The Politics Show

Millions of leaseholders in England and Wales will get their ground rents capped at £250 per year as part of Labour’s long-promised overhaul of a hated system. Reforms also include proposals to ban the sale of new leasehold flats, in a bid to give people greater control over their homes. Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Will Dunn. LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE FROM THE NEW ST...

The Home Secretary’s known for her blue Labour roots, a tough stance on immigration and has just proposed what she calls the “biggest ever” policing reforms for centuries. Tom McTague joins Oli Dugmore. 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 o...

Yesterday, Keir Starmer’s camp blocked Andy Burnham’s plans to return to parliament. Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Ailbhe Rea to discuss how this has landed inside the party. But first, another defection in the one way pipeline from Conservative to Reform. LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN: ❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday ⏰ Get our daily...

In a tumultuous week in geopolitics, Donald Trump delivered a bizarre speech in Davos. Will Dunn finds the moments of (unintentional) humour amidst the chaos. Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Will to for a rundown of this mad 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 m...

Robert Jenrick's defection prompted a lot of listener questions. So we'll try to answer them! Last week Robert Jenrick dramatically defected to Reform after being booted out of the Conservatives by a furious Kemi Badenoch. The Tory leader claimed that she had "irrefutable evidence" that Jenrick had been planning to defect in "the most damaging way possible". So she sacked him from the government a...

Andrew Gwynne, the MP for Gorton and Denton in Greater Manchester, has resigned. This opens up the path for another Andrew, King of the North and Labour leadership hopeful, Andy Burnham, to return to Westminster.  Ailbhe Rea joins Anoosh Chakelian. LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN: ❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday ⏰ Get our daily po...

With Donald Trump threatening tariffs on the UK and eviscerating Keir Starmer on Truth Social, does the PM have no choice but run back into the arms of the EU? Many Labour MPs think yes. Tom McTague joins Rachel Cunliffe. 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...

Cast your mind back to 2010…  Apple launched the ipad, a volcano erupted in Iceland and David Cameron and Nick Clegg passed a bill that would screw over a generation of young people. This was, of course, the decision to triple university tuition fees in England to £9,000 per year Oli Dugmore is joined by Rachel Cunliffe to discuss how this has radicalised graduates. LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Downloa...

“Considering your country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace.”  This is what Donald Trump wrote in a letter to Norway’s prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre this weekend. And true to his word, peace is not on the US President’s mind. Oli Dugmore speaks to the New Statesman's editor Tom McTague about S...

Claims from politicians both at home and abroad paint an increasingly decrepit picture of the nation's capital. But just how much crime and chaos is there really in London? Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Will Dunn to discuss her reporting on the issue, as well as a rundown of the big and brazen ongoings in political Britain this week. LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE FROM THE...

A frustrated listener calls for consequences over broken Labour promises. Anoosh Chakelian and Rachel Cunliffe answer listener questions about UK politics. In the mailbag this week: Should parliament impose legislation to force governments to honour manifesto pledges? Is it time to reform council tax? The Scottish independence referendum settled the question for "a generation". But what counts as...

Robert Jenrick has become the latest Tory to defect to Reform. This morning he was fired by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, after she discovered his plan. The announcement followed former Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi defecting to Reform earlier this week. Tories broke Britain, say Tories. What does it mean? How did it happen? Oli Dugmore is joined by Rachel Cunliffe and Ethan Croft. LISTEN AD-FREE:...

How many U-turns before you admit you don’t know where you’re going? As little as four months ago, Keir Starmer said: "You will not be able to work in the UK if you don't have a digital ID, it's as simple as that."  Now, he’s done yet another 180.  Oli Dugmore is joined by Anoosh Chakelian and Ailbhe Rea. LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN: ❓ A...

Keir Starmer is challenging Elon Musk and x.com over AI generated non-consensual intimate images. A proliferation of these images, generated by x.com’s AI chatbot Grok, has flooded the platform. Users have been instructing Grok to create these images of high profile figures and even of children. The British government have announced they will introduce legislation to prevent these images. This deb...

"Britain needs Nigel Farage as prime minister” said the former chancellor. Oli Dugmore is joined by Rachel Cunliffe and Ailbhe Rea. 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/p...

We’re launching our new culture and society podcast here at the New Statesman: The New Society. Tanjil Rashid, the New Statesman's culture editor, discusses his interview with Salman Rushdie, Rushdie's latest work as a reflection of his life, and also what listeners can expect to hear on future episodes of this new podcast. You can find the full interview via the links below. Follow The New Societ...

Labour is splitting. Earlier this week we reported that the government is now THIRD in the opinion polls behind Reform and the Tories. Now, as they barrel inexorably towards testing local elections in May, rifts are emerging within the Labour party.  This week, Preet Kaur Gill – a personal private secretary to Home Secretary Shabhana Mahmood – announced in the Telegraph, of all places, that s...

Keir Starmer is planning on developing a “closer relationship” with the single market. The PM wants to realign with the EU in three key areas to help the free flow of trade: food and farm exports, electricity and emissions trading. But what will this mean for Britain, and how is it going down in Westminster? Anoosh Chakelian is joined by associate political editor, Rachel Cunliffe. LISTEN AD-FREE:...

Christmas polling has revealed that the Tories have edged past Labour into second place in the polls. Nigel Farage’s Reform UK are still sitting pretty in the top spot, with Zack Polanski’s insurgent Greens chasing Labour’s tail. With elections in May incoming, this is the last thing Labour need. LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN: ❓ Ask a question – we...

In 2019, according to a deposition, Russia signalled that they could ease off their support for Venezuela if Washington were to ease its own position in Ukraine.  The testimony was delivered by Fiona Hill, a former senior director on the US’s national security council during the first Trump administration. Fiona Hill joins Megan Gibson to discuss that Russian proposal, as well as the US’s str...

Emily Thornberry MP joins us to discuss the US's actions in Venezuela, the legality, and the international response. In the second half of the podcast, the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee reflects on Starmer's moves to a closer relationship with the EU. LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN: ❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday ⏰ Get our d...

It’s New Year’s celebrations, part 2! Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Ben Walker to discuss the political climate of 2026.  From the 10 year anniversary of Brexit and the UK’s relationship with the US, to our ageing population and SEND Reforms, here’s what to expect from next year.  If you missed part one of our “Look ahead”, where we discussed the May elections and what’s in store for our...

Happy New Year from the New Statesman podcast! What will 2026 have in store? Will Labour flop in the May elections? Will the Greens make gains? And will Reform overtake the ailing Conservatives? Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Ben Walker to make their political predictions. LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN: ❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday...

As 2025 draws to a close Anoosh Chakelian joined by the New Statesman's associate political editor Rachel Cunliffe, and editor in chief Tom McTague to discuss the biggest domestic and international stories of the year. Daily Politics will return on 1 January 2026. LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN: ❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday ⏰ Get o...

How did Trump's tariffs affect the price of Labubus? Which bear was voiced by Volodymyr Zelensky? And what, crucially, did Katy Perry describe California girls as? Join the New Statesman team for our quiz of the year! 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 ✍️ E...