Now is not the time for a comedian, especially one whose jokes have gone flat. As coronavirus returns and a big Brexit deadline looms, we ask how things went so wrong for Boris Johnson. The man who told us to pop out for a pint and a pie now wonders how covid infections spiralled, while breaking international law and asking the EU to trust him. More at twitter.com/paulosbourne and twitter.com/partygamespod

How did the government blunder into the A-level fiasco? And why did the u-turn take so long? It’s only the latest in a long line of mistakes — how do these crises keep blindsiding ministers? Plus the difference between migrants and refugees — something many of those ranting in Dover don’t seem to understand, and the government’s war on posh ice cream. More at twitter.com/paulosbourne and twitter.com/partygamespod.

If coronavirus restrictions are reimposed, who’s to blame? The public? Or the politicians who told them to get back to the beach, the bar and the office? Plus why the war on obesity is likely to fail, Donald Trump edges a little closer to becoming a dictator, and there’s an exciting new career opportunity. More at twitter.com/paulosbourne and twitter.com/partygamespod

Boris Johnson promises an independent coronavirus inquiry — almost certainly by accident. It wraps up another chaotic week of mixed messages on the pandemic, which we assess in the latest podcast. Plus Downing Street’s furious reaction to the coup against Failing Grayling, and the Scottish problem that threatens to derail Keir Starmer’s progress as Labour leader. More at twitter.com/paulosbourne and twitter.com/partygamespod.

The pubs are opening again, but not in Leicester. Will other cities see local lockdowns? Plus the holes in Boris Johnson’s economic revival plan, the growing stand-off with China over Hong Kong, the fallout from Sir Mark Sedwill’s departure from the top of the civil service, and an exciting new way to make money. More at twitter.com/paulosbourne and twitter.com/partygamespod.

How did the government end up being taught a lesson about humility and social justice by Marcus Rashford. We explore what caused the latest PR blunder by Downing Street. Plus the strange case of the disappearing scientists, Boris Johnson talks up the prospects of a deal with the EU, and hawks Tim Tams to an unsuspecting British public in the hope of a “ripper” post-Brexit deal with Australia.

As protests and fury engulf the US, how should Britain respond to Donald Trump’s threat to turn the military on demonstrators? Why did Britain’s report into the impact of coronavirus on the BAME population say nothing about how to improve things? And why did the Government force MPs to stand in a long, highly infectious, line to vote at Westminster? More at twitter.com/paulosbourne and twitter.com/partygamespod

Dominic Cummings breaks the lockdown rules, self-isolating by driving 250 miles. But Boris Johnson backs him. Why is the Prime Minister so desperate to save his chief adviser he’s willing to sacrifice his credibility on a public health emergency? We hear from Geraldine Cooper, a parent who found herself in the same situation as Cummings, but stuck to the rules. Read more from her at https://bit.ly/3c1e0lY - and more from us at twitter.com/paulosbourne and twitter.com/partygamespod

How did Boris Johnson manage to make such a mess of the new coronavirus rules? We dig into his catastrophically confusing ministerial address, and the subsequent attempts to clarify how much has changed (spoiler, not that much actually). More at twitter.com/paulosbourne and twitter.com/partygamespod

Boris Johnson returns from the labour ward to face perhaps his toughest ever political decision. When to ease the lockdown, and how to do it. We look at the competing pressures on the Prime Minister, after his own tangle with coronavirus. Plus the unanswered questions about the response to the pandemic and Priti Patel’s got even more reasons for that smirk. More at twitter.com/paulosbourne and twitter.com/partygamespod

Britain’s coronavirus lockdown is extended for at least a further three weeks, and it’s far from clear that will be the end of it. As Boris Johnson recovers from his own tangle with the pandemic, we look at the problems still facing the government’s response, including the growing crisis in Britain’s care homes. Plus the other great plague — the non-apology apology as practiced by Priti Patel, and Simon Marks joins us from Washington DC to terrify us with Donald Trump’s mis-handling of the...

