• Will we ever know everything about Peter Mandelson?
    Apr 24 2026

    Sir Keir Starmer says he has "put to bed" the row over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador – but it looks set to rumble on for the PM.

    Starmer's former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney has now been summoned to give evidence to the Commons, as well as Sir Olly Robbins's predecessor at the Foreign Office, Sir Philip Barton.

    Beth explains why Barton's evidence could end up being "box office", while Ruth and Harriet give their assessment on Starmer's very difficult week.

    And the team discuss if it might be easier to reveal all the information which came up during vetting.

    Peter Mandelson denies criminal wrongdoing and has not been charged.

    Plus – Beth's in Manchester interviewing Green Party leader Zack Polanski. Will he be able to persuade voters in Labour heartlands – and beyond - to jump ship?

    For a list of all candidates standing in your area, check the Electoral Commission website: www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/your-election-information

    Got a question for the burner phone? WhatsApp 07934 200 444 or email electoraldysfunction@sky.uk

    And if you didn't know, you can also watch Ruth, Beth and Harriet on YouTube.

    Show More Show Less
    47 mins
  • EXTRA: Why didn’t Starmer ask more questions about Mandelson?
    Apr 21 2026

    Keir Starmer says that if he'd known Peter Mandelson had failed his vetting, he would never have appointed him US ambassador.

    The PM told the MPs that civil servants in the Foreign Office had made a "deliberate decision" not to tell him, and that it "beggars belief" that he didn’t know.

    This is a story full of political process, about whether rules were followed. But for many it may just boil down to why the Prime Minister did not ask more questions, especially when it concerned a man who had already resigned twice from government.

    In this special extra episode Beth Rigby, Ruth Davidson and Harriet Harman give a full debrief on Keir Starmer’s Commons performance.

    Got a question for the burner phone? WhatsApp 07934 200 444 or email electoraldysfunction@sky.uk

    And if you didn't know, you can also watch Beth, Ruth and Harriet on YouTube.

    Show More Show Less
    33 mins
  • Is this the election that makes Nigel Farage unstoppable?
    Apr 17 2026

    Are voters about to hand Nigel Farage his biggest win yet? Reform are polling in second place in Scotland, and while Farage’s party might not win in May, could the result change politics in the UK as we know it?

    This podcast was recorded on Thursday morning before the news that Peter Mandelson failed his security vetting.

    Beth, Ruth and Harriet dive into what’s really driving this moment for Reform and whether it’s a protest vote against Scottish independence or something more permanent. And Beth reports back on her trip north of the border with Farage this week, which is part of a series of interviews she is conducting with all the leaders.

    Plus, pollster Luke Tryl from More in Common is back with a focus group of voters to help us understand what could happen across the board in the May elections and what it means for Labour, the Conservatives, and the future of two-party politics.

    For a list of all candidates standing in your area, check the Electoral Commission website: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/your-election-information

    Got a question for the burner phone? WhatsApp 07934 200 444 or email electoraldysfunction@sky.uk

    Show More Show Less
    50 mins
  • Could the UK sleepwalk into Trumpian politics?
    Apr 10 2026

    The world is reeling, thanks (again) to US President Donald Trump -who started his week by threatening to kill a “whole civilisation”... and is ending it by insulting his NATO allies. It’s left Harriet asking just how Trump got to be so out of control - and how did the checks and balances designed to rein him in fail so spectacularly?

    Ruth and Harriet discuss whether Trump’s chaotic leadership style shows that western democracies - including the UK - might be more fragile than we think, and if there’s a chance we could end up with our very own Trump-style leader.

    They also ask whether the Government was right to block Kanye West from coming to the UK, and what the row over the decision tells us about antisemitism in this country.

    Got a question for the burner phone? WhatsApp 07934 200 444 or email electoraldysfunction@sky.uk.

    And if you didn't know, you can also watch Ruth and Harriet on YouTube.

