The Politics Show

Stephen Bush, Anoosh Chakelian and Ailbhe Rea discuss what the Greensill lobbying scandal means for British politics, and why the problem isn't going away. Then, in You Ask Us, they take your questions on the national response to the death of Prince Philip: is modern Britain ready for the death of Queen Elizabeth II? Plus: introducing our new Scottish election special episodes, hosted by New State...

On today's episode of the New Statesman Podcast, Stephen Bush, Anoosh Chakelian and Ailbhe Rea look at Keir Starmer's first year leading the Labour party and offer their assessment of his performance. Then, in You Ask Us, they take your question on whether the recent violence in Northern Ireland was inevitable. Subscribing  to the New Statesman helps us keep producing this podcast. You can no...

On today's episode of the New Statesman Podcast, Stephen Bush, Anoosh Chakelian and Ailbhe Rea discuss the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities' report and whether they can find coherence in its findings and proposals. Then, in You Ask Us, they take your question on the latest polling ahead of the Hartlepool by-election. Subscribing  to the New Statesman helps us keep producing this podc...

On today's episode of the New Statesman Podcast, Anoosh Chakelian and Ailbhe Rea are joined by a very special Guest Stephen: Armando Iannucci. They discuss his piece in the spring special of the New Statesman on the role of Prime Minister at 300, whether The Thick of It has poisoned British politics, and how he's been celebrating the return of the rule of six. Subscribing  to the New Statesma...

On today's episode of the New Statesman Podcast, Anoosh Chakelian and Ailbhe Rea discuss Alex Salmond launching his new party, Alba, the implications for Scottish voters, and whether Salmond's return to the political arena is appropriate. Then, in You Ask Us, they look at a weekend of briefings about a potential reshuffle to Keir Starmer's top team. Subscribing  to the New Statesman helps us...

On today's episode of the New Statesman Podcast, Stephen Bush, Anoosh Chakelian and Ailbhe Rea discuss the concerns around the government's ambiguous hints at a vaccine passport system for the hospitality sector. Then, in You Ask Us, they take your questions on what difference the year's delay will have made to the upcoming local elections. Subscribing  to the New Statesman helps us keep prod...

Protests in Bristol against the controversial police, crime, sentencing and courts bill  erupted into violence  over the weekend. In this episode, Stephen Bush, Anoosh Chakelian and Ailbhe Rea discuss what impact this might have on the progress of the bill through parliament. Then, in You Ask Us, they take your questions on the selection of  Dr. Paul Williams  as the Labour can...

Stephen Bush, Anoosh Chakelian and Ailbhe Rea are joined by former Business Secretary and leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Vince Cable, to discuss his new book on how politicians have shaped economic policy, as well as Labour and the Lib Dems in the age of covid, and the West's response to China. Then, in You Ask Us, the gang answer your questions on why the government seems to be preparing to...

On today's episode of the New Statesman Podcast, Stephen Bush, Anoosh Chakelian and Ailbhe Rea discuss the distressing scenes on Clapham Common as police clashed with people attending a vigil for Sarah Everard. Then, in You Ask Us, they take your questions on where Labour should be positioning on the contentious issue of policing. Subscribing  to the New Statesman helps us keep producing this...

On today's episode of the New Statesman Podcast, Stephen Bush, Anoosh Chakelian and Ailbhe Rea discuss the launch of Labour's local elections campaign and their prioritisation of increasing the 1% 'pay rise' offered to nurses. Then, in You Ask Us, they take your question on whether the Tories are starting to regret choosing Shaun Bailey as their London mayoral candidate. Subscribing  to the N...

On today's episode of the New Statesman Podcast, Stephen Bush, Anoosh Chakelian and Ailbhe Rea, somewhat reluctantly, give their takes on the explosive revelations from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah Winfrey. Then, in You Ask Us, they answer your question on why the government keeps setting themselves up for U-turns. Subscribing  to the New Statesman helps us keep produ...

On today's episode of the New Statesman Podcast, Stephen Bush, Anoosh Chakelian and Ailbhe Rea look back at yesterday's budget announcement and what the implications might be. Is austerity back? Has Rishi Sunak got one over on Boris Johnson? And how should Labour respond? Then, in You Ask Us, they take your question on whether Nicola Sturgeon can continue as First Minister after the Alex Salmond i...

On today's New Statesman Podcast, Stephen Bush, Anoosh Chakelian and Ailbhe Rea discuss the election of Anas Sarwar as the leader of Scottish Labour, and whether he can turn things around after Richard Leonard's disappointing tenure. Then, in You Ask Us, they answer your question about whether potential Shadow Chancellors are on manoeuvres against Anneliese Dodds. Subscribing  to the New Stat...

