0:00

This is the BBC. Ryan

0:12

Reynolds here for Mint Mobile. With the price

0:14

of just about everything going up during inflation,

0:16

we thought we'd bring our prices down. So

0:19

to help us, we brought in a reverse auctioneer, which is

0:21

apparently a thing. Mint Mobile Unlimited Premium Wireless. I bet you get

0:24

30, 30, I bet you get 30, I bet you get 20,

0:26

20, 20, I bet you get 20, 20,

0:29

I bet you get 15, 15, 15, 15,

0:31

just 15 bucks a month. Sold! Give

0:33

it a try at mintmobile.com/switch. $45

0:36

up front for 3 months plus taxes and fees. Promote for

0:38

new customers for a limited time. Unlimited more than 40GB per

0:40

month. Slows. mintmobile.com. BBC

1:00

Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. Hello

1:22

and welcome to Understand the UK

1:24

Election, your essential guide to the

1:27

general election. I'm Adam

1:29

Fleming. My day job is presenting NewsCast,

1:31

which is the BBC's daily news podcast.

1:34

And I've been covering general elections since 2005,

1:38

meaning this is my sixth

1:40

general election. Today's

1:43

episode is going to be about how

1:45

the campaign plays out in the constituent

1:47

nations of the UK, other than England.

1:50

First of all, let's speak to the BBC's Scotland editor,

1:52

James Cook. Hi, James. Hi, Adam. I

1:55

noticed both Keir Starmer and

1:57

Michie Sounak went straight to

1:59

Scotland. in the first couple

2:01

of days. What do you think

2:03

was going on? Yes, it was

2:06

very striking, wasn't it? I think

2:08

that suggests that Scotland is particularly

2:10

important to particularly secure Starmer in

2:12

his attempt to get into

2:15

Downing Street. For years and years

2:17

and years, Labour returned

2:20

dozens and dozens of MPs in

2:22

Scotland. Labour leaders could turn to

2:24

Scotland to help get them into

2:26

Downing Street, and Labour really

2:29

have been the powerhouse of Scottish politics

2:31

for a long time, until 2015, when

2:34

the SNP turned

2:37

everything upside down, swept the board at

2:39

the general election, and now, we're in

2:41

a position where at the last general

2:43

election in 2019, Labour had

2:46

just one seat, just

2:48

one seat in Scotland. And

2:50

the Scottish National Party, it's probably too

2:52

strongly to put it as an identity

2:54

crisis, but they've been having a bit

2:56

of an identity issue, haven't they? Yes,

2:59

polls suggest the party has really

3:01

slumped and Labour has jumped in

3:03

Scotland since the last election, and

3:06

partly that's because they

3:08

are also an incumbent government. Since 1999,

3:10

Scotland has directly taken care of

3:15

a lot of its own domestic

3:17

political affairs, most notably health, education

3:19

and so on, in the Scottish

3:21

Parliament after devolution came in, and

3:24

the SNP has been in power running the

3:26

Scottish government since 2007. So,

3:29

it's a government that's been there for

3:31

a long time. It's had struggles with

3:33

the NHS, struggles with the education system.

3:35

The last year, there's been a lot

3:38

of debate about social issues such as

3:40

gender, and the parties to a certain extent

3:42

become bogged down in that. On

3:44

top of that, it's been under

3:46

police investigation because of

3:48

allegations relating to the funding and finances

3:50

of the party. And of course, we've

3:53

been through a couple of leaders, and

3:56

the Scottish Greens were recently part of

3:58

the government and that was part of

4:00

the down-and-down movement. the fall of Hamza

4:02

Yousif, but I suppose that's because the

4:04

electoral system for the Scottish Parliament helps

4:06

them and they haven't had that same

4:08

success when it comes to the first

4:10

past the post Westminster voting system. Yes,

4:13

that's right. It's a proportional representation system,

4:15

but that means that it is easier

4:17

for smaller parties to get

4:19

elected, whereas the history of Westminster

4:22

politics, parliamentary politics in Scotland has

4:24

been, the Labour Party has dominated.

4:26

Then in 2014, Scotland voted

4:29

on whether or not to become independent

4:31

and maybe things that were changing already

4:33

with the advent of devolution and the

4:35

nationalist movement was building. Even

4:37

though Scotland rejected that proposition, the remarkable

4:40

thing was in the next election, the

4:42

SNP won 56 of Scotland's

4:44

59 seats, the other three parties, and this gets

4:46

to your point about first past the post now,

4:49

brutal it can be, but one

4:51

each, one seat for Labour, one seat

4:53

for the Conservatives, one seat for the

4:55

Liberal Democrats. It's a

4:57

much more varied place

4:59

than some commentary suggests, isn't

5:01

it? There's definite political zones.

