The New Statesman Podcast

By The New Statesman

News & Politics

What's The New Statesman Podcast about?

Unrivalled analysis of the latest in UK politics, with Anoosh Chakelian, Andrew Marr and the New Statesman politics team.
New episodes Monday and Thursday.
Send us a question on anything related to UK politics, in Westminster and beyond at newstatesman.com/youaskus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Why is Caroline Lucas stand...

06.09.2023

In this week’s You Ask Us, Anoosh Chakelian, Freddie Hayward and Rachel Wearmouth answer listeners’ questions on Caroline Lucas, the Green MP, standing down and why Jamie Driscoll, mayor of the North of Tyne, was blocked from running for the ...

The New Statesman Podcast episodes:

06.09.2023 Why is Caroline Lucas standing down? In this week’s You Ask Us, Anoosh Chakelian, Freddie Hayward and Rachel Wearmouth answer listeners’ questions on Caroline Lucas, the Green MP, standing down and why Jamie Driscoll, mayor of the North of Tyne, was blocked from running for the ...
06.08.2023 The real Rachel Reeves As Rachel Reeves returns from her visit to the US – where she was accompanied in Washington DC and New York by the NS editor-in-chief, Jason Cowley – we ask what a Labour government will mean for the economy, and ...
06.05.2023 What’s gone wrong with British policing? As more allegations of misconduct within the Metropolitan Police reach the courts, Anoosh Chakelian speaks to a former officer about what’s going wrong with British police. Matt Lloyd-Rose speaks to about his new book, an account of his time as ...
06.01.2023 Is greed driving inflation? Our business editor Will Dunn joins Anoosh Chakelian and Freddie Hayward to discuss his New Statesman cover feature on the age of greedflation. Some companies have been accused of taking advantage of rising food prices to increase their profit margins. ...
05.29.2023 Is there a future for moderates in the Conservative Party? With the Conservative Party showing open divisions, its right emboldened to hold separate conferences, and many Tory MPs already announcing their plans to stand down at the next election, Zoë Grünewald takes a look at what’s happening to moderates in ...
05.25.2023 Does unionism have a future in Northern Ireland? After the local elections in Northern Ireland, Rachel Wearmouth and Freddie Hayward are joined by the Belfast Telegraph reporter Sam McBride to discuss how the different parties did, and what it might mean for the future of power-sharing and the ...
05.22.2023 Is Westminster broken? Harry Lambert, New Statesman contributing writer, joins Anoosh Chakelian to discuss what could work better in political journalism, the way Westminster and Whitehall are structured, and local government – inspired by two new books, Ian Dunt’s How Westminster Works...and Why ...
05.18.2023 Who holds the power on the left? As the New Statesman publishes the Left Power List – the 50 most powerful people on the British left – George Eaton, senior editor, joins Anoosh Chakelian, Rachel Wearmouth and Freddie Hayward to discuss who’s on the list and why. ...
05.17.2023 SPOTLIGHT: How Smart Meters help small businesses With rising energy prices, Small businesses are keen to take more control over their bills. Smart meters can help companies understand in detail how they are using energy, which can help find ways to make things more efficient. In this ...
05.16.2023 BONUS: Have the Conservatives already lost the next election? With Andrew Marr and David Gauke In a bonus episode of the New Statesman Podcast, we bring you a discussion between Andrew Marr and David Gauke after the local elections earlier this month, in which the Tories did poorly. They talk about the rise of the ...
05.15.2023 The art of the political interview – with Rob Burley Why is this lying bastard lying to me? That’s the question Jeremy Paxman famously asked when trying to pin down slippery politicians, and it’s the title of Rob Burley’s new book, published on 11 May. With 25 years of experience ...
05.11.2023 Is Labour heading for a majority after all? Now all the local ballots have been counted, Anoosh is joined by Freddie Hayward, Rachel Wearmouth and Ben Walker to work out who did well, who did badly, and what the results might tell us about the next election. They ...
05.08.2023 Is it time to abolish the monarchy - Recorded live at the Cambridge literary Festival In this special edition of the New Statesman Podcast we bring you the New Statesman debate, recorded live at the Cambridge Literary Festival, on the motion: “This house believes it is time for Britain to abolish its monarchy.” The death ...
05.05.2023 A bad night for the Conservatives at the local elections As the first results from the English local elections come in, Rachel Wearmouth, Freddie Hayward and Ben Walker look at what they mean for the main parties. They talk about where the Conservatives are losing, and where Labour, the Lib ...
05.01.2023 Are the Tories failing children? What’s it like to be a child today? Anoosh Chakelian, Rachel Cunliffe and Zoë Grünewald discuss the New Statesman's recent interview with Rachel de Souza, the children’s commissioner for England – who is tasked with protecting and promoting the rights ...
