Will Starmer's reset make a difference?

Will Starmer's reset make a difference?

Author: Steve Richards September 2, 2025 Duration: 47:20

With Labour languishing in the polls, Keir Starmer has reshuffled his top team… yet again. His leadership has been punctuated by changes in senior personnel, so does that tell us more about him or them? 

My book on Tony Blair is published next Thursday. You can pre-order it here.

Rock & Roll Politics is live at Kings Place on Thursday September 25th at the end of the Labour Party Conference week!

Subscribe to Patreon for bonus podcasts, the main podcast a day early and ad free… plus special exclusive live events.

Written and presented by Steve Richards.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


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


Each week, broadcaster and author Steve Richards draws from his acclaimed live performance to create Rock & Roll Politics with Steve Richards. This isn't a dry recitation of headlines, but a guided tour into the often-overlooked mechanics of British political life. Steve focuses on the interplay between power and perception, examining how the media narrative is constructed and how it, in turn, shapes our understanding of the unfolding drama at Westminster and beyond. The conversation in this podcast acknowledges a central paradox of our times: while historical events can seem deceptively simple in hindsight, the present moment feels wildly uncertain. Steve acts as a seasoned guide through that uncertainty, offering clarity without oversimplification. You'll hear analysis that connects cultural currents to political decisions, exploring the personalities, strategies, and occasional chaos that define the UK's political landscape. Tune in for a thoughtful, weekly perspective that makes sense of the seismic shifts in society and government, all delivered with the insight of someone who has spent a career observing the stage from both the wings and the front row.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Rock & Roll Politics with Steve Richards
Podcast Episodes
Brexit- is this the beginning of the end? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:28
Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves have started to become more critical of the ‘Brexit Deal’. David Lammy highlights the benefits of a customs union. The Brexit minister, Nick Thomas-Symonds, is promoted. But does this mean…
Why are newspapers still powerful? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:52
Few buy newspapers and not many read them. So why do they shape the political agenda, not least in determining how the current government is perceived?Rock & Roll Politics -The Xmas Special is live at Kings Place on Dec…
Could The Conservatives Recover? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:16
The fickle media and Conservative MPs are hailing Kemi Badenoch’s recent performances, making her more secure in her role as leader. The Tories are still dominant in the media, so could they - not Reform - emerge as the…
Rachel Reeves - and consequences [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:50
In spite of the bleak financial inheritance, Rachel Reeves should have some space with a landslide Commons for radical reforms in her budget. Did she partly choose to be trapped, without thinking through the consequences…
Is Starmer the biggest victim of the 'toxic culture'? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:24
There's universal consensus that the briefings from Number 10, warning of a leadership challenge from Wes Streeting and the conduct of "feral" Labour MPs, have rebounded badly on Starmer and those involved. Yet the brief…
Why is the BBC so scared of the right wing media? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:29
Tim Davie, Deborah Turness and other senior BBC managers have gone out of their way to please the right, from the treatment of Gary Linker to the selection of political panels where there is often an imbalance that favou…
What do Labour's 'soft left' want? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:35
Labour's so-called 'soft left' is becoming more muscular and vocal, but what binds this part of the party and how does it want this government to change? Plus, can Rachel Reeves make voters recognise the connection betwe…