5:04

Yes, I think that's an

5:06

interesting point. The Liberal Democrats

5:08

do well in some particularly

5:10

rural parts of the country,

5:12

but not exclusively. They had

5:14

four MPs at the last

5:16

election. The Conservatives have six

5:18

MPs or had and they're really clustered

5:20

in the north east, where there's a

5:22

big debate about oil and gas, hugely

5:24

important industry for Scotland now in the

5:26

process of a transition towards renewable energy.

5:29

And they've also got three seats

5:31

along the border with England, which

5:33

tells you something I think about

5:35

their adamant opposition to independence. But

5:38

yes, there's fault lines in different

5:40

ways. There's traditional left-right fault lines.

5:42

There's social, conservative and social liberal

5:44

fault lines. And then of course,

5:47

there's this underlying issue of

5:49

the constitution and independence, which might to say,

5:51

I think sent me on the back burner,

5:53

but it's not really gone away. James, thank

5:56

you very much. Thanks, Adam.

5:58

Now let's head to Cardiff and speak to... political correspondent

6:00

for BBC Wales, Catherine Half-Jones.

6:02

Hello, Catherine. Hi, Adam. Now,

6:05

often at Westminster, you hear Wales

6:07

being described as a blueprint for what

6:09

a Labour government would do nationally

6:11

because they are the government in Wales.

6:14

What's your take on just how

6:16

that is used by the parties? Yeah,

6:18

I mean, Labour has been empowering in

6:20

the West Parliament, or Senate as it

6:22

is now, for the whole of devolution,

6:25

25 years. It has consistently played into

6:27

criticism of the Labour Party more generally.

6:29

And that was true even before the

6:31

election was called. We heard Rishi Sunak

6:33

criticising the Welsh NHS for waiting lists

6:35

and missed targets and so on. And

6:38

that's really been built upon by the

6:40

Conservatives in particular during this campaign, especially

6:42

given, of course, that Keir Starmer did

6:44

call Labour in Wales a blueprint for

6:46

what Labour could achieve in power across

6:48

the whole of the UK. And

6:50

he said that from the stage

6:52

of the Welsh Labour Conference in

6:54

North Wales in March 2022. Here

6:58

in Wales, the Welsh Labour government is

7:01

the living proof of what Labour looks

7:03

like in power. How

7:05

things can be done differently and better. Every

7:08

day, you demonstrate the difference that

7:10

Labour makes, a blueprint

7:13

for what Labour can do across the

7:15

United Kingdom. He has

7:17

shied away from it in more recent

7:20

years. He's been asked about it. He

7:22

hasn't repeated it. And that's probably due

7:24

to two things, the policies that have

7:26

become a bit problematic for the Labour

7:29

brand in Wales, but also the Welsh

7:31

Labour government have been in a cooperation

7:33

agreement with Clyde Cymru up until recently.

7:35

And UK Labour are

7:37

a bit more sensitive about any

7:40

sort of cooperating or working alongside

7:42

any nationalist parties at a UK

7:44

level, having been burnt previously by

7:46

accusations that they'd work with the

7:48

SNP. Interesting. Now, let's talk about the

7:51

voters. How would you describe what the main

7:53

issues are in people's minds? Well,

7:55

the NHS has a big issue for

7:57

Welsh voters. It is in every election.

8:00

governments often say that they're constrained

8:02

in how much they can do

8:04

on house because of the money

8:06

that they have from the UK

8:08

government. So around 80% of the 20

8:11

billion pound budget that the Welsh government has

8:13

does come from the UK Treasury and the

8:15

Welsh government's argument on that is if you

8:17

had a UK Labour government they hope more

8:19

money would be coming down the m4 to

8:21

support us. But the other issue of course

8:23

that's coming up when we talk to voters

8:25

here in Wales is the cost of living

8:27

the economy. It's the price of fuel and

8:29

that's no big surprise because Wales is a pretty

8:31

rural country. And

8:33

in terms of the political geography of

8:35

the country why is it that Northeast

8:37

Wales has suddenly become so interesting? Yeah,

8:40

Northeast Wales is really interesting because

8:42

that's where the Conservatives, they took

8:44

six seats directly from Labour in

8:46

Wales in 2019 winning 14 in

8:48

all. They are looking very challenging

8:53

for the Conservatives at this election and not

8:55

just because of the polling that suggests they're

8:57

in a bit of trouble but also there

8:59

have been boundary changes here in Wales which

9:02

means the number of MPs that Wales sends

9:04

back to Westminster after this election will drop

9:06

from 40 to 32 and that's

9:09

really worked against the Conservatives not only

9:11

in Northeast Wales but also in West

9:13

Wales as well. As well of course

9:16

as the challenge from parties like the

9:18

Liberal Democrats and Reform who are challenging

9:20

on each flank of the Conservative Party.

