British Prime Minister Keir Starmer discusses the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the prospects for a UK-US trade deal. He speaks with Bloomberg’s Mishal Husain at 10 Downing Street before leaving for the Group of Seven leaders summit taking place in the Canadian Rockies in this special episode of The UK Politics Podcast.

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This week we wanted to bring you something a bit different.

We've spent the past month looking into how Britain's defence industry might change as it looks to return to being a war-ready country. Here's a special edition of the podcast we made looking into it:

As fighting in Ukraine drags on and Donald Trump demands that Europe take greater responsibility for its own security, the UK is confronting the hard reality of rebuilding its military strength. The challenge lies in overcoming years of underinvestment, failed contracts, and recruitment struggles. While European allies are pledging billions of euros to boost domestic defense manufacturing, the UK is scrambling to catch up in an industry it once dominated.

Caroline Hepker speaks with CEOs and industry experts, along with our Political Correspondent Ellen Milligan and Bloomberg’s Chief UK Economist Dan Hanson, to assess whether Britain has what it takes to realize its ambition of once again becoming a major military power.

This podcast was produced by James Woolcock, Frederick Foulston, and Adrian Bradley.
Our executive producer is Christopher Pitt.

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Reform are riding high in the polls, with a string of recent surveys giving them the support of about 30 per cent of voters. But with the party talking up the prospect of actually entering government, do they have a coherent economic agenda? We spoke to Reform UK's Chairman Zia Yusef and our Chief UK Economist Dan Hanson to find out. Hosted by Yuan Potts and Lizzy Burden.

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Keir Starmer made ending antisemitism in the Labour party a core part of turning the page on Jeremy Corbyn's era. But having supported Israel, the Prime Minister's tone has changed as he warned of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza and paused trade talks with the country. EMEA News Director Rosalind Mathieson and our Bloomberg Opinion Columnist Marc Champion explain how the international reaction has changed as the conflict has gone on. Hosted by Caroline Hepker and James Woolcock

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The UK is hugely dependent on overseas workers in the social-care sector, supporting the elderly, vulnerable and disabled. After a year-long investigation, Bloomberg has uncovered how potential migrants are being conned out of millions of pounds. Our trade and migration correspondent Lucy White explains how the system is being abused and what it means for a Labour government trying to cut immigration. Hosted by Stephen Carroll and Yuan Potts.

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Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves signed a deal with Britain's biggest pension funds to channel more investment into the domestic economy. The Mansion House Accord will push the sector to invest at least 10% of their funds into private markets by the end of the decade. So, for a special podcast, we went to the signing ceremony to interview the Chancellor about the plan, and the wider UK economy. Hosted by Lizzy Burden and James Woolcock.

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Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pulled off two trade deals in one week, one with the US and one with India. Both were long-standing goals of previous Conservative governments, and generate good headlines for the Labour leader after a difficult set of local elections. But what are the real economic gains? Crawford Falconer, who was the UK's Chief Trade Negotiation Adviser until the end of last year, joins hosts Lizzy Burden and Stephen Carroll to discuss.

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Nigel Farage's Reform UK has won a fifth seat in parliament after a dramatic by-election. We discuss this week's results, and what Reform's rise means for the UK's political map. Bloomberg Associate Editor Ailbhe Rea and our UK Political Editor Alex Wickham join us. Hosted by Yuan Potts and Caroline Hepker.

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