Nigel Farage has sent shockwaves through Westminster as he announced he would stand down as an MP but then contest the seat at the by-election.

Is it all a stunt to distract from scrutiny over his financial support as opposition parties say?

On this weeks’ Talking Politics, Robert is joined by ITV News Political Correspondent Harry Horton to discuss what this means for Farage’s political future.

Labour say the saga is a ‘circus’, while the Tories accuse Farage of having a ‘hissy fit’.

Robert and Harry discuss whether Count Binface could finally make it to Parliament, and whether Farage will come out of all of this looking ‘silly’.

Andy Burnham is headed for Downing Street and could be Prime Minister in just three weeks. But can he really deliver his bold vision without putting up taxes?

In this episode of Talking Politics, Robert is joined by Harry Horton, fresh from Burnham's major speech in Manchester, to unpack his economic blueprint.

From the promise to build more council homes to bringing essential services like energy and water back under public control, they explore Burnham's big ideas, his plans for a "Number 10 of the North", and ask: how will he pay for it?

In the second half of the episode, Robert speaks to Carl Dinnen about another looming financial headache: Keir Starmer's Defence Investment Plan has exposed a £4.7 billion funding gap. If Burnham takes the keys to Number 10, how can he plug that hole while delivering his own ambitious programme for change?

Andy Burnham is on track to become Britain’s next prime minister, but we don’t yet know who he’ll pick as chancellor.

Could it be Ed Miliband, or would he spook the markets? Perhaps Yvette Cooper is a safe pair of hands, or could Wes Streeting get the keys to Number 11 despite his “brazen disloyalty” to his last boss?

On this week’s Talking Politics, Tom and Robert ask what a Burnham government could look like, and break down what his major policy changes could be.

Plus, Peston gives his advice to the next PM on welfare, defence and the pension triple lock.

Contains mild language.

Tom Bradby and Robert Peston are in Downing Street to discuss Keir Starmer's resignation, after he set a timetable for his departure as PM.

Newly elected MP Andy Burnham has confirmed he will run to replace him as Labour leader.

Tom and Robert break down what went so wrong for Starmer, less than two years after his landslide election win, and what obstacles could be in Burnham's way.

Andy Burnham’s big Makerfield by-election victory is set to reshape British politics as we know it.

So what happens next?

In this special Talking Politics episode, Tom Bradby and Robert Peston are joined by Election Analyst Professor Jane Green from Nuffield College, University of Oxford, to answer the key questions.

Is Britain now waking up to a new prime minister?

What does the Labour vote share in Makerfield tell us about potential voting in a General Election?

Would Andy Burnham definitely perform better than Sir Keir Starmer?

Could he call a General Election once he's prime minister?

What does it mean for Reform’s chances at a national level?

Are the Conservatives still in the picture?

And is electoral reform now inevitable?

Ahead of one of history’s most consequential by-elections this week, Keir Starmer has revealed how he plans to persuade Andy Burnham not to launch a leadership challenge.

In this week’s Talking Politics, Robert joins Tom from Evian in France where Starmer is meeting world leaders at the G7 summit - in what could be his last foreign trip as PM.

As voters in Makerfield prepare to head to the polls on Thursday, Robert explains why Starmer’s strategy to stay in Number 10 if Burnham wins the by-election is “almost emotional blackmail”.

And: find out what Robert thinks the PM and Millwall Football Club have in common…

Full list of candidates standing in the Makerfield by-election:

Jake Austin, Liberal Democrats

Count Binface, Count Binface Party

Andy Burnham, Labour Party

Dan Clarke, Libertarian Party

John Alfred Dyer, Independent

Ed Gemmell, Climate Party

Paul Richard Gould, Independent

Alan 'Howlin' Laud Hope, The Official Monster Raving Loony Party

Robert Kenyon, Reform UK

Robert Pownall, Independent

Rebecca Shepherd, Restore Britain

Sarah Wakefield, Green Party

Peter Ward, Rejoin EU

Tom Bradby and Robert Peston discuss Defence Secretary John Healey's resignation, after a row with the prime minister over military spending, in which he accused Keir Starmer of making the country "less safe".

He wrote to the PM to resign with "great regret and reluctance", citing disagreements about defence spending ahead of the release of the delayed Defence Investment Plan (DIP).

Tom and Robert reflect on why this resignation is particularly damaging for Keir Starmer and whether his position is now beyond saving.

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Contains mild language.

Tom and Robert are joined by Northern Ireland Reporter Stewart Robson following a night of violence and unrest in Belfast after Monday's stabbing attack.

Stewart shares what he witnessed on the ground, describing a "real determination from some people to make it as dangerous as possible", and outlines the latest developments in the case - as the politicans, police and the victim's family call for calm".

Tom and Robert unpack how the economic reality is fuelling anti-immigrant sentiment, discuss why successive Governments have struggled to control immigration, and look at whether opposing parties and their plans to fix the problems have any hope of success.