On this week's episode - The first big vote of 2017 is set to be for locally elected mayors. Significant power - and money - will be devolved. But is the system transparent enough to stop mistakes being made? We hear from the chair of Parliament's prestigious Public Accounts Committee, Meg Hillier, who has voiced some concerns. Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott is set to join the Privy Council, whilst Labour strategists are planning to boost the party’s ratings in the polls by relaunching Jeremy Corbyn as a left-wing populist in the New Year. We hear from Ms Abbott on both these issues. Nicola Sturgeon will this week present demands for a huge swathe of powers to be transferred to Holyrood following Britain’s exit from the EU. Former First Minister and SNP international spokesman Alex Salmond explains what exactly this will mean for the party and what role the SNP will play in Brexit negotiations. Riots broke out last week in HMP Birmingham prison and was described by the Prison Officers' Association as the worst since the Strangeways jail riot 26 years ago. Justice Select Committee chair, Bob Neill, explains how he has long warned of excessive pressures being placed on the prison system. And finally, for our UK politics year in review – UKIP deputy Chair, Suzanne Evans; former Shadow spokesman on Europe and Labour MP Pat McFadden and Senior Editor at the Economist Anne McElvoy. Merry Christmas!

Sky News Radio - Politics

Murnaghan podcast, 18th December 2016

On this week's podcast - As Labour continues to tiptoe around the question 'does leaving the EU mean leaving the single market?' we hear from Andy Burnham , who thinks it should. This week Parliament voted to approve the Prime Minister's timetable for Brexit. Former Cabinet Minister Ken Clare was the only Conservative MP to vote against the government. He explains why... A fresh legal challenge has been launched today by anti-Brexit campaigners seeking to ensure the UK remains within the European Economic Area. We hear from former Attorney General and supporter of the Open Britain campaign, Dominic Grieve QC. A new West End play - This House - explores the chaos in government in the 1970s under James Callaghan's Labour government. The play-write James Graham discusses why this period provided the perfect material for a dramatist. Finally, as ever, we hear from a team of top political pundits dissecting this week's news - Jo Tanner, head of inHouse Communications; Steve Richards, author and journalist; and Tom McTague, Chief Reporter at Politico. All on this week's Murnaghan podcast!

Murnaghan podcast, 11th December 2016

On this week’s Murnaghan podcast – Boris Johnson was said to have been left “absolutely furious” after it was reported last week that he privately disclosed to a handful of EU Ambassadors that he supports freedom of movement, despite the Government’s ‘hard’ stance on Brexit. Dermot puts these claims to the Foreign Secretary, Mr Johnson. UKIP’s newly elected leader, Paul Nuttall, has said he intends to replace the Labour party and make UKIP the patriotic voice of working people. We hear from Angela Eagle, the Labour MP for Wallasey, who stood against Jeremy Corbyn in the party's leadership race. Could the Liberal Democrat success in Richmond be the first of many election upsets for the Conservative party? Dermot speaks to Mr. Clegg about what this by-election means for the party and for the Brexit process. And finally, as always, a team of top political pundits chew over this week’s news – Christian May, Editor at City AM; Sonia Sodha, Columnist at the Observer and comedian Mark Dolan.

Murnaghan podcast, 4th December 2016

On this week’s programme, presented by Sophy Ridge - Theresa May is set to announce a crack-down on executive pay this week, as part of her pledge to restore public trust in big businesses. To discuss this, and also to reflect on the Chancellor Philip Hammond's first Autumn statement last week, we hear from the Work and Pensions Secretary, Damian Green MP and from the Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell MP. With the launch of a new book ‘Born a Crime’ about growing up in Apartheid South Africa, Trevor Noah spoke to Sophy about his new role hosting American TV programme ‘The Daily Show’ and what he makes of President-elect Trump, the man he once described as the ‘perfect African President’. Next week we will see the result of the by-election in Richmond, sparked by MP Zac Goldsmith. Sophy caught up with Mr. Goldsmith now running as an independent candidate. And, as always, we hear from a team of top political pundits - Sebastian Payne, lead politics writer at the Financial Times; Ayesha Hazarika, former adviser to Ed Miliband and Harriet Harman; and Kevin Schofield, political editor of Politics Home. All on this week's Murnaghan podcast!

