The New Statesman Podcast, Subscriber Only Edition

The spectre of the Makerfield by-election on June 18th is hanging over British politics.   If Andy Burnham wins, he's in prime position to challenge Keir Starmer's leadership. However, a Burnham victory in Makerfield is all but certain. Reform and their candidate Robert Kenyon are mounting a serious challenge.   Tom McTague is joined by polling expert Scarlett Maguire and our political editor Ailb...

Are AI companies the new empires? Journalist Karen Hao says the parallels are striking. This disruptive sector  requires vast amounts of land, minerals and water – not to mention data and content from individuals.  Hao interviews subjects ranging from those close to Open AI CEO Sam Altman to workers in the Global South who've been traumatised by their jobs in AI content moderation. She joins Oli D...

What is the relationship between politics and the built environment? between the spaces inhabited by the public and the policies that govern them?    From parliaments to monuments… from open squares to closed off palaces… there clearly is a connection, but how that manifests itself remains deeply contested.    Tanjil Rashid is joined by Jan Werner-Muller, a German philosopher and historian, whose...

This week there's only one subject to discuss – and that's Tony Blair – who has written a blistering 5,000 word essay criticising everyone from Keir Starmer to Andy Burnham, Ed Miliband and Wes Streeting. Tom McTague is joined by political editor Ailbhe Rea to discuss this "right wing" intervention.

Guy Standing is a British labour economist best known for coining the term "precariat" to describe the growing global class of people living with unstable employment, mounting debt, and chronic insecurity.   Standing's latest book, Human Capital , explores how the education system has been corrupted and privatised.   He joins Oli Dugmore to discuss this, as well as how his concept of the "precaria...

Nigel Farage's £5 million "reward" from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, the NHS "I feel lucky" syndrome and the Reform councillor who wants us to crack down on extra terrestrial activity.  Will Dunn and Anoosh Chakelian round up the stories of the week.  

Political instability, democratic decline, the rise of populist movements - politicians and headlines today are quick to diagnose things as modern day Weimar. But what was Weimar actually like, and how did a city associated with culture and intellectual life become bound up with the rise of Nazism?   Historian Katja Hoyer joins us to discuss her new book on Weimar, the process of fascism taking ho...

The spotlight of British politics is shining on Andy Burnham - and his "long coup" is underway.   Meanwhile, Keir Starmer himself has to find a way to resume some semblance of government as usual.   Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Ailbhe Rea and Tom McTague to discuss.

Charleston Festival is running until May 25. Find out more here .   Ten years on from the referendum that redirected the course of British politics, the New Statesman's editor Tom McTague is joined by Caroline Lucas, Anand Menon and Marina Wheeler to consider how we should think about our relationship with Europe.  

Andy Burnham is running in a by-election in Makerfield, which is likely to be held on 18 June, to return to Parliament as an MP. If he wins, he will be the frontrunner in a contest to replace Keir Starmer as Prime Minister.   Burnham's personal brand of politics is often referred to as "Manchesterism". So, what is it?   Anoosh Chakelian is joined by The New Statesman's editor-in-chief Tom McTague,...

Keir Starmer's never ending cycle of political chaos, Reform's suspended local councillors and Anoosh's heckle of Boris Johnson. Will Dunn and Anoosh Chakelian round up the stories of the week. Read: https://www.newstatesman.com/comment/2026/05/will-progressives-ever-forgive-labour https://www.newstatesman.com/business/economics/2026/05/the-bond-markets-will-not-save-keir-starmer

Donald Trump's political style has often been compared to reality TV - but what if the better comparison is professional wrestling?   Satirist Munya Chawawa joins Luke O'Reilly to discuss his new documentary, Wrestling With Trump, which explores the connections between WWE spectacle and modern American politics.   Wrestling with Trump is available to stream now on 4.

Wes Streeting resigned as Health Secretary on Thursday morning, but Ailbhe Rea says Keir Starmer is determined to fight on. After days of speculation – and a 16-minute meeting at Number 10 – Wes Streeting has finally resigned from cabinet. On the same day, Angela Rayner has announced she has been "cleared" of wrongdoing related to unpaid property tax, which would leave her free to run in a leaders...

