Have I Got News For You

Mel Giedroyc is host, with panellists comedian Jamie MacDonald and journalist Anushka Asthana joining team captains Paul Merton and Ian Hislop as they delve into the news.

ITV News Deputy Political Editor Anushka Asthana and comedian Jamie MacDonald joined team captains Ian Hislop and Paul Merton in the week that has seen Labour attempt to relaunch their struggling government, US President Joe Biden sign a pardon for his son Hunter, and Masterchef host Gregg Wallace hit with allegations of sexual harassment.

On the agenda for the panels this week was Sir Keir Starmer's speech at Pinewood Studios. Five months on from the election, in what has widely been considered the prime minister's attempt to 'reset' his government after a shaky start to Labour's time in office, Starmer set out his six priorities, in what he called his 'plan for change'.

"It's the Labour government's big re-launch, after the previous reviews, resets and reboots didn't actually work," quipped host Mel Giedroyc.

"He's been in power for about five minutes and what I don't understand is why people, they want to tell you what they're going to do rather than doing. Why doesn't he just do something?" asked Hislop, exasperated.

"This is like a Rishi Sunak reset," Anushka Asthana added.

"That's quite rude... is it that bad?" joked Hislop.

"I mean, having sat through quite a lot of resets, it felt quite similar. He set out six things that he's going to do," said Asthana.

"What were they called this time?" Hislop asked.

"They were called 'milestones'... marginally different to 'missions', and then we've got our 'foundations'," she replied.

"What about 'headstones'?" joked Hislop.

"As John Crace in The Guardian put it, 'measureable milestones'? Most of us would settle for some basic signs of competence" Giedroyc laughed. "This is the government's reset, which basically means Keir Starmer has turned the government off, then on again. At the reset launch of his plan for change, Keir Starmer suggested he might be the next James Bond. Mind you... according to her CV, Rachel Reeves has had some very 'odd jobs'!"

Elsewhere in the episode, the panels tucked into another of the week's big stories. As his tenure as US President comes to a close, Joe Biden this week issued an official pardon for his son Hunter, who was set to face sentencing later this month on federal felony gun and tax convictions. Joe Biden faced significant criticism for issuing the pardon, after the president previously said he would not pardon his son.

"It's about the pardon. That Joe Biden said he was never going to give his son, and now, just before the end of his presidency, he's going to give him it," started comedian Jamie MacDonald.

"But he's let him off for any offence that he might be found guilty of within the whole ten year period, whatever it is. It does mean now no one can stop Trump pardoning anyone he feels," Hislop pointed out.

"But he would have done that anyway wouldn't he?" Merton replied.

"That's probably true, but as a Democrat, I think Biden's final legacy will be that no one will ever vote for the Democrats again," Hislop continued.

"Because of that?" Asthana queried.

"Yeah. Because they'll say, 'you were meant to be the honest party, you didn't let people off for no reason. You promised you wouldn't'," noted Hislop.

"Well... you know what kids are like, it's all 'nip nip, dad, pardon me, dad pardon me'. 'Oh f****** go on then. You're pardoned, shut up...'" joked MacDonald.

"And don't expect anything else for Christmas!" Merton quipped.