As voters splinter between Reform, the Greens and an increasingly volatile centre ground, this week we examine what a winning centre-left politics might look like in an age where trust is collapsing, loyalties are weakening and delivery matters more than ever. If Labour wants a second term, our new Prime Minister, his team and the cabinet will have to stop the assumption that yesterday’s political truths will still work tomorrow.

Labour faces a stark reality where it can no longer assume progressive voters have nowhere else to go. That competent government will eventually be rewarded. That careful triangulation can hold together an increasingly fragmented electorate. That if voters don’t understand what you’ve achieved, the problem is communication rather than strategy.

It’s time for change and Andy Burnham’s accession to the premiership next week offers the opportunity.

Better storytelling matters, but only if it is supported by a clear sense of purpose, coherent priorities and evidence of delivery. Burnham's perceived strengths - authenticity, political instinct, communication skills and a clearer sense of values - could help him reconnect with voters, but success will ultimately depend on whether he can demonstrate progress and convince the public that Labour has a credible long-term plan.

The author of ThinkLabour’s latest research, Christabel Cooper, joins us to dig into the data behind Labour’s electoral challenges, examine why support has ebbed across multiple voter groups, and ask what a Burnham premiership might do differently - from economic insecurity and migration to political identity and electoral reform.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As debate over the future direction of Labour in government gathers pace, this week we explore the growing disconnect between politics and economics, the collapse of the old social contract, and what a new political economy might look like.

From devolution and housing to regulation, growth and the role of the state, this is a conversation about far more than individual policies. It’s about what kind of country Britain wants to become, who the economy should work for, and how progressives can respond to an era of stagnant living standards and rising anti-system politics.

Fresh from his stint leading the Labour Growth Group Mark McVitie talks about the new economic settlement for Britain and we reflect on what these ideas mean for Labour’s next chapter and whether this long-overdue debate can finally produce the political strategy that the government has been missing.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.