The Politics Show

Where does the concept of IQ fetishism originate? And why has it resurfaced in contemporary discussions, particularly within the tech-right movement? Join historian Quinn Slobodian as he discusses how IQ-based hierarchies have influenced societal perceptions and policies and the potential societal consequences and divisions resulting from the prevalence of such thinking. The host for this episode...

At the time of writing, the crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried is due to stand trial on 3 October 2023. He stands accused of fraud and money-laundering on an epic scale through his currency exchange FTX. Did he gamble with other people’s money in a bid to do the maximum good?   In this week’s long read, the  New Statesman ’s associate editor Sophie McBain examines the relationship betw...

With both the UK and US elections coming into view, the team consider what's happening with Labour's foreign policy agenda and how the relationship between a Labour government and a Trump government could play out. And another question from a listener casts a look back to the appointment of Jeremy Hunt as Chancellor. Had Sunak not been required to keep Hunt in place in the aftermath of Truss, who...

This Wednesday Rishi Sunak gave a speech rolling back on the government’s Net Zero pledges, pushing back the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 to 2035, scrapping plans to force landlords to upgrade the energy efficiency of their homes, watering down the gas boiler phaseout (aiming for 80% rather than 100% by 2035), and ruling out plans for a seemingly unbeknownst meat tax. An...

Liz Truss thought she had two years to save the economy, but her mini-budget caused it all to blow up in less than two months. We're now a year on from her chaotic 49 day premiership, but there are groups of economists and politicians who think her free-market growth strategy was right and it's only a matter of time before it makes a comeback. Read The Trussites are plotting their comeback: https:...

Fifty years after Salvador Allende was ousted, might his greatest legacy be his battle with the emerging tech giants? On 1 August 1973, a seemingly mundane diplomatic summit took place in Lima, Peru. But there was nothing mundane about its revolutionary agenda. The attendees – diplomats from Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru – aspired to create a more just technological world order,...

Since being recently surpassed by India, Britain has the world's sixth largest economy. But, one listener asks, how do we square this position with the reality of our crumbling services? And on the subject of government funding, another listener asks: will Birmingham City Council's financial crisis will make Labour more weary of devolving power to local authorities? Anoosh Chakelian, Rachel Wearmo...

The deputy labour leader and “trade union favourite” delivered a speech full of promises at the TUC. Now she has to deliver. Reaffirming Labour’s commitment to the New Deal for Working people, Rayner shored up support among the unions as Labour approaches the next election.  But, as Rachel Wearmouth tells Anoosh Chakelian and Freddie Hayward, Rayner’s “one of us” status could spell problems f...

The UK is one of the largest producers of household electronic waste in the world. In 2022 we threw away nearly 24 kilos of things like plugs, mobile phones and computer hardware per person.     The volume of e-waste produced world-wide is predicted to increase from more than 61 million metric tons this year to nearly 75 million in 2030 – and the vast majority of this will go into l...

Rishi Sunak earned almost £5m in the past three years, yet this was only taxed at a rate of 22%. Britain's tax system is broken, focusing on income rather than wealth, and it seems like no one plans on doing anything about this. Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has explicitly stated that should Labour come into power, a wealth tax will not be introduced. In this episode, staff writer Harry Lambert...

After the extreme heat of summer 2024, which saw children stretchered out of their exams, Britain’s prime minister calls a press conference in Westminster Hall. He has one eye on life after office (skiing in Aspen, a big gig in Silicon Valley), but before he leaves, he wants to unveil something truly ground-breaking: a large language model that has been trained by the best minds to solve the clima...

We inhabit an economy too small to deliver the social goods British people expect, and now Britain is cracking. From the concrete crises affecting schools across the country, to crumbling policies and leadership on both the right and left, Andrew Marr reflects on the state of the nation and its place in the world. Andrew Marr, political editor of the New Statesman, is joined by Freddie Hayward and...

Angela Rayner up, Lisa Nandy down - what’s motivated the moves in Keir Starmer’s shadow cabinet reshuffle this week and what does this tell us about the direction of the Labour party if they get into power? Freddie Hayward, Zoë Grünewald, and Rachel Cunliffe, answer listener questions. Submit a question for You Ask Us: https://www.newstatesman.com/YouAskUs Download the app: iOS: https://apps.apple...

