Shows / The Politics Show
The Politics Show
Helping you make sense of politics – every week.
Anoosh Chakelian and the New Statesman team bring you sharp reporting, clear analysis and thoughtful conversations to help you understand what’s really going on in Westminster and beyond.
The New Statesman is Britain’s leading source of news and commentary on politics and culture with a progressive perspective. On The Politics Show, our journalists and expert guests cut through the noise of the headlines to explain the forces shaping our world…
Episodes
- The Politics Show
Liz Truss is back – and this time she’s “popular”
Will Liz Truss’s “PopCon” undermine Rishi Sunak? On Tuesday Tory right-wingers gathered in Westminster for the launch of “Popular Conservatism”, a new…
- The Politics Show
Left Behind: the failed revolutions of the 2010s
The 2010s were a decade that many hoped would usher in a new era of leftist revolutions. Yet, as we look back, the question looms large: What went wrong? In…
- The Politics Show
Vape ban, smoking ban: Rishi Sunak's "nanny state"
This week's disposable vape ban follows a generational ban on smoking and an XL Bully ban. Is this Rishi Sunak's legacy? The Conservatives are typically…
- The Politics Show
How would a Labour government handle Northern Ireland?
As the UK government and the DUP appear likely to break their Brexit impasse with a new deal, a listener asks what Labour would do differently in Northern…
The Politics ShowIs the NHS ready for developments in cancer care? | Sponsored
New technology means cancer diagnosis is better than ever. Advances in genomic testing and other new technologies mean we are spotting cancer earlier, and…
- The Politics Show
Parliament’s sleaze epidemic, with Chris Bryant
We’ve seen the fastest turnover of prime ministers in our history, and more MPs have been suspended from the house or stood down from their seats than ever…
- The Politics Show
Are the Conservatives laying a trap for Labour?
Earlier this week former minister Simon Clarke wrote in the Telegraph, the Conservative party faces an electoral "massacre" under Rishi Sunak's leadership and…
- The Politics Show
Is Labour's green agenda under threat?
Anoosh reports on the Port Talbot steelworkers job losses, and how they will impact Labour's green agenda. 2,800 industrial jobs will be lost in Port Talbot…
The Politics ShowSusan Neiman: "It's not about being pro-Israel or pro-Palestine, but pro-human rights"
The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas has now passed the 100 day mark. On the 14 January Alona Ferber attended the Jewish Labour Movement conference, which…
- The Politics Show
Will David Cameron be forced to face the Commons?
"How powerful are select committees in holding government and other bodies to account? Highly important topic at the moment, given Lord Cameron cannot be held…
- The Politics Show
Rwanda: the Conservatives' bill to die on
We’re discussing the Rwanda bill, yet again. On Tuesday there was a rebellion from the right of the Conservative party who attempted to put down amendments on…
The Politics ShowRestoring nature: can data halt biodiversity loss? | Sponsored
The UK is one of the world’s most nature-depleted countries. According to a recent study, the annual State of Nature report, nearly one in six of more than ten…
- The Politics Show
Why Team Starmer refuse to believe the hype around them
The Labour Party has a talent for losing elections. Over the last century, it has held office for just 33 years and has produced just six prime ministers. The…
- The Politics Show
Have millennials forgiven the Lib Dems?
"I felt sure that millennials would never forgive the Lib Dems, but it seems like young people who are leaving London are voting Lib Dem in Tory strongholds…
- The Politics Show
The Post Office scandal: Lessons from one of the UK's greatest miscarriages of justice
Between 2009 and 2015 more than 700 people who ran Post Offices, also known as sub-postmasters, were wrongly accused of embezzling money and subsequently…
The Politics ShowHow will elections shape the world in 2024?
In 2024 countries with more than 4 billion people will be sending their citizens to the polls. The US, Russia, and India to name a few; this is set to be the…
- The Politics Show
Could parliament introduce a proportional representation system?
"How likely would it be for parliament to introduce a Proportional Representation system similar to the rest of Europe? Would this even be feasible given both…
- The Politics Show
Six-day walkout: will the government budge on junior doctors' pay?
Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Dr Emma Runswick, junior doctor in the North West and the current Deputy Chair of the BMA Council. They discuss what's driven…
- The Politics Show
How will elections shape Britain in 2024?
