The Politics Show

The Conservative Party has  lost North Shropshire  for the first time in nearly 200 years, to the Liberal Democrats. The shocking defeat follows months of sleaze and Christmas party scandals, and with new Plan B Covid restrictions, confidence in Boris Johnson’s leadership  has collapsed.   Ailbhe Rea and Stephen Bush discuss the  mood on the ground  in North Shropshir...

New Statesman  data journalist Ben Walker joins Anoosh Chakelian, Ailbhe Rea and Stephen Bush in our monthly polling update. They discuss the impact of the No 10 Christmas party revelations, the public’s appetite for Covid restrictions, how inflation could influence the way people vote, and what might happen in the North Shropshire by-election on 16 December.  Then in You Ask Ben: Ben an...

Allegra Stratton  has resigned  as a government adviser after a video that showed her laughing about a Downing Street Christmas party, reportedly held during the peak of lockdown in December last year, was leaked to the media. The government  continues to deny  that the party took place.   Anoosh Chakelian, Ailbhe Rea and Stephen Bush discuss whether the scandal ...

Ailbhe Rea and Stephen Bush interview the former Conservative chief whip Mark Harper MP. They discuss his journey from chief whip under David Cameron to becoming a high-profile Tory rebel under Boris Johnson, his 2019 leadership campaign and why Keir Starmer’s new top team reminds him of Ed Miliband. If you have a question for You Ask Us, email  podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱...

Keir Starmer carried out a  surprise shake-up  of the top ranks of the Labour Party this week. Anoosh Chakelian, Ailbhe Rea and Stephen Bush discuss who’s up and who’s down, and what the reshuffle  signals for the party .   Then, in You Ask Us a listener questions why Boris Johnson continues to be regarded as an electoral asset by Conservative MPs given Rishi Sunak’s popularity...

In this special episode of the New Statesman podcast in partnership with Lloyds Bank, Britain Editor Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Hannah Essex, co-executive director of the British Chambers of Commerce and Mark Burton, Head of Regions, Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking to talk levelling up.  They discuss the government’s levelling up agenda, why there is such regional inequality in the UK and w...

Ailbhe Rea and Anoosh Chakelian interview Thangam Debbonaire, the Labour MP and shadow leader of the House of Commons. They talk about the missteps of Jacob Rees-Mogg, whether MPs should have  second jobs , and  Labour's prospects  of winning a general election.  If you have a question for You Ask Us, email  podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the...

In what was an avoidable tragedy, at least 27 people have died trying to reach the UK after their boat capsized in the English Channel. Anoosh Chakelian, Ailbhe Rea and Stephen Bush discuss the political context that allowed this to happen, and its implications for the government.   Then, in You Ask Us, a listener wonders whether the Northern Ireland shadow secretary Louise Haigh made a gaffe...

In the first of our monthly devolution specials, Stephen Bush is joined by the  New Statesman 's Scotland editor Chris Deerin to examine the Scottish and Welsh parliaments.   They discuss the interview in  Holyrood  magazine with Jack McConnell, the last Labour member to serve as first minister of Scotland, and answer a listener’s question on why Plaid Cymru hasn't be...

The UN climate summit ended with  the president of Cop26, Alok Sharma, in tears , after the conference united behind a “watered down” agreement in which coal power will be “phased down” rather than “phased out”. Stephen Bush and Anoosh Chakelian discuss  what really happened  in those final days in Glasgow and  where the world goes from here  to tackle climate change....

The Standards Committee chair Chris Bryant joins Anoosh Chakelian, Stephen Bush and Ailbhe Rea to discuss the ongoing fallout from the Owen Paterson lobbying scandal.   They talk about whether the UK is a corrupt country, how the scandal could affect the reputation of all MPs and why this moment feels similar to the run-up to the 1997 general election.   If you have a question for You As...

Geoffrey Cox is the  latest MP to come under fire  over his extra earnings for legal work outside of his parliamentary duties.     It follows the resignation of MP Owen Paterson after he was found to have breached lobbying rules,  as well as criticism over the way the government awarded Covid-related contracts.      Stephen Bush and Anoosh Chakelian dis...

