OppositionCast

What are the challenges facing the Lib Dems in this election, and what does success look like for them? In this episode, Nigel and Sarah are joined by Mark Pack, President of the Liberal Democrats, to answer these and other questions. Meanwhile the Prime Minister has been forced to apologise after he received a barrage of criticism for leaving the D-Day 80th anniversary commemorations early to con...

As we await the first Leaders' TV debate of the election, Nigel and Sarah discuss the news from the campaign trail, including the effect of Nigel Farage's return to the political fray, and what the latest opinion poll tells us. We also head back for our "live" coverage of the 1997 General Election, where TV debates are also under discussion, along with a look at Tony Blair's battlebus, and a guest...

In this all-star edition of the podcast we speak to Gyles Brandreth and John Sergeant about parallels with previous General Elections, and veteran journalist and author Michael Crick about his work tracking parliamentary candidate selections. Sarah and Nigel also discuss how much fun Ed Davey is having on the campaign trail, Rishi Sunak's excitement at taking a sleeper train, and whether Diane Abb...

As we approach the end of the first week of the General Election campaign, Nigel and Sarah discuss how the opening stages have gone- with Labour proposing lowering the voting age to 16, and the Conservatives announcing the return of national service (sort of). Sarah shares her thought on the visuals of the campaign, including the Prime Minister visiting the Titanic quarter in Belfast, and reveals...

As the UK General Election campaign gets properly underway, we unveil exciting changes to the podcast! Joining Nigel Fletcher as our new co-host is political commentator and comedian Sarah Southern, who in her previous career was a key aide to David Cameron during the 2010 General Election (the last time a Leader of the Opposition made the transition to government). From now until polling day on 4...

EMERGENCY PODCAST! (As they say) With Rishi Sunak calling the General Election for 4th July, Nigel Fletcher gives his initial observations on the campaign and we hear from a variety of opposition party leaders in their first campaign appearances. Plus, some hints about our exciting plans for coverage of the rest of the election campaign. Stay tuned... Produced by the Centre for Opposition Studies...

Wales is often seen as one of the most anti-Conservative parts of Britain, with a strongly working-class Labour tradition. But in the postwar period the Conservative Party has remained the second party of Wales in electoral terms. In this episode Nigel talks to Dr Sam Blaxland, author of a new book charting the history of the Conservative Party in Wales 1945-1997. The story is a more nuanced than...

In the UK, the Labour Party has held a convincing lead over the Conservatives in the opinion polls since the disastrous impact of the "Mini-budget" under Liz Truss in the autumn of 2022. This month we've had another "fiscal event" in the shape of Jeremy Hunt's budget, but this doesn't seem to have had much effect on the polls at all. How can a "big moment" change the political weather, and what tr...

Over recent years, as leadership turmoil regularly engulfed the Conservative Party, the position of the 1922 Committee was brought to greater public attention. It provides a channel for communicating backbench dissent to the party leadership, and oversees formal leadership and no-confidence votes. But how did it come to exist, and how has its role changed? In this episode we speak to Professor Phi...

The House of Commons descended into acrimonious chaos this week, with the Speaker facing a major backlash for his handling of an Opposition Day debate on the situation in Gaza. What was the row about, and what does it tell us about the way opposition functions in parliament? In this episode, Dr Nigel Fletcher does his best to explain its significance. Away from all that, we also pause to reflect o...

An increasing number of MPs have reported an increase in the level of personal abuse, threats and intimidation they have received in recent years. Some of them, including Mike Freer MP, have cited it as a reason for choosing to stand down from Parliament. Most seriously, we have seen in the last decade the brutal murder of two MPs, Jo Cox in 2016 and Sir David Amess in 2021, as they went about the...

We're back! With 2024 shaping up to be a dramatic year for politics in the UK and around the world, we're kicking off a new series of OppositionCast, beginning with a look at preparations for a potential change of government. This week Sir Keir Starmer has written to the Cabinet Secretary to formally request the beginning of "Access talks" - the process by which the Official Opposition meets senio...

An unscheduled EMERGENCY episode (!) prompted by the resignation of senior Civil Servant Sue Gray to take up a job as Chief of Staff to the Labour Leader of the Opposition, Sir Keir Starmer. Featuring the government's response in the House of Commons to an urgent Question on the subject, Keir Starmer's awkward radio interview about it, and a look at the challenges of running the Leader's office wi...

