The red half of Westminster will shortly decamp to Liverpool for the first Labour conference since the party's general election landslide. Host Sascha O'Sullivan looks at a group which played a key role in that victory — the left-wing think-tank Labour Together. Sascha pieces together the fascinating origin story of Labour Together, speaking to ITV Deputy Political Editor Anushka Asthana, author of a new book, which details the group's influence, and Keir Starmer biographer Tom Baldwin. Andrew Cooper, political pollster and member of Labour Together advisory board, tells Sascha how Josh Simons, former director of the think tank, built on the work of Morgan McSweeney by using deep voter analysis to help Labour HQ. Sascha speaks to the group's new chief executive, Jonathan Ashworth, about Labour Together's role in shaping the thinking of the new government. He addresses some of the cronyism accusations surrounding the think tank and is quizzed by Sascha on its purpose now Labour is in power. Henry Newman, former political adviser and author of the Whitehall project, explains the concerns about how Labour Together acted as a middleman for political donations between wealthy individuals and politicians. Labour "mega-donor" Dale Vince tells Sascha why he gave money to the think tank. And think tank stalwarts Harry Quilter-Pinner of the Institute of Public Policy Research, Ryan Wain of the Tony Blair Institute and Charlotte Pickles explain how Labour Together fits into the world of the wonks and how different it is from most policy outfits. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than 300,000 people in Britain — from individuals to whole families — do not have a safe and secure home. Some live on the streets. Others are sleeping in sheds or garages or spending the night in their cars. And many, including more than 145,000 children, live in temporary accommodation, which often means a family sharing a single room.  But things don’t need to be this way. Lloyds Banking Group and Crisis, the U.K. homelessness charity, are calling for the U.K. to build 1 million more homes at social rent by 2033, an endeavor that will require strong partnership between the government and the private sector.  POLITICO Studio host David Baker speaks to Francesca Albanese, executive director of policy and social change at Crisis, Rose-Anna Hallam, who is drawing on her experience of growing up in social housing as a student of real estate and planning at Manchester University, and Chris Yau, a director in Lloyds' National Housing Team, about the causes of homelessness, the effect it has on all of us and how we can finally end homelessness in the U.K. for good.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our next season of Westminster Insider is gearing up with new episodes next week. To whet your appetite, we’ve reached into our extensive back catalogue to bring you one of our fan-favorite episodes – whether you’re new to the show or been a listener from the beginning, we hope you enjoy revisiting this historical deep dive into what ex-prime ministers do once the gig is up, hosted by Aggie Chambre. Former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, fired by Truss 38 days into her 45 day premiership, talks of the “emptiness” and “numbness” that comes with leaving Downing Street, and how he felt “let down” by his old friend.  Speaking agency founder Jeremy Lee, recently retired, is gloriously indiscreet as he regales Aggie with stories of his conversations with ex-prime ministers seeking riches down the years.  Political biographer Anthony Seldon takes Aggie through the history of former prime ministers, and how the role has changed since Winston Churchill’s Champagne-fueled heyday. Unherd journalist Tom McTague explores Tony Blair’s increasingly powerful Institute for Global Change, while POLITICO’s Annabelle Dickson tells tales of tracking down Boris Johnson in downtown Dallas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Westminster Insider will be back next Friday! Hosts Aggie Chambre and Ailbhe Rea chat about what to expect from season 11 of the weekly podcast from POLITICO. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the world grapples with the energy crisis stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, energy security has climbed to the top of the political agenda.Successive U.K. governments had already laid out strategies to decarbonize all sectors of the economy to meet net-zero targets by 2050. Now, in the sprint towards energy independence, pledges have been made to make the U.K. a net energy exporter by 2040.But is that possible? Spoiler alert: not without renewables.Presenter David Baker speaks to Lord Adair Turner, chair of the Energy Transitions Commission, about the U.K.’s potential to harness vast amounts of energy – quite literally – out of thin air. Emma Pinchbeck, chief executive at Energy UK, explains how simplifying the country’s planning system would make it fertile ground for investments in renewables. Finally, Sam Peacock, managing director of Corporate Affairs and Strategy at SSE, says partnerships between government and the private sector will be essential to preserving the U.K.’s leadership in renewables. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

POLITICO’s weekly narrated story, hosted by Ailbhe Rea, lifts the curtain on how Westminster really works, and looks in-depth at political issues which typically only get broad-brush treatment in the wider media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.