The Political Press Box

The Chancellor will be unveiling what’s inside her Red Box on Wednesday the 26th of November.  But before that major announcement in the House of Commons, Rachel Reeves has already attempted to give us, and Mr Market, a sense of what is to come.  In a preview of her actual Budget speech, the top Labour minister has hinted at tax increases. This would, of course, break her party’s General Election...

On this episode, we find out what voters are really thinking and why the UK’s politicians are so unpopular. I’m joined by Holly Day of Ipsos MORI , the polling agency best known for its monthly concerns index. We discuss how education has replaced social class as an identifier of voting behaviour, Holly explains how Sir Keir Starmer has gone from plus 34 to minus 34 points in the polls and how the...

On this episode I’m joined by an old friend, Graham Lanktree of Politico, to talk about the new global trade war. Originally from Canada, Graham explains what the journalism scene in Montreal and Ottawa used to be like, his move to London and how he first started to cover the Trump administration back in 2016. Nowadays, Graham is considered to be one of the leading trade correspondents operating i...

On this episode, I speak to Alan Cleaver, a retired journalist turned author who lives next to one of England’s most beautiful spots, The Lake District.  Alan’s latest project charts the rise and fall of the rural postman and the shortcuts they made across the British countryside as they delivered the post in all weathers. These so-called Postal Paths were the work of Royal Mail workers from the V...

On this episode of the Political Press Box, I speak to Bron Maher , a senior reporter at The Press Gazette. The outlet has published its annual Substack rich list, unveiling the highest earners in the industry, including the likes of Heather Cox Richardson, Nate Silver and Mehdi Hasan. It sounds like a European list could be coming soon. We also talk about the state of the media industry heading i...

After a long holiday on the other side of the world, I’m back in action for 2025 and will be keeping up my quest to interview some of the most impactful, insightful and imaginative communicators in and around the world of politics.  On that note and on this episode I speak to James Millar , the Godfather of Scottish Political Podcasting.  I met James, a former columnist for the The Press & Jou...

On this episode of The Political Press Box I speak to Tim Ross , co-author of Landslide :The Inside Story of the 2024 Election (Biteback Publishing). Alongside his fellow co-author Rachel Wearmouth , Tim has provided the first full journalistic account of why Labour won the last general election in the UK and, perhaps more importantly, why the Conservatives lost the vote.  I talked to Tim, who edi...

On this episode of The Political Press Box I speak to Gawain Towler , a veteran press officer for the Eurosceptic cause, working first in and around the EU Parliament as a journalist and then joining UKIP. Gawain went on to spin for the Brexit Party and then its successor party, Reform, at the last general election. Gawain is now turning his hand to political commentary. We discussed how he dealt...

On this episode of the Political Press Box, I speak to Nick Hilton, a former podcast producer for The New Statesman and The Spectator, who launched his own podcast company, Podot , more than six years ago. Nick is also a TV critic for The Independent and he has own Substack, Future Proof . But the reason why I spoke to Nick this time around is regarding the power of podcasting, with both the Trump...

On this episode of The Political Press Box I speak to Tony Diver , US Editor of The Telegraph. We discuss the outlet's expansion into America , how he is covering the Trump and Harris campaigns and why immigration is such an important issue. In addition, Tony discusses the differences between Washington and Westminster as well as how the media ecosystems work. You can subscribe to Tony's...

In this episode of the Political Press Box, I speak to Stella Tsantekidou , a former Labour staffer turned TV pundit. Stella, who appears on TalkTV, Channel 5, GB News and a range of other current affairs shows, is the first TV commentator I’ve had on the show. We get straight into the conversation about what life is like touring the studios and what’s next in her career. You can read Stella’s Sub...

On this episode of The Political Press Box, I speak to James Heale , Political Correspondent at The Spectator. The interview was recorded just days before The Spectator was snapped up by hedge fund tycoon and GB News investor Sir Paul Marshall for a reported £100m. Andrew Neil, the Chairman of the publication, subsequently stood down from the outlet.  James, meanwhile, remains in post and is plann...

In this episode I speak to Adam Payne , the Editor of PoliticsHome . We talk about Adam’s career in journalism so far, including his time at Business Insider, how PoliticsHome covered the UK general election campaign and why he’s still getting his head around the new Parliament and the fact that Sir Keir Starmer's Labour Party has a so-called ‘super-majority’ in the House of Commons. We also...

