The Politics Show

How did one detective take on an international network of romance fraudsters?  This episode was written Stuart McGurk and read by Will Dunn. The commissioning editor was Melissa Denes. LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN: ❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday ⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning ✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing...

Our polling expert answers listener questions. Many of you have written in with questions for Ben Walker, the New Statesman's polling data analyst. In this episode Anoosh asks Ben your questions: What impact will tactical voting have on the next election? How will constituency boundary changes impact the main parties? Why are voters less "brand loyal" than in the past? Will 2024 see more green MPs...

Will Liz Truss’s “PopCon” undermine Rishi Sunak? On Tuesday Tory right-wingers gathered in Westminster for the launch of “Popular Conservatism”, a new political group spearheaded by Liz Truss, who was joined by the likes of Jacob Rees-Mogg, Lee Anderson and Mark Littlewood, formerly of the IEA. Rachel Cunliffe and Freddie Hayward attended the launch and join Anoosh Chakelian on the podcast to disc...

The 2010s were a decade that many hoped would usher in a new era of leftist revolutions. Yet, as we look back, the question looms large: What went wrong? In this episode of the podcast Alona Ferber, senior editor, is joined by William Davies, writer and Professor in Political Economy at Goldsmiths, University of London, to look back at the 2010s, the figures, events, and politics that defined...

This week's disposable vape ban follows a generational ban on smoking and an XL Bully ban. Is this Rishi Sunak's legacy?  The Conservatives are typically against a "nanny state" but low-cost, high-impact interferences into personal choice seem to be Rishi Sunak's bread and butter.  Anoosh Chakelian, Freddie Hayward and Rachel Cunliffe discuss the decision-making behind the bans and impac...

As the UK government and the DUP appear likely to break their Brexit impasse with a new deal, a listener asks what Labour would do differently in Northern Ireland. For two years, the DUP has been boycotting power sharing in Stormont in opposition to post-Brexit trade rules. Now the UK government has published a deal which would reduce checks and paperwork on goods travelling between Great Britain...

New technology means cancer diagnosis is better than ever. Advances in genomic testing and other new technologies mean we are spotting cancer earlier, and getting better at identifying the best treatment for patients. But a greater understanding of the disease – or group of diseases – means a requirement for more tailored treatment plans to improve patient outcomes. This involves challenges for th...

We’ve seen the fastest turnover of prime ministers in our history, and more MPs have been suspended from the house or stood down from their seats than ever before in recent years. Politicians breaking the rules and expecting to get away with it is one of the biggest issues in our parliament today - which seems to be unable to escape the mire of sleaze, cronyism and dishonesty. This conversation wa...

Earlier this week former minister Simon Clarke wrote in the Telegraph, the Conservative party faces an electoral "massacre" under Rishi Sunak's leadership and warned “extinction is a very real possibility for our party”. “He does not get what Britain needs. And he is not listening to what the British people want.” and “Instead of conviction, we have convention.” A listener writes in to ask: w...

Anoosh reports on the Port Talbot steelworkers job losses, and how they will impact Labour's green agenda. 2,800 industrial jobs will be lost in Port Talbot steelworks if planned "green" updates go ahead. Anoosh Chakelian visited the Tata Steel plant to meet the workers who will lose their jobs, and joins Freddie Hayward to report what she found. They discuss the impact of the green transition on...

The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas has now passed the 100 day mark. On the 14 January Alona Ferber attended the Jewish Labour Movement conference, which happened to take place on the 100th day of the war. In this podcast she speaks with Susan Neiman, the American moral philosopher, about the splits this war has caused on the left and tensions she sees between tribalist currents on the left a...

"How powerful are select committees in holding government and other bodies to account? Highly important topic at the moment, given Lord Cameron cannot be held to account in the House of Commons?" a listener writes in. But while the foreign secretary wouldn't usually be seen in the House of Commons, he may be forced to answer questions there soon using an arcane mechanism that hasn't been used sinc...

