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 ShowNS#273: The Brexit Vote Explained
Helen and Stephen discuss the Brexit votes in the Commons this week and how a Lords amendment on the EU Withdrawal Bill will work. Then, they analyse Paul…
The Politics ShowNS#272: Political potholes
Stephen and Anoosh discuss Labour's shift on Brexit, reflect on the year since the 2017 general election, and look at how austerity is affecting people around…
The Politics ShowNS#271: Referendums — Yes or No?
Helen and Stephen discuss the Yes vote in the Irish referendum on repealing the eighth amendment, and then go head to head on whether referendums are a good…
The Politics ShowNS#270: Punch and Judy PMQs
Helen and Stephen are joined by Tom Hamilton to discuss the prospect of an early election and the history of PMQs, and then they answer a listener question: is…
The Politics ShowNS#269: Brexit Chills and Thrills
Can you tell your customs partnership from your max-fac? Helen and Stephen untangle the latest Brexit wrangling, and then discuss Stephen's recent trip to…
The Politics ShowNS#268: Local Elections Debrief
Helen is joined by Sienna Rodgers, editor of LabourList, to discuss the local election results — was it a good night or a bad night for Jeremy Corbyn and the…
The Politics ShowNS#267: The New John Major
Helen and Stephen discuss the politics of the new home secretary Sajid Javid, yet more Brexiteer nonsense about the customs union, and whether it's possible…
The Politics ShowNS#266: Len McCluskey Speaks His Mind
Helen and Stephen discuss the Brexiteers' magical thinking on the customs union, Len McCluskey's forthright intervention on anti-Semitism in the Labour party…
The Politics ShowNS#265: Hostile Environment
Helen and Stephen discuss the immigration controversy now surrounding the handling of the Windrush generation and analyse what Theresa May's "hostile…
The Politics ShowNS#264: The Lesser of Two Evils
Helen and Stephen discuss the conflict in Syria and the tests for any possible UK intervention. Then they take a close look at the return of crime as a…
The Politics ShowNS#263: What'd I Miss
Helen is back! She and Stephen discuss anti-Semitism in the Labour party, and then answer a listener question: should there be a new centrist party and should…
The Politics ShowNS#262: Spending and Smears
Stephen and Anoosh discuss the ongoing story of Cambridge Analytica and the allegations of Vote Leave's overspending during the EU referendum. Then they answer…
The Politics ShowNS#261: Gone Fishing
Stephen is away this week, so Anoosh is at the helm. First, she is joined by Citymetric editor and known Brexit loather Jonn Elledge to discuss the transition…
The Politics ShowNS#260: Contradictory Conservatives
Stephen and Anoosh discuss the unfolding story of the Russian spy attack in Salisbury, and wonder whether Jeremy Corbyn's previous foreign policy statements…
The Politics ShowNS#259: Build More Houses!
Stephen and Anoosh discuss Theresa Mays housing speech and the politics of homeowning vs renting. Then, they talk about the polling around awareness of…
The Politics ShowNS#258: Corbyn's Brexit Tightrope
Stephen and Anoosh discuss Jeremy Corbyn's Brexit speech and Labour's new position on the customs union. Then, they talk about the #LabourToo report on…
The Politics ShowNS#257: Corbyn and the Spy
Stephen and Anoosh discuss the story of Jeremy Corbyn's alleged meeting with a Czech spy in the 1980s and why it has received so much coverage. Then, they…
The Politics ShowNS#256: Boris Johnson's Brexit Bungle
Stephen and Anoosh discuss Boris Johnson's disingenuous Brexit intervention. Then they talk about a recent trip to see the Labour MP Laura Pidcock in Durham…
The Politics ShowNS#255: Theresa May's Suffragette Slip
Stephen and Anoosh discuss Theresa May's inept speech about the suffragettes. Then they answer a popular listener question: can the Conservatives can win a…
The Politics ShowNS#254: Who will bring down Theresa May?
