By SAM COATES and ANNE McELVOY
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MONDAY
It’s a new year but does Keir Starmer still have the same old problems?
The prime minister is already under pressure, at home and abroad, to clarify his position on Donald Trump’s actions to strike and capture Venezuela’s President Maduro.
Can he “beige” it out or will he bow down to the pressure from his opponents and critics?
Elsewhere, as MPs flock back to Westminster for 2026, is the PM premiership in a stronger or weaker position since the Christmas break? Sam has all the behind-the-scenes reaction.
Plus, is deeper integration with the European Union on the cards?
You can vote for Politics at Sam and Anne’s in the people’s choice category at the Political Podcast Awards here.
TUESDAY
The Starmer drama continues as the PM is warned by the Scottish Labour leader to stay away ahead of a crucial set of local elections — so, how popular is Keir Starmer across the board?
Well, not very, according to the first weekly check-in on the state of the polls in 2026, as “Never Here Keir” jets off to Paris for another “coalition of the willing” meeting.
Before that, it’s the first cabinet of the New Year — and Sam and Anne have exclusive news on a potential revolt over business rates, as well as threats to industry to lobby less aggressively if it wants a U-turn.
WEDNESDAY
Three things from Sam Coates and Anne McElvoy to start your political day.
What the government is having to deal with: the unpredictability of Donald Trump. Just as Britain signs up to troops in Ukraine if there’s a peace deal, it’s having to use its best diplomatic language on what the president is thinking about Greenland.
What the government wants to deal with: publishing the road safety strategy, which is something every driver will have a view on.
What some government sources are thinking: Sam’s got a story about whether AI is to blame for a massive rise in the number of Written Parliamentary Questions in the Commons.
You can vote for Politics at Sam and Anne’s in the people’s choice category at the Political Podcast Awards here.
THURSDAY
Today, Sam and Anne ask the question, is the prime minister’s focus abroad distracting from his own problems and domestic reforms at home?
With a plethora of contentious legislation to get through ahead of the spring statement in March and the King’s Speech in May, the duo forecast whether there could be more rebellions down the line.
The pair home in on the complicated problems facing Bridget Phillipson — how she deals with SEND reforms and the use of single sex spaces.
Will the government take on parents over statementing kids, how will it be funded, and is the EHRC acting in bad faith?
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