POLITICO's Westminster Insider

Jack Blanchard explores the thorny topic of political lying, and considers whether dishonesty is really getting worse in the so-called 'post-truth' era.

Labour MP Dawn Butler and maverick journalist Peter Oborne explain why they believe Boris Johnson to be more dishonest than any prime minister in recent history, while Johnson's former campaign aide Richard Holden defends the PM against all charges. The former Cabinet Minister Jonathan Aitken explains why he felt compelled to tell one of the most famous political lies of recent times, landing himself in jail for perjury as a result. From across the pond, former White House director of comms Anthony Scaramucci reveals what it's like to work for a "congenital liar" in President Donald J. Trump. And the author and professional fact-checker Tom Phillips considers whether politicians really do lie more than the rest of us.

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As the chaos unfolds in Afghanistan, Jack Blanchard speaks to three politicians who devoted many months of their lives to trying to secure and rebuild the war-torn nation.

Former U.K. Secretary of State for International Development Rory Stewart reflects on the three years he spent trying to help people out of poverty in Kabul. Commons foreign affairs committee chair Tom Tugendhat discusses his former role as a senior adviser to the fledgling Afghan government, and how his hopes of establishing a democratic regime in Afghanistan were dashed. South Yorkshire Mayor and MP Dan Jarvis opens up about the months he spent as an Army major leading dangerous missions in Helmand Province, and ponders whether the effort and the sacrifice have been for nothing. And Times journalist Larisa Brown discusses her long-running campaign to secure visas for Afghan interpreters who worked with the British Army, and why it's so important a route is now found to get them to the U.K.

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In a special episode marking the fifth anniversary of the Brexit referendum, Jack Blanchard interviews the two men behind the crucial spin campaigns for Leave and Remain.

In a rare interview, Paul Stephenson, director of communications for Vote Leave, reflects on the often-controversial tactics pioneered with his friend Dominic Cummings, which convinced millions of Brits to vote to leave the EU. On the opposing side, Craig Oliver — who served as David Cameron's communications chief — considers why it all went so wrong for Remain, and whether a radically different approach might have secured a different result.

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As the G7 summit gets underway in Cornwall, Jack Blanchard speaks to Tony Blair and a host of former senior government officials about what it's like to attend these surreal events — and whether they're really still relevant in the modern age.

Blair reminisces about his first big summit — a Bill Clinton-hosted G8 in Colorado in 1997 — and the most memorable, the G8 in Gleneagles in 2005. Former diplomat Peter Ricketts explains the months of unseen work ahead of each summit, and how informal meetings in the margins can often be more important than the main event. Former Downing Street aides Kate Fall and Paul Harrison lift the lid on David Cameron and Theresa May's differing approaches to diplomacy, while POLITICO's own David Herszenhorn explains what it's like to attend a G7 summit as a lowly political hack.

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In the week of Dominic Cummings' jaw-dropping testimony to Parliament, Jack Blanchard takes a closer look at the role special advisers play within government, and at just how powerful these shadowy figures really are.

Theresa May's former chief aide Nick Timothy talks about his all-powerful role inside Downing Street, and what it feels like to become a magnet for unwanted press attention. Two more former Tory advisers, Salma Shah and Peter Cardwell, discuss their close relationships with their ministers, and how the high pressure and long hours can leave you exhausted and burned out. Former Labour adviser Theo Bertram describes what it was like to work as a close adviser to Gordon Brown in No. 10, often delivering the bad news the prime minister didn't want to hear. And the Institute for Government's Tim Durrant, a former civil servant, explains how political advisers and Whitehall officials sometimes — though not always — work hand in glove.

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As pubs and restaurants finally reopen across Westminster after lockdown, Jack Blanchard takes a closer look at the centuries-old drinking culture that pervades British politics.

Former UKIP and Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage discusses his favorite liquid lunches, while the journalist and author Isabel Hardman considers why some MPs drink so much. Former Foreign Office minister Alan Duncan explains the concept of "red wine diplomacy," while political columnist Camilla Tominey tells us what it's like to be teetotal in Westminster. And BBC journalist Ben Wright talks us through the greatest drinkers of the past 300 years, from Pitt the Younger's extraordinary port consumption to Winston Churchill's legendary passion for Champagne.

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After a tumultuous week for the U.K. Labour Party, Jack Blanchard sits down with deputy leader Angela Rayner to discuss where the party goes from here.

Rayner discusses the challenge the U.K. Labour Party faces in winning back its former heartlands, and explains the appeal of Boris Johnson to voters in the North of England. She also opens up about her relationship with Labour leader Keir Starmer following his decision to remove her as party chair, and attacks the "magnolia politics" which she says turns voters off. And she reflects on how her own troubled childhood has made her the impassioned politician she is today.

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As the dust settles after the Hartlepool by-election, Jack Blanchard looks back at some of the great by-election contests of recent years — and ponders whether these quintessentially British political battles are always as significant as they seem.

Lib Dem MP Sarah Olney recalls her famous Brexit-fuelled victory over Conservative Zac Goldsmith in Richmond Park in 2016, while Labour campaign chief Andrew Gwynne reveals how he masterminded a difficult win when pundits were predicting a drubbing for then party leader Jeremy Corbyn in a Labour heartland seat. Tory MP Edward Timpson and Labour MP Steve McCabe remember the epic "class war" battle in Crewe & Nantwich in 2008, a by-election which confirmed the Tories were finally on the path back to power. Lib Dem historian Duncan Brack explains his party's reputation as by-election specialists, while veteran political journalist Steve Richards recalls his favorite moments from the campaign trail — including the time SDP founder Roy Jenkins pointed out that his coat was on fire.

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