The Politics Show

On Monday we published an investigation by business editor Will Dunn into England's water and sewage crisis. Will joins Hannah Barnes, associate editor, and Freddie Hayward, political correspondent, on this episode of You Ask Us to answer some listener questions on the water companies. The team also give their 90:50:10 predictions for this year in British politics. Read: The Great Stink: Britain’s...

After a day of increasing speculation, Rishi Sunak called the next general election which will take place on the 4th of July. Sadly, for him, he was almost drowned by the pouring rain, and drowned out by the pounding of D:Ream's ‘Things Can Only Get Better', the song widely known as Labour's 1997 anthem. To kick of the New Statesman's general election coverage, the team review yesterday's events,...

Fuel poverty is on the rise with millions of households in England having to choose whether to “heat or eat”. Last year, the Government estimated almost 9 million households could be classed as “fuel poor”. This means that, after housing costs, more than 10 per cent of their household income would be spent on heating. Covid supply disruptions and the war in Ukraine have contributed to the problem...

The sea is no longer safe to swim in, tomatoes are growing on beaches from seeds in undigested human faeces, and rivers are awash with pig’s blood. When did everything start to go wrong, and who bears the brunt of this grotesque responsibility?  The Great Stink by Will Dunn is this week’s cover story and you can find it here LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE FROM THE NEW...

It's a defection listener questions special. We’ve had lots of questions come in this week about defection, prompted by the surprise and somewhat contentious defection of the once Conservative MP for Dover and Deal, Natalie Elphicke, to Labour last week. To help guide us through Hannah Barnes, associate editor, is joined in the studio by Rachel Cunliffe, associate political editor at the New State...

This morning Keir Starmer has laid out six key pledges for a Labour government, should they win power this election year. So what is the Labour leader promising, and will those promises be kept? Hannah Barnes, associate editor, is joined on the New Statesman podcast by Freddie Hayward, political correspondent, and George Eaton, senior editor. LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE...

Just over a month ago Dr Hilary Cass published her landmark review of gender identity services for children and young people. In her last UK media interview before her team wrap up, she spoke to the New Statesman about the four years it took to compile and complete the review, as well as the reflections she’s had since it was published and criticisms that have been leveled against both her finding...

Are any Tories desperate enough to take over as Prime Minister? In our listener questions episode, You Ask Us, Rachel Cunliffe, George Eaton and Freddie Hayward answer your questions on whether any Conservative MPs would really want to take over as PM before the next election, and how on earth they will explain Britain's failing economy during the election campaign. To submit a question, visit www...

The longer the Conservatives hang on, the worse it gets. Last week Rishi Sunak lost 474 councillors, the constituency of Blackpool south, and Andy Street’s West Midlands mayoral. And yesterday things went from bad to worse for Sunak with a surprise defection to Labour from Natalie Elphicke MP for Dover and Deal. The Conservatives can’t seem to escape this endless decline in support and popularity....

The UK is on course for a huge rise in preventable illness. The Health Foundation charity predicts that by 2040, one in five adults will be living with a serious condition, such as cancer, dementia or heart disease. Meanwhile, economic activity is stagnating, with roughly 2.8 million people currently out of work due to ill health, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statis...

Keir Starmer is the man poised to be the next leader of the UK. But he is also a man of whom many - including those in his own party - have asked: what does he stand for?  Four years after Starmer became leader of the Labour party we know a little more about him. We’ve heard about his childhood, the pebble-dashed semi and his time at the Crown Prosecution Service. But what are the principles...

It has been a terrible night for the Conservatives who have lost councillors, constituencies, and new Mayoral positions to Labour. Keir Starmer has called this result a sign to move on and for Rishi Sunak to call a general election. So far the Tories have held onto the Tees Valley mayoral position but Labour have won in Rishi Sunak's backyard. So as the rest of the results continue to trickle in,...

