{"podcast":{"title":"In The Room","slug":"in-the-room-7693582","podcast_index_feed_id":7693582,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/69861398d4e01f1069d58875","website_url":"https://shows.acast.com/intheroom","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/cover/1770393584398-595c81ff-ae25-4c77-8905-6731a37e97f1.jpeg","author":"The Independent","episode_count":20,"summary":"Two former Westminster insiders reveal how politics and power really work. Ever wondered what goes on behind closed doors at No 10? Or who’s the first person on the phone when a Prime Minister lands themselves in hot water? Each week former Deputy Cabinet Secretary Helen MacNamara and Cleo Watson, former political advisor to Theresa May and Boris Johnson, dissect the week’s biggest news, revealing how decisions get made, why they go wrong, and what should happen next. In The Room is straight-talking, insider analysis with a dose of humour, every week. This podcast is part of The Independent Podcast Network and is produced in association with Next Chapter Studios. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/in-the-room-7693582"},"episode":{"title":"Keir Starmer vs the world: How the PM made his job so much harder","slug":"keir-starmer-vs-the-world-how-the-pm-made-his-job-so-much-harder","published_at":"2026-04-29T18:26:50+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/in-the-room-7693582/keir-starmer-vs-the-world-how-the-pm-made-his-job-so-much-harder","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/in-the-room-7693582","url":"https://shows.acast.com/intheroom/episodes/keir-starmer-vs-the-world-how-the-pm-made-his-job-so-much-ha","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/69861398d4e01f1069d58875/e/69f24d6abe5ab6849c6d4a45/media.mp3","summary":"His own MPs are turning on him, the civil service are raging at him and, at next week’s local elections, the public will likely express their unhappiness too. All of this has made Keir Starmer’s job a lot harder. Today, we analyse how Starmer’s handling of the Mandelson vetting scandal has significantly weakened relations with the civil service, why putting a three-line whip on his own MPs is always a revealing move and why picking a political strategy is imperative if he wants to maintain his hold on power. Find the best clips from the podcast and more from Helen and Cleo on the show's Instagram page here . This podcast is part of The Independent Podcast Network and is produced in association with Next Chapter Studios Executive Producers: Olivia Foster and Carrie Rose Producer: Sam Durham Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","meta_description":"His own MPs are turning on him, the civil service are raging at him and, at next week’s local elections, the public will likely express their unhappiness…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1865,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/in-the-room-7693582/episodes/keir-starmer-vs-the-world-how-the-pm-made-his-job-so-much-harder/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/in-the-room-7693582/keir-starmer-vs-the-world-how-the-pm-made-his-job-so-much-harder.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}