Turncoats, opportunists … or just idealists whose bosses lost their way? 

Defecting to a new party is one of the momentous decisions an MP could ever make. Years of loyalties, backroom deals and deep friendships are lost in an instant. Patrick Baker speaks to MPs who have wrestled with the decision to switch party, to discover what it is really like. 

Shaun Woodward, who left William Hague’s Conservative party to join Blair’s New Labour in 1999, recalls the dirty tricks used try to prevent his defection and how the move precipitated a huge media storm.

Former Ipswich MP Dan Poulter, who defected from the Tories to Labour last April, explains how he lost faith in the Conservatives (just before an election) and solicited advice from those on the other side of the aisle, including veteran MP Jon Cruddas.

Helen Pidd, host of The Guardian’s Today in Focus podcast, was given special access to defector Christian Wakeford in Parliament, and witnessed first-hand the reaction from Tory MPs furious at his perceived betrayal after the Bury South MP crossed the floor to join Labour.

Brexit stalwart Douglas Carswell recounts his decision to join UKIP, which helped to pave the way for the EU referendum — while David Cameron’s former communications chief Craig Oliver sets out his strategy for spinning a subordination in the ranks.

And Libby Wiener, who spent twenty years as a political correspondent for ITV News, looks back at the Westminster drama of multiple defections. She explains how these rare events are becoming more common, in an era where voters’ own party allegiances are less secure.

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For years, Westminster has been addicted to Twitter (now called X). Host Sascha O'Sullivan looks at how the site – and SW1's reliance on it – has changed since tech billionaire Elon Musk took over.

Sascha talks to Charlie Peters, journalist at GB News, whose story about grooming gangs was amplified by Musk before going on to dominate Britain's news cycle for a fortnight. She compares how the same story was covered originally by freelance journalist Julie Bindel, who exposed the extent of the grooming gangs in 2007, in a world before social media was so prevalent. 

Labour MP Emily Thornberry and chair of the foreign affairs select committee reflects on going viral for the wrong reasons and subsequently resigning in 2014. She explains how politicians' use of social media has changed since then, subject to algorithms that favour right-wing content. 

And Sascha takes a deep dive into how Nigel Farage has harnessed the power of going viral for decades – all the way back to his days as an MEP. She speaks to his former comms chief Gawain Towler and social media journalist Sophia Smith Galer – and asks whether the left needs to raise its game when it comes to mastering social media. 

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Peter Mandelson, the new British ambassador to the United States, has finally taken up the daunting challenge of being the U.K.’s Trump whisperer. And it’s clear the man dubbed the prince of darkness will need to use every trick in his book to ensure the U.K. emerges unscathed – or even, perhaps, benefits - from Trump’s America First agenda. 

This week on Westminster Insider, Patrick Baker speaks to some of Mandelson’s predecessors and those who know a thing or two about how to master Washington D.C., for their advice on how to make a success of the most prestigious diplomatic gig of all.

Britain's former Ambassador to the U.S. under Obama, Peter Westmacott, is a man who knows how to throw a good party. He explains how to use the opulent British ambassador’s residence to bring in the great and the good of American politics and reflects on the personal nature of the relationships he formed. 

Author Anthony Seldon evokes the historic power of the special relationship and details the British cultural assets diplomats have at their disposal for wooing the Washington elites. 

Catherine Meyer — the wife of the late Christopher Meyer, who served as ambassador under Tony Blair — explains how she was often deployed to take advantage of the seating plan at glitzy downtown dinners in D.C., trying to coax a secret or two out of the notoriously tight-lipped Vice-President Dick Cheney. 

Blair’s ambassador during the Iraq war, David Manning, recalls the intensity of being a wartime diplomat — and how he relied on close access to the Bush White House to make sure Britain’s voice was heard.

Kim Darroch, who served during the first Trump term before an abrupt leak-induced exit, explains how best to deal with any unexpected, early morning social media outbursts — and says it is vital to ensure you keep in with the billionaires upon whom Trump relies for economic advice.

John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, tells Patrick who he thinks has fared best with the US President and why (hint: it has something to do with golf) and says a safer choice might have been a career diplomat. 

And Jenny Wright — formerly the embassy press adviser to recently-departed ambassador Karen Pierce — reveals how she and her team used a cup of tea to devastating diplomatic effect.

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For the final episode of the year, new host Patrick Baker and a selection of expert guests take you through 2025 — a year that looks like it might well be even crazier than the last.

The FT’s Stephen Bush sets out the prime minister's daunting in-tray in 2025, while the Spectator’s Katy Balls explains what’s in store for the Tory party under new leadership — as well as the threat to both parties from Nigel Farage and Reform UK.  Sarah Calkin – an expert on local government — discusses what May’s local elections could bring.

Further afield, the Times’ Washington Correspondent Alistair Dawber talks us through what we can expect from the second Trump presidency and its implications for the wider world.  

Professor Lina Khatib —from Chatham House — mulls the possible impact of Trump on conflicts in Middle East, and offers her take on what could lie ahead in Syria and Iran.

POLITICO’s Berlin Playbook host Gordon Repinski discusses what could happen in the German elections in February and POLITICO’s Senior UK Energy Correspondent Charlie Cooper tells us what’s at stake at COP 30 in Brazil in November — ahead of what’s set to be a crucial year for the climate.

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For centuries, Westminster has been dominated by politicians who attended some of the most prestigious schools in the country. This week on Westminster Insider, host Sascha O'Sullivan finds out whether public schools still dominate or if state educated Rachel Reeves and Bridget Phillipson's move to tax fees reflects the end of the era of Etonians.