04.27.2023 The writer at the centre of the Diane Abbott row Diane Abbott, the former shadow home secretary and ally of Jeremy Corbyn, has been suspended as a Labour MP after she claimed Jewish people cannot be victims of racism, in a letter to the Observerresponding to a column by Tomiwa ...
04.24.2023 Is Rishi Sunak reviving the Tories? Live at the Cambridge Literary Festival In a special episode of the New Statesman Podcast recorded live at the Cambridge Literary Festival, Anoosh Chakelian, Freddie Hayward and Ben Walker discuss Dominic Raab’s resignation and what it means for Rishi Sunak's position. They also examine the Prime ...
04.20.2023 From election fever in England to SNP turmoil in Scotland The local elections in England are on 4 May, with more than 8,000 council seats across the country up for grabs. It is the first major electoral test for Rishi Sunak since becoming Prime Minister and a sign of how ...
04.17.2023 Can we restore faith in parliament? With Hannah White With the public's view of government and parliament at new lows after the pandemic, what can be done to increase belief in politics? Dr Hannah White, director of the Institute for Government, speaks to Zoë Grünewald about her new book ...
04.13.2023 Joe Biden’s visit exposes the UK’s Brexit impasse The US president, Joe Biden, arrived in Belfast on a week-long visit to the island of Ireland marking the 25th anniversary Good Friday Agreement. Northern Ireland has been in a year of political limbo since it’s devolved government collapsed as ...
04.11.2023 Spotlight: How Smart Meters can help with the energy crisis The energy market is complicated. Consumers are understandably confused by the range of tariffs and suppliers – and even by where energy comes from. In 2021, 40 percent of our electricity was generated using gas, around half of which was ...
04.10.2023 The New Statesman political editors’ reunion: covering Westminster from Thatcher to Sunak In this special podcast, nine political editors and writers come together to discuss working at the New Statesman, covering everything from the rise and fall of Thatcher and New Labour through to the coalition government and the recent period of ...
04.07.2023 Is the Good Friday Agreement under threat? With Jonathan Powell It’s a quarter of a century since a peace deal introduced cross-community power-sharing to Northern Ireland. One of the architects of the deal was Tony Blair’s chief of staff Jonathan Powell. He speaks to the New Statesman's deputy political editor ...
04.06.2023 Dover delays, the Brexit taboo and Stevenage Woman The Easter exodus from the UK has begun but holidaymakers hoping for a quick getaway were stranded by lengthy delays at the Port of Dover. Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary, has denied that this was related to Brexit, instead blaming ...
04.03.2023 Are social conservatives the future of British politics? As the Tories increasingly use social issues and culture wars to appeal to voters, we talk about the key MPs behind this trend, analyse how socially conservative the country really is, and debate what this means for the future of ...
03.30.2023 Tough on crime? Britain’s new political battleground Petty crime is emerging as a central battleground of the next election. The Prime Minister has announced headline-grabbing plans to ban laughing gas (nitrous oxide), which the Levelling Up Secretary, Michael Gove, has described as an “increasing scourge”. This swiftly ...
03.29.2023 How Brexit remade the Conservative Party, with Tim Bale Has winning the Brexit vote made the Conservative Party ungovernable? That’s the question political scientist Tim Bale is tackling in his new book The Conservative Party After Brexit. He speaks to Anoosh Chakelian about how the party has changed, why ...
03.27.2023 What Humza Yousaf means for the SNP, Scottish independence and Labour Humza Yousaf is the new leader of the SNP after beating his closest rival, Kate Forbes, by 52 per cent to 48 per cent in the final round of the party’s leadership election. He’s the continuity candidate, but is continuity ...
03.23.2023 Is the era of Boris and Brexit over? During a grumpy four-hour hearing with the Commons Privileges Committee, Boris Johnson appeared to lack the deft political touches that got him into No 10. The team discuss how his performance didn’t help him, why he was unable to lead ...
03.20.2023 Childcare gets top billing in the Budget, but will it work? After Jeremy Hunt announced an extension of free childcare provision to children older than nine months in the Budget this week, some parents groups are celebrating – but is this really a victory? Rachel Cunliffe is joined by Zoë Grünewald ...
03.16.2023 What’s behind the Budget? With Andrew Marr Jeremy Hunt presented his first Budget on Wednesday (15 March) as forecasts said that Britain faces a record fall in living standards over the next two years. Anoosh Chakelian is joined by the New Statesman’s political editor, Andrew Marr, and ...
03.13.2023 What’s behind the Tories’ new voter ID laws? The local elections in May will be the first time that voters in England must show a form of photo ID to cast their vote. The government has said we need these tough restrictions to combat election fraud but pilots ...
03.09.2023 Why are women voters moving to the left? Women have turned away from the Conservative Party over the past few decades, who since 2010 have been more likely to vote for Labour. The Conservatives’ failure to support women – who are bearing the brunt of the cost-of-living crisis ...