9:23

And Welsh national politics has continued

9:26

unabated and Vaughan Gessing, the relatively

9:28

new First Minister, faced a vote

9:30

of no confidence recently and he

9:33

lost it. Yeah, Vaughan Gessing has

9:35

been in post as First Minister in Welsh

9:37

Labour leader for about three months now and

9:39

it comes off the back of months of

9:41

questions around a £200,000 donation to Vaughan Gessing's

9:45

Campaign to become Labour leader and then duly

9:48

First Minister. Now Vaughan Gessing Despite that vote,

9:50

despite all the questions, seems to want to

9:52

tough it out. He is getting a lot

9:54

of support from senior UK Labour figures on

9:56

that at the moment and no support. Private:

9:59

both there's an election have thinks the last

10:01

thing. They want us to lose a first

10:03

minister in the middle of all of that.

10:05

Capture Thank you very much A know

10:08

we can cross the Londonderry to speak

10:10

to Endemic Lafferty, who's Bbc Northern Ireland's

10:12

political editor hello under. Hi

10:14

Adam I suppose Islay everyone's talking about. Oh,

10:16

who's gonna be the next government of the

10:18

Uk actually Northern Ireland. Been waiting for a

10:20

government in Northern Ireland for a long time

10:22

when he finally got one. That's the thing.

10:25

This really dominate his politics. Their yes Anna

10:27

misses the first time in fact a nine

10:29

years that we're going into a general election

10:31

was a functioning government in place and Northern

10:33

Ireland at Stormont on the previous occasions where

10:35

women to a general election with lots of

10:37

recrimination. a lot of angry parties at the

10:39

fact that we did not have diva loosen

10:41

up and running and that in a sense

10:43

was the main same. Running through those

10:45

previous elections. And. And register

10:48

introduce people to the political parties in Northern

10:50

Ireland. I'd give us a sort of sketch

10:52

of the standings at the moment. Well, we

10:54

have eighteen seats up for grabs, a Northern

10:56

Ireland last a mind and twenty nineteen. The

10:59

As A D P that are just Unionist

11:01

party here secured eight of those seats. As

11:03

and of course to me a nice as

11:05

Republican parties and Northern Ireland six or seven

11:08

of those seats. Sdlp packed. Updates on the

11:10

Alliance picked up the last remaining seat of

11:12

the it taints us are things broke down

11:14

bikes and of course things have changed since.

11:17

Sense. From and censor one of those D

11:19

P seats was occupied by as a D

11:21

P meter at the time Sir Jeffrey Donaldson

11:23

status and step back from our front line

11:26

politics because his face and stoical sex sizes

11:28

was is planning to contest and as a

11:30

result the Dpr coming in to this election

11:32

with seven as he like sitting mps at

11:34

Westminster what's A and to just as a

11:37

whole new dimension a thing for the the

11:39

party's Us Time roads damn we have smaller

11:41

parties here as well like the Traditional Union

11:43

His voice. We also have the other Green

11:45

Party and People Before Profit. Will also

11:47

be contesting seats, but given the nature of the

11:50

voting system here that as far as past the

11:52

post their unlikely it's to feature when it comes

11:54

to the final sector. Code. Of

11:56

people in Northern Ireland feel when the leaders

11:58

of the main Westman. The party's turn up

12:01

on their parties aren't even standing in the

12:03

election. The Northern Ireland will add a something

12:05

that we've become accustomed to northern Ireland the

12:07

fact that we have a Labour and Tory

12:09

government there. but of course people here feel

12:11

so much detached because Labour and the Conservatives

12:13

do not stand candidate sir and Northern Ireland

12:15

was expectation of winning Any said so and

12:17

a sense there's no mandate risk for the

12:19

parties in Northern Ireland. So there was a

12:21

sense sometimes it that we get left behind

12:23

here by the part is it beats at

12:25

Westminster and that the something com to Northern

12:27

Ireland two and a sense tick a box

12:29

at times. And that's why sometimes people here

12:31

can feel a little bit politically helpless and

12:33

will ever be a time where Sinn Fein

12:36

take up their seats at Westminster well as

12:38

a by question of one this continually pose

12:40

to Sensei. And not least of course Journey

12:42

brags at times when we had so many

12:45

nice edge votes at Westminster. People here in

12:47

Northern Ireland who were sandhu remember voted by

12:49

a majority to a man was an the

12:51

A you are putting pressure on Sensei and

12:54

to get more involved in Westminster to take

12:56

the seats and be involved and that voting

12:58

process there's every chance as time. And saddam

13:00

that sense in may well become the largest

13:02

parties at Westminster from Northern Ireland that titus

13:05

been held by the Dp, but only by

13:07

one seat on this time and a thing

13:09

sense in are pretty confident that they will

13:11

be able to surpass a d you pay.

