what his now chief of staff and then campaign director morgan mcsweeney found was actually labour membersbour party members, whether they'd come into the labour party on the wave of corbynite enthusiasm, orwhetherthey'd been knocking doors since harold wilson were united by a few things, and top of that list is a commitment to the welfare state. right. that is why this issue is potentially so tricky and so controversial for rachel reeves — and the bill for the welfare state is increasing. of bumps post—covid. it, here's how you go and get a sick note. exactly. a bit of nuance here. but just to sort of explain it to people at the moment, if you are out of work, there's basically two if you get offered them. a portion of your benefits. get more money and you are not required to seek work or do certain things. is that that is what rachel reeves, i'm told repeatedly tells colleagues in meetings is a perverse incentive, ie., she thinks there are certain people who are trying and succeeding on getting on to the sickness stream want to have to seek work. their benefits and ending up in the sanct

well, the thing is, of course, that morgan mcsweeney won the fight with sue gray. being his chief of staff couldn't last very long. type of manager rather than a big political leader. well, i wouldn't be very happy if i was keir starmer sitting i mean, there are very, very extensive briefings named in the book who helpfully talk to you. but ijust wonder, how much stink do you think this is going to kick up? upon is what is self—evident to a lot of people. because it's a difficultjob to go from opposition who are human beings. yeah. i think you can see from outer space that starmer has zigged he's a pragmatist, his fans would say, and he's a sort of empty vessel. his detractors would say. victory with more mps than there are human beings in... there are astronauts. so i think that it's clear that that's been to what extent did he subcontract the politics he was plotting his path to power very consciously, very deliberately. this source said he was very keen to make sure that they were on top of things like campaign finance so you do get the strong impression that at times he has leane

about how keir starmer's leadership started in 2020 and up until 2024, even senior people like morgan mcsweeney, now number 10 chief of staff, thought he was a bit of an air boss. there's one line about him supposedly driving the train, but actually it's a dlr driverless train. and actually just people were despairing all along the way. and there were various points they thought he was going to lose. up until 2021, they thought he might not stay as leader. and that, i think, is the big takeaway really, actually, is that there was always that sense of the project was being made up on the spot, andifs was being made up on the spot, and it's an interesting story about how he came to be prime minister and win such a huge majority. given all the odds against him. >> he probably didn't think he was going to become prime minister. maybe he thought he was kind of going to be the holding pattern labour leader to sort of see what happens to the conservatives and then maybe hand the baton on to somebody with a bit more charisma. i don't know. wes streeting rachel reevesi don't know. wes streeting rachel r

for example, what role did morgan mcsweeney, keir starmer's chief of staff, play in the demise of hiscessor, sue gray? with me now is my panel. pollster and director at jl partners, scarlett mccgwire , broadcaster scarlett mccgwire, broadcaster candice holdsworth and former conservative special adviser and chief of staff to nadhim zahawi james price. and candice, what do you feel about this? first of all, do you think that these remarks might be influential, for example, about kemi badenoch? >> well, from what i. from what. >> well, from what i. from what. >> i've heard, people aren't quite sure about her approach that she's taking. you know, the sort of easy as it goes. we've got time. let's take time to diagnose. others are saying, actually, events are moving really fast. they're looking to america, where donald trump has come in with elon musk in the silicon valley ethos of move fast and break things. and they're saying, we want that here. we want that level of system disruption. and i don't think it's just on the conservative right as well. people i've spoken to in labour are also

>> well, morgan mcsweeney is keir starmer's adviser was on there. >> and keir starmer presumably wason there. >> yeah. and there's. >> yeah. and there's. >> a. >> a. >> few people. so when you put it in that context, i suppose that we're actually doing okay. >> we're doing all right. number 40 out of 40. >> 40 out of 40. >> the only way is up. really? >> the only way is up. really? >> well, quite. >> well, quite. >> literally, unless we get booted off next year. >> i think as long as we have breath in our bodies, we'll probably get up to the top 35 next year. >> but apparently we're the agbutgpparentlv we're the voter concerns. >e>,but:hpparentlv we're the voter concerns. here's ignoring voter concerns. here's a clip of him getting stuck. >> a threat that i worry the most about vis a vis europe is not russia. it's not china. it's not russia. it's not china. it's not any other external actor. and what i worry about is the threat from within the retreat of europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the united states of america and britain and across europe. fre