How To Win An Election

The struggle for the future of the Labour Party, and the country, has begun, even as Keir Starmer tries to hang on. The political masterminds look at the potential pitfalls for Wes Streeting, Angela Rayner and Andy Burnham - and discuss whether Labour should give up on its working class roots and try instead to unite liberal Britain. Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to howtowin@thetime...

Sally Morgan, Polly Mackenzie, Danny Finkelstein (and Hugo) explain what's behind a chaotic day at Westminster - where Keir Starmer vows to carry on, despite a growing number of MPs and ministers calling for him to go. Why didn't the cabinet speak out, is government continuing to function, and does Wes Streeting need to move within 24 hours or miss out on the leadership? Send you questions, commen...

Labour has taken a hammering at elections in England, Scotland and Wales, with Nigel Farage calling it an ‘historic shift in British politics’ - does this add up to the end of the two-party system, and does it add up to the end of Keir Starmer? Sally, Polly, Danny and Hugo explain why things went so badly for the party, how Starmer will respond, and whether the Reform UK leader is going to be the...

Ahead of the local elections in England and parliamentary elections in Scotland and Wales, the political masterminds ask: just how bad can it get for the Labour Party? If predictions of huge losses come to pass, how will the cabinet, MPs and councillors react, and can Downing Street come up with a plan to circle the wagons around Keir Starmer? We also discuss what impact the terror attacks in Gold...

As regular listeners know, Danny likes to say there is a market failure in political coups - but does Keir Starmer's handling of the Peter Mandelson vetting crisis mean we're entering a period of maximum danger for the PM? How will Labour MPs react if their party does as badly in May as the polls predict, and what do they think about Starmer's potential replacements? Sally, Danny and Hugo are join...

In the wake of Viktor Orbán's election defeat in Hungary, can we draw conclusions about the limits of populism - and the chances of a recovery by the centre here in the UK? Sally, Polly, Danny and Hugo also discuss how government prepares for disaster - from foot-and-mouth disease to fuel protests to looming shortages caused by the war in Iran. And, Polly has a plan to rescue sad, empty historic b...

The prime minister is trying to appeal to voters ahead of May's elections by talking about conflict overseas - can branding him as a global statesman rescue his premiership, in the same way Gordon Brown tried to survive after the financial crash? With Danny away, we turn to the next generation - Simon Finkelstein, former adviser to Jeremy Hunt and Dominic Raab (and Danny's nephew) joins Sally, Pol...

There's an arms race under way as the parties make competing offers to help with the rising cost of living. Is anyone cutting through to the voters? And as Keir Starmer's rivals consider whether to move against him after May's elections, Danny argues that the looming economic crisis makes it a bad time for them to act. We also find out why Sally introduced 'garish posters and loud music' to Downin...

Sally, Polly, Danny and Hugo discuss the conspiracies swirling around the theft of Morgan McSweeney's mobile phone. How did government work in the pre-smartphone era, when Tony Blair refused to use one? They also explore how political language is evolving (and whether it’s becoming dangerously loose), and imagine what’s more likely - a Lab-Lib coalition or a Tory-Reform alliance. Plus, the te...

Angela Rayner has fired the opening shot in the leadership race to succeed Keir Starmer, warning that Labour is 'running out of time'. We discuss the art of being on manoeuvres without being caught doing it - from Michael Portillo installing the phone lines, to Rishi Sunak's team secretly registering 'readyforrishi.com'. And, will any of the potential candidates - including Angela Rayner, Wes Stre...

In this special crossover episode with our colleagues at the Times podcast The State Of It, Hugo is joined by Patrick Maguire and Gabriel Pogrund to discuss the new edition of their book Get In: The Inside Story of Labour Under Starmer . Morgan McSweeney was the man credited with rescuing Labour from electoral oblivion and propelling Keir Starmer to power. How did it all go so wrong, and how did K...

Sally, Polly, Danny and Hugo look at what the Mandelson files say about decision making in Keir Starmer's Downing Street. Is there a comparison with Boris Johnson's handling of the Chris Pincher scandal, which led to Johnson's resignation as prime minister? With Starmer's cost of living agenda in trouble, we ask if lessons can be learned from Edward Heath and the 1973 oil crisis, and from Tony Bla...

