Politics At Sam and Anne's

MPs may be on recess - but as the Iran war enters its fifth week should Whitehall ramp up contingency planning for its impact at home?
With the Strait of Hormuz still shut and reports of a potential U.S. ground invasion the Prime Minister will host a roundtable with key stakeholders from industry to discuss the ongoing impacts.
Elsewhere, Labour launch its local elections campaign, and the duo look at the polls from a national perspective, assessing the state of the parties with a key month ahead to May 7th.
Next Monday Sam and Anne return with a lookahead to the local elections with academic and pollster – Professor Rob Ford. Normal service will resume from Monday 13th April.

The Iran conflict may be dominating the headlines, but it’s the unintended consequences back home that are bothering the Prime Minister.
With Tehran rejecting Donald Trump’s 15-point peace plan, will the government be forced to step up contingency planning to cover issues as diverse as fertiliser, fuel costs and even helium production?
Sir Keir Starmer is in Finland for a military summit – so Sam and Anne assess the urgent priorities at home and abroad.
But back in Westminster, the Morgan McSweeney phone theft story simply won’t go away. Are there yet more questions for No.10 to answer?

How does the government plan for making sure the country has enough fuel without accidentally triggering a change in public behaviour which causes shortages?
Sam and Anne discuss that tightrope this morning. Ministers will be frustrated by comments from the CEO of Shell about ‘ripple effects’ from the Iran war.
The UK says supplies are solid, but it’ll be looking at different approaches being taken elsewhere in Europe.
It’s the last PMQs before recess and what’s the story with Morgan McSweeney’s phone theft?

Does Donald Trump always chicken out or is Keir Starmer in the dark about what is going to happen next in the Middle East?
The U.S. President has paused military action in Iran for five days, but pressure remains on the government to support those struggling with energy bills.
Sam and Anne unpack a turbulent 24 hours for the Prime Minister - examining how far the Chancellor can go to help those in need and whether she can afford it.
Has Rachel Reeves learnt the lessons from Liz Truss – can she steady the markets and are there tricky decision coming down the line?
Elsewhere, we have our weekly check-in on the polls – has the Starmer drama died down?
Plus, Sam has a deep dive investigation in local councils wasting money on “unreasonable” planning decisions.

As oil prices climb again – with neither the U.S. nor Iran backing down over the re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz – what can the Prime Minister do to ease the economic strain?
Later today Keir Starmer will convene an emergency COBR meeting to assess the cost-of-living impacts of the Iran war and consider if the government can further support households with a potential energy crisis looming.
Sam and Anne examine the economic challenges facing the PM and the Chancellor, what role Britain is really playing in the conflict and how long could it go on for.
Elsewhere, does the Home Secretary have multiple headaches over the Hillsborough law and a deal with the French to curb migrant crossings over the English Channel.