BBC Radio 4

Political Thinking with Nick Robinson

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Nick Robinson talks to people who shape our political thinking about what shaped theirs. Each episode of Political Thinking features an in-depth conversation with someone who is shaping our politics. The people who run our country (and those who want to), campaigners, business and union leaders, and people who run other countries. All of them join Nick in the studio, not for a news-y interrogation, but for an extended and relaxed conversation, delving into their past and how it shaped their worldview. New episodes drop on Fridays on BBC Sounds. You can also watch them on BBC Two at 12:15pm on...

Author

BBC Radio 4

Category

News

Podcast website

www.bbc.co.uk

Latest episode

Jul 9, 2026

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Episodes

10/09/2022 09.09.2022

Nick Robinson has a conversation with, not an interrogation of, the people who shape our political thinking about what shaped theirs.

The Liz Truss One - Revisited 05.09.2022

Nick Robinson revisits his interview with the new prime minister, Liz Truss, from July 2018. The then-chief secretary to the treasury discusses her transition from Lib Dem to Conservative, her plans for a low-tax, small state UK and comparisons with Mrs Thatcher.

The Rishi Sunak One - Revisited 21.07.2022

Nick Robinson revisits his interview with Rishi Sunak from November 2019. The then-chief secretary to the treasury discusses working in his mother’s pharmacy, why he chose to vote Leave and his knowledge of The Force

The Liz Truss Foreign Secretary One - Revisited 21.07.2022

Nick Robinson revisits his interview with Liz Truss from December 2021. The foreign secretary discusses facing down Russia on the global stage, the way we view British history and comparisons with Mrs Thatcher

The Johnson Succession One 08.07.2022

With Boris Johnson having resigned as Conservative leader, Nick Robinson takes a look through the Political Thinking archives, to see what has shaped the thinking of the men and women hoping to become the UK’s next prime minister

The David Lammy Shadow Foreign Secretary One 01.07.2022

Nick Robinson talks to the shadow foreign secretary, David Lammy, about loneliness, belonging and Britain's place in the world

The Martin Lewis One 22.06.2022

Nick Robinson talks to the journalist and founder of Money Saving Expert, Martin Lewis, about his love of numbers, the cost of living crisis and his application to become a crossbench peer

The Naomi Long One 17.06.2022

Nick Robinson talks to Naomi Long, the leader of the Alliance Party and Northern Ireland's Justice Minister, about growing up during the Troubles, the ongoing implications of Brexit and her decision not to identify as nationalist or unionist

The Yvette Cooper One 10.06.2022

Nick Robinson talks to Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, about immigration policy, being a working mum in politics and Labour's chances of winning back power.

The Sara Khan One 03.06.2022

Nick Robinson talks to the government's social cohesion adviser, Dame Sarah Khan, about her efforts to counter extremism and the upcoming review of the Prevent counter-terror strategy

The Mick Lynch One 27.05.2022

Nick Robinson speaks to Mick Lynch, the general secretary of the RMT, about his union's planned strike action this summer

The Nimco Ali One 20.05.2022

Nick Robinson speaks to Nimco Ali, the government's adviser on violence against women and girls about her campaigning on female genital mutilation, calls for street harassment to be made a crime and her friendship with Carrie Johnson.

The Nadine Dorries One 13.05.2022

Nick Robinson speaks to the Culture Secretary, Nadine Dorries MP about her efforts to clean up social media, her upbringing in Liverpool, and being a bestselling author. Producer: Jack Fenwick.

The Jacob Rees-Mogg Leadership Crisis One 28.01.2022

Nick Robinson talks to Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg about the Prime Minister's survival, cake, dead cats and banned words

The Steve Baker One 21.01.2022

Nick Robinson talks to Conservative MP Steve Baker about the PM, the pandemic and parachutes

The Gary Neville One 14.01.2022

Nick Robinson talks to Gary Neville about his footballing career, the state of English football and his own political ambitions

The Wes Streeting One 07.01.2022

The Shadow Health Secretary on bouncing back after illness, living with Covid and his connection to Christine Keeler

The 2022 New Year Special One 01.01.2022

Nick Robinson reviews the highlights of Political Thinking in 2021 including interviews with leading politicians and public figures

The Ed Balls Christmas Special One 27.12.2021

The former Cabinet Minister on his passion for cooking, dancing, documentary-making and his previous career in politics.

The Katharine Birbalsingh One 17.12.2021

The Chair of the Social Mobility Commission on why she ‘came out’ as a conservative, the purpose of education and the perils of smartphones

The Liz Truss Foreign Secretary One 10.12.2021

The Foreign Secretary on the ‘network of liberty’, those Mrs Thatcher-styled photoshoots and being too busy to hold Christmas parties

The Chris Bryant One 03.12.2021

The Chair of the Commons Standards Committee on upholding the rules, being gay and why he could never have been 007

The Keir Starmer Opposition Leader One 26.11.2021

The Labour leader on his family, the migrant boats crisis and why Boris Johnson makes him angry

The Nick Carter One 01.10.2021

The Chief of the Defence Staff discusses the lessons learned in Iraq and Afghanistan, and being kicked out of his school's cadet force for playing golf.

The Rachel Reeves One 24.09.2021

The Shadow Chancellor on learning from Labour’s defeats, playing aggressive chess and that ‘boring snoring’ Tweet

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