VIEWERS of the BBC’s regional Sunday morning politics show will have noticed a familiar face on last weekend’s programme.
For Tameside councillor Liam Billington appeared as a guest on Politics North West for the first time.
He was the Conservative representative on the sofa, alongside Employment Minister Justin Madders – the Labour MP for Ellesmere Port and Bromborough.
The 30-minute show, hosted by Annabel Tiffin, features the latest political news, debate and interviews from across the region.
Among the topics discussed on the programme were the early release of prisoners; a rise in attacks on police officers in the North West; whether more legislation is needed to support neurodivergent people, and the radical shake-up of the Post Office which could lead to branch closures and job cuts.
Councillor Billington – who has represented the Stalybridge South ward on Tameside Council since 2018 – has been interviewed on TV news programmes in the past but this was his debut as a panel show guest.
“It’s really fast paced but a really good experience,” he told the Correspondent.
“In terms of the experience, it was a bit nerve-wracking to go up against an experienced MP.
“We were given some topics beforehand but they changed at the last minute. One of the topics scheduled was in response to Labour’s policy to merge pension funds – which is quite topical for Tameside.”
If you missed the episode – which first aired on Sunday, November 17 at 10am on BBC One – it is available to watch on iPlayer here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00257qw/politics-north-west-17112024