The Prime Minister ends up in intensive care with coronavirus. As we wait for news on his condition, we look at some of the other questions surrounding the government’s response to the pandemic. Will ministers get a grip on testing or provision of protective equipment? Plus all change at the top of the Labour Party. More at twitter.com/paulosbourne and twitter.com/partygamespod

As the UK is put in lockdown, we look at how Boris Johnson and his ministers are handling the coronavirus crisis. Did the Prime Minister’s history of loose language make it harder to persuade people to do what they need to do? And how will we ever pay for the economic rescue package we desperately need. More at twitter.com/partygamespod and twitter.com/paulosbourne

Boris Johnson’s post-election honeymoon comes to an abrupt end as the coronavirus outbreak hits the UK. We assess the Prime Minister’s response, and the measures in the biggest giveaway budget in decades. Plus another case of no-platforming nonsense, and the possible return of Failing Grayling. More at twitter.com/partygamespod and twitter.com/paulosbourne

Part-time Prime Minister Boris Johnson is back in action, as relations between his government and civil servants hit rock bottom. Plus, why won’t ministers break their broadcast boycott to reassure citizens about the coronavirus, and rumours of an unexpected return from the wilderness. More at twitter.com/partygamespod and twitter.com/paulosbourne

The reshuffle that went wrong. Boris Johnson’s grab for control at the Treasury sparks Sajid Javid’s resignation, and a slightly bigger shake-up than the Prime Minister was planning. Plus the week the Labour leadership contest turned nasty, and Rory Stewart, sofa-surfer. More at twitter.com/partygamespod and twitter.com/paulosbourne

Brexit Day has arrived — we look back at the rows of the last 4 years, and the likely rows of the next 11 months. Plus Labour’s really helpful advice to defeated election candidates, the coming Cabinet reshuffle and John Bercow’s brief period of silence is sadly over. More at twitter.com/partygamespod and twitter.com/paulosbourne

Labour’s leadership rivals are competing with each other to say nice things about Jeremy Corbyn. Which seems odd, given he’s just led them to a catastrophic election defeat. Plus, we give you a shopping list for the perfect Brexit Day party, ponder the Dad’s Army style celebrations so many Brexiteers are desperate for, and wonder if anyone gave any rational thought to the idea of moving the House of Lords to York. More at twitter.com/partygamespod and twitter.com/paulosbourne

Labour’s leadership rivals set out their plans — but some candidates don’t seem to think Jeremy Corbyn did very much wrong — other than leading them to their worst performance in almost a century, obviously. We assess the first few days of the campaign. Plus a big test for Boris Johnson as the US squares up to Iran, and can Dominic Cummings find any misfits even weirder than he is? More at twitter.com/partygamespod and twitter.com/paulosbourne

Labour’s civil war continues, as the first leadership candidates emerge. But will they look beyond the party members, to the millions of voters they’ll need to persuade to get back into power. Plus, Boris Johnson ties his own hands in trade talks, and we look back at a ridiculously busy year. More at twitter.com/partygamespod and twitter.com/paulosbourne

Boris Johnson always wanted to be world king — now he is. We weigh up the implications of the Tory landslide election victory, and the catastrophic defeat for Jeremy Corbyn. Can Labour ever find its way back? And what about the leaderless Lib Dems? All this, and a constitutional crisis in Scotland and Northern Ireland. More at twitter.com/partygamespod and twitter.com/paulosbourne

It’s nearly over. The Christmas election no-one wanted staggers to a conclusion. Can anything stop Boris Johnson’s march to a Commons majority? Could we see Jeremy Corbyn pull off another surprise result? We run through the final days of the campaign, and look ahead to the likely highlights of election night. More at twitter.com/partygamespod and twitter.com/paulosbourne

A week left until polling day, and Boris Johnson is accused of politicising tragedy for electoral gain. Why did the Prime Minister ignore pleas from the father of one victim of the London Bridge attack? Plus the three things that could still make a difference to the result, why Labour’s struggled to repeat the success of the 2017 campaign, and why Michael Gove waded into a rap battle with Stormzy. Or is that crap battle? More at twitter.com/partygamespod and twitter.com/paulosbourne

We try to answer your big election questions — not just about Brexit either. Plus the perils of “whataboutery”, and we hear from a former Green Party candidate turned Lib Dem supporter, who’s pounding the streets in support of former Tory Dominic Grieve. Get in touch via twitter.com/partygamespod and twitter.com/paulosbourne

The manifestos are out, and the good news is we’ve read them, saving you the bother. You were going to read them, weren’t you? We look over the Labour, Lib Dem and Green plans for the next five years, as well as trying to figure out who won the first big debate of the campaign: Johnson, Corbyn, or that guy in the audience who told them both off. More at twitter.com/partygamespod and twitter.com/paulosbourne