Helen and Stephen discuss the controversy surrounding Labour and the Haringey Development Vehicle (no wait, come back, it's really interesting). Then they…
The Politics ShowNS#253: The Misogynist Bubble
Helen and Stephen discuss Boris Johnson's terrible intervention on the NHS before getting very angry about the sleazy all-male fundraiser exposed by the FT…
The Politics ShowNS#252: Follow the Leader
What do Mary Stuart, Elizabeth Tudor, and the future leaders of both the Conservative and Labour parties have in common? They are all the subject of this…
The Politics ShowNS#251: Reshuffle Special
Helen and Stephen dissect Theresa May's reshuffle and wonder what on earth the PM was thinking, getting rid of Justine Greening. Then Helen interviews the…
The Politics ShowNS#250: Previously on British Politics. . .
Helen and Stephen look back at everything they missed in politics over the Christmas break and make some predictions for the year ahead. Contact us with your…
The Politics ShowNS#249: The Year in Brexit (feat. Dorian Lynskey of Remainiacs)
Helen and Stephen are joined by Dorian Lynskey of the Remainiacs podcast to look back at Britain's Brexit travails in 2017. They pick the best and worst…
The Politics ShowNS#248: The Rebel Alliance
Stephen is joined by guest host Anoosh Chakelian (get well soon, Helen!) to discuss whether there is anything an MP can do these days to get the sack. They…
The Politics ShowNS#247: The Brexit Remix
Helen and Stephen spend the whole episode unpicking the tangled threads of the Brexit negotiations. Why did the DUP wreck Theresa May's plans for the Irish…
The Politics ShowNS#246: What do the Brexit elite want?
Helen and Stephen discuss the Brexit negotiations and the lack of progress on the Irish border question. Then, they wonder what Labour is up to at the moment…
The Politics ShowNS#245: The 2017 Budget Special
Helen and Stephen are joined by Sir Howard Davies, chairman of RBS and former deputy governor of the Bank of England, to dissect this year's budget. Did Philip…
The Politics ShowNS#244: The Maybot Malfunctions
Helen and Stephen discuss Theresa May's latest baffling Brexit blunder and the fate of the EU Withdrawal Bill. Then John Crace, parliamentary sketch writer at…
The Politics ShowNS#243: Scandal Overload
Helen and Anoosh discuss the extraordinary pile up of scandals in Westminster, from Priti Patel and Boris Johnson's foreign affairs gaffes to the continuing…
The Politics ShowNS#242: Fallon's Fall
Helen and Stephen discuss the resignation of Michael Fallon as defence secretary, and look more broadly at allegations of sexual harassment and abuse in…
The Politics ShowNS#241: MPs Behaving Badly
How badly does an MP have to behave before they get suspended? Helen and Stephen discuss the case of Sheffield Hallam MP Jared O'Mara and analyse the media…
The Politics ShowNS#240: It's Brexit Again, Kids
Why is the government delaying the EU Withdrawal Bill? Helen and Stephen discuss where it all went wrong. Then they look at the trend for setting up new…
The Politics ShowNS#239: Deal or No Deal
Would a "no deal" Brexit really be so bad? Helen and Stephen analyse the likelihood of the UK crashing out of the EU without a plan, and then take a look at…
The Politics ShowNS#238: The Tory Conference Special
Helen and Stephen discuss the fallout from the Conservative Party conference, and in particular Theresa May's disastrous speech. Then they answer a listener…
The Politics ShowNS#237: The Labour Conference Debrief
Helen and Stephen are back from the Labour Party conference in Brighton, and they reflect on the party's mood. Then they analyse how successful Jeremy Corbyn's…
The Politics ShowNS#236: The Circle of Boris
Helen and Stephen are joined by satirist and Private Eye writer Craig Brown to discuss the royal family and his new book about Princess Margaret. Then they…
The Politics ShowNS#235: Brexit's Nigel Farage Problem
Helen and Stephen discuss Theresa May's dislike of parliamentary scrutiny and Labour's use of opposition day debates. Then we hear what Stephen learned about…
The Politics ShowNS#234: Mogg's Momentum
Helen and Stephen discuss the progress of the legislation formerly known as the Great Repeal Bill, and then assess whether Jacob Rees-Mogg might actually…
The Politics ShowNS#233: Do We Have To Talk About Brexit?