13:14

You. Mentioned the be word brags there and of

13:16

course Northern Ireland's got special status under that

13:18

the brag that deal for a fact as

13:20

I have on the election campaign. the shared

13:22

you reckon. Well. As puts

13:25

a D P, I think in a difficult

13:27

position because the party as you know were

13:29

locked in a bottle with the government over

13:31

trying to negotiate a deal. Post brags a

13:33

poster ones are framework because the feeling among

13:35

union as here it's as are they didn't

13:37

get brags. that's where the rest of the

13:39

Uk dead and a sense that they were

13:41

not part of the overall scheme that was

13:43

finally negotiated, that they were still been lying

13:45

to the Edu, Fourth Foods and for a

13:48

single market access and that they were very

13:50

much left behind to the Dp has been

13:52

continually citing A bottles to say very much.

13:54

that their blessing campaigns going to be

13:56

framed around restoring northern ireland space within

13:58

the uk as they put it. As

14:00

for the other parties, they're much focusing

14:02

on the positives that now flow from

14:04

Northern Ireland's position, having dual market access,

14:06

access to both the UK and also

14:08

the EU market. And they say we

14:10

need to bank these gains now and

14:13

press forward and ensure that we can

14:15

cash in by way of attracting future

14:17

inward investment. So it has been framed

14:19

around the election campaign, but for very different

14:21

reasons by the different parties. Enda, thank you

14:23

very much. Cheers, Adam. Thanks for that. And

14:27

that's all for this episode. Next time, we'll be looking at

14:30

what happens on election day itself.

14:32

And you can find more episodes on BBC

14:35

Sounds. Just search for understand the UK election.

14:37

And if you want to keep up to

14:39

date with the day to day, below by

14:41

below news from the campaign trail, then you

14:44

can listen to my other podcast newscast every

14:46

single day. And I will speak to you

14:48

again soon. Bye. Well

14:54

done for getting to the end of this

14:56

podcast. My name is Amol Rajan. And I'm

14:58

Nick Robbins. And together we host the Today

15:00

podcast. It's made by the same superb team

15:03

that make this podcast. And right now we're

15:05

busy making lots of episodes all about the

15:07

election. We thought you might fancy joining us

15:09

every Monday, every Thursday to talk it through.

15:12

Yes, the Today podcast is our moment twice

15:14

a week now to take a step back

15:16

from the news and indeed from the Today

15:18

programme and try to work out what is

15:20

really going on. So if

15:23

you like podcasts, maybe

15:25

you even listen to the Today

15:27

programme each weekday morning and on

15:29

a Saturday too. Then give us

15:31

a try. It's called the Today

15:33

podcast. And we are very much

15:35

available on BBC Sounds where you

15:37

really should subscribe. Bye. Host

15:43

the ultimate backyard barbecue with Whole

15:45

Foods Market. It's the hot grill

15:47

summer event through July 16th with

15:49

sizzling sales on no antibiotics ever.

15:51

Boneless beef ribeye steak and beef

15:53

New York strip steak. Plus check

15:56

out sales on sustainable wild cod

15:58

Alaska sockeye salmon, organic strawberry, and

16:00

more. In a hurry? Choose grab-and-go favorites

16:02

like picnic salads and sushi, plus

16:05

plenty of cooler friendly beverages. Make it

16:07

a hot grill summer at Whole Foods

16:09

Market. Sooner or later you'll need to

16:12

upgrade your tech, but you don't have

16:14

to pay full price. We're BackMarket, a

16:16

leading online marketplace for refurbished smartphones, laptops,

16:18

tablets, and other tech. All up to

16:21

70% less than brand-new.

16:23

Each device sold on BackMarket is tested

16:25

and restored to perfect working condition by

16:27

industry experts, and they all come with

16:30

a one-year warranty and 30 days to

16:32

change your mind. So never pay full

16:34

price for tech again. Visit the BackMarket

16:36

app or backmarket.com to save up to

16:38

70% on your next device.