It's been billed as the biggest change to social security since the second world war, but the government's plan for a 'universal credit' system has been beset by all-too-familiar delays and problems with IT systems that must support it. With millions of pounds written off, the issue has placed the welfare minister Iain Duncan Smith under increasing scrutiny. At a time when he appears to be winning the political arguments on a tougher welfare system, any whiff of incompetence could undermine his future in the cabinet.
Joining Tom Clark in the studio to discuss this: Observer columnist Nick Cohen, Guardian leader writer Anne Perkins, and the Observer's political editor Toby Helm.
Also this week: a leaked document from the heart of Labour's election planning department shows that former Blairite big guns are being brought back into the fold - among them Alistair Campbell and Alan Milburn. What will it mean for the party's strategy for 2015, and where does it leave - among others - the shadow chancellor Ed Balls?
Plus we hear from Shaun Walker in Kiev as street protesters continue to brave freezing temperatures to rally against a government turning away from the EU and towards Putin's Russia.
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