Sascha visits Eton College and takes a tour around the art school and the theater, hears from an old boy about the kind of education children receive there — and discovers why our prime ministers are far more likely to have been attended this school than any other.

Former Labour adviser and old Etonian Patrick Hennessey tells Sascha the confidence a school such as his alma mater instills can easily slip into arrogance.

FT journalist and author Simon Kuper explains why privately educated politicians have always tended to banded together in Westminster — and how that can leave those that attended less prestigious institutions out in the cold.

Keir Starmer's former adviser Donjeta Miftari describes coming to work in SW1 as a former comprehensive pupil and immediately noticing the networks which the independent sector fosters beyond the school itself.

Former David Blunkett adviser Conor Ryan recalls the fights with private school heads when the Blair government axed the state-funded assisted places scheme.

Sam Freedman, education expert and former adviser to Michael Gove, explains how the former education's secretary's background informed his attitude to education reform.

And Sascha travelled to Brentwood, a private school in Essex, where headteacher Michael Bond tells her Reeves' decision to put VAT on private schools was "punishing" them unfairly, as the private sector was making strides towards making fee-paying schools less exclusive.

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Host Jack Blanchard takes a deep dive into the momentous U.K. general election of July 2024, which saw Labour sweep back into power after 14 years in opposition. Lifting the lid on a historic campaign are journalists Tim Ross and Rachel Wearmouth, whose new book — "Landslide: The Inside Story of the 2024 Election" — offers the most detailed account so far of a moment of generational change in British politics. Ross and Wearmouth take us inside the rival campaign teams and explain how all the crucial decisions were taken, from Rishi Sunak's fateful choice to leave a D-Day commemoration service early to Keir Starmer's famous "Ming vase" strategy that would ultimately secure Labour's victory.

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As the House of Commons agonizes over legalizing assisted dying, host Sascha O'Sullivan looks back at previous votes of conscience to find out what happens when MPs don't have the party whip guiding them.

Alun Michael, one of the architects of Tony Blair's ban on fox hunting, explains how it took years to get to the point of a vote in parliament, and how his personal safety — and that of his family — was put in jeopardy.

Former Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone recalls the same sex marriage vote and the internal politics between the Lib Dems and Conservatives during the coalition government — leading to David Cameron "stealing" the announcement from her.

John Bercow, former Commons speaker, tells Sascha about moments in the Commons chamber when MPs went against the party grain during votes of conscience.

Ex-Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries describes how, as a backbencher in 2008, she led one of the biggest challenges to the 1967 Abortion Act.

And Sascha also looks at decisions over war and peace, when MPs must wrestle with a profoundly moral choice and make one of the weightiest calls possible for a parliament, as former Defense Secretary Grant Shapps says the decision not to intervene in Syria in 2013 contributed to the global instability we all now face.

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Host Jack Blanchard speaks to some of the most powerful Downing Street spin doctors of the past decade — and asks whether they're really as angry as the 'Malcolm Tucker' stereotype suggests.

James Slack, the prime minister's official spokesman between 2017 and 2021, gives a rare insight into the brutal experience of chairing the Downing Street Lobby briefing — going head to head with dozens of hostile political journalists every day.

Lee Cain recalls the "insane" experience trying to spin for a newspaper-obsessed Boris Johnson — during a global pandemic — and explains why the No. 10 director of communications job is too big for any one person.

Another former No. 10 director of comms, Katie Perrior, recalls her own challenges trying to spin for a media-shy Theresa May, and explains why it's so important that communications is given top billing by any prime minister.

And Craig Oliver, who held the No. 10 director of comms job longer than anyone else, recalls the triumphs and the failures of trying to set the media narrative for David Cameron's government.

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This week on Westminster Insider, host Sascha O'Sullivan lifts on the curtain on the best political lunches — who to invite, where to go, and what to talk about.

She speaks to Vivek Singh, owner of the Cinnamon Club, a SW1 culinary institution, about the two decades of drama and intrigue he's witnessed over his famous lamb shanks. Singh tells Sascha about the best tables — where you can see everyone but no one can see you — and how Gordon Brown was partial to a spot of grouse.

Former Labour MP and member of Tony Blair's government Siôn Simon explains why the classic lobby lunch between journalists and politicians is actually "underlyingly stressful" and Sun on Sunday Political Editor Kate Ferguson tells Sascha how to warm up an MP to get them to spill the beans.

Sascha speaks with Freddie Sayers, CEO of Unherd, which owns the Old Queen Street Cafe — a new favorite haunt of politicos of all stripes. Former political correspondent turned restaurant critic Charlotte Ivers tells Sascha why politicians have terrible taste in food.

And the FT's Henry Mance recalls settling in for a port or three after lunch with Nigel Farage.

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Westminster Insider heads to Washington to capture a historic election night that changed America — and the world.

Host Emilio Casalicchio takes us on a wild ride across the political epicenter of the U.S. as the votes began flooding in and the crucial swing states fell to Donald Trump. 

He spoke to hopeful Democratic campaigners in a plush club in downtown D.C. and excitable Trump fans packed into a dive bar on the less-polished eastern side of the city.

As the results became clear, Emilio headed to the streets outside Howard University, where Kamala Harris no-showed her own election night event, leaving dejected Democrats to begin the unhappy trudge home.

He stumbled upon POLITICO D.C. Playbook writer Eugene Daniels, who was in the room as the mood soured through the night before it was announced there would be no victory speech.

And as Trump's historic win solidified, Emilio found ecstatic MAGA enthusiasts spilling out of their watch event after closing time.

In fitting fashion, he ended the night outside the White House itself, reflecting on the seismic result — and what it means for all of us.

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