    Reform UK was given the opportunity to respond to Harriet Harman’s remarks about Nigel Farage in this episode.

    Show More Show Less
    31 mins
  • How much economic damage is Donald Trump doing? | Q&A
    Apr 3 2026

    It's an Easter special - so grab yourself a hot cross bun and listen in as Beth, Ruth and Harriet answer all of your questions.

    From whether Zack Polanski and Nigel Farage might have more in common than they think, to if Ruth and Harriet are ever tempted to make a return to frontline politics - all are up for discussion.

    Plus - Ruth and Harriet go head-to-head over why Labour has never had a female leader.

    And, the most pressing question of all - how does Beth find the time to train for a marathon, and what are her top tips?

    Got a question for the burner phone? WhatsApp 07934 200 444 or email electoraldysfunction@sky.uk.

    And if you didn't know, you can also watch Beth, Ruth and Harriet on YouTube.

    Show More Show Less
    37 mins
  • EXCLUSIVE: Keir Starmer on his special relationship with Trump
    Mar 26 2026

    Beth is in Helsinki with the Prime Minister for an exclusive interview for the podcast.

    Keir Starmer has said he "hates the fact" that he made a "mistake" over the appointment of Peter Mandelson.

    "I dwell on it. I beat myself up about it," he told Beth, who is accompanying him on a visit to Finland, where he is taking part in a leaders' summit.

    Beth also questions him about his relationship with Trump following disparaging comments the President made about Starmer's response to the Iran war.

    Plus, Beth, Harriet and Ruth react to the full interview.

    Got a question for the burner phone? WhatsApp 07934 200 444 or email electoraldysfunction@sky.uk.

    And if you didn't know, you can also watch Beth, Ruth and Harriet on YouTube.

    Show More Show Less
    44 mins
  • Could Angela Rayner’s comeback rescue Labour?
    Mar 20 2026

    Angela Rayner has stepped back in the spotlight this week and straight into controversy.

    Her blunt intervention - warning the government is running out of time, criticising its record on “change” and calling parts of Labour’s immigration policy “un-British” - has sparked a big question: is Rayner simply saying what others are thinking, or going too far?

    Harriet certainly thinks it’s a bit much. She says Rayner’s approach could be undermining the government at a critical moment just weeks out from the May elections. Beth says Rayner's tax affairs could be sorted sooner than a lot of people thought.

    On the elections, Beth has been in Scotland speaking to Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar. Does he still think Starmer should resign?

    Plus, what support should the government be offering to help with rising energy costs because of the war in Iran? And can we even afford it as a country?

    Got a question for the burner phone? WhatsApp 07934 200 444 or email electoraldysfunction@sky.uk.

    And if you didn't know, you can also watch Beth, Ruth and Harriet on YouTube.

    Show More Show Less
    54 mins
  • Why the Mandelson files matter for Starmer's future
    Mar 13 2026

    Keir Starmer has already admitted appointing Peter Mandelson as US Ambassador was a mistake. But after the first batch of documents was released, Beth, Ruth and Harriet ask the big question: we still don’t know how big that ‘mistake’ it was – could it get worse with what is yet to come out about what the Prime Minister knew about Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein?

    In this episode we break down:

    1. What’s in the first tranche of documents around Peter Mandelson’s appointmnet (and what’s still missing)
    2. The red flags raised before Mandelson was appointed and why the process looks so rushed
    3. What “developed vetting” actually is, and why it could become the key detail
    4. The growing political risk for Starmer, including questions around what was said in the Commons

    Peter Mandelson has consistently denied any criminal wrongdoing and he is cooperating with the police investigation.

    Plus, a powerful moment in Parliament this week as Labour MPs Charlotte Nichols and Natalie Fleet speak about their own experiences as victims. How do their stories feed into the government’s legal reforms? And what would the plans mean for justice, juries and the courts backlog?

    Got a question for the burner phone? WhatsApp 07934 200 444 or email electoraldysfunction@sky.uk.

    Show More Show Less
    50 mins