Politics Weekly UK

Andy Burnham has announced he will attempt to return to Westminster after the Labour MP Josh Simons said he will vacate his Makerfield seat in order for Burnham to run in a byelection. It follows a day of breaking news in which the health secretary, Wes Streeting, resigned, saying he has lost confidence in the prime minister, and Angela Rayner announced she had been cleared by the HMRC. Where does this leave Keir Starmer, the leadership of the Labour party, and the country?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Tensions are running high in Westminster as Keir Starmer has told his cabinet he’s not going anywhere. But with several ministers quitting the government, and more than 80 MPs calling for him to go, how much longer has he got? Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s political editor, Pippa Crerar. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Keir Starmer kicked off the day with a speech aimed at persuading MPs against launching any kind of leadership challenge. By lunchtime, Angela Rayner was speaking at the CWU conference calling for Andy Burnham to return. In the afternoon the list of MPs calling on him to resign was slowly creeping up but no challenge has materialised. Why is the Labour party in such a muddle over Starmer?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

It has been a crushing set of local and devolved elections for Labour, with Reform UK making huge gains across the country and the Greens winning in London. Keir Starmer is under pressure to announce a timeline for his departure – yet he insists he will not walk away. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

This week Politics Weekly is on the road with the Greens in Hackney and Reform UK in Bromley ahead of the local elections to see why people are turning their backs on the traditional parties in London. This episode was recorded on Monday 26th and Tuesday 27th April.. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod