Former political party leaders Ed Miliband and Iain Duncan Smith will guest present BBC Radio Two’s Jeremy Vine show later this month.
Miliband and Duncan Smith will be presenting the flagship current affairs programme for five days each in the weeks beginning 19 and 26 June.
Head of Radio Two, Lewis Carnie, said: “Both [men] have held crucial roles in political life and will bring unique perspectives and insight to the programme, in the heart of the daytime schedule.”
Phil Jones, the editor of the Jeremy Vine show, said: “This follows a tradition of Radio Two’s popular current affairs show being occasionally guest-presented by prominent politicians, which began with figures such as Neil Kinnock and the late Charles Kennedy in the early 1990s.
“Political coverage is the bedrock of the programme and this is a sign of how important politics is to Radio 2, especially at such a key time in the nation’s history.
“Each day we will cover the big stories that affect our listeners and continue to inform, educate and entertain the Radio 2 audience.”
The regular host of the programme Jeremy Vine tweeted the announcement, saying it would be a “great listen”.
Miliband’s involvement follows rumours the former Labour leader may return to the Shadow Cabinet. Making light of the BBC’s announcement he tweeted: “In response to recent rumours, I can confirm I have been appointed to a new role…”
Picture: BBC/Twitter