We're looking at the implications of the American-Israeli attacks on Iran for British politics - has the prime minister been constrained by a near-religious belief in international law, by cabinet divisions, or by party politics? We also discuss whether the Green Party's bounce in the polls can be sustained, and whether Labour's new migration policy shows the party has made a decisive strategic ch...

The Green Party crushes Labour at the Gorton and Denton by-election, knocking Keir Starmer's party into third place in one of their safest seats. The political masterminds discuss whether the prime minister can find a new strategy to survive, whether the Green Party can replicate the victory across the country, and what the fracturing of the traditional two-party system means for the next General...

As we assembled the How To Win An Election team to talk about Robert Jenrick, Rupert Lowe and Danny's quest for the point of Ed Davey, news broke that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He denies wrongdoing. Sally, Polly, Danny (and Hugo) look at how the news would have been received in Downing Street, and whether republicanism has a future in...

Keir Starmer has seen off the threat to his leadership - for now. What happens inside Downing Street when things get really, really bad for a prime minister? We also discuss whether the Labour Party will swing to the left with Morgan McSweeney's departure, and Zack Polanski's singing at Liberal Democrat conference. Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on A...

Morgan McSweeney has resigned as Keir Starmer's chief of staff. With Number 10 in survival mode, can the prime minister find a new strategy, and how long will potential leadership challengers wait? Hugo, Danny and Polly respond to the emergency podcast bell and react to the news. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Mandelson-Epstein scandal has left Keir Starmer's authority over his party, perhaps his future as prime minister, dangling by a thread. In this week's episode we discuss the huge impact of the downfall of Peter Mandelson - who says he has not acted criminally in any way or acted for financial gain - and we also have a frank discussion about his time on the How To Win An Election team, his poli...

Danny argues that if Labour wants to ditch Keir Starmer and pick a new leader, his replacement should immediately go to the polls. Have we switched to a presidential system without realising it, and would the party ever actually risk letting Reform into Downing Street? The team also discuss whether No 10's handling of Andy Burnham has parallels with Tony Blair's opposition to Ken Livingstone becom...

This week we're discussing the shape of the right of British politics - are we witnessing a landmark moment in the journey of Reform UK, and is Kemi Badenoch worried the Conservative Party is now seen as less right wing? The political masterminds also consider whether anyone is making political capital from Donald Trump's diplomatic chaos, and whether Ed Davey is offering his MPs thin gruel. Send...

Kemi Badenoch has sacked Robert Jenrick, saying he was plotting to defect to Reform UK. Hugo and Danny discuss the return of the Tory psychodrama, and what it means for the future of the right in British politics. Also in this week's episode: Sally, Polly and Danny talk about Lynton Crosby's famous commandment to 'scrape the barnacles off the boat', the death of the party political broadcast, and...

Can Keir Starmer learn from Donald Trump and get some swagger? Hugo, Polly and Danny are joined by former Labour strategist Peter Hyman to discuss whether the government can stop looking anxious, and whether the prime minister is right to keep talking about the next election as a straight fight with Reform UK. We also look at whether Nigel Farage is right to say he'd return PMQs to twice-weekly, a...

What are the chances that the elections in May 2026 in Scotland, Wales and England will lead to a leadership challenge against Keir Starmer? That's one of the questions answered by the political masterminds in our Christmas episode. We also find out about their favourite political memorabilia, why the parties import advisers from America and Australia, and whether we've been stuck in a political t...

We're joined by former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg for the latest in our series looking at how the most significant elections in our lifetimes were won, and how they were lost. He takes us inside the 2010 Liberal Democrat campaign - from the first TV leaders' debate in British history, to Cleggmania and 'bigotgate' - ending in the first hung parliament since the 1970s and the frenzied days of...

The prime minister has been increasingly critical of Brexit this week, and says he wants a closer relationship with the EU - without rejoining key parts of the club. But will Labour inevitably have to go further, and if they do will they be falling into a Reform UK trap? We also discuss the role of the Downing Street 'maverick genius' - and what that's got to do with My Little Pony. Send your ques...