Ailbhe Rea is joined by New Statesman data journalist Ben Walker for the first of a monthly look at what’s going on in the opinion polls . They look at the current state of the parties, what polls can and can’t tell you and why the don’t knows really matter. Then in You Ask Us, they answer a number of listener’s questions including how polling methodologies differ and what it would take to get a h...

The government has performed a spectacular U-turn over the controversial blocking of Conservative MP Owen Paterson’s suspension for breaching lobbying rules. Ailbhe Rea is joined by New Statesman’s deputy online editor Rachel Cunliffe and Tim Durrant from the Institute for Government to discuss the scandal as it unfolds. What is the damage for the government and parliament more generally? This was...

In the final part of our special series on the politics of climate change, Anoosh Chakelian and Environment and Sustainability Editor  Philippa Nuttall  speak to former Norwegian energy minister Tony C. Tiller. They discuss Norway’s success in rolling out heat pumps. With around 60% of homes fitted with them, Norway has the most successful roll out in Europe; so what can the UK learn fro...

Stephen Bush and Anoosh Chakelian are joined by special guest former Chief Secretary to the Treasury and New Statesman contributing writer David Gauke to discuss how the Chancellor’s budget went down the morning after. They talk about why the response was muted on Conservative benches , where the chancellor focussed his spending pledges and why, and whether Labour’s response hit the mark. Then in...

In this special episode of the  New Statesman Podcast , in association with Smart Energy GB,  Ailbhe Rea and guest co-host  Philippa Nuttall  discuss how the ways we use energy in the future will change, and what we can do to make sure that change benefits everyone including the most vulnerable. They are joined by Liberal Democrat Energy and Climate Emergency Spokesperson...

A week after the death of the Southend West MP David Amess , Anoosh Chakelian and Stephen Bush discuss how MPs have reflected on the incident , what might make a difference to the security of MPs and why some MPs have been talking about online abuse. Then in You Ask Us, they answer a listener’s question on the New Labour era and whether there are any lessons modern day Labour could learn from it....

In this special episode of the  New Statesman  podcast, in association with Smart Energy GB, Anoosh Chakelian and guest co-host Philippa Nuttall discuss how we can improve our homes and workplaces to reduce our dependence on energy   They are joined by Adrian Joyce, from the European Alliance of Companies for Energy Efficiency in Buildings and the Renovate Europe campaign and Iagan...

Multiple crises are putting unprecedented pressure on the economy and state institutions, and look set to last for months. As winter approaches, could this spell disaster for the government?   In this episode of the New Statesman Podcast , Anoosh Chakelian is joined by the New Statesman’s executive editor of politics Tim Ross to discuss the latest negotiations over the Northern Ireland protoc...

In this special episode of the New Statesman podcast, in association with Smart Energy GB, Stephen Bush and guest co-host Philippa Nuttall discuss how to convince people to change their behaviour to reduce emissions. They are joined by Ruth Mourik, the founder of Research for Benefit organisation Duneworks, and Rob Cheesewright, from Smart Energy GB, to talk about the challenges of getting people...

Anoosh Chakelian, Ailbhe Rea and Stephen Bush reflect on Boris Johnson’s conference speech. They discuss whether Tory members love Johnson - but not Johnsonism , the spontaneous applause for the argument capitalism was responsible for the success of the vaccine programme and Johnson’s many omissions . In part two, we have special correspondent at the New Statesman, Sophie McBain, on the show to di...

In the first of a special series of episodes in the run up to the global climate conference COP 26, Anoosh Chakelian interviews our guest co-host  Philippa Nuttall , The New Statesman’s environment and Sustainability Editor, about how the Government is facing up to climate change and what to expect from Glasgow’s environmental summit.  They talk about how much lives need to change, who t...

Anoosh Chakelian, Ailbhe Rea and Stephen Bush give their verdict on Labour leader Keir Starmer’s big conference speech . They discussed the heckling, how it went down in the hall and whether we learned anything about Labour’s big idea for government. Then in You Ask Us, they answer a listener’s question on whether the Conservative party really is less divided than the other major parties. If you h...

Stephen Bush, Ailbhe Rea and Anoosh Chakelian host a live recording of the New Statesman podcast at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton. They talk  Labour’s rule changes ,  Andy McDonald’s resignation  and whether the party’s message could cut through against a backdrop of rising prices and queues at petrol stations. Then in You Ask Us they take live questions from the audience...