We’re discussing the Rwanda bill, yet again. On Tuesday there was a rebellion from the right of the Conservative party who attempted to put down amendments on the bill to try and ensure neither UK nor international law can be used to stop a person being deported to Rwanda, and to make it more difficult for people to appeal against their deportation. The bill still managed to pass through the...

The UK is one of the world’s most nature-depleted countries. According to a recent study, the annual  State of Nature report , nearly one in six of more than ten thousand species assessed – that's 16 per cent – could be lost. Many key habitats for our nature are at risk, and this is a problem both for biodiversity but also for our ability to cope with the climate crisis. How ca...

The Labour Party has a talent for losing elections. Over the last century, it has held office for just 33 years and has produced just six prime ministers. The Conservatives, by comparison, have held office for 67 years and produced 14 prime ministers. It is the burden of history that explains Labour’s caution at the outset of this election year. Senior editor George Eaton joins associate...

"I felt sure that millennials would never forgive the Lib Dems, but it seems like young people who are leaving London are voting Lib Dem in Tory strongholds. So have millennials forgiven the Lib Dems?" one listener asks. The team discusses how voter priorities change with age, and how this might be advantageous for the Lib Dems. Another listener writes in to ask whether the actions of the Isr...

Between 2009 and 2015 more than 700 people who ran Post Offices, also known as sub-postmasters, were wrongly accused of embezzling money and subsequently prosecuted. The fault was actually that of a dodgy computer accounting system. In addition to having to pay back the money from their own pockets, the strain, stress and stigma of this wrongful conviction destroyed the livelihoods of many of the...

In 2024 countries with more than 4 billion people will be sending their citizens to the polls. The US, Russia, and India to name a few; this is set to be the biggest election year in history. In this episode of the podcast Anoosh Chakelian is joined by the New Stateman's foreign correspondent Bruno Maçães and senior data journalist Ben Walker to review some of the major political forces at play ar...

"How likely would it be for parliament to introduce a Proportional Representation system similar to the rest of Europe? Would this even be feasible given both main parties benefit from a First Past The Post system?", one listener asks. And after the team tackles the questions of constitutional reform they answer listener Paul's question about Rishi Sunaks recently revealed consultations with Domin...

Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Dr Emma Runswick, junior doctor in the North West and the current Deputy Chair of the BMA Council. They discuss what's driven junior doctors to the current 6 day walk out, on top of an accrued 28 days of stoppages over the past year. Will the BMA settle for anything less than a 35% pay rise? Has the new health secretary Victoria Atkins made any changes? And is this in...

2024 is set to be the biggest election year in history and countries with more than 4 billion people will be sending their citizens to the polls. And whether or not the UK government decides to hold a general election before January 2025, it will still be an incredibly decisive electoral year for the country. Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Rachel Cunliffe, associate political editor, and Ben Walker...

In this conversation our political editor Andrew Marr sits down with Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, to discuss why 2024 could be a bigger moment for Labour than 1997. This recording is from from our Path to Power conference which delved inside the Labour Party machine as it gears up for an election in 2024. Download the app: iOS: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/new-statesman-magazine/id6...

In a special festive episode of the podcast, Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Andrew Marr and Freddie Hayward to revisit some of the best, the worst, and weirdest moments from UK politics in 2023. You can watch the video from this episode on our YouTube channel. Download the app: iOS: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/new-statesman-magazine/id610498525 Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?...

This is a live recording from the New Statesman Media Group's Path to Power conference which delved inside the Labour Party machine as it gears up for an election in 2024.   In this session, hosted by Sarah Dawood - senior associate editor at the New Statesman, we look at Labour's mission for the UK to become a clean energy superpower. This panel was supported by Lloyds Banking Group. LISTEN...

Armando and Anoosh delve into the inner workings of British political reporting, exploring the complex world of the Lobby, the blurred relationships that many political journalists and politicians balance - trading access and trust, - and how this landscape has been evolving over the past few years with the rise of digital and alternative media.  To do this they are joined by Ash Sarkar, seni...