The Labour Party is having to get comfortable being in a position it’s rarely used to. Just a year ago, a long shadow lingered over its ability to win the next general election. Now people talk of a big stonking majority.

The Budget, and Labour pulling out another two points in the polls since, just shows nothing much is changing – nor likely to over the next few weeks and months.

But those of us who have supported Labour through thick and thin – or thin and thin – and donated many pairs of old worn-out shoes to the cause in the process, are always going to find that difficult to accept.

We’ve been there, done that, still wearing the scars. It’s the hope that always gets you.

Yet, facts are facts. Labour has a commanding lead and Keir Starmer looks set to be our country’s next Prime Minister. The journey to get there is still laden with risks and traps. But most importantly, despite Labour’s insistence otherwise, winning power is usually a heck of a lot easier than exercising it.

Labour in power

Overcoming the fears and representing the dreams of the voting public is of course the first step. The much harder test however is one of power – how you wield it, whether you can keep it and most critically whether you can make a real difference using it.

I know what you’re thinking, surely there’s a podcast in this for two middle-aged blokes? Fear not… we can offer you one of those, but we’re also throwing in a menopausal woman just to mix things up – me!

That’s why I’m delighted to be continuing to line up alongside the ever-insightful and all-round policy guru Sam Freedman as part of a dynamic duo of our own. (Plus, we’re also a Muslim & a Jew. Yes. We can get along!)

So, in this election year, The Power Test is taking things up a notch – and getting stuck into the toughest question that we should all be focused on…

Just how should Labour govern to really change Britain for the better?

This is the real test of power for the party – and the one each week, with the help of some extra special and big name guests we’re going to explore together.

We spent our first two seasons looking firstly at the question of whether the Tories were toast (spoiler alert)! Then, what Labour’s path to power looks like.

Now we’re turning our main attention to what needs to happen if, or when (she says as she crosses her fingers and touches the nearest piece of wood), the party makes the jump into government.

Things can only get better?

While we can never be complacent – and let’s face it, we’re hardly likely to be as the jitters of a few weeks ago have shown – the challenges Labour would face in power will be huge. And that’s an understatement.

A weak economy, crumbling public services, a total loss of trust in politics, a broken reputation abroad and widespread poverty and destitution in one of the world’s most developed countries.

The Tories have done untold damage to Britain – and the Budget shows all too well how they still have the keys to the car to do even more while we have to sit it out and wait for Rishi Sunak to have the bottle to call the election.

But lessons from around the world, in Germany, the United States and Australia to name a few, have also shown the need for Labour to hit the ground running.

This was a message that Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar also echoed a few weeks ago – saying that he can’t afford an unpopular Labour government in Westminster.  Because it’s worth remembering there are big elections in Holyrood in 2026 – a major test for how quickly Keir Starmer and Labour can deliver across the UK.

The party will need to be ready to weather the storm and live up to the challenge. Taking fast and effective decisions under pressure – all while holding the line on its key priorities.

More than just the usual commentary

That’s why on the pod each week we’ll be peering under the bonnet of Labour’s plans and hearing from the power players getting ready to govern Britain.

We’ll also be joined by who have been there before both here at home as well as around the world – and the top thinkers and doers from all over the country and further afield.

We will continue to look at the test of whether Labour is ready for power and what its campaign to win it will be like, but fundamentally we want to focus on whether it can really deliver the change that people are desperately crying out for.

Are the party’s missions the right ones and do they meet the unprecedented challenges we face today? Do its economic plans cut the mustard and is the party prepared for the shock and awe it will face in governing the country? And can Labour hold together as it approaches the election, and govern effectively after the dust settles?

This is the conversation we desperately need, rather than more of the same old cliched commentary. (I mean we’ll probably do some of that too – but we really want to dig deeper!)

This is going to be such an important moment for progressives and anyone who wants change and I can’t wait to get stuck into the Power Test again with Sam.

Diving into both the latest developments and the devil hiding in the details – it’s going to be sharp, insightful and lots of full on political-geek fun.

So, what do you think? How can Labour really change Britain for the better? Come join us and be part of the conversation we desperately need to have.

We’re back on March 22nd, wherever you get your podcasts – or a day earlier for Power Test members on March 21st.