2024 is set to be the biggest election year in history and countries with more than 4 billion people will be sending their citizens to the polls. And whether…
- The Politics Show
Andy Burnham: "2024 could be a bigger moment than 1997 for Labour"
In this conversation our political editor Andrew Marr sits down with Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, to discuss why 2024 could be a bigger moment…
- The Politics Show
2023: The good, the bad, and the outright bizarre
In a special festive episode of the podcast, Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Andrew Marr and Freddie Hayward to revisit some of the best, the worst, and weirdest…
The Politics ShowLabour's mission to make Britain a clean energy super power | Sponsored
This is a live recording from the New Statesman Media Group's Path to Power conference which delved inside the Labour Party machine as it gears up for an…
The Politics ShowWhat's gone wrong with political journalism in the UK? With Ash Sarkar, Ian Dunt and Armando Iannucci | Westminster Reimagined
Armando and Anoosh delve into the inner workings of British political reporting, exploring the complex world of the Lobby, the blurred relationships that many…
The Politics ShowWhat does it mean to be Jewish and on the left today?
Earlier this month we published a magazine with the cover ‘Being Jewish Now’. At this time of crisis in the Middle East, with divisions over the Gaza war and…
- The Politics Show
Who are the 'five families' of the Tory right? | You Ask Us
A listener writes in to ask what the real threat is from the right of the Tory party, and our associate political editor, Rachel Cunliffe, breaks this down -…
- The Politics Show
First minister Mark Drakeford resigns, what's next for Wales?
Yesterday Wales’s first minister Mark Drakeford announced his resignation, after exactly five years in office. He drew tributes for his tenure at PMQs from…
The Politics ShowWhy don't politicians care about happiness? With Richard Layard and Armando Iannucci | Westminster Reimagined
Thurrock is suffering major cuts to all its council services since it went effectively bankrupt last December, after hundreds of millions of pounds were put…
- The Politics Show
Is the NHS stuck on life support?
This discussion was recorded at the Cambridge Literary Festival in November 2023. Anoosh Chakelian was joined by Isabel Hardman, assistant editor at the…
- The Politics Show
A week inside frantic Tory migration plans
This week it seems that the government have been doing anything and everything to tackle the high migration numbers, that means cracking down on both illegal…
- The Politics Show
"B*llocks": Boris Johnson at the Covid inquiry
Boris Johnson appeared "diminished" at the Covid inquiry - and still couldn't quite apologise properly. Rachel Cunliffe, associate political editor for the New…
The Politics ShowIs British democracy under threat? With Armando Iannucci | Westminster Reimagined
Is democracy slipping away from us? How protected are we by our constitution? And do governments have the power to swiftly change this? In June, in front of a…
- The Politics Show
The housing crash is just beginning
Housing in the UK has become increasingly unaffordable during the last two decades, buying a home is an unattainable prospect for many in the country, and the…
- The Politics Show
The most misleading phrases in political journalism | You Ask Us
Andrew Marr joins the team in the studio this week to answer listener questions. John writes in to ask which often used misleading expressions in political…
- The Politics Show
Tories shaken by record high migration
Andrew Marr, political editor at the New Statesman, speaks to Freddie Hayward, political correspondent, about why the newly published figures on net migration…
The Politics ShowCan older workers fix the economy? | Sponsored
Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, nearly a million people aged 50-64 have left the workforce. Other major economies have seen their employment rates…
The Politics ShowHow do Gen Z want to vote? With Armando Iannucci | Westminster Reimagined
The writer, satirist and broadcaster Armando Iannucci returns to the New Statesman Podcast to co-host our fourth series of Westminster Reimagined. In this…
- The Politics Show
100 years of British political nightmares
How did the Great Depression’s spectres of fascism, bombing and mass unemployment force politicians to think the unthinkable, and pave the way to post-war…
- The Politics Show
Are we poorer than we were in 2010? | You Ask Us
"The economy will play a central part of next year's election. Do you know if people are better off than in 2010?" - one listener writes in to ask. The podcast…
- The Politics Show
Autumn Statement: "A whacking great return to austerity"
Jeremy Hunt would like this Autumn Statement to be seen as what the government is branding “the biggest tax cut in British history”, but what are the actual…
The Politics ShowIs Britain really great? With Armando Iannucci | Westminster Reimagined
The writer, satirist and broadcaster Armando Iannucci returns to the New Statesman Podcast to co-host our fourth series of Westminster Reimagined. Across this…
The Politics ShowIran's interest in Israel, with former ambassador John Jenkins
Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah – all of whom operate out of Beirut’s southern suburbs – have coordinated their positions in various ways for years in pursuit of…
- The Politics Show
You Ask Us: How is a foreign secretary's success judged? Will Labour reform the Lords?
