Broadcast Prism One story, split by channel. See the full spectrum.

Broadcast timeline

Politics Live

Tuesday 22 September 2026 · 12:15 BST · 45m · 4 stories · 15 annotated moments · 42 of 45 min on news stories (94%)

BBC Two ← Earlier broadcast Later broadcast →

← Back to date

Broadcast overview

An AI-generated overview based on this broadcast's transcript.

Politics Live opened with Andy Burnham's first face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump at the UN General Assembly in New York, with panellists discussing possible common ground on security, Ukraine and artificial intelligence. Ed Davey was also due to address the Liberal Democrat conference on AI, having described tech bosses as a cartel. Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper, speaking from the Brighton conference, said Ed Davey would talk tough to Trump, called for de-escalation in the Middle East, and said the party supported defensive action after an RAF refuelling plane was sent to help Saudi forces defend against Houthi attacks, while seeking assurances that this would not tip into offensive action. She also set out Ed Davey's proposed international AI security organisation and treaty, with a global pause until the treaty was in place.

Later, BBC political editor Chris Mason reported from New York that Andy Burnham would use his UN speech to pitch the UK as an honest broker in international AI discussions, and that UK-US defence and AI collaboration included a live test of an American-Australian torpedo attached to a British-made unmanned underwater drone in British waters. Mason also reported that Burnham had spoken about outside actors influencing the UK's democratic process in the decade since the Brexit referendum, and that a Guardian headline said he had failed to rule out Brexit reversal in a future Labour manifesto after he grounded his answer in current EU issues. The panel then debated Labour's relationship with the EU, with Rachel Blake saying she wanted a closer relationship and deeper alignment, while others discussed the single market, customs union and free movement.

The programme then turned to a Times report that Labour was considering lowering the mansion tax threshold from £2 million to £1.5 million, after the last Budget introduced an annual council tax surcharge of £2,500 for properties worth more than £2 million, rising to £7,000 for the most expensive homes. Rachel Blake described the report as a leak and said leaks could be damaging, while expressing concern about reducing the threshold. Sam Fiske said the Lib Dems had long experience of the mansion tax idea and that reality bites on property values, and Emily Sheffield argued the policy would affect families outside London and suggested scrapping stamp duty instead. Viewers' messages included concerns about asset-rich but cash-poor families and support for higher taxes on expensive properties.

  1. 1:52
    Story begins Andy Burnham makes first UN address as Prime Minister
  2. 1:52

    Claim Andy Burnham makes first UN address as Prime Minister

    Andy Burnham arrived in New York for the UN General Assembly.

    BBC Two, Politics Live, 22 September 2026, 1:52-1:57

  3. 2:10

    Claim Andy Burnham makes first UN address as Prime Minister

    Burnham said he expects to find common ground with Trump.

    BBC Two, Politics Live, 22 September 2026, 2:10-2:15

  4. 2:25

    Claim Andy Burnham makes first UN address as Prime Minister

    The meeting covered Ukraine, AI and the oil price impact of the Iran conflict.

    BBC Two, Politics Live, 22 September 2026, 2:25-2:28

  5. 4:12

    Claim Andy Burnham makes first UN address as Prime Minister

    BBC TWO coverage described the Burnham-Trump meeting as on the fringes and said Trump was not very interested.

    BBC Two, Politics Live, 22 September 2026, 4:12-4:20

  6. 6:16

    Claim Andy Burnham makes first UN address as Prime Minister

    Burnham had chosen a White House route on AI and shunned Canada and closer European allies, risking the economy.

    BBC Two, Politics Live, 22 September 2026, 6:16-6:24

  7. 6:36
    Story begins Ed Davey sets out Lib Dem conference ambitions
  8. 8:46

    Claim Andy Burnham makes first UN address as Prime Minister

    Ed Davey urged Burnham to stand up to Trump and said Starmer's approach had failed.

    BBC Two, Politics Live, 22 September 2026, 8:46-8:54

  9. 8:46

    Claim Ed Davey sets out Lib Dem conference ambitions

    Daisy Cooper said Ed Davey would take a tough stance with Trump and was the first UK party leader to criticise his actions.

    BBC Two, Politics Live, 22 September 2026, 8:46-8:54

  10. 10:18

    Claim Ed Davey sets out Lib Dem conference ambitions

    The Liberal Democrats supported defensive action involving the RAF refuelling plane but wanted assurances it would not become offensive action.

    BBC Two, Politics Live, 22 September 2026, 10:18-10:27

  11. 12:15

    Claim Ed Davey sets out Lib Dem conference ambitions

    Ed Davey is expected to promise a temporary ban on developing superintelligent AI at the Liberal Democrats' conference.

    BBC Two, Politics Live, 22 September 2026, 12:15-12:23

  12. 22:23
    Story begins Andy Burnham gives first Labour conference speech as PM
  13. 25:08

    Claim Andy Burnham gives first Labour conference speech as PM

    Andy Burnham is expected to meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

    BBC Two, Politics Live, 22 September 2026, 25:08-25:12

  14. 25:32

    Claim Andy Burnham gives first Labour conference speech as PM

    Andy Burnham did not directly answer whether he would rule out an EU rejoin commitment in Labour's next manifesto.

    BBC Two, Politics Live, 22 September 2026, 25:32-25:38

  15. 25:48

    Claim Andy Burnham gives first Labour conference speech as PM

    Labour is debating what it should say about its relationship with the EU at the next election.

    BBC Two, Politics Live, 22 September 2026, 25:48-25:58

  16. 36:47
    Story begins Labour MP calls £1.5m mansion tax threshold report a damaging leak
  17. 37:01

    Claim Labour MP calls £1.5m mansion tax threshold report a damaging leak

    Homes valued above £2 million are subject to an existing council tax surcharge of £2,500 to £7,000 per year.

    BBC Two, Politics Live, 22 September 2026, 37:01-37:14

  18. 37:16

    Claim Labour MP calls £1.5m mansion tax threshold report a damaging leak

    The Times reported that Labour may lower the mansion tax threshold from £2 million to £1.5 million.

    BBC Two, Politics Live, 22 September 2026, 37:16-37:24

  19. 39:27

    Claim Labour MP calls £1.5m mansion tax threshold report a damaging leak

    A Labour MP expressed concern that lowering the mansion tax threshold could lead to unintended consequences.

    BBC Two, Politics Live, 22 September 2026, 39:27-39:33

Source: BBC TWO, "Politics Live", Tuesday 22 September 2026. Transcript excerpts and stills are shown only to support the analysis annotated alongside them. Search-result excerpts are distinct from the editorial annotations — see our copyright basis. The full broadcast is not reproduced.