“My prime minister” - the King steps in

About this episode

The episode discusses King Charles's impact on UK-U.S. relations and the political implications for Keir Starmer and the Prime Minister.

Has King Charles’s warmth and humour helped save the special relationship? It may be a diplomatic win for Keir Starmer in Washington, helping to steady UK-U.S. relations – but have private comments by his U.S. ambassador made life more difficult back in London? Yesterday, the Prime Minister survived a vote demanding he appear before the privileges committee, but after another blockbuster Foreign Affairs Committee session, questions remain over his judgement to appoint Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the United States. Elsewhere, could Angela Rayner make a comeback post local elections and will there be a wider cabinet reshuffle? Plus, Sam flags some under-the-radar issues that could be highly consequential in the long run.

People in this episode

Hosts: Sam, Anne

Topics covered

• UK-U.S. relations
• diplomacy
• political commentary
• cabinet reshuffle
• local elections

Keywords

• King Charles
• Keir Starmer
• UK-U.S. relations
• Peter Mandelson
• Angela Rayner

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Foreign Affairs Committee, UK, U.S.

More episodes of Politics At Sam and Anne's

• The ghosts of Burnham past haunt his campaign · June 11, 2026 · 23 min
• Belfast violence prompts fight on the right · June 10, 2026 · 21 min
• Why Burnham agrees with Farage · June 9, 2026 · 18 min
• Will Keir fight on? · June 8, 2026 · 21 min
• Could Andy Burnham build to victory? · June 4, 2026 · 21 min
• Revealed: Who are the brains behind Burnham · June 3, 2026 · 22 min