"At the Home Office you have immigration figures, as health secretary there are NHS waiting lists. Is David Cameron likely to improve his reputation because…
- The Politics Show
Rwanda, resignations, and a rancorous letter
The government's Rwanda plan has been put on hold, yet again, after being ruled illegal earlier this week by the Supreme Court. And someone who would have a…
- The Politics Show
Reshuffle special: (Lord) Cameron returns
Suella Braverman is out of government... and a shock appointment rocks Westminster. Anoosh Chakelian and Freddie Hayward record an emergency episode of the New…
The Politics ShowThe great private school con | Audio Long Reads
They no longer have a stranglehold on Oxbridge and would lose tax breaks under Labour. So what is elite education really selling? At the Labour Party…
- The Politics Show
You Ask Us: why can't Tory MPs behave themselves?
In the week the Tory peer Michelle Mone has finally admitted involvement in a PPE firm awarded £200m in "VIP" Covid contracts, we discuss the numerous…
- The Politics Show
Rishi Sunak's "watered down" Kings Speech pledges
Amid much pomp and circumstance, this week King Charles III delivered the first King's Speech in over 70 years. In this episode of the podcast Anoosh Chakelian…
The Politics ShowHow Rishi Sunak became the first Silicon Valley prime minister | Audio Long Read
On 2 November 2023, Rishi Sunak closed his global AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park by interviewing the richest man on Earth, Elon Musk. The mood was…
- The Politics Show
You Ask Us: Why won't the government call for a ceasefire?
"Looking at the polling for a ceasefire in Gaza, it seems like foreign policy is the area where Westminster is most out of touch with public opinion. Why is…
- The Politics Show
The Covid Inquiry: Inside a toxic government
Module two of the Covid inquiry - decision-making and political governance - was set to be the most controversial section, looking into the workings of central…
The Politics ShowSolving lung cancer inequality | Sponsored
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide – but it doesn't affect everyone equally. Data shows wide regional variation of lung cancer…
- The Politics Show
Andrew Marr: War, conspiracies and the "cloud of unknowing"
We’re bringing you something new on the podcast today – a pilot of a new show we’re working on from our political editor, Andrew Marr. Before we make this a…
The Politics ShowIsrael, Hamas and the unravelling of the West | Audio Long Read
What might be the long term impact of the Israel-Hamas war on global alliances? In this week’s audio long read, the New Statesman’s contributing writer John…
- The Politics Show
One year of Rishi Sunak: what has he achieved?
This Wednesday marked one year of Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister. Following Liz Truss's short, yet chaotic, premiership - has Rishi Sunak managed to stabilise…
- The Politics Show
Will Labour unity break over Israel-Hamas?
Nine days after saying on LBC that “Israel has that right” to cut of water and power off to Gaza, Keir Starmer explained that this wasn't what he meant. This…
- The Politics Show
The Israel war is a "global terror risk"
"We're in a very dangerous and unstable situation" Bruce Hoffman has been observing and studying global terrorism for over 50 years. In this episode he speaks…
- The Politics Show
Two for two: Labour's by-election clean sweep
Earlier today, Labour won by-elections in Mid-Bedfordshire and Tamworth - two seats which were previously safe Tory heartlands. Labour leader Keir Starmer has…
- The Politics Show
Humza Yousaf is preparing the SNP for heavy losses
Chris Deerin reports from the SNP conference, where even "statesmanlike" Humza Yousaf couldn't outshine a guest appearance from his predecessor Nicola…
The Politics ShowWhy web browsers are key to cyber security | Sponsored
Cyber-crime is predicted to cost the global economy $8tn this year, in part due to increased remote working - borne out by a spike in malware attacks at the…
- The Politics Show
War in Israel and Palestine: could it spread?
As Israel prepares a ground attack on Gaza, Katie Stallard is joined by Alona Ferber and Professor Lina Khatib to explore the wider geo-political situation in…