Politics Unpacked

Patrick Maguire presents highlights from the reaction to Nicola Sturgeon's resignation as First Minister live on Times Radio. The Conservatives' Ruth Davidson, Labour's Shadow Scotland Secretary Ian Murray, SNP MP Angus Macneil and pollster Sir John Curtice all speak on a dramatic morning in British politics. Plus Alex Massie and Matt Chorley reflect on her achievements and shortcomings. Hosted on...

A decade after the Commons voted to introduce civil marriage for same-sex couples, Patrick Maguire looks back at a moment of change for the country and the Conservative Party with former MP Matthew Parris, former culture secretary Dame Maria Miller and former equalities minister Baroness Featherstone. Columnists Robert Colvile and Dorothy Byrne consider whether the Brexit summit at Ditchley Park w...

New polling for the Times shows that 70% of voters think the Conservatives give the impression of being sleazy and disreputable - up from 51% in April 2021. Patrick Maguire asks what Rishi Sunak can do to turn the page on propriety before the next election, with former independent MP Martin Bell and former Downing Street chief of staff Lord Barwell. Plus columnists Libby Purves and Martha Gill on...

What do Queen Victoria, Arthur Conan Doyle, Charles Dickens and an anonymous prostitute have in common? They all wrote letters to The Times that rewrote history. Matt is joined by Letters Editor Andrew Riley and Archive Editor Rose Wild to dip into the notable notes that changed Britain. Plus Manveen Rana and Jimmy McLoughlin discuss tax, Turkey and avoiding parking fines. Hosted on Acast. Se...

Matt talks to shadow health secretary Wes Streeting about NHS pay, Labour's relationship with the unions and his experience as a gay Anglican - before he plays our own version of the word association game 'Mallet's Mallet'. Plus columnists James Marriott and India Knight discuss amateur detectives disrupting the search for Nicola Bulley, the rules of modern etiquette and the new Conservative...

Matt is joined by Patrick Maguire to pause and unpack the exchanges between Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer at Prime Minister's Questions. With Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Westminster to address Parliament, both leaders talk tough on Putin. Plus columnists Alice Thomson and Robert Crampton on policing porn, whether MPs should be awarded a medal after leaving office, and h...

Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon is under pressure following the row over her gender reforms and a drop in the polls. But is she in serious trouble, or will the dominant force in Scottish politics continue to confound her critics? Matt hears from former Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, the SNP's Emma Roddick, politics professor John Curtice and Times columnist Alex Massie. Plus...

Liz Truss is back to make the case for her tax-cutting agenda. Does she have a point, and is anyone listening? Matt is joined by journalist Katy Balls, pollster Patrick English and economists Paul Johnson and Mark Littlewood. Plus columnists Rachel Sylvester and Libby Purves discuss Boris Johnson, petrol prices and the death of satirist Kit Hesketh-Harvey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy fo...

All week, people in politics have been asking whether the next general election is going to be a similar result to 1992 - when Labour were expected to win but lost, or like 1997 when Labour won in a landslide victory.  Who better to ask than former Labour leader Neil Kinnock? In a wide-ranging chat, Neil talks about the challenge of facing Margaret Thatcher at PMQs, sharing funny tw...

The Prime Minister has been in office for 100 days, a big achievement by recent standards. Matt has some exclusive polling from YouGov showing what the public thinks of his performance so far, and discusses the scale of the electoral task ahead of him. Plus columnists India Knight and James Marriott discuss whether false modesty is worse than bragging, the Times investigation into the practices of...

Matt Chorley, Tim Shipman and Lara Spirit pause and unpack the exchanges at Prime Minister's Questions. Rishi Sunak accuses Keir Starmer of siding with 'extremist protestors and union bosses', but the Labour leader says that's 'rank pathetic'. Plus columnists Alice Thomson and Robert Crampton discuss whether Therese Coffey will clean up the environment, fines for wood burning stoves and the bird c...

Three years after the UK left the European Union, Matt hosts a panel of experts from The Times to answer questions sent in by readers.  Plus columnists Daniel Finkelstein and David Aaronovitch discuss whether Rishi Sunak is the new John Major, and whether he's heading for an election like 1992 or 1997. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why do politicians find it so hard to say sorry? After Nadhim Zahawi declined to apologise following his sacking by the Prime Minister, Matt discusses the art of the political apology with US author Marjorie Ingall and The Times' Matthew Parris. Plus columnists Rachel Sylvester, Libby Purves and Paul Johnson discuss the government's NHS blueprint, whether we need to change the way we think about o...

