The Politics Show

With Penny Mordaunt having been eliminated from the contest on Wednesday 20 July, either Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss will become Britain’s next prime minister.    Anoosh Chakelian and Rachel Cunliffe speak to the  New Statesman ’s political editor, Andrew Marr, about how the Johnson “loyalist” and the “traitor”  emerged victorious , whether Boris Johnson will indeed  be back...

This evening one of the remaining five candidates to be the next prime minister will be eliminated in a vote of MPs. Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Rachel Cunliffe, Ben Walker and Rachel Wearmouth, our new deputy political editor, to discuss who came out of the two debates over the weekend best and why Labour has enjoyed watching the candidates tear strips out of each other on live TV. Then, in You...

Rory Stewart, the former international development secretary and Conservative leadership candidate, speaks to Rachel Cunliffe about the lessons he learned from running for leader in 2019. They talk about whether this year’s candidates show growing diversity in the party, why our political culture has got so bad at argument and debate, and what he got wrong when he was in government. Stewart’s&nbsp...

Nadhim Zahawi, Jeremy Hunt and Suella Braverman have been eliminated from the Conservative leadership election, with Penny Mordaunt  climbing to second place  behind Rishi Sunak.   Anoosh Chakelian, Freddie Hayward and Harry Lambert discuss the remaining candidates in this unpredictable race, the latest polling on front-runners Penny Mordaunt and Rishi Sunak, and whether being a “fr...

At the time of recording, 11 Conservative MPs had launched official bids to r eplace Boris Johnson  as prime minister. Anoosh Chakelian, Freddie Hayward and Ben Walker discuss the candidates'  prospects, promises and pitfalls  – as well as how the leadership election could  reshape  the Conservative Party. Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks which Tory candidate would pose...

After a dramatic twenty-four hours in which over fifty ministers and advisors resigned from government, Boris Johnson has finally admitted defeat and announced he will step down as prime minister and leader of the Conservative Party.  In his speech to the public at lunchtime today, he set out his desire to remain in post as a caretaker PM until the party elect his replacement. Indeed he conti...

After a torrid 24 hours in Westminster for Boris Johnson, in which Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid both resigned, Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Harry Lambert, Ben Walker and Rachel Cunliffe to discuss whether this, finally, is a mess that the Prime Minister can't get out of. Is this the straw that broke the camel’s back? And what is going to happen next? Podcast listeners can subscribe to the  Ne...

This special episode was recorded live at the  New Statesman ’s Politics Live event.    Keir Starmer speaks to Rachel Wearmouth, currently the senior political correspondent at the  Mirror , but soon to join the  New Statesman  as deputy political editor. They discuss the radical views of his youth, his promise for economic growth, and why he is scrapping the 2019 Lab...

Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s First Minister and leader of the SNP, has announced that she wants to hold a second independence referendum on 19 October 2023. The constitutional debate was widely seen to be at a political deadlock, but now it enters a new phase. Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Chris Deerin, the  New Statesman  Scotland editor, to discuss the  motivations  behind thi...

As the official measure of inflation in the UK hits 9.1 per cent, Anoosh Chakelian is joined by the  New Statesman  business team, Will Dunn and Emma Haslett, to discuss why inflation is hitting the country so badly. How much is Brexit making matters worse, and is inflation simply a worldwide problem? And what can the government do about it? Then in You Ask Us, the panel answer a listene...

In a major blow to Boris Johnson, the Conservatives have lost the seats of Tiverton and Honiton and Wakefield to the Liberal Democrats and Labour respectively, by double-digit margins. In the wake of the results, Oliver Dowden, the co-chairman of the Conservative Party, became the first cabinet minister to resign (if implicitly) over the PMs leadership. Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Harry Lambert...

  With just a few days until the Tiverton and Honiton by-election on 23 June, Anoosh Chakelian is joined by the  New Statesman ’s business editor and Devonian Will Dunn, who has returned from a reporting trip to the south-west constituency.   They discuss how cost of living is the big issue on the doorstep, why the Lib Dems have a mountain to climb to win the seat, and why the Labou...