03.08.2023 BONUS: Britain’s childcare crisis, with Stella Creasy Childcare in the UK is among the most expensive among the countries of the OECD. The lack of affordable and accessible childcare is costing the nation £27bn a year – equivalent to 1 per cent of GDP – according to ...
03.06.2023 Could childcare win Labour the next election? A new report from economics think tank the Centre for Progressive Policy (CPP) reveals the UK is losing 1 per cent of GDP through a lack of suitable childcare. Rachel Cunliffe, Alona Ferber and Zoë Grünewald discuss the cost of ...
03.02.2023 What the Brexit deal means for Rishi Sunak – and Keir Starmer Rishi Sunak has agreed a deal with the EU on the Northern Ireland protocol. He has hailed this as a “new chapter” in relations, but will he reap the rewards? Anoosh Chakelian, Freddie Hayward and Rachel Wearmouth discuss the “Windsor ...
02.27.2023 Inside Westminster’s warped workplace Anoosh Chakelian and Zoë Grünewald are joined by two parliamentary researchers to delve into the working conditions, power imbalances and abuses that take place within Westminster. Jenny Symmons and Holly Brazier Tope are senior researchers for Labour MPs and representatives ...
02.23.2023 Kate Forbes: How faith can make you political "roadkill", with Tim Farron For a hot moment Kate Forbes was favourite to replace Nicola Sturgeon as SNP leader and Scotland’s first minister. But revealing her socially conservative views in a series of interviews, including being against equal marriage, gender self-identification and sex outside ...
02.22.2023 SPOTLIGHT: The autonomous future is nearly here - with Wejo Widespread use of autonomous cars is on the horizon. Self-driving vehicles are already out on our roads. And autonomy will change our relationship with our vehicles. But what will the new immersive world inside a vehicle be like? In the ...
02.20.2023 Will being tough on crime decide the next election? With the criminal justice system under immense strain, from huge case backlogs to crumbling court buildings and staff shortages, Labour has seized the opportunity to attack the Tories’ record on crime. In a speech on Thursday 16 February the shadow ...
02.16.2023 Nicola Sturgeon resigns – what next for Scottish politics? After surprising the country by announcing her resignation as First Minister and SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon leaves a vacuum in UK politics. The New Statesman’s Scotland editor, Chris Deerin, joins the podcast to discuss what's behind her decision and what ...
02.13.2023 An intensive care doctor’s remedy for the NHS, with Jim Down Ahead of the publication of his new book, Life in the Balance: A Doctor’s Stories of Intensive Care, Dr Jim Down speaks to Anoosh Chakelian about the struggles the NHS is facing, why privitisation isn’t the answer, and the toll ...
02.09.2023 Will Rishi Sunak’s reshuffle restore his authority? Rishi Sunak is struggling to restore order over a divided and unruly Conservative party. His latest attempt, this week, takes the form of a cabinet reshuffle and a restructuring of Whitehall that created four new government departments. Anoosh Chakelian, Rachel ...
02.06.2023 Can we stop the government criminalising protest? With Jodie Beck of Liberty Last week the government faced multiple defeats in the House of Lords on its wide-ranging Public Order Bill, which have peers warned would have a chilling effect on the right to protest. As the government continues to try to push ...
02.02.2023 Rishi Sunak’s first 100 days, with Andrew Marr Rishi Sunak is marking 100 days in office just after Britain was hit by the biggest day of industrial action in a decade and the IMF predicted that the UK will be the only major economy to shrink in 2023. ...
01.30.2023 Are the Lib Dems winning here? After a series of by-election victories, could the Lib Dem election machine be powering the party back to its late 90s levels of popularity? Anoosh Chakelian, Freddie Hayward and Ben Walker look at the party’s recent performance, how it is ...
01.26.2023 The return of Tory sleaze Rishi Sunak promised to draw a line under the scandalous Boris Johnson era when he became Prime Minister, but Tory sleaze seems here to stay. He is facing serious questions over the integrity of his party after a succession of ...
01.24.2023 How to fix the NHS, with Phil Whitaker With the crisis in the health service growing, the New Statesman’s medical editor Phil Whitaker speaks to Rachel Cunliffe about his prescription for fixing it. They discuss how the system is currently broken, why the Health Secretary Steve Barclay and ...
01.23.2023 SPOTLIGHT: Are we there yet?: The EV story - with Wejo A special podcast from Spotlight, the New Statesman’s policy supplement - The New Statesman podcast will return tomorrow. In 2020, the UK announced the end of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030. At the time, Boris Johnson’s government pledged ...
01.19.2023 From Scotland to Stormont, is Rishi Sunak losing the Union? Rishi Sunak’s government has decided to block legislation to simplify gender recognition passed by the Scottish Parliament using a mechanism that’s being described as the “nuclear option”. The decision has precipitated a constitutional crisis, with Nicola Sturgeon calling the decision ...

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