Patrick Maguire sits in for Matt Chorley and tests his theory that speeches in the House of Commons aren't as good as they used to be. He looks back at some famous moments in the chamber with speechwriter Jessica Cunniffe and historian Nigel Jones, while Times sketchwriter Quentin Letts defends the modern MP. Plus columnists Matthew Syed and Manveen Rana debate the survival of Nadhim Zahawi, the p...

The Times Radio Focus Group meets for the first time in 2023. James Johnson from J.L Partners leads a group of swing voters from across the country as they give their views on Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer and Nadhim Zahawi. Plus columnists India Knight and James Marriott discuss a crackdown on laughing gas, and will artificial intelligence will make creativity redundant? Hosted on Acast. See acast.co...

Matt Chorley, Tim Shipman and Lara Spirit pause and unpack the exchanges at Prime Minister's Questions. This week, Keir Starmer asks Rishi Sunak if being prime minister is too big a job for him, and Sunak accuses him of playing 'petty politics' over Nadhim Zahawi's tax affairs. Plus columnists Alice Thomson and Robert Crampton discuss same sex marriages, Robert's trip to meet voters in Blyth...

One in four terminally ill people of working age find themselves in poverty. For them and their families, the agony of grief is compounded by financial worries. Matt hears from people pushed to bankruptcy by their illness, and discusses the Marie Curie charity campaign to give them the state pension. Plus Finkelvitch: Columnists Daniel Finkelstein and David Aaronovitch ask whether it's time to sac...

As Rishi Sunak gets ready for a cabinet trip to Chequers and Keir Starmer plans an outing for his team, Matt asks if a political away day is a good way to build morale - or whether it's all flip charts, trust exercises and sitting on the floor. David Davis talks about his trip to Chequers with Theresa May, William Hague reflects on taking Tory MPs to a hotel in casual dress, and we hear about the...

Party political broadcasts have been around for nearly 100 years, featuring everything from men sitting woodenly behind desks to yogic flying. How are they made, do they change anyone’s vote and why are some of them so odd? Matt is joined by Tory advertising guru Maurice Saatchi, Labour filmmaker Mark Lucas, cross-party producer Nick Frost and Times TV critic Carol Midgley. Plus columnists Katy Ba...

Nice to see the polls, to see the polls nice? Matt looks at exclusive polling showing that while the Conservatives are losing young voters, they have lost twice as many older voters who make up their base. He speaks to YouGov's Patrick English, Onward director Seb Payne and academic Dr Will Jennings, before a Tory council leader and peer play our version of the conveyer belt game. Plus T...

Matt is joined by Tim Shipman to pause and unpack the exchanges at Prime Minister's Questions. This week, Keir Starmer challenges Rishi Sunak on the 'lethal chaos' in the NHS, while Sunak says Starmer is in the pocket of the unions.  Plus columnists Alice Thomson and Robert Crampton on the dangers of bringing cake to the office, misogyny in the Metropolitan Police and beyond, and why it's tou...

Matt takes to the streets to find out about Britain's litter problem. He speaks to a listener who's found everything from sex toys to a sawn-off shotgun, a plogger - a jogger who picks up litter - and the leader of The Rubbish Party. Plus Finkelvitch: Columnists David Aaronovitch and Daniel Finkelstein contemplate our changing attitude to the police, whether Rishi Sunak's latest climbdown is...

The Conservative Democratic Organisation is a new group calling for Tory party members to have a greater say in how the party is run, and who it elects as leader. Matt speaks to one of its key players, Lord Greenhalgh, who says Boris Johnson is "electoral gold dust" and will be back in Number 10 by the end of the year. Former MP Matthew Parris says the plan risks blowing up the party altogether. R...

Matt talks to Gary Lineker about exclusive polling for Times Radio showing which job the public thinks is harder - being prime minister, or being a professional footballer. He also explains why he thinks politicians should be paid more, before Emmerdale actor turned farmer Kelvin Fletcher and TV chef Clodagh McKenna make the case for their professions. Plus columnists Matthew Syed and Katy Ba...

Talk about making a drama out of a political crisis. If there's one man who's turned the defining moments of our age into hits on stage and screen, it's James Graham. The writer behind This House, Brexit: The Uncivil War, Quiz and Best of Enemies talks to Matt about using drama to create a public square for opposing political views, and why he won't be writing an epic operetta about Liz Truss. Plu...