In a brand new podcast we bring you expert analysis of the 2017 UK general election campaign. We’ll be with you right up until polling day on June 8, helping to cut through the noise to make this snap election as painless as possible.

This episode takes a broad look at the parties and the options on the table for voters at this early stage in the campaign. The Conversation’s politics editor, Laura Hood, runs through the important issues of the week with Andy Price, head of politics at Sheffield Hallam University, and Matthew Cole, teaching fellow at the University of Birmingham.

Do the Conservatives have the election all wrapped up? Andy and Matt compare the party’s lead in the polls with historical examples and caution against hubris. While the polling continues to look good, we consider whether the PM has taken her “strong and stable leadership” message into the realms of “aggressive and presumptous” in her dealings with Brussels.

Tactical voting and the prospect of a progressive alliance of parties opposed to the Conservatives is also up for discussion, with some mixed opinions about whether a pact is possible and how it would be achieved.

And how serious was Diane Abbott’s media wobble at the beginning of the week? The Labour front bencher was roundly mocked for fluffing her numbers on the radio, but we hear that voters might not remember the incident for long. Though the same might not necessarily be true for Labour party insiders.

Music in Election Weekly is Chasin’ It, by Jason Shaw. A big thank you to City University London’s Department of Journalism for letting us use their studios.