The Politics Show

  After surprising the country by announcing her resignation as First Minister and SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon leaves a vacuum in UK politics. The  New Statesman ’s Scotland editor, Chris Deerin , joins the podcast to discuss what's behind her decision and what it means for the Union, independence and the prospects of Scottish opposition parties.   Then in You Ask Us, we try to work...

Ahead of the publication of his new book,  Life in the Balance: A Doctor’s Stories of Intensive Care , Dr Jim Down speaks to Anoosh Chakelian about the struggles the NHS is facing, why privitisation isn’t the answer, and the toll the job is taking on the mental health of many doctors. Jim’s book is published on 23 February. Subscribe to the Morning Call newsletter LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download...

Rishi Sunak is struggling to restore order over a divided and unruly Conservative party. His latest attempt, this week, takes the form of a cabinet reshuffle and a restructuring of Whitehall that created four new government departments.   Anoosh Chakelian, Rachel Wearmouth and Freddie Hayward break down the main changes and talk about what this disruptive and expensive move tells us about Sun...

Last week the government faced multiple defeats in the House of Lords on its wide-ranging Public Order Bill, which have peers warned would have a chilling effect on the right to protest. As the government continues to try to push its legislation through, Jodie Beck, head of policy and campaigns at the human rights organisation Liberty, talks to Rachel Cunliffe about why this bill is so controversi...

Rishi Sunak is marking 100 days in office just after Britain was hit by the biggest day of industrial action in a decade and the IMF predicted that the UK will be the only major economy to shrink in 2023. With the Tory party engulfed in sleaze and sackings, Sunak is feeling the pressure.   Andrew Marr joins Anoosh Chakelian and Freddie Hayward to discuss whether the Prime Minister is simply t...

After a series of by-election victories, could the Lib Dem election machine be powering the party back to its late 90s levels of popularity? Anoosh Chakelian, Freddie Hayward and Ben Walker look at the party’s recent performance, how it is preparing to fight an upcoming election and why Brexit has changed the kinds of seats it is fighting for.   Listen to our special on the  Green Party...

Rishi Sunak promised to draw a line under the scandalous Boris Johnson era when he became Prime Minister, but Tory sleaze seems here to stay. He is facing serious questions over the integrity of his party after a succession of allegations against senior figures.   Anoosh Chakelian, Freddie Hayward and Will Dunn, the New Statesman’s business editor, try to figure out what's going – from Boris...

With the crisis in the health service growing, the  New Statesman ’s medical editor Phil Whitaker speaks to Rachel Cunliffe about his prescription for fixing it.   They discuss how the system is currently broken, why the Health Secretary Steve Barclay and the shadow health secretary Wes Streeting could benefit from spending time on the front line with GPs, and how to get back to a system...

A special podcast from Spotlight, the New Statesman’s policy supplement - The New Statesman podcast will return tomorrow.   In 2020, the UK announced the end of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030. At the time, Boris Johnson’s government pledged £1.8bn to support greater uptake of zero emission vehicles, including £1.3bn to rollout more chargepoints for electric vehicles nationwide.   Sin...

Rishi Sunak’s government has decided to block legislation to simplify gender recognition passed by the Scottish Parliament using a mechanism that’s being described as the “nuclear option”. The decision has precipitated a constitutional crisis, with Nicola Sturgeon calling the decision a “full-frontal attack” on devolution. Anoosh Chakelian, Freddie Hayward and Rachel Wearmouth discuss how a debate...

Will Dunn, the  New Statesman ’s business editor, is joined by the journalist and former political adviser Duncan Weldon to discuss how Britain is facing a decline like never before.  They talk about the country’s long history of economic woe and what we can learn from it, why we are feeling the current crisis more acutely than our neighbours, and if this calls for big ideas or – as Liz...

After the Prime Minister and the leader of the opposition met across the despatch box for the first time in 2023, Anoosh Chakelian is joined by the  New Statesman 's Political Editor Andrew Marr and Freddie Hayward to analyse whether Rishi Sunak can start turning his polling figures around. They discuss Sunak’s answers about his use of private healthcare and Labour’s potentially costly plans...