Murnaghan podcast, 27th November 2016

On this week’s Murnaghan podcast – With the new Chancellor, Philip Hammond, set to deliver his first Autumn Statement this week, we hear from Paul Dreschler, President of the Confederation of small Businesses, on what he is hoping to hear from the Chancellor. We also hear from Labour MP Chuka Umunna, former Shadow Business Secretary and a supporter of the Open Britain campaign and from Conservative Dominic Raab, Member of the Exiting the EU Committee who was a prominent Leave campaigner, on what Brexit means for the economy. With UKIP under fire for having reportedly misspent EU funding on national campaigning, leadership hopeful Suzanne Evans sets out how she will respond to a request for the party to return this funding if elected leader. 60 Conservative MPs today write that they are pushing for a hard Brexit - so no access to the European Economic Area. But is that feasible? We hear from the former Health Secretary Andrew Lansley who is now in the House of Lords looking at EU internal trade. Finally, as always, a top team of political pundits mull over this week’s news – Fraser Nelson, editor of the Spectator; Ian Dunt, editor of Politics.co.uk and author of ‘Brexit: What the Hell Happens Next?; and Polly Toynbee, Guardian columnist. All on this week's podcast!

Murnaghan podcast, Sunday 20th November

This week's Remembrance Sunday special edition of Murnaghan includes an extended interview with the Chief of the Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach. The Sunday Newspaper reviewers discuss whether Ed Balls' popularity on Strictly can help him find a way back into politics and we hear from the shadow Defence Secretary Nia Griffith on Donald Trump and nuclear disarmament. #murnaghan #RemembranceSunday #USelection2016 #Trump

Murnaghan Podcast, 13th November 2016

On this week's episode our guests include Damian Hinds MP, Jonathan Reynolds MP and Ukip leadership candidate Paul Nuttall.

Murnaghan Podcast, 30th October 2016

On this week’s episode – The battle for Mosul is now in its seventh day and the Iraqi army says around 50 villages have been liberated from ISIS militants. But has a plan been made for what happens after the fight for the city is over? I put this to Rory Stewart, Minister of State at the Department for International Development. After years of negotiations, talks of Canada’s trade-deal with the EU broke down on Friday. Due to be signed next week and with all 28 member states in support of the agreement talks fell through as Belgium’s Wallonia region rejected the deal. The Canadian trade minister and president of the European Parliament say they hope it can still be signed. To discuss the implications of this impasse we hear from the former Attorney General Dominic Grieve, the head of Europe and trade policy at the Institute of Directors, Allie Renison and Dr Gerard Lyons, the co chair of economists for Brexit. The so-called jungle camp in Calais is due to close this week and the UK government is hurrying to fulfil its promise to take in unaccompanied minors. We hear from Stella Creasy, MP for Walthamstow, who is leading the fight to bring the children of Calais to Britain. Once again, the race to discover who will be the next leader of UKIP is underway, we speak to the leadership hopeful Raheem Kassam who is being backed by the party donor, Arron Banks. And finally, as ever, we have a team of top political pundits to discuss this week's news - political columnist Steve Richards, the political editor of the Sun David Wooding and Sky’s own senior political correspondent Beth Rigby. All on this week's Murnaghan podcast!

Murnaghan podcast, 23rd October 2016

On this week's Murnaghan podcast - We hear from David Mundell, the Secretary of State for Scotland who has – controversially - been denied a seat on Theresa May’s Brexit cabinet committee and Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon. Revelations have emerged that Boris Johnson, prominent Brexiteer, wrote unpublished newspaper columns supporting Britain staying in the European Union just two days before he announced he would support the Leave campaign. We hear from Tim Shipman, political editor of the Sunday Times, in whose recent book on Brexit this exposé was made. A cross-party committee of MPs has criticised Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn for failing to do enough to tackle anti-Semitism in the party. We hear from Tim Loughton, Acting chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, which authored the report, and Jeremy Newmark, National Chair of the Jewish Labour Movement. And finally we hear from the queen of punk, Dame Vivienne Westwood, who has recently published her memoirs. All on this week's Murnaghan podcast.

Murnaghan podcast, 16th October 2016

On this week’s Murnaghan podcast – Suzanne Evans, former deputy chair of UKIP in her first appearance since Diane James resigned as the fractured party’s leader, and since the shock hospitalisation of one of its MEPs after a fight. Nicky Morgan, the former Education Secretary, who is threatening to oppose Theresa May’s central policies on Brexit and grammar schools. Pat McFadden, the former Shadow Europe Minister, who joins the former Education Secretary in advocating a so-called ‘soft Brexit’. Phillip Blond, Director of the Think Tank Respublica and the author of ‘Red Tory,’ and Owen Paterson, former Environment Secretary and founder of UK 2020 discuss the new era of ‘May-ism’. Finally, as usual, a team of top political pundits to chew over this week’s news - Michael Savage, the Times’ Chief Political Correspondent; Ian Dunt, Political Editor of Politics.co.uk, and Gaby Hinsliff, Guardian columnist and Political editor of the online site The Pool. All on this week’s Murnaghan podcast.

