Why Burnham needs to tap into the politics of happiness. Plus: How can we ease the pressure on our prison system?

Politics Uncensored

• Podcast Home
• Download Episode

Friday, 14 August 2026 - 49 minutes

The Week UnwrappedVoters head to the polls in Clacton-on-Sea by-electionVoters are heading to the polls in Clacton-on-Sea for perhaps the weirdest by-election in a generation. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage resigned his seat last month following scrutiny over his financial support. He said he hoped that the vote would silence his critics and prove he has a mandate with voters. And a record 34 candidates are standing, presenting voters with the longest ballot paper in history. Zoë and Ali discuss what they think might happen.Trump confirms he switched planes after Nato summit because of possible Iran threatDonald Trump confirmed this week that he secretly swapped planes after leaving a Nato summit in Turkey, due to a possible Iranian assassination threat. The Washington Post revealed that after publicly boarding Air Force One, the US President was covertly smuggled onto a catering truck and then moved to a different military aircraft. Meanwhile, over 100 aides, officials and reporters remained on the flight, raising questions about whether he knowingly put them at risk. Zoë and Ali question the unprecedented move.Reform UK Tells Its Activists ‘Don’t Drink and Tweet’Leaked training videos reveal Reform UK is warning its activists not to ‘drink and tweet’ and to treat ‘every social media post like a press release’ because, as the materials say, its own members are the "biggest threat to Reform."According to the Byline Times, the videos also appear to tell canvassers to ignore "no junk mail" signs and leaflet houses anyway. They're also told to avoid wearing any party branding while doing so, to stay "unidentifiable." Zoë and Ali analyse what this says about the credibility of Reform’s activists.Andy Burnham’s Cost of Living Tour Andy Burnham is back from his holiday, and this week he’s been touring the UK as part of his plan to “bring back hope” to every postcode. One of the problems he wants to tackle is the state of Britain’s high streets. Burnham has pledged to give local councils more power to stop betting shops and vape shops from “taking over”. Zoë and Ali unpack the changing face of the highstreet and why the new PM needs to tap into the politics of happiness. They also discuss the government's lack of action on the climate crisis so far.Can the government ease prison overcrowding without risking public safety?Andy Burnham's move to pause early prisoner releases has sparked backlash from police and the family of PC Andrew Harper, whose killers are due out in January. Shortly after becoming PM, Burnham announced that people convicted of rape, serious child sex offences and grooming offences would be exempt from early release - but manslaughter convictions were not included.The government is set to release 5,000 offenders later this year to create space in overcrowded prisons. Meanwhile, Reform UK says it would tackle overcrowding by sending foreign offenders abroad to serve their sentences.With prisons already close to capacity, and ministers warning they could run out of space as soon as November, how will the government balance the need to relieve pressure on the prison system without compromising public safety? Antonia May Cross, Director of Communications and Campaigns at Revolving Doors, a justice reform charity, joins us to tell us more.Guest: Antonia May Cross, Director of Communications and Campaigns at Revolving DoorsProducer: Monica Lillis

Subscribe to this podcast

• Apple Podcasts
• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• RSS Feed