Mary McAleese, Isabel Hardman, Kitty Donaldson, Emma Reed Turrell, Viv Groskop, Dr Bernadette Jenner

Starting today a Catholic synod will take place throughout October in the Vatican to discuss the direction of the Church. Delegates will consider the way in which all members participate and decide the future direction of key issues such as the role of women. Emma Barnett talks to the former Irish president Mary McAleese about the issues facing the Church. Rishi Sunak will today give his first Conservative Party conference as Prime Minister – but his moment in the spotlight is under threat from the women in his party. Home Secretary Suella Braverman has been called the “front-runner” for next leader after her speech, while Liz Truss became the surprise breakout star of conference. So is the future of the Conservative Party now female? Kitty Donaldson, UK Political Editor at Bloomberg News, and Isabel Hardman, Assistant Editor of The Spectator, join us from the Conservative Party conference in Manchester. And what can ordinary women learn from Liz Truss about bouncing back from a public failure? Writer Viv Groskop and Psychotherapist and podcaster Emma Reed Turrell discuss the lessons women can learn from Liz Truss’s return to the spotlight. The UK’s first and biggest study into pre-eclampsia which can affect the kidneys, liver and brain can cause seizures in women has been launched. The study will monitor women before pregnancy, during and after birth to find out why some women develop the conditions and the long term health implications.

Presenter: Emma Barnett Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Studio Manager: Bob Nettles