In a devolution special for the New Statesman Podcast, we take a look at how the NHS crisis - and other political problems - are playing out in Scotland and Wales. Our Scotland editor, Chris Deerin, returns to the podcast to speak to Anoosh Chakelian about his own experience in a Scottish hospital, and how problems with the service are affecting the SNP.   Then Anoosh is joined by the co-host...

Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer welcomed in 2023 with speeches setting out their priorities for the year and beyond.  Anoosh Chakelian, Freddie Hayward and Rachel Cunliffe discuss Sunak’s five pledges and why he appears more Blue Peter presenter than prime minister. They also analyse Starmer’s embrace of a Brexit slogan with his promise to help voters “take back control” of their communities, wh...

Half of Britain (51 per cent) wants the voting system to change, according to the British Social Attitudes survey, while only 44 per cent want to retain the current system. Most Labour supporters are in favour and this year the Labour Party conference voted for a manifesto commitment to proportional representation for general elections.   Anoosh Chakelian is joined by special guest Jess Garla...

 In a special episode of the  New Statesman Podcast , Harry Lambert joins Anoosh Chakelian to look back at the year in politics. They cast their minds back to the three prime ministers, two monarchs, one controversial beer and korma, and the collapse of more “walls” than you can shake a comedy Lib Dem prop at. You can submit a question for You Ask Us at  newstatesman.com/youaskus ,...

In the very near future, your car will use data from your mobile device to help you navigate and stay safe. But vehicles already generate useful data. In the first episode of a three-part special partnered series with Wejo , the smart mobility tech company, a panel of expert guests discuss how connected vehicle data is already changing the world. Real-time data, information generated by vehicles d...

A special Boxing Day episode hosted by Rachel Cunliffe, looking back at the best (and worst) of the year in culture. She is joined by Tom Gatti, the  New Statesman ’s executive editor for culture, Kate Mossman, senior writer, and Rachel Cooke, our regular TV critic, to talk about their picks across TV, music, books, and film.   In music, they discuss the high-art caba...

It’s been an unprecedented week of strike action involving both nurses and ambulance workers – and the government still refuses to negotiate with NHS unions over pay. Anoosh Chakelian and Zoë Grünewald, the  New Statesman ’s political reporter, are joined by Dr Emma Runswick, a mental health doctor and deputy chair of council for the British Medical Association (BMA), a doctors’ trade union....

In a special festive edition of the  New Statesman   Podcast ,  NS  columnist Jonn Elledge speaks to Rachel Cunliffe about the highs and lows of the year, how  Love Actually  messed up our politicians, and why residents of a town in Sweden spend every Christmas trying to burn a wooden goat.   If you have a question for You Ask Us, go to  newstatesman.com/you...

Nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland went on strike today for the first time in their history. With the UK facing  “winter lockdown”  following the latest wave of strikes and with inflation still high, Rishi Sunak’s government is under pressure. Labour leader Keir Starmer has described the nurses' strike as a  “badge of shame for this government” , while the Prime Minister...

After figures showed record net migration to the UK in 2022, is immigration still a toxic political issue? Freddie Hayward talks to Sunder Katwala, director of the think tank British Future, about how public attitudes to immigration have changed, the impact of Brexit, and why the Conservatives may not get much electoral benefit from discussing the topic.   If you’ve got a question for You Ask...

The writer, satirist and broadcaster Armando Iannucci returns to the  New Statesman Podcast  to co-host our third series of  Westminster Reimagined . In six special episodes Iannucci explores parts of British public life he believes to be broken, and is joined by guests from inside and outside Westminster to work out how to fix them.   In this final episode of th...

Keir Starmer dubbed Rishi Sunak the “blancmange prime minister” – comparing him to a particularly weak and wobbly dessert – after he U-turned on new onshore wind farms and mandatory housing targets this week under pressure from Tory MPs.   Rachel Wearmouth and Freddie Hayward are joined by Andrew Marr, the  New Statesman ’s political editor, to discuss Sunak’s struggl...

Keir Starmer has used Winchester, the elite independent school Rishi Sunak attended, to attack the Tory party over tax benefits for private schools, saying it amounted to “trickle-down education”. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister defended private schools as a personal choice, accusing Starmer of “attacking the hard-working aspirations of millions of people in this country”.   Rachel Cunliffe is...