Helen and Stephen discuss Kezia Dugdale's resignation as Scottish Labour leader and assess what her legacy will be. Then, they (reluctantly) dig into the…
The Politics ShowNS#232: Big Ben's Last Bong
Stephen is back from holiday, and he joins Helen to assess Labour's performance over the summer break. Then, they try to understand the row over Big Ben being…
The Politics ShowNS#231: It's (New) Party Time
Helen is joined by Anoosh to consider whether a new political party would have any chance of success in the UK. Then they discuss the TV shows everyone really…
The Politics ShowNS #230: Apocalypse Now?
Helen and Stephen contemplate the escalation of hostilities between the United States and North Korea from the podcast bunker, and analyse why Venezuela causes…
The Politics ShowNS #229: Silly season special
Helen is joined by Anoosh Chakelian to ponder the fruits of this year's silly season. There's scandal and Scaramucci in Trump's White House. And debate over…
The Politics ShowNS#228: Fiction and Fees
Helen and Stephen discuss the row over student fees and what it means for Corbyn's electoral prospects. They also recommend their top TV shows to catch up on…
The Politics ShowNS#227: Pay and Political reads
Helen is back and, together with Stephen, explores the politics of pay scandal at the BBC. From John Humphrys to Match of the Day, who do they think is worth…
The Politics ShowNS#226: Nish Kumar Special
In this week's episode, Stephen and Anoosh touch on what makes a good political leader - from Emily Thornberry's impressive performance at this week's PMQs, to…
The Politics ShowNS#225: Markets and Momentum
Helen is away, so Stephen is joined by Anoosh Chakelian to discuss the latest rows over single market access and Cameron's defense of his austerity agenda…
The Politics ShowNS#224: Deals and the DUP
Helen and Stephen explore what's going on with the DUP: what's the best response to new investment for Northern Ireland? And how long will May last? They also…
The Politics ShowNS#223: Queen's Speech Special
Helen and Stephen discuss what was left out, watered down and generally squished around in the Queen's Speech - from prison reform to fox hunting - and what…
The Politics ShowNS#222: Special - Writing the Internet Age
Helen and Stephen are joined by the author and editor Andrew O'Hagan, to explore selfhood in the internet era. Who are the slippery figures who populate our…
The Politics ShowNS#221: Leadership and lessons
Helen and Stephen digest the election results, with a focus on what can be learned for future campaigns: why Labour outperformed expectations, what the tories…
The Politics ShowNS#220: Emergency Podcast
Doubt, deferral and the DUP: after a turbulent weekend, Helen and Stephen ask what next for the Tories? Could the new relationship with the DUP mean tougher…
The Politics ShowNS#219: Results Special
Wow. Helen and Stephen are just about still awake - and here with a summary of the night's events (rapping and singing ensue). Plus: we get the reactions of…
The Politics ShowNS#218: Campaign Roundup Special
Election Day is here and so are Helen and Stephen - with a campaign roundup special! From Jeremy Corbyn to Theresa May, and El Gato to Paxman - listen in to…
The Politics ShowNS#217: Elections and extremism
In light of this weekend's terror attack in London and Theresa May's response, Helen and Stephen reflect on the how recent attacks have shaped the election…
The Politics ShowNS#216: Broadcasts and forecasts
Helen and Stephen digest the latest from the battle for No.10: from the merits of Corbyn's on-screen performance, to concerns surrounding the Conservative…
The Politics ShowNS#215: Election Special
Join us for the New Statesman on-tour election special! As the polling day approaches, our team of politics writers regale Stephen Bush with news of their…
The Politics ShowNS#214: Manchester
In light of the attack in Manchester, the NS podcast is pausing its politics coverage until campaigning resumes. Join us next week and, in the meantime, do…