The Politics Show

Andy Burnham flew to Cop31 in Turkey this week promising a new era of British leadership on climate, and announcing £12 billion of private investment in offshore wind.

But, he left behind a Budget that cut £700m from carbon capture and hydrogen, the end of green levies on energy bills, a looming decision on the Rosebank oil field after the Jackdaw gas field had been approved, and reports that the electric car target may be softened.

Downing Street insists cost of living comes first, no exceptions. But with at least 50 Labour MPs privately warning the Prime Minister about Rosebank, and pollsters cautioning of a “greenlash” on Labour’s left, just how green is Burnham’s government really?

Anoosh Chakelian is joined today by Ailbhe Rea and Tom McTague to discuss.

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A week on from the US midterms, and the scale of the Democrats sweeping victory is still sinking in. On the right, the language has been apocalyptic. On the left, the mood is jubilant but wary - there are warnings of overconfidence.

What comes next for a Democratic Party with a new generation of stars, and for a Republican Party that has tied its fate to one man for a decade?

Freddie Hayward is joined by Will Marshall, President of the Progressive Policy Institute, a centre left think tank.

READ: https://www.newstatesman.com/international-content/only-in-america/2026/11/maga-after-trump

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Labour’s new version of the ASBO, pet owners’ campaigns against Bonfire Night and Karl Bushby’s controversial voyage back to Hull.

Anoosh Chakelian and Will Dunn discuss the stories of the week.

READ: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/the-sketch/2026/11/budget-debates-are-a-chance-for-mps-to-play-to-the-gallery

https://www.newstatesman.com/the-weekend-essay/2026/11/return-of-the-asbo

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Who are Nigel Farage's bastards?

Emily Lawford has spent 6 months getting to know the young men who've left Reform, chasing politics and values even further to the right.

Their new leader? Farage's old friend and leader of the splinter party Restore, Rupert Lowe.

Read Emily's full article here

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The Democrats swept the US midterms, and Andy Burnham responded by saying the world now has a chance to unite around the cost of living, with energy bills the immediate test at home. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s ten-year plan for Britain is the big domestic story.

Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Ailbhe Rea and Tom McTague to discuss.

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America has delivered its verdict on Donald Trump’s second term, and it is a resounding one. Democrats won sweeping victories in Tuesday’s midterm elections and will take control of the House and Senate next year.

Trump has congratulated the Democrats, while insisting he doesn’t see the results as a rejection of his leadership. So who voted, why, and what does this mean for US politics?

Freddie Hayward is joined by Ashley Koning, director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University, the New Statesman’s senior data journalist, Ben Walker.

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The Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is unveiling sweeping new rules to Britain’s immigration system, which would force some migrants to wait as long as ten to 15 years for the right to settle in the UK.

While she has made a concession on care workers currently working in the UK, the proposals remain controversial for retrospectively applying to many people already on the path to settlement here.

What does this mean for the politics of the Labour Party, and for the country Britain will become?

Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Ailbhe Rea to discuss

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The Goggleboxification of British politics, Liz Truss’s bonkers new book and Andy Burnham’s pickle over gherkin prices.

Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Oli Dugmore to discuss the stories of the week.

READ: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2026/10/andy-burnham-must-resist-gogglebox-politics

https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/polling/2026/10/britain-is-giving-andy-burnham-a-chance

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John Healey has delivered his first Budget as Chancellor, promising "breathing space" for households and businesses as the war in the Middle East drives up energy and borrowing costs.

Anoosh Chakelian is joined first by journalist and economist Duncan Weldon, to discuss the economics, and second by political editor Ailbhe Rea to discuss the politics.

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On 3 November, Americans will head to the polls for the midterms.

We will be publishing an episode for the next two Wednesdays, analysing the results.

In this second episode, we ask: will voters use the midterms to punish Donald Trump? His net approval rating is at an all time low and there’s growing discontent over the Iran War and the cost of living.

US correspondent Freddie Hayward is joined by political scientist Julia Azari, New York Times’ White House reporter Shawn McCreesh and the president of the Progressive Policy Institute, Will Marshall.

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