Inside Whitehall

In this episode we look into the world of political polling with Anthony Wells. Anthony is one of the leading political pollsters in the country, having work at YouGov, the countries best known polling company, for two decades.

He has covered general elections, referendums as well as a range social and political issues. In this episode we look at the methodological changes that have taken place to keep track with changing political attitudes, the data science behind MRP polling and what to look out for when viewing opinion polls.

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In this episode we look at political parties, and specifically how they’re run. Behind the leader, and elections there is a whole organisation dedicated to its members, supporting the party leader, raising money and ultimately - fighting and winning elections.

There is no one better for that than our guest for this episode - Sir Brandon Lewis MP. Brandon is one of the most respected people in Westminster, having been in government across a range of portfolios and know as one of the most competent ministers of recent times. 

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The One Nation Conservative group has played a leading role in many of the major political debates in recent years. From Brexit, to leadership elections and more recently issues around the ECHR and immigration the One Nation group have played a major part in shaping Conservative Party policy.

Inside Whitehall is joined by leading member of the group, Matt Warman MP, to discuss the history of the group, its current make up and aims and what the future may hold as we head into an election year.

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Parliamentary group's are not new but have risen in prominence in recent years. Most notably perhaps with the European Research Group [ERG] during the Brexit battles in Parliament during Theresa May's time as Prime Minister.

The latest such group is the New Conservatives, set up by MPs Danny Kruger and Miriam Cates, comprising Conservative MPs who joined Parliament during the 2017 and 2019 elections, including the pod's own Jonathan Gullis.

In this episode, Danny and Miriam talk to Jonathan and James about this new group and what they hope to achieve.

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James and Jonathan talk to Eleni Courea, Deputy Editor of Politico's Playbook. Playbook is the daily email that act's as the parish newsletter for Westminster, covering the day's events and news and is read keenly by Westminster watcher's and those inside Whitehall itself.

Eleni tells Inside Whitehall how Playbook is put together and the tricks of the trade.

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We all consume political news and the most common way is via TV news channels such as Sky News. With rolling 24hour news, much of it clipped for social media, people like Sam Coates of Sky are, to many, the face of politics in the UK.

In this episode, Sam takes Jonathan and James inside the broadcast lobby describing how it really works behind the scenes. With two decades of experience covering politics he brings us tales of scoops, interviewing PM's and how the news is really made.

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The gang are joined by Sir Robert Buckland KC to talk about the UK's membership of the European Convention on Human Rights [ECHR]. There has been a renewed focus on the UK's membership of the ECHR amid claims it prevents Parliament from dealing with the small boats issue.

Would leaving make it easier? How has the UK Government dealt with issues with the ECHR before? And what should Rishi Sunak now do to ensure the Rwanda policy is delivered? Find out with Sir Robert as Inside Whitehall helps you understand the terminology, history and what options the Government has in the coming weeks.

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Welcome back to Series 2 of Inside Whitehall! Thank you all for your support and comments over the past few weeks. Inside Whitehall talks to the people who matter about how Government and Whitehall really works, hosted by former government Special Advisor James Starkie and former Minister Jonathan Gullis MP. Join our hosts as they lift the lid on the inner workings of Whitehall, with the help of a host of special guests.

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In this finale episode of season 1, James and Jonathan review the discussion with Tim Shipman on political book writing and look back on this season's topics and guests.

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James and Jonathan talk to Tim Shipman, author of ‘All out war’ and ‘Fall out’, two of the top political books of the past decade, about the art of writing a political book. Tim shares his motivation and experience for writing, as well as a sneak preview of his forthcoming book to complete the trilogy.

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