On this episode of The Political Press Box, I speak to Nick Tyrone , a serial think-tanker, author and Substacker, about his ‘This Week in Brexitland’ newsletter, the state of ‘X’ and where he thinks the Labour and Conservative parties are heading next. A prominent pro-EU campaigner, Nick has written for The Spectator, The Express, The New Statesman and The Independent. He has most recently teamed...

A leading issue which continues to be of great interest to journalists, and voters, is immigration. It's a top non-economic concern in the UK, the US and Europe, where the far-right is making serious electoral gains, most notably in Germany.  To discuss this very topic I spoke to Hein de Haas , a Professor of Sociology at the University of Amsterdam. Hein also previously worked at the Interna...

In this episode of The Political Press Box, I speak to Henry Hill , who at the time of recording was Conservative Home’s Acting Editor. Owned by the Total Politics Group, the outlet is known in journalistic circles for its Conservative member surveys and general coverage of the party.  We discuss Henry’s analysis of the general election campaign, including the rise of Reform, and how the Tory Part...

Gabe Fleisher is editor and founder of Wake Up To Politics , a daily newsletter focused on American politics he founded in 2011. On this episode of The Political Press Box, we discuss the very recent and dramatic developments in US politics, including Joe Biden stepped aside as the Democrats' Presidential candidate, and how Gabe made it so big, so young as well as his plans for the future. Pr...

In this episode of the Political Press Box, I speak to Morten Morland . Even if you don’t know Morten, you’ve probably seen his art -- in The Spectator, The Times and elsewhere. His distinctive style has seen him crowned as one of the best political cartoonists operating in the UK today.  But before we get into the interview, I should also note that for almost a decade The Economist and the FT hav...

On this episode of the Political Press Box, I speak to Seb Whale , formerly of Politics Home, The House Magazine and Politico. Seb is a freelance political reporter, but he has also successfully transitioned to writing non-fiction books. His first title was a biography of John Bercow, the former Speaker of the House of Commons. Seb's next book with Biteback Publishing will focus on party Whip...

On this episode of The Political Press Box, I speak to Lucy Fisher , the Whitehall editor of the FT. Formerly of The Daily Telegraph and The Times, Lucy is also the host of the FT's Political Fix podcast and is a familiar face on British current affair shows. We caught up in the middle of the 2024 General Election campaign to discuss how the FT is approaching this reporting challenge and how...

On this episode of The Political Press Box, I speak to Ed West, one of the most prominent conservative writers in Britain. We discuss how Ed started his journalistic career writing for 'lads mags' and how he transitioned from the mainstream media to Substack, where he has tens of thousands of subscribers. You can read Ed's Substack, The Wrong Side of History, here . And you can foll...

In this episode of The Political Press Box, I speak to George Eaton , Senior Editor (Politics) at The New Statesman. George, a long-time Labour watcher, has recently re-joined the Lobby and has written extensively on Sir Keir Starmer and his leadership. We discuss George's plans for the general election, how Starmer compares to Jeremy Corbyn and how The New Statesman has evolved over the year...

In this episode of The Political Press Box, I speak to Robert Colville , Director of the Centre for Policy Studies . The think-tank was set-up by Keith Joseph, Alfred Sherman and Margaret Thatcher in 1974 to champion economic liberalism. It continues to be one of the UK’s most influential policy shops.  I spoke to Robert about his journalism career at The Telegraph and BuzzFeed, how think-tanks in...

In this episode I speak to Catherine Neilan . She is the Political Editor of Tortoise Media . The outlet was founded in 2019 with the aim of promoting ‘slow news’, hence the name.  Amongst other innovations, Tortoise hosts editorial-style meetings with its members, opening up journalism in the process.  I spoke to Cat about her transition from business journalism to politics, the state of the Lobb...

In this episode of The Political Press Box I speak with Bailey Nash-Gardner. He’s the young man behind Politics UK, one of the most popular British political news aggregators.  In many ways, Politics UK has taken on the baton from Politics From All, which was eventually shut down by Twitter before Elon Musk acquired the business.  I spoke to Bailey about the future of Politics UK, which now has 15...