On today's episode of the New Statesman Podcast, Stephen Bush and Anoosh Chakelian discuss the anticipated corporation tax changes ahead of Rishi Sunak's budget announcement, as well as what Labour's response could be. Then, in You Ask Us, they try and explain what's going on in Scotland with the Alex Salmond inquiry. Subscribing  to the New Statesman helps us keep producing this podcast. You...

Boris Johnson has outlined his four-step plan to bring the UK out of lockdown. The Prime Minister announced pupils will return to schools on 8 March, with rules relaxing in phases thereafter. If strict criteria are met, all restrictions on social contact could be lifted by 21 June.  On this episode of the  New Statesman  podcast, Stephen Bush and Anoosh Chakelian look at t...

On today's episode of the New Statesman Podcast, Stephen Bush, Anoosh Chakelian and Ailbhe Rea are joined by the NS's Special Correspondent, Harry Lambert, to discuss his cover feature on the future of the BBC. Then, in You Ask Us, they take your question about whether Keir Starmer's big speech had real policy substance or was just a sop to the commentariat. Subscribing  to the New Statesman...

On today's episode of the New Statesman Podcast, Stephen Bush, Anoosh Chakelian and Ailbhe Rea discuss the latest chapter in the campus free speech saga. Then, in You Ask Us, they tackle your question of whether Ed Balls' stellar performance on Celebrity Best Home Cook shows he could've achieved more in politics. Subscribing  to the New Statesman helps us keep producing this podcast. You can...

On today's episode of the New Statesman Podcast, Stephen Bush, Anoosh Chakelian and Ailbhe Rea discuss housing secretary Robert Jenrick's narrow offer to leaseholders affected by the cladding crisis brought on in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire and the resultant inquiry. Then, in You Ask Us, they take on your question about why the Liberal Democrats are lagging behind the Greens in current pol...

Rachel Reeves, the shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, has made an intervention calling for an end to the government’s “outsourcing obsession”. She’s accused the government of handing £2bn of coronavirus contracts to Conservative friends and donors and wasting hundreds of millions of pounds on faulty equipment that can’t be used. Ailbhe has  interviewed Ms. Reeves  exclusively f...

As Stephen writes in his latest political column , a concensus is growing among the commentariat that Keir Starmer is not up to the job. But does this underestimate the gains he’s made outside of the Westminster bubble? On this episode of the New Statesman Podcast, Stephen Bush, Anoosh Chakelian and Ailbhe Rea discuss why this matters for the future of Starmer’s leadership. Then, in You Ask Us, th...

The European Commission has rowed back on their ' hugely inflammatory ' attempt to trigger Article 16 of the Northern Ireland protocol, after outcry from the British and Irish governments. The fact that it was even attempted in the first place exposes a misunderstanding of the Irish border on the part of the EU, and sets a dangerous precedent. On this episode of the New Statesman Podcast , Stephen...

Over 100,000 people have now died with Covid-19 in the United Kingdom. In this episode, Stephen, Anoosh and Ailbhe look at the mistakes that were made, how they might yet be countered, and what the electoral cost of the disaster will be when the country next heads to the polls. We'd love to hear from you. Send us your You Ask Us questions at  youaskus.co.uk . You can follow Stephen Bush on tw...

Travellers to the UK from Covid hotspots will be required to quarantine in hotels, under plans expected to be announced this week. Epidimiologists have long been arguing for tighter border controls , but debate continues among MPs who are divided on how tough these measures should be. On The New Statesman podcast Stephen Bush, Anoosh Chakelian and Ailbhe Rea discuss whether the government's plans...

Following the inauguration of President Joe Biden on Wednesday, Boris Johnson struggled to answer a question about whether the new US leader is 'woke'. On this episode of the New Statesman Podcast, Stephen Bush, Anoosh Chakelian and Ailbhe Rea discuss the debate that ensued, and whether the so-called 'culture wars' pack an electoral punch. Then, in You Ask Us, they take your question on whether We...

As the commons prepares to vote on whether to extend the £20 uplift to universal credit - due to be reduced at the end of March - Stephen Bush, Anoosh Chakelian and Ailbhe Rea discuss the divisions it exposes in the Conservative party, and whether Labour's position is consistent. Then, in You Ask Us, they take your question on whether Keir Starmer's leadership has learned the lessons of his predec...