Daily Politics from the New Statesman

With resident doctors set to strike yet again, the courts log jammed and the OBR sounding the alarm over Britain's financial trajectory, what can and should be done to arrest the decline?Anoosh Chakelian is joined by colleagues George Eaton, Rachel Cunliffe and Will Dunn to unpack the latest symptoms of the British State's interminable malaise.READBritain is growing old disgracefully - Will DunnThe five-day doctor’s strike is the last thing Labour needs - Rachel CunliffeSign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning CallLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

'Some of his views are pretty extreme... I found it pretty sinister'-Harry Lambert, contributing writer to the New Statesman, talks to Anoosh Chakelian and Will Lloyd about his cover story profiling the Conservative MP and leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick.Can he really become PM, why is he so popular online and how did his politics get so radicalised?READInside Robert Jenrick’s New Right revolution - Harry LambertSign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning CallLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the biggest reunion tour in years kicking off in Cardiff last weekend, the culture show asks if Oasis were just too Irish to be the best Britpop band in the first place?The New Statesman's commissioning editor Finn McRedmond sits down with colleagues George Eaton, Nick Harris and Faye Curran to discuss the Gallagher brothers real allegiances.READOasis are the greatest Irish band of all time - George EatonSo you want to be Irish? - Fay CurranLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After the bruising passage of the government's welfare reform bill, attention on the backbenches is now turning to another lightning rod issue - the potential overhaul of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system.Anoosh Chakelian discusses the battles looming with colleagues Hannah Barnes, Will Dunn and Pippa Bailey.READStarmerism is disintegrating - Aaron BastaniLISTENOne year of Labour rule: Can things still only get better?Sign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning CallLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Labour MP Jake Richards sits down with Anoosh Chakelian to discuss the drama over the government's welfare reform bill and why he thinks the European Convention on Human Rights needs a desperate overhaul.Sign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning CallSubmit a question for a future episode: You Ask UsLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our listeners ask: Can we really argue that Keir Starmer has a plan after yet another disaster over the welfare reform bill?Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Tom McTague and Rachel Cunliffe. This episode was recorded before MP Zarah Sultana announced she is launching a new political party with Jeremy Corbyn.Sign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning CallSubmit a question for a future episode: You Ask UsLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

'We've not been here since the 70s'As the government marks one year in office, Anoosh Chakelian sits down with Andrew Marr, Tom McTague and Rachel Cunliffe to discuss Keir Starmer's highs, lows and the many, many challenges that lie ahead.READWe must prepare for Prime Minister Farage - Andrew MarrLISTENJUST RAISE TAXSign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning CallLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

'You walk around the country and you know something's off'-After a bruising passage of the government's heavily altered welfare reform bill, for the sake of just a few billion pounds, many are left wondering where does the government and the country go now?In this episode, Anoosh Chakelian is joined by colleagues Tom McTague, Will Dunn and Megan Kenyon to discuss the urgent yet seemingly intractable systemic changes now needed to the State and tax system.READJust raise tax - Will DunnLISTENWelfare warfare just the start of Starmer's problemsSign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning CallLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With some calling for the Director-General of the BBC to resign, Somerset police launching a criminal investigation and the US Deputy Secretary of State revoking visas, the political fireworks at this year's Glastonbury were even more sensational than the pyramid stage's. But what was it like on the ground?In this edition of the New Statesman culture podcast, Kate Mossman is joined by colleagues Finn McRedmond, Will Lloyd and Nick Harris to discuss it all. Also in the show, Will has strong views on journalist Sarah Vine's bestselling memoir How Not To Be a Political Wife.READLet Kneecap and Bob Vylan speak freely - Finn McRedmondWhat’s wrong with Sarah Vine? - Will LloydLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The British political system is failing.From the castration of state capacity to the shortage of human capital in our political parties, not much is working. The country and its people are in debt. Your wage is worth less. The last time housing was this expensive, cars hadn’t been invented. 50 years ago, the most common living arrangement for young men was with their spouse, now it’s with their parents. The social contract is broken and if people aren’t apathetic, they're angry.  That’s why we’re here. Daily Politics from the New Statesman is your can’t-miss guide to the inside view of politics.  