The Politics Show

Earlier this month, a meningitis outbreak in Canterbury, Kent, led to the tragic death of two young people. So far there have been 29 confirmed or suspected cases in total. It’s thought that a “super-spreader” event at a nightclub is the source of the outbreak. Since then, there has been a mass rollout of vaccines for Meningitis B and preventative antibiotics. Thousands of students and contacts ha...

Anoosh and Will are back with this week's round up of the politics stories you might have missed. This week: Housing Secretary Steve Reed has the perfect opportunity to "build, baby, build" Misinformation powerhouse InfoWars is officially over - just like the Metaverse Pete Hegseth seems to encourage the US army to commit war crimes Rachel Reeves takes a gamble on building "an army of Burnhams" RE...

Angela Rayner has called Shabana Mahmood’s immigration plans un-British. Is this the beginning of the dilution of these reforms and even of a leadership campaign? Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Ailbhe Rea to discuss. 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 ✍️ Enj...

Keir Starmer’s cost of living crisis At the beginning of this year, Keir Starmer vowed to bring down the cost of living.  But as other PMs learned before him, this is often out of the government’s control. The Iran war is threatening to ruin his strategy and Starmer now finds himself in a bind. Anoosh Chakelian is joined by political editor, Ailbhe Rea. READ: https://www.newstatesman.com/poli...

Yesterday, Keir Starmer met Volodymyr Zelensky to sign a new defense partnership. The Ukrainian President said he faced a missile shortage due to the war in Iran and Keir Starmer resolved to remain focused on the fight against Russia.  But is the war in Eastern Europe only the first act of a much wider conflict? Oli Dugmore is joined by Will Lloyd, who visited Ukraine last month.  Read:...

The Treasury Select Committee has announced an inquiry into Student Loans. It comes after Rachel Reeves announced a freeze on repayment thresholds meaning more graduates will start repaying once they earn just over the living wage. It's an issue that doesn't just affect today's students and graduates but is increasingly becoming a political issue the government cannot ignore. Tom McTague is joined...

Oil prices have spiked following the outbreak of war in Iran, with crude oil jumping to over £75 a barrel. This is having a huge impact around the world, and is set to get worse. Megan Gibson is joined by Rory Johnston, oil market researcher and author of the Commodity Context newsletter, who argues that this scenario could lead to a global depression. LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman...

After a massive 17 years reporting on politics for the New Statesman, George Eaton joins Anoosh Chakelian the podcast for a farewell episode. Anoosh and George discuss his highlights from covering the past 17 years in British politics, from the post-crash austerity years, through Labour civil war and ultimately Keir Starmer's Labour election victory in 2024. They reflect on the lessons learned, wh...

Hereditary peers scrapped, tech overlord villainy, Tory hypocrisy and camel pageant botox cheating. It’s another weekly round up from Anoosh Chakelian and Will Dunn. 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 via email every Saturda...

Keir Starmer apologised for appointing Peter Mandelson as US ambassador. Is it enough? After a vote by MPs forced its hand, the government has released the first batch of files relating to Mandelson’s appointment. They revealed that the Prime Minister was told the Labour peer posed a “reputational risk” because of his relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and that his natio...

Is the UK going through the “fourth great disruption” to its geopolitical position? In this unprecedented moment, we take a look at how history can shed light on the current conflict, and which politician is best placed to handle the crisis.  Editor-in-chief Tom McTague is joined by John Bew, professor of history at King’s College London and former foreign policy adviser to four differen...

Were the strikes on Iran illegal? What's next for the controversial courts bill? Are Labour leaders aware of the existential crisis within their party? On this week's episode of The Exchange, we speak with Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Justice, David Lammy. To listen more episodes of The Exchange find us on Spotify , Apple , and YouTube . LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Stat...

Trump is bombing Iran. Oil prices are volatile. Is the world heading for recession? Oil prices peaked after the US and Israel started their war on Iran. Around a fifth of the world's oil supply relies on one tiny shipping lane in the Middle East called the Strait of Hormuz, and shipping firms are refusing to use it for fear of attack. Meanwhile, Britain remains in the grip of inflated prices and s...

Angry about the lack of support for his war in Iran, Donald Trump stated that he didn’t need any help from the UK, despite using British airbases for strikes. In an angry social media rant, he also called Keir Starmer a “loser” and “no Winston Churchill”. Just a day later, the two leaders had a call to discuss military cooperation. Can relations be repaired? And is Westminster telling us the whole...

Despite Dubai’s proximity to Iran, is it safer than Sadiq Khan’s London? Do young people have a different perspective on class? And could the corgi be banned? Will and Anoosh round up their picks of news stories from the week. 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 mor...

On Tuesday 10 March, MPs will debate the Courts and Tribunals Bill, in what could be the biggest shakeup of the justice system since the 1970s. To tackle the Crown Court backlog of over 80,000 cases, the government has put forward proposals to radically reform which cases are heard where, including restricting the right to a trial by jury in all but the most serious cases. Sarah Sackman, Minister...

Labour is losing the voters it used to count on, a new study reveals. In the aftermath of the Green Party’s triumph in the Gorton and Denton by-election, and with local elections in London councils and other major cities coming up, Labour is losing the left progressive voters it could once rely on having “nowhere else to go”. Now, the biggest study ever of these voters – shared exclusively with th...

Yesterday, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered her spring statement - an economic update - to the commons. With the news completely dominated by conflict in the Middle East, you would be forgiven for not noticing. In fact, many have deduced that this was exactly what the government were hoping for. Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Will Dunn to discuss. LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman...

Yesterday afternoon in the Commons, Keir Starmer took a stance against Trump's attacks on Iran. The US President has expressed his dissatisfaction with the Prime Minister. Is a rift developing? Should the UK be pivoting away from the US and towards Europe? And should talk of the "special relationship" be banned from the government's parlance? Oli Dugmore is joined by journalist, author, and ex-For...

While the US bombs Iran, the Kremlin will see immediate advantages for Russia. Vladimir Putin expressed “deep condolences” to the people of Iran over the killing of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by US and Israeli forces. The Russian president – currently leading his own brutal and illegal war in Ukraine – condemned what he called Khamenei’s “assassination” as a “cynical violation of a...

Fiona Hill, former presidential advisor, joins Megan Gibson. 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 via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To mark Rare Disease Day, this special Spotlight episode explores why  rare diseases - affecting an estimated one in 17 people in the UK – still face years of diagnostic delays and limited treatment options. Host Sarah Dawood speaks to CEO of LifeArc Dr Sam Barrell and Terry Pirovalakis, whose son Michael has been diagnosed with the rare neurological disorder SPG50.  Their discussio...

Martin Lewis ambushed Kemi Badenoch, Your Party think bureaucracy will stop nuclear war, and the Sea Bass handling committee have released exciting new guidance. Anoosh Chakelian and Will Dunn round up the week's political news you might have missed. READ: Abandon all hope at the Your Party hustings LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN: ❓ Ask a question –...

Does the Greens' decisive victory in Gorton & Denton spell the end of Keir Starmer's Labour? After the worst possible outcome for Labour in the Gorton & Denton by-election, Ailbhe Rea joins Tom McTague on Daily Politics from the New Statesman. They discuss what this means for Keir Starmer, for the Labour party - and for the future of politics in Britain. READ: Inside the Greens' seismic Go...

Hannah Spencer, a plumber and Green Party councillor, is now the MP for Gorton and Denton. The party takes the seat from right under Labour, following weeks of what was seen to be a three way race with Reform. Megan Kenyon is joined by Ben Walker. 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...