Eric Schlosser is one of America's foremost investigative journalists, writing about everything from the prison system to nuclear weapons, exploring the hidden systems underpinning modern life.   25 years ago, he set out to investigate the economic model behind one of America's most recognisable industries: a system built on low-paid workers, dangerous conditions and the exploitation of migrant la...

Over 80 MPs are calling for Keir Starmer's resignation, reaching the threshold required for a contender to mount a leadership challenge, with ministers - including Jess Philips - resigning from government too.   After a high stakes meeting this morning, several cabinet members voiced their support for the Prime Minister, as he defiantly vowed to "get on with governing".   Will the Prime Minister s...

Keir Starmer has pledged to "prove the doubters wrong" as he tries to head off a leadership challenge after the disastrous local election results last week.   Fighting for his political life, the PM announced plans for stronger ties with the EU, powers to nationalise British steel and a scheme to help young people find work. But will it be enough?   Many of his own party don't seem to think so, wi...

Spies - and stories about spies - are one of Britain's greatest cultural exports. From Ian Fleming's James Bond, to the works of John le Carré and Graham Greene, it seems that in the world's eyes there is something quintessentially English about the double agent and his, or her, deadly deceptions.  Novelist and screenwriter William Boyd shares this fascination. He first explored the theme of espio...

Results from the local and devolved are coming in. It has been, as many expected, a disappointing result for the Labour Party. Meanwhile, the insurgent parties, the Green Party to an extent, but especially Reform, have delivered on their promise of snowballing momentum. Anoosh Chakelian is joined by senior data journalist Ben Walker, political editor Ailbhe Rea and editor-in-chief Tom McTague. REA...

The UK is gearing up for local and devolved elections on Thursday.   As Keir Starmer looks increasingly isolated as Prime Minister, much is being made of a potentially disastrous few days for the Labour Party. If results go as badly for Labour as some are predicting, this could be the end for the PM.   Meanwhile, the insurgent Reform and Green parties are looking to continue their surging momentum...

Rather than a relic of the past, Mary Beard sees the classical world as a powerful tool for understanding the present. It's an idea she has explored in over twenty books on ancient history and numerous documentaries on the BBC and elsewhere, all of which have made her Britain's best known classicist. She joins culture editor Tanjil Rashid in the studio.

Crowds of young people chant his name but the Green leader is "nervous", says Ailbhe Rea. -- A year ago, Zack Polanksi was relatively unknown. Now, he's leading an "eco-populist" movement that has revitalised the Green Party and looks likely to propel a left-wing surge in the May local elections. Ailbhe Rea profiled the Green leader for the New Statesman, meeting him shortly after he'd been addres...

Parliament boozers, Morgan McSweeney vs Emily Thornberry, and King Charles' stand-up routine.   Will and Anoosh discuss another big week.

For decades, James Baldwin has stood as one of the most piercing moral voices of the 20th century, But Baldwin himself has remained, in his own words, elusive.   A new biography by Nicholas Boggs - Baldwin: A Love Story - sets out to change that.   Drawing on newly uncovered archives and decades of research, Boggs reframes Baldwin's life through an intimate and sometimes unsettling lens: love.   L...

"It makes me furious," says New Statesman editor Tom McTague. An attack in Golders Green, London, yet again exposes the rise of antisemitism in Britain. Anoosh Chakelian has been reporting from the borough, where local Jews fear for their safety, volunteer security guards patrol the streets and Jewish children have to pass through heavy security cordons to get to school. She tells editor Tom McTag...

In 2011, Ben Lerner stormed onto the scene with his debut novel, Leaving the Atocha Station, a winning blend of low comedy and high art. He has since firmly established himself as one of America's most acclaimed novelists and is a leading voice in so-called autofiction. Now he returns with his fourth novel, and it may be his most profound yet.    In  Transcription , Lerner turns his mind to the na...