The Sources Podcast hosts come together for a special New Year 2026 UK politics preview, analysing what could be the most volatile year in British politics for a generation.

With local elections in England, Scottish Parliament elections, Senedd elections in Wales, and mounting pressure on the Northern Ireland Executive, this episode explores how the rise of Reform UK, growing voter fragmentation, and Labour’s governing challenges could reshape the UK’s political map.

🎙️ Featuring voices from:

Whitehall Sources

Holyrood Sources

Stormont Sources

Senedd Sources

🔍 In this episode:

Is Reform UK becoming a permanent force in British politics?

Can Keir Starmer’s Labour government survive a brutal May election?

Why the Greens and Gaza independents are threatening Labour in cities

Will SNP dominance in Scotland finally crack — and if so, who replaces them?

Could Plaid Cymru lead Wales for the first time?

How stable is Stormont, and could it collapse again before 2027?

What a fragmented UK means for the future of the Union

This is essential listening for anyone trying to understand UK elections 2026, Nigel Farage’s influence, Labour’s political future, and the growing instability across Britain’s devolved governments.

📌 Subscribe for weekly insider analysis from Westminster, Holyrood, Stormont and the Senedd.

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The Holyrood Sources podcast brings the best analysis of Scottish politics with those who have lived it as Special Advisers, and those who are current and former politicians and political party leaders.

Join Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein (Former Chief of Staff to First Minister Alex Salmond) and Andy Maciver (Former Director of Communications for the Scottish Conservatives).

Subscribe now

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/holyrood-sources/id1673972192

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Fj3emmRONEr8aSkhcMgoH?si=789c7874034340c6

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Happy New Year from everyone at Holyrood Sources!

On a special episode of the podcast, Calum Macdonald takes a look back at our first ever Christmas Pub Quiz.

You can hear a live Q&A session with Geoff Aberdein and Andy Maciver as they answer questions from attendees at Malones in Edinburgh. Be sure to listen out for their heckles as well, as we bring you some of the best moments from the Scottish politics round of the quiz, hosted by Calum.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Holyrood Sources Christmas Special is recorded live in Edinburgh with a packed audience as Calum Macdonald, Geoff Aberdein and Andy Maciver review the biggest moments in Scottish and UK politics in 2025 — and make bold predictions for 2026 and the Holyrood election.

In this wide-ranging discussion, the panel debates:

• Anas Sarwar’s U-turn on gender recognition reform
• John Swinney’s independence referendum strategy
• The legacy of Nicola Sturgeon and Kate Forbes’ decision to stand down
• Labour’s UK Budget fallout and Rachel Reeves’ credibility
• Reform UK’s electoral breakthrough in Scotland
• Energy policy, the North Sea, offshore wind and deindustrialisation
• Why politicians struggle to explain a credible energy transition
• Whether Swinney could serve a full five-year term as First Minister
• Predictions on Farage, Badenoch, Reform UK and the next political realignment

This live Christmas episode captures Scottish politics unfiltered — with audience reaction, behind-the-scenes stories, and sharp disagreement between insiders who’ve shaped modern Holyrood.

🎙️ Holyrood Sources takes you inside Scottish politics every week.

📌 Subscribe for weekly episodes and clips

📌 Recorded live at Malone’s, Edinburgh

📌 Christmas Special 2025

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