The past seven days have not been great for the prime minister nor the leader of the opposition. Rishi Sunak followed up his ill advised bet with Piers Morgan with a truly cringeworthy performance at PMQs. Meanwhile Keir Starmer finally ditched Labours £28bn green pledge – and was inevitably met with a chorus of criticism with accusations of traitor and flip flopper in equal measure. To add to his woes, disturbing words in respect of Israel and the Gaza conflict from Labours Rochdale by election candidate came to light, reminding voters of the party’s challenge with antisemitism. But, if you think it’s been a bad week for messrs Sunak & Starmer, then spare a thought for US president Joe Biden. His senility is becoming a real barrier to his re-election and a boost to his Republican opponent Donald Trump. Is it too late for the Democrats to select an alternative candidate before the November presidential poll? Welcome to the Downtown Den Politics podcast.

Downtown in Business

DIB Boss urges Government to think again on business policy
Frank McKenna is urging the government to review its planned fiscal and legislative changes, claiming that they will negatively impact on companies across the country and result in unintended consequences.

Rosebud appoints Iain Duncan as Account Manager to support Lancashire SMEs through their next stages of growth
Lancashire business loan provider Rosebud has appointed experienced banking consultant and NED Iain Duncan as Account Manager.

Additional Security Lanes Launched Following Lessons from Last Summer
Two state-of-the-art passenger screening lanes have been unveiled seeing a further investment of around £5m from the airport.