Last orders for Labour? Starmer’s election nightmare and Westminster’s booze problem w/Will Hayward and Zoë Grünewald
5/7/20261 hr 4 min
This week, Nish and Coco make sense of a bruising local election week, as Labour braces for heavy losses, Reform eyes major gains, and the Greens look to break through in London.
They’re joined by Will Hayward, award-winning investigative journalist and expert on Welsh politics, to break down what’s happening in Wales, where Labour’s century-long dominance could be coming to an end. He explains the new Senedd voting system, the rise of Plaid and Reform, and what this election could mean for the future of devolution.
Plus: Zoë Grünewald joins to unpack Reform’s latest migrant detention centre proposal, Green hopes in the capital, and what a bad night could mean for Keir Starmer.
And: should MPs be allowed to drink on the job, or is Parliament’s bar tab finally becoming a political problem?
GUESTS
Zoë Grünewald, political journalist
Will Hayward, Cardiff-based investigative journalist
USEFUL LINKS
Guide to Senedd voting system: https://senedd.wales/senedd-now/senedd-blog/how-will-the-new-voting-system-work-at-the-next-senedd-election/
CREDITS
Radio 4, Today Show
Tiktok, Zia Yusef (@ziayusufuk)
Instagram, Hannah Spencer (@hannahtheplumbermcr)
Pod Save the UK is an Intelligence Squared production for Crooked Media.
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Clips
Showing 10 of 15Transcript preview
First 90 secondsNish Kumar· Host0:00
[upbeat music] Hi, this is Pod Save the UK. I'm Nish Kumar.
Coco Khan· Host0:04
And I'm Coco Card.
Nish Kumar· Host0:05
It's an action-packed show this week as, of course, it's local elections in the UK.
Coco Khan· Host0:10
We've got friend of the show, political know-it-all Zoë Grunewald here to discuss Reform's new insane policy proposal. Yes, another one. And what do the Greens' chances look like in London?
Nish Kumar· Host0:22
And it's a massive election for the people of Wales, and we've got special guest, and also friend of the show, Will Hayward, to come and talk us through it.
Coco Khan· Host0:30
Plus, we try to answer the most difficult question of the century, should MPs be allowed to get hammered whilst working in Parliament? It's really a very- [laughs] ... tricky one. I mean, I don't know how we will possibly cover it. We couldn't get to the bottom.
Nish Kumar· Host0:44
Luckily, I'm drunk right now. [laughs] [upbeat music] Now, obviously this show is recorded on Wednesday the 6th of May, but it's been released on Thursday the 7th of May, a massive, massive day politically. Voters are heading to the polls across England to vote for local councilors, and in Scotland and Wales to choose new members of the devolved parliaments. We will, of course, get to that. But before we do, it's absolutely important that we mention this whole thing is happening in the shadow of the awful attack in Golders Green.
Coco Khan· Host1:12
So last week, two Jewish men were stabbed in North London in an attack the police have declared a terrorist incident. The men suffered serious injuries and were treated in hospital, and reportedly, the perpetrator had attempted to murder a third man in his flat earlier in the day.
Nish Kumar· Host1:28
Sadly, this is not an isolated