The by-election in Wakefield on June 23 will be a crucial test of whether Labour can win the Red Wall back from the Conservatives.  The election was triggered by the resignation of the Conservative MP Imran Ahmad Khan after he was found guilty in April of sexually assaulting a teenaged boy. Khan was elected in the 2019 general election as the first non-Labour MP in the seat, two thirds of whi...

The  New Statesman  podcast takes a special look at the Green Party, following their success in the local elections. Why did they do so well in May? And how can they build on this to become a major player in UK politics?   Anoosh Chakelian is joined by our polling expert, Ben Walker, and environment correspondent India Bourke.   If you have a question for You Ask Us, email&nbsp...

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is attempting yet another relaunch of his government just days after 148 MPs told him they don’t have confidence in his leadership. Anoosh Chakelian, Rachel Cunliffe and Harry Lambert discuss the rebels' next move, what this means for the government, and whether Keir Starmer should have been more aggressive at PMQs.   Then in You Ask Us, they answer a listener's q...

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has won a vote of confidence from Conservative MPs. But 148 members voted against him, leaving a split party. In this special episode of the  New Statesman Podcast , recorded at the Tate Britain just down the road from the Palace of Westminster, Rachel Cunliffe interviews the political editor Andrew Marr on where this development now leaves Johnson and the co...

On the day that Boris Johnson faces a vote of no confidence in his leadership, Rachel Cunliffe speaks to Harry Lambert, senior political correspondent, and Ben Walker, the New Statesman’s polling expert, about how we got here. They talk about the Prime Minister’s chances of survival, the damage done to him already and what to expect from by-elections in Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton on June 2...

The campaign to remove Boris Johnson as Prime Minister is building. The steady trickle of letters from Conservative MPs declaring they have no confidence in him and criticism from high-profile dissenters has sparked speculation that there could be a vote as early as next week. Anoosh Chakelian, Rachel Cunliffe and Freddie Hayward discuss what’s causing the widespread  discontent  among t...

Fresh from Sydney, Professor Marc Stears, a former Labour speechwriter and author of its 2015 manifesto, tells Anoosh Chakelian what Labour can learn, and where Keir Starmer is going wrong. Stears reflects on how Anthony Albanese, the new Labor prime minister of Australia, avoided culture warring with Scott Morrison, his predecessor, what Keir Starmer can learn from this, and his concerns about La...

Sue Gray’s long-awaited report has been published at last. It contains lurid details of excessive drinking and partying at Downing Street during lockdown, as well as a “lack of respect and poor treatment” towards cleaners and security guards. But what does it mean for Boris Johnson?   Anoosh Chakelian, Rachel Cunliffe, Freddie Hayward and Harry Lambert discuss the mood among Tory MPs and why...

Jeremy Hunt tells Anoosh Chakelian how he regrets the "silent killer" of social-care cuts made when he was in the cabinet, calls for the "penny to drop" for the current health secretary Sajid Javid on properly funding social care, and warns of electoral woes for the Tories in their southern English "heartlands". He also admits he wouldn't rule out serving as a minister under Boris Johnson.  ...

UK inflation has reached its highest rate in 40 years, jumping from 7 per cent in March to 9 per cent in the year to April. With inflation  hitting the poorest hardest , pressure is growing on the government to reverse its opposition to a windfall tax on energy profits.  Anoosh Chakelian is joined by the  New Statesman 's associate business editor Emma Haslett and senior a...

While  polling  revealed exclusively by the  New Statesman  suggests that voters aren’t divided on so-called culture war issues, the Johnson administration is putting them at the centre of its political project.   To understand why the Prime Minister seems intent on winning a war that doesn’t exist, Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Kim Leadbeater, Labour MP for Batley and Spe...

Having cast himself as  “Mr Rules”  in opposition to Boris Johnson, Keir Starmer's reputation hangs in the balance amid allegations of breaking Covid restrictions.   Anoosh Chakelian is joined by the  NS's  political editor, Andrew Marr, to discuss  Starmer’s future , the mutinous atmosphere in the Labour machine and rumours of runners and riders who could replace him...

The renowned satirist and broadcaster Armando Iannucci returns to the  New Statesman Podcast  to co-host five more special episodes. In these shows Iannucci, explores the parts of British public life that he believes are broken, and he will be joined by guests from both inside and outside Westminster to discuss how politics could be better. In this episode, Iannucci and Anoosh Chakelian...