Whit Stillman is something of a cult film director. He rose to prominence in 1990 with his debut film Metropolitan, which became the first in the so-called “Doomed. Bourgeois. In love” trilogy: Barcelona came out in 1994 and The Last Days of Disco in 1998. Set among America’s so-called “Preppy” class, the films are comedies of manners in the tradition of Jane Austen, exploring the transitional phase of youth and a certain American identity.

The films are now having something of a revival. Stillman joins the New Statesman's culture editor Tanjil Rashid.

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Is Keir Starmer sucking up to Donald Trump, and what do politicians get up to during parliamentary recess?

Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Rachel Cunliffe and George Eaton to answer listener questions.

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New polling has found that Keir Starmer is now less popular amongst British voters than Donald Trump.

Today, we’re talking about Keir Starmer’s first year in government and the rapid decline in his personal popularity. From a triumphant election victory to sliding approval ratings, where has it gone wrong for the Labour leader? 

Anoosh Chakelian is joined by the New Statesman's senior data journalist, Ben Walker.

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Nine years after the Brexit referendum, the dream of 'Singapore-on-Thames' has quietly evaporated. Instead, we’ve got a Labour government embracing high taxes, stronger workers’ rights, even state ownership. 

What’s behind Labour’s European turn and is Starmer quietly reversing Thatcher’s legacy?

Rachel Cunliffe is joined by George Eaton.

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The dormant Democrat party must find a way to revive itself if it is to have any hope of challenging the Maga movement, Donald Trump, and his eventual successor. The party is split on whether Trump is simply an aberration to endure, or whether he represents the death of democracy, justifying a dirtier form of opposition politics.

Anoosh Chakelian is joined by the New Statesman's US correspondent Freddie Hayward.

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Parliament is in recess for the next four weeks, a time when Westminster usually goes quiet, but this year there’s one man who’s determined to keep working. Nigel Farage.

Today the Reform UK leader delivered his third weekly conference as part of his campaign on “Lawless Britain”, broadening out (slightly) from the party's usual single-issue politics. Of course, much of the emphasis is still heavily on migration.

But do these conferences tell us about the current contradictions in British politics and have Reform peaked too soon?

Read: One year on, tensions still circle Britain’s asylum-seeker hotels

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Britain is in the grip of a housing crisis and politicians from all sides claim to have the solutions. But as prices rise, renters struggle and investors profit - are we seeing housing policy serve the public good?

Will Dunn, the New Statesman's business editor, is joined by Susan J. Smith, the new president of the British Academy and honorary professor of social and economic geography at the University of Cambridge.

Read: Britain’s new-build nightmare

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The team answer listener questions on the practicalities of the online safety act, a Labour-Lib Dem coalition, and the revival of the commonwealth.

Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask Us

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Asylum protests. NHS strikes. A faltering economy. Is the Labour government facing a summer of discontent?

Last year, riots sparked by the brutal murder of three young girls at a dance class in Southport rocked the UK. Rioters targeted hotels housing asylum seekers, wrongly connecting the murders to Muslim immigration. Now, asylum protests persist.

At the same time, the government faces strike action from NHS doctors, a struggling economy and political threats from both left and right.

Rachel Cunliffe is joined by Anoosh Chakelian and George Eaton.

Read: One year on, tensions still circle Britain’s asylum-seeker hotels; Labour’s summer of discontent

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The UK will recognise Palestinian statehood in September unless Israel abides by a ceasefire, commits to a two-state solution and agrees not to annex the West Bank.Yesterday, Keir Starmer marked a clear shift on the UK’s position on the Israel Gaza war. However, this has prompted backlash from all sides. So what is there to gain?

Megan Gibson is joined by George Eaton and Megan Kenyon.

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