Murnaghan podcast, 9th October 2016

Highlights from today's Murnaghan programme featuring interviews with International Development Secretary Priti Patel, former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith, Tony Blair's former Director of Communications Alastair Campbell, and political journalists Harry Cole, Rowena Mason and Dan Hodges #CPC16 #EU #Murnaghan #Brexit #SkyNews

Murnaghan Podcast, Sunday 2nd October 2016

This week's Murnaghan podcast comes to you from the heart of the Labour conference in Liverpool. Following Jeremy Corbyn's landslide victory in the Labour leadership election we hear from Seema Malhotra MP, the former Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury who resigned during the summer coup, and to the shadow Chancellor, Lord McDonnell MP, who remained loyal to Mr Corbyn throughout the leadership election. As debate over Theresa May's grammar schools proposal continues we also hear from Cabinet Minister and Chairman of the Conservative Party Sir Patrick McLoughlin, ahead of his own party's conference next weekend. As usual, we have a team of top political pundits to discuss this week’s news – Lucy Fisher, Senior Political Correspondent at the Times; Helen Pidd, North of England Editor at the Guardian and Jason Beatie, Political Editor at the Daily Mirror. And finally, as Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump prepare to go head-to-head in the first U.S. Presidential Debate tomorrow night, we hear from the former adviser to President George W Bush, Dr Pippa Malmgren, and the American comedian Erich McElroy, whose acclaimed Edinburgh Fringe show about the campaign - Electile Dysfunction - is now coming to London. All on this week's Murnaghan podcast.

Murnaghan podcast, 25th September 2016

On this week’s episode – As the Syria ceasefire hangs in the balance we hear from the former Foreign Secretary David Miliband, now President of the International Rescue Committee. With Mr Miliband’s old party’s leadership contest coming to a close next weekend, we also hear from Labour’s Owen Smith, the self-professed ‘unity candidate’ attempting to unseat Jeremy Corbyn. Momentum, the pro-Corbyn campaign group, has once again been accused of pushing a ‘hard-left’ agenda and threatening to deselect Labour MPs. James Schneider is the group’s leading organiser and came on the show to defend his organisation. And with a new book out – aptly named “Politics – between the extremes” – Dermot speaks to the former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, about the tensions and compromises of the Coalition government and the task ahead for his much beleaguered party. Finally, as ever, a team of top political pundits mull over this week’s news – Ayesha Hazarika, former Labour adviser to Harriet Harman and Ed Miliband; Jo Tanner, director at iNHouse Communications and Conservative party press adviser; and Camilla Tominey, Deputy Political Editor at the Sunday Express. All on this week's Murnaghan podcast

Murnaghan podcast, 18th September 2016

This week's Murnaghan podcast features interviews with the Shadow Foreign Secretary and Shadow Secretary for Brexit, Emily Thornberry MP; Conservative MEP and prominent Leave campaigner, Daniel Hannan and chair of Vote Leave Watch and candidate for Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, Chuka Umunna MP. Finally, a team of top political pundits share their insight on this week’s news. Matt Chorley, editor of the Times’ Red Box; Rowena Mason, deputy political editor at the Guardian; and Joe Twyman, head of political and social research at YouGov. All on this week's Murnaghan podcast! #Brexit #Murnaghan #Skynews #EURef

Murnaghan podcast, 11th September 2016

With Brexit negotiations looming and MPs on their way back to Westminster for the start of a new Parliament, the summer holidays are well and truly over. And whilst the Prime Minister attends the G20 summit, at home Jeremy Hunt 's dispute with the junior doctors continues... This week's episode features interviews with the Shadow Health Secretary, Diane Abbott MP; the former Media, Culture and Sport Secretary, John Whittingdale and the former Northern Ireland Secretary, Theresa Villiers MP. Finally, we hear from two top political pundits for their take on the week's news - Isabel Hardman, Associate Editor of the Spectator, and Sonia Sodha, former adviser to Ed Millband. All on this week's Murnaghan podcast! #Murnaghan #Skynews #Brexit #EUref

Murnaghan podcast, 4th September 2016

The home of Sky News Radio's political podcasts including Sophy Ridge on Sunday

hubhopper

Sky News Radio - Politics

hubhopper