Every day, Anoosh Chakelian and Oli Dugmore speak to New Statesman reporters, writers and experts to help you understand what’s really going on in Westminster and beyond. Are the radical right unbeatable? Why is Keir Starmer failing? What’s the left going to do? About any of it... Follow Daily Politics from the New Statesman on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.LISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With yet another U-turn from the government, the fate of the welfare bill is left in the hands of the backbenchers. In this episode, Rachel Cunliffe is joined by Editor-in-Chief Tom McTague and business editor Will Dunn to discuss the potential consequences of defeat in Tuesday night's vote, Rachel Reeves‘ precarious position and how we got here in the first place.READA humbling week for Keir Starmer - Andrew MarrYour next Listen:“Sack Rachel Reeves” demand Labour MPs over welfare reformsSign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning CallLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Was Margaret Thatcher really some 'evil dictator' who's legacy still looms large over Britain? Or was she something else entirely?Broadcaster and author Iain Dale talks to Rachel Cunliffe about his new book, Margaret Thatcher, and why he wanted to dispel some of the myths and mistruths about the Iron Lady.READInside the false economy of Rachel Reeves’ welfare cuts - Anoosh ChakelianYOUR NEXT LISTEN“Sack Rachel Reeves” demand Labour MPs over welfare reformsSIGN UP:For a dose of political analysis every morning, sign up for our newsletter morningcall.substack.comJOIN US:Subscribe to the New Statesman to get all our reporting from £8.99 a month www.newstatesman.com/pod25Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.LISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Too many people in the UK are stuck anxiously waiting up to a year for a dementia diagnosis — and even longer in more deprived areas. In this episode, we explore why early and accurate diagnosis matters, and what must change to fix the system. Host Sarah Dawood is joined by Samantha Benham-Hermetz, Executive Director at Alzheimer’s Research UK; Chris Bane, Alzheimer’s Research UK supporter; and Professor Vanessa Raymont, Consultant Psychiatrist and Associate Professor at the University of Oxford. Our panel discusses the urgent need for early and accurate dementia diagnosis, the impact of delayed diagnosis and the potential for new technologies, such as blood tests, to revolutionise the diagnosis pathway. They also explore the challenges facing the UK’s memory services, new treatments becoming available and how the government’s 10-Year Health Plan could reshape the future of dementia diagnosis so nobody faces dementia unseen. This New Statesman podcast episode is sponsored by Alzheimer’s Research UK.      LISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our listeners ask: How long will the government continue to support Israel after its actions in Gaza?Also in the show, one listener asks why longstanding issues like council tax reform are perennially ignored, another whether there could ever be a true 'red tory' faction in the Conservative party.Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Tom McTague and Rachel Cunliffe.Sign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning CallSubmit a question for a future episode: You Ask UsHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.LISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Andrew Marr and George Eaton to discuss the the growing rebellion among Labour MPs over the government's welfare reform bill, and how many government figures may go in the fallout.READ:Keir Starmer faces war on all fronts - Andrew MarrLabour is locked in a vicious blame game - George EatonSIGN UP:For a dose of political analysis every morning, sign up for our newsletter morningcall.substack.comJOIN US:Subscribe to the New Statesman to get all our reporting from £8.99 a month www.newstatesman.com/pod25Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.LISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“The proliferation toothpaste does not go back in the tube” - Ankit Panda-YOUR NEXT LISTEN: Trump's Ceasefire: From bunker bombs to F bombs-With events in Iran bringing the question of nuclear weapons back to the forefront of international news, where does the world go next?In this episode senior editor Katie Stallard speaks to Ankit Panda, author of The New Nuclear Age: At the Precipice of Armageddon, about the growing nuclear instability sweeping the globe and what, if anything, can be done to stave off disaster.-READ: How Donald Trump plunged America into a blind warSign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning CallSubmit a question for a future episode: You Ask UsHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.LISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Publicly at least, most American Presidents have "held their tongue" over their disputes with Israel - Trump is a "different kettle of fish."-YOUR NEXT LISTEN: Iran War: "Our economy will be smashed"-The Trump-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Iran has gotten off to a shaky start. Both sides have accused the other of violating the agreement, with Israel incurring the expletive-laden wrath of the US president in the process. So what happens now?In this episode Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Megan Gibson and Freddie Hayward to unpack the latest developments and possible outcomes in the Middle East and at this week's NATO summit.