With protests continuing on the streets of Iran against the country's authoritarian regime, and the Ukrainian people continuing their defiance in the face of Russia's invasion, different forms of opposition continue to be manifested around the world. In this episode Nigel talks to foreign policy expert Garvan Walshe about the resistance being shown in these three countries and their prospects for...

As the Conservative Party suffers a collapse in its opinion poll rating, Nigel speaks to pollster Chris Curtis of Opinium Research about how bad it is for the government, and what it means for the Labour Party. We also hear from Professor Jane Green of Nuffield College Oxford in her keynote address to our Opposition Studies Conference, given in July during a previous political crisis... Produced b...

There is a new mood of confidence around the Labour Party as it takes a substantial lead in the opinion polls and begins thinking seriously about the prospect of power. Nigel Fletcher reports from the Labour Party Conference on Sir Keir Starmer's speech, and talks to guests including Professor Jane Green, Chair of the Public Accounts Committee Meg Hillier MP, and Dr Catherine Haddon of the Institu...

In this special episode, we pay tribute to Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in the week of her State Funeral. Nigel reflects on the relationship between the Queen and her Leaders of the Opposition, with archive contributions from the current and former Leaders of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. The episode also includes clips from the 1992 BBC documentary "Elizabeth R - A year in the life of Th...

This episode features extracts from the first Opposition Studies Conference, held in July 2022 at King's College London. Baroness Royall of Blaisdon, Chair of the Centre for Opposition Studies, gives the opening address, followed by Professor Lord Norton, who speaks on "Making Sense of Opposition". The two peers then join a panel for a discussion on the role of the House of Lords in Opposition. Pr...

The Labour Party, perhaps more than other parties, has a keen sense of its own history. In this episode we discuss the role of Labour's mythology -its heroes, villains and legends. Joining Nigel for this episode is Anthony Broxton, a political historian who founded and runs the Tides of History blog on Labour Party history (tidesofhistory.com). Presented by Dr Nigel Fletcher Theme Music: Tom Hecto...

How important are ideas to an opposition party seeking election? How has the Labour Party struggled to balance ideology and pragmatic politics? Dr Patrick Diamond of Queen Mary, University of London, joins us to discuss these and other issues. Patrick is a former adviser to Tony Blair and Gordon Brown in 10 Downing Street, and has written extensively on the Labour Party. Presented by Dr Nigel Flet...

We're back with a Christmas Special, and a real treat from the archives of the Centre for Opposition Studies. In April 2017, just before that year's General Election, we held an event in the House of Lords, with our Honorary President Lord Kinnock in conversation with Professor Lord Hennessy. It was a fascinating and entertaining discussion, and we're delighted to be able to bring it to a wider au...

When Tony Blair took Labour back into government in 1997, his achievement was built on the foundations laid by his predecessors as Leader of the Opposition, in particular Neil Kinnock. During the 18 "years of hurt", it was Kinnock who took Labour from its dire position in the wake of the 1983 landslide defeat to the brink of power in 1992. As Chief of Staff to the Leader, Charles Clarke played a m...

Kate Fall was a key member of David Cameron's inner circle throughout his time as Leader of the Opposition and Prime Minister. Like many of 'Team Cameron', she had her political apprenticeship in the Conservative Research Department in the mid-90s, before staying to work in Opposition under William Hague and Michael Howard. In 2005 she encouraged Cameron to stand for Leader, and was then his Deput...

In politics as in battle, it's vital to know your enemy. Getting inside their head to anticipate their likely attacks and prepare your own defences, as well as seeing your respective weaknesses. Tom Hamilton was Head of Research for the Labour Party for 10 years, and helped prepare Harriet Harman, Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn for Prime Minister's Questions. He talks to us about how oppositions pr...

When the Conservatives suffered their landslide defeat in the 1997 General Election, they faced the sudden shock of opposition: ignored by the public, mocked by the press, and cut off from the support of the government machine after 18 years in power. As their new Leader, William Hague had to build his team for the uphill struggle ahead, which he later called "the night shift". Tina Stowell was re...