power.

Katie Stallard is joined by Philips O’Brien, American historian and professor of strategic studies at the University of St Andrews.

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Earlier this month, a meningitis outbreak in Canterbury, Kent, led to the tragic death of two young people. So far there have been 29 confirmed or suspected cases in total. It’s thought that a “super-spreader” event at a nightclub is the source of the outbreak.

Since then, there has been a mass rollout of vaccines for Meningitis B and preventative antibiotics. Thousands of students and contacts have been treated.

Cases now appear to be slowing or stabilising, however, some questions have been raised over the speed of the response from the government. 

Post-Covid, fear amongst the public of the spread of infectious diseases is heightened. This meningitis outbreak has served as a test, not just of public health response and communication, but of how the public understands risk in a post-pandemic Britain. 

Anoosh Chakelian is joined by investigations editor, Hannah Barnes.

READ: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/health/2026/03/was-kent-prepared-for-meningitis

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Anoosh and Will are back with this week's round up of the politics stories you might have missed.

This week:

• Housing Secretary Steve Reed has the perfect opportunity to "build, baby, build"
• Misinformation powerhouse InfoWars is officially over - just like the Metaverse
• Pete Hegseth seems to encourage the US army to commit war crimes
• Rachel Reeves takes a gamble on building "an army of Burnhams"

READ:

Anoosh's Thomas Hetherwick interview

Will's sketch on Pete Hegseth - "the boss of tough men in hot places"

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Angela Rayner has called Shabana Mahmood’s immigration plans un-British. Is this the beginning of the dilution of these reforms and even of a leadership campaign?

Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Ailbhe Rea to discuss.

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Keir Starmer’s cost of living crisis

At the beginning of this year, Keir Starmer vowed to bring down the cost of living. 

But as other PMs learned before him, this is often out of the government’s control.

The Iran war is threatening to ruin his strategy and Starmer now finds himself in a bind.

Anoosh Chakelian is joined by political editor, Ailbhe Rea.

READ: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2026/03/keir-starmer-is-struggling-to-keep-his-new-years-resolution

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Yesterday, Keir Starmer met Volodymyr Zelensky to sign a new defense partnership.

The Ukrainian President said he faced a missile shortage due to the war in Iran and Keir Starmer resolved to remain focused on the fight against Russia. 

But is the war in Eastern Europe only the first act of a much wider conflict?

Oli Dugmore is joined by Will Lloyd, who visited Ukraine last month. 

Read: https://www.newstatesman.com/international-content/2026/03/the-new-world-war

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