Whitehall Sources
By Calum Macdonald
Two top advisers to our most recent prime ministers analyse the successes and failures of today's politicians, sharing their experiences of working behind the world's most famous door. They are your Whitehall Sources. Kirsty Buchanan worked with Theresa May as PM, and Liz Truss when she was Secretary of State. Oscar Reddrop advised Boris Johnson through crises of our times, including the war in Ukraine and throughout his ultimate downfall. Journalist and broadcaster Calum Macdonald manages their in-tray of talking points, U-turns and crises.
Latest episode
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IndyRef2 and Britzerland
This week on Whitehall Sources, we take you behind the door of Number 10 Downing Street and discuss Britzerland. It's Brexit-related and it's all about The Chequers Deal: what is it, what does it mean, why is it back four years after it was … -
The Not-Mini Budget* (*autumn statement)
Whitehall Sources takes you behind the door of Number 10 Downing Street to understand life behind politics. Today, a podcast special - we’re doing something slightly different to bring you snap reaction and analysis of the autumn statement f… -
Gav the Enforcer, Hancock's in slurry and why isn't Oscar a Lord?
Kirsty Buchanan OBE and Lord Reddrop (*Tbc) join man-of-the-people Calum Macdonald to take you behind the door of Number 10 Downing Street and unpack all that's going on. Is it valid to use someone as the "enforcer" in a political party? Gav… -
Test Balloons & Attack Strategies
Welcome to Whitehall Sources where we take you behind the scenes at Number 10 Downing Street. This week: what do we know so far about the plans Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt have for the economy? We discuss "test balloons" (also known as kite-… -
A BraverMan than I
Welcome to Whitehall Sources, where former advisers to UK Prime Ministers take you behind the door of Number 10 Downing Street to analyse events today. On this week's episode: just how much trouble as the re-appointment of Suella Braverman a… -
Stop it and Roll it: Sunak's First Speech
Stop It and Roll It is where we play you a bit of political theatre and drama - in this case, a speech - and stop it, analyse it, then roll it. Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister on Tuesday 25th October and delivered his first speech on the s… -
Rishi Ready?
This is episode one of a two-part special analysing Rishi Sunak taking over as Prime Minister. In this episode: what is the state of the Conservative Party? He's inheriting a mess - we assess who's been behaving badly. Kirsty and Oscar share… -
The Resignation of Liz Truss
Liz Truss has resigned. Today on Whitehall Sources: Calum spent the day reporting live from Downing Street - what was it like and how did it unfold? Kirsty and Oscar were as plugged into the Whitehall matrix as ever - what have they been hea… -
Shuffling the Shambles
Welcome to Shuffling the Shambles. On this week's episode of Whitehall Sources, as we take you behind the door of Number 10 Downing Street with those in the know: Suella Braverman's "trojan horse" resignation as Home Secretary; the staff com… -
Will the Tories keep swiping left?
Welcome to episode 2, which is dropping for you unexpectedly soon. But then, Kwasi Kwarteng got dropped unexpectedly quickly too, didn't he? In this episode, as the dust settles following Liz Truss's remarkable press conference…