By Mail+
No ifs, no buts, just straight-talking politics every Wednesday with Mail+ Briefings. Join your hosts Simon Walters and Amanda Platell for 30 minutes of unmissable Westminster whispers and with exc
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The podcast currently has 29 episodes available.
After a rather tumultuous 365 days in Number 10, head boy Boris Johnson faces the date every schoolboy dreads - his school report. Simon Walters enlists the help of school Matron Amanda Platell to work out how many As the former Eton star scholar deserves. Plus, Simon asks veteran diplomat Sir Christopher Meyer whether the ‘special relationship’ between America and Britain is becoming a two-edged sword.
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The Chancellor sounded more like Sunak the socialist than Rishi the rich banker as he splurged billions to get Britain’s economy moving again - but which is the real Rishi, ask Simon Walters and Amanda Platell. Plus, Simon talks to former deputy Prime Minister Damian Green on Britain’s new Cold War - with Beijing, not Moscow. Plus, in-depth insight on the most important political issue of the week… not coronavirus, but cheese.
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Is Boris Johnson stealing Labour's clothes - or is he just the Tory emperor with no clothes at all? Simon Walters and Amanda Platell hear two very different views of Boris Johnson's spending splurge this week, from his biographer Andrew Gimson (who is a fan) and former advisor Tim Montgomerie (who isn’t). Plus, is Amanda’s fridge becoming more musical than Amanda herself?
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Simon Walters and Amanda Platell are finally seeing light at the end of the long lockdown tunnel - and Amanda has big plans to go to the pub and marry the first man that asks. Simon talks to business secretary Alok Sharma about the Government's plans to get Britain moving again (and whether it's putting the nation's health at risk). Plus, Simon and Amanda reveal what they'll miss about lockdown... including Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty.
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Should Marcus Rashford move from his No 10 position into No 10 Downing Street? Simon Walters and Amanda Platell contemplate the wreckage of another Government U-turn (and a very confused Matt Hancock). Plus, Simon speaks to Tory MP Andrew Mitchell who says that Boris Johnson looked him squarely in the eye and said he wouldn’t scrap the international aid department… and then did exactly that. Plus, Amanda takes on The Boss.
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The big question for Simon Walters and Amanda Platell is, has ‘Priti Patel’ replaced Boris Johnson as the strongest voice of the Government, after what can only be described as a packed week in British politics. Simon Walters asks Business Minister Nadhim Zahawi whether safari parks are really an adequate substitute for schools opening before September, and speaks to Tory MP Alec Shelbrook who suggests Karl Marx's statue could be torn down along with statues of slave traders. Plus, Amanda takes on John Lennon... but does anyone win?
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Could Dominic Cummings lockdown travels prove as damaging to the Government as MPs claiming expenses to clean their moats? Top pollster James Johnson believes so, as Simon Walters and Amanda Platell steer a steady course through a VERY turbulent week in politics. Simon talks to Tory MP Andrew Bridgen about why he's one of the very few still defending Cummings. Meanwhile Amanda signs up for online singing lessons... but have they worked?
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The former Home Secretary has some choice words about Boris’s bloke-packed Cabinet in a new episode of our brilliant politics podcast with Simon Walters and Amanda Platell. So, wonders Amber Rudd, would countries with women in charge handle the coronavirus crisis better? Well guess what New Zealand and Taiwan have in common! Plus, Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland on the big question of the week: how many schools will really be open by June 1? Oh, and Amanda bursts into song AGAIN…
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Simon Walters and Amanda Platell return! Simon reveals he's been battling coronavirus for a month (while Amanda has battled boredom alone in her flat with her cat and Captain Birdseye). Simon talks to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps on why Boris won't use the 'A' word for austerity, and speaks to Labour's Wes Streeting about whether a wealth tax is what's needed to pull Britain back from the financial brink. Plus, we’re treated to Amanda’s rendition of Roy Orbison's Only the Lonely.
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With a guest appearance from Amanda Platell's cat, this week's podcast sees Amanda and Simon Walters taking stock of the shock news about Boris Johnson. Simon speaks to former Boris advisor Will Walden about the Prime Minister's early struggle with deafness and win at all costs approach to cricket and rounders. Plus, as Keir Starmer takes the reins, can he get rid of the anti-Semitism that stained Labour in the Corbyn years?
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The podcast currently has 29 episodes available.