OppositionCast

Parliament returns from its summer break, and OppositionCast returns to bring you news of a Shadow Cabinet reshuffle, as Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch refreshes her top team, with both her Shadow Chancellor and Shadow Foreign Secretary departing for the backbenches, and new faces being brought forward. Meanwhile, Sir James Cleverley is seeking to win the Conservative Party's nomination to stand as Mayor of London in 2028 - what might his chances be? Presented by Nigel Fletcher and Sarah Southern Produced by the Centre for Opposition Studies Theme Music by Tom Hector

The government looks to have scored an own-goal this week, after sources in Number 10 briefed against the Health Secretary, claiming he is plotting to bring down the Prime Minister. It prompted a furious response from Wes Streeting, to whom Keir Starmer has been forced to apologise. There are now calls for Starmer's Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney to be fired, and Labour MPs are more unhappy than ever. Sarah and Nigel discuss whether the government is doing the Opposition's job for them. Presented by Nigel Fletcher and Sarah Southern Produced by the Centre for Opposition Studies Theme Music by Tom Hector

Nearly a year after taking on the role of Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Badenoch had a good outing at Prime Minister's Questions this week as she asked a "Gotcha" question to Keir Starmer about the government's tax promises. But as she grows in confidence, her poll ratings remain historically bad. Nigel and Sarah discuss this and other issues including budget speculation, the Chancellor's difficulties over form-filling, a Welsh by-election and the 75th anniversary of the rebuilding of the House of Commons chamber. Presented by Nigel Fletcher and Sarah Southern Produced by the Centre for Opposition Studies Theme Music by Tom Hector

This week marks the 100th anniversary of Margaret Thatcher's birth, and her legacy was much in evidence at last week's Conservative Party Conference, with Kemi Badenoch's speech taking place 50 years after the Iron Lady's own first speech to the conference as leader. In this special episode, we delve back into our own archives to revisit an interview with Dr Emily Hickey, whose PhD thesis focused on Mrs Thatcher's time in Opposition, and with Sir Adam Ridley, who was an adviser to the future Prime Minister and helped draft that first party conference speech. We also hear extracts from a discussion Nigel took part in on Matt Chorley's radio show featuring Conservative peer David Willetts talking about how Thatcher was more pragmatic than she is now given credit for. Presented by Nigel Fletcher Produced by the Centre for Opposition Studies Theme Music by Tom Hector

The Labour Party Conference in Liverpool saw much speculation about a possible leadership challenge from Andy Burnham, whilst Keir Starmer - like Ed Davey last week - focused his attention on Nigel Farage and Reform. Nigel and Sarah reflect on Burnham's prospects and discuss the party's attitude to dissent after a number of attendees found their credentials cancelled after posting critical comments. They also consider the issue of politicians' security, after Reform claim Farage's police protection has been reduced. Presented by Nigel Fletcher and Sarah Southern Produced by the Centre for Opposition Studies Theme Music by Tom Hector