Can liberalism survive the horrors of our modern world? Will Lloyd is joined by John Gray political philosopher and author of The New Leviathans: Thoughts After Liberalism. They discuss how Thomas Hobbes seminal work Leviathan can be reinterpreted in the 21st century, particularly in the contexts of Russia, China, and the liberal West. Read more of John Gray's work here: https://www.newstatesman.c...

In the summer of 1924, a highly regarded painter falls – or is he pushed? – into the canal while celebrating his exhibition at the Venice Biennale. Two young women are heard running away into the night. In this dazzling new coming-of-age story first published  in the New Statesman’s summer issue , the award-winning novelist Jonathan Coe explores the relationship between artist and muse,...

Rory Stewart, Tony Blair, Alastair Campbell: a listener writes in to ask why centrist politicians align themselves with one party over another? But before the team dissects the evolution of centrist politicians, they turn an imminent matter. Has the recent turmoil and churn, with multiple prime ministers in quick succession, given the UK an appetite for frequent change? And could this truncate a L...

“History will not remember you kindly” Nadine Dorries’ wrote this weekend in her resignation letter to Rishi Sunak. But this is not the only departure which has been looming over the Conservatives for the past few weeks. This morning former defence secretary Ben Wallace handed in his resignation and was swiftly replaced by Grant Shapps, who stepped into his fifth job this year. Rachel Cunliffe, Fr...

For those who leave the ultra-conservative Christian sect, separation comes at great personal cost.   The New Statesman’s assistant editor Pippa Bailey had always been curious about the Plymouth Brethren, ever since discovering that her maternal grandparents had left the group in the 1960s. What might her life have been like if they stayed? Who were the cousins separated by a doctrine of isol...

The Conservatives seem intent on fighting the next election on "culture wars" issues. A listener asks, would a Labour government put an end to all that? Also, how does the government control its media messaging? Is there a shadowy office pulling the strings and controlling what journalists report? We look at the concept of "the grid". Anoosh Chakelian, Rachel Cunliffe and Freddie Hayward answer li...

GCSE and A Level results are out, and the proportion of top grades have dipped since the pandemic years. It's an opportunity for the government and the opposition to talk about their ambitions for education. Are they both failing to do so? Anoosh Chakelian, Rachel Cunliffe and Freddie Hayward discuss the Tory education record, from Michael Gove’s reforming agenda to unprecedented churn at the top...

After spending several days reporting in Pokrovsk, a small city in eastern Ukraine and the recent target of two missile strikes, Katie Stallard describes the devastating impact of Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine’s civilians. “The first strike hit just as people were making dinner, coming home from a long day at work. The first strike hit and the emergency services responded. Then, 37 minutes later...

What if the rush to war in 1914 had been averted? What if the Berlin Crisis of 1961 had led to nuclear war? What if the liberal revolution of 1848 had been successful? A new exhibition in Berlin considers a series of momentous what-ifs, an intriguing addition to the canon of counterfactual history. In this week’s long read, the  New Statesman ’s contributing writer Jeremy Cliffe assesses the...

Various MPs, including Nadine Dorries, have been accused of not doing their jobs. Should there be a standard of work all MPs must meet? Anoosh and Freddie tackle a listener’s question. Also – much has been said about the similarities and differences between Tony Blair and Keir Starmer, but what about John Major and Rishi Sunak? Submit a question: https://www.newstatesman.com/YouAskUs Download the...

Would Labour be radical in office? Freddie Hayward spoke to party insiders to find out – he joins Anoosh Chakelian to talk about how Labour can make meaningful policy changes in an age of cynicism and poor public finances. Read the full article here: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2023/08/labours-caution-could-turn-to-radicalism-in-office Submit a question for You Ask Us: https:...

Two visions for how Britain can increase productivity and boost growth. Freddie Hayward interviews shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson and Conservative MP Bim Afolami on how Labour and the Conservatives propose to boost growth and prepare Britain for the future. This conversation was recorded live at the New Statesman’s Politics Live conference on June 27 2023. Book your tickets for next...