One week ago, Humza Yousaf, first minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party, terminated the power-sharing deal with the Scottish Greens. There had been mounting pressure on both Yousaf’s leadership and ending the coalition, but the eventual timing of the termination caused the now former leader to appear panicked and triggered a Scottish government crisis. On Monday, just afte...

In 2022, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees announced that for the first time since records had begun, 100 million people were displaced by war, violence, persecution and human rights abuses. No one wants to leave their home, but for many, the threat of death, danger and destruction leaves them with very little choice. But where can they go? And where will they be met with humanity?...

A listener writes in to ask, "Is there any risk of a Conservative - Reform coalition?" "Why do journalists not ask “how are you going to pay for it” when it comes to defence spending? Why is Keir Starmer's defence spending target covered so differently to planned green spending?" - another listener asks. Hannah Barnes, associate editor, is joined by Rachel Cunliffe, associate political editor, and...

Train travel in the UK has become an increasingly painful experience in the past few years. Prices continue to rise at an astonishing rate, meanwhile delays, cancellations and strikes have become the norm. Many have simply given up on this mode of transport. Last night, Labour announced their plan to get Britain’s railways back on track. But what does this mean? And could bringing trains back into...

MPs have voted to back Rishi Sunak's progressive smoking ban. Can it work? The Tobacco & Vapes Bill includes new legislation to increase the smoking age by one year, every year, banning the sale of cigarettes to anyone born after 1st January 2009. MPs have voted the bill through its second reading and it is now in the committee stage. The tobacco firm Philip Morris International have pledged t...

In March, Charles Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer, published his memoir - A Very Private School. This recounted, in devastating detail, the abuse, both mental and physical, that he had been subjected to at his elite prep boarding school. The brutality is laid bare. For centuries in the UK, a private education has been the pathway to opportunity. Today those who attended private schools are five time...

This episode was recorded on the 18th of April, prior to Israel's missile strikes on Iran. Tensions in the Middle East have heightened further after Iran launched a missile attack on Israel last week. This was in response to Israel’s strike on the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria - which killed 16 people. Western leaders came to Israel’s defence and condemned Iran’s attack, but prior to this Dav...

This week Liz Truss has embarked on the press tour of a lifetime with her new book, Ten Years to Save the West: Lessons from the only conservative in the room. She's been casting blame from the UN to the Bank of England for the failure of her time in office, but does she really believe what she's saying? And how might this affect her standing in the next general election? Anoosh and Rachel also as...

People up and down the country have been struggling to get NHS dental appointments for the past few years, forcing some to pay inflated prices for private treatment, or ignore their oral health until it’s reached an unbearable point. This crisis is also greatly impacting children across the nation, and today the number one reason children are admitted to hospital is due to severe dental issues. So...

Angela Rayner, the Labour deputy leader, is being accused of being a ‘tax avoider’. While these attacks are coming predominantly from the right, they’ve been mounting in recent weeks and now Labour is having to confront the allegations. So what could this mean for the deputy leader? Is Labour in trouble? Or is this a Tory smear campaign? Anoosh Chakelian, Britain editor at the New Statesman, is jo...

We’ve been digging around in our virtual mailbag and have brought a couple of your questions  to discuss.  One listener asks: What are the political implications of the Cass report and will it affect how British politicians approach the transgender conversation? And another listener writes in to ask: Could a Starmer win in the UK and a Trump win in the US spell the end for the ‘special relati...

The British royal family was in crisis even before Queen Elizabeth II died, and the new King and princess of wales both became ill with cancer. In this modern age where access increasingly equates to relevance, and truth and conspiracy so often intertwine, how is Britain’s relationship with monarchy changing? Chris Stone is joined on the New Statesman podcast by author Tanya Gold who has written t...

It's listener questions time! Anoosh Chakelian and Rachel Cunliffe answer a listener who asks why senior politicians flock to address culture wars issues "which are frankly below their station", and another who wants to know if MPs who are also landlords should recuse themselves from voting on laws affecting renters. Submit a question for us to answer on a future episode: www.newstatesman.com/youa...