185 | Is It Legal?

With British politics in disarray, we try to sort out what's a stake - legally, constitutionally and electorally. Can Johnson refuse to do what parliament demands? Can Corbyn get the election he wants? What is Dominic Cummings playing at? And how much is the Fixed-term Parliaments Act to blame for the mess? Plus we explore the likely choices ahead for voters and politicians and we ask the big question lying behind all the drama: is this a question of politics or is it a matter of law? With Helen Thompson and Kenneth Armstrong.

164 | The Next PM

As Theresa May's premiership gets very close to the end, we talk about who and what might be coming next.  Can her successor re-establish the authority she has lost?  Can anyone govern in this parliament or do we need a general election?  Is the age of long-serving prime ministers also coming to an end?  Plus we discuss what lessons can be drawn from the recent election in Australia: what does it tell us about the politics of climate change?  With Helen Thompson and Chris Brooke.

153 | Moment of Truth?

As parliament finally gets the chance to indicate its Brexit preferences - if it has any - we discuss the real choices now facing MPs and government.  What is the sequence of events that would actually prevent a no-deal Brexit?  Can the Withdrawal Agreement be separated from the Political Declaration?  And if it can, will MPs eventually have to vote for it?  Plus we ask how long we can avoid another general election and we discuss whether Theresa May's survival to this point tells us more about her resilience or about the dysfunctionality of British politics.  With Helen Thompson, Chris Bickerton, and Catherine Barnard, Professor of EU Law.

149 | Impasse

We try to cut through the Brexit fog and see what's really out there, from new deals to no deal. Plus we ask some bigger questions: What is the true role of lawyers in politics? Does the EU want regime change? And how will future historians explain this extraordinary period? With Helen Thompson, Chris Bickerton and Kenneth Armstrong.

145 | Green New Deal?

This week we talk about another side of capitalism: the innovation economy.  Can capitalism deal with climate change?  How much depends on the role of the state?  And who will pay?  We compare the Green New Deal to FDR's original version: does history show us how to get this done?  With Bill Janeway, author of Doing Capitalism in the Innovation Economy, Diane Coyle and Helen Thompson.  Plus: David and Helen catch up with the latest comings and goings in British politics: are the two main parties starting to break apart?  More - much more - next week.

114 | Labour's Fault Lines

Summer's over: politics is back!  This week we return to the mystery inside the enigma that is Brexit to ask where Labour now stands.  What is the big divide in the Labour movement: Is it MPs vs leader? Members vs voters?  Young vs old?  And what could a second referendum achieve anyway?  Plus we try to make sense of the fraught fight over the definition of anti-Semitism.  With Helen Thompson, Chris Bickerton and Waseem Yaqoob.