-READ: There won’t be a ‘final victory’ for Iran or Israel by David BlagdenSign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning CallSubmit a question for a future episode: You Ask UsHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.LISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Diplomacy has been "pushed aside" after Donald Trump bombed Iran - leaving Britain "weak".-YOUR NEXT LISTEN: Trump bombs Iran-Donald Trump has hinted in a social media that he would be in favour of regime change in Iran. His government have said otherwise.Elsewhere, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has so far refused to say whether the US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites was legal. Does the UK government quietly approve of Trump’s actions?In this episode our associate political editor Rachel Cunliffe discusses those questions with US correspondent Freddie Hayward and senior editor George Eaton.Meanwhile in response to the attack, the Iranian government have threatened to block the strait of Hormuz, effectively restricting one fifth of the world’s oil supply. Rachel asks our editor Tom McTague and business editor Will Dunn what this would mean for the global economy - and the cost of goods in the UK.-READ: Britain wants no part in Israel’s war by Ben WalkerSign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter:Morning CallSubmit a question for a future episode:You Ask UsLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“American citizens will die” - Lee Siegel—YOUR NEXT LISTEN: Will Starmer back Trump on Iran? —Donald Trump announced on Sunday that US forces have bombed three nuclear sites in Iran. The attack comes after weeks of speculation about whether the US will follow Israel into war with Iran, after claims that Iran has enriched enough material to fuel nuclear weapons.In this emergency episode, Freddie Hayward speaks to the New Statesman’s columnist Lee Siegel, who explains that “it’s hard to see this as a successful one-off mission”. They explore what the move means for the Middle East, the US, and the world.READ: Trump’s assault on Iran is a war without honour, by Lee SiegelSign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning CallSubmit a question for a future episode: You Ask UsLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our listeners ask: Do Labour have a realistic chance of winning the next election, and can Reform become a party for all regions of the UK?Also in the show, another listener asks how much is being done, or ever really has been, over the issue of class in British society and politics?Anoosh Chakelian is joined by George Eaton and Rachel Cunliffe.Sign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning CallSubmit a question for a future episode: You Ask UsLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anoosh Chakelian is joined by George Eaton, Freddie Hayward and Rachel Cunliffe to discuss the fast moving situation in the Middle East, how the UK Government is wrangling with an unpredictable US President and also unpick the news of a new national inquiry into grooming gangs.SIGN UP:For a dose of political analysis every morning, sign up for our newsletter morningcall.substack.comJOIN US:Subscribe to the New Statesman to get all our reporting from £8.99 a month www.newstatesman.com/pod25Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask UsLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is there a route to de-escalation between Israel and Iran?--YOUR NEXT LISTEN: As Gaza faces famine, where does the US stand on Isreal? --On Friday, the 13th of June, Israel launched a surprise attack on multiple targets across Iran. Israel strikes hit missile sites and nuclear facilities, and more recently also targeted Iranian state tv. The two nations have subsequently traded missile attacks over the following days, an escalation to the conflict, which is now the biggest between these two longstanding adversaries.New Statesman editor Tom McTague meets Lawrence Freedman, Professor Emeritus of War Studies at King's College London, to discuss the conflict between Israel and Iran.--READNetanyahu realises his lifelong dream by Megan GibsonFREEGet the best of our journalism straight to your inbox. Sign up for our weekly Saturday Read newsletter.SUBSCRIBEListen ad-free, and access all our reporting and analysis from £8.99 per month - become a New Statesman subscriber now.LISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andrew Marr, Anoosh Chakelian and Rachel Cunliffe review Rachel Reeves's latest financial statement.LISTEN NEXT: What Keir Starmer can't say - NS editor Tom McTague on his profile of the Prime Minister https://pod.fo/e/2e40f0--Rachel Reeves unveiled her latest spending review this week. Andrew, Anoosh and Rachel unpack the winners and losers, and discuss what the spending review reveals about the government's priorities.READ: Rachel Reeves's economic credibility is on the line https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2025/06/rachel-reeves-high-stakes-spending-reviewSIGN UP:for a dose of political analysis every morning, sign up for our newsletter morningcall.substack.comJOIN US:Subscribe to the New Statesman to get all our reporting from £8.99 a month www.newstatesman.com/pod25LISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Keir Starmer had tears in his eyes as he spoke of the death of his brother.The Prime Minister was talking with the New Statesman's new editor, Tom McTague, about how his personal life informs how he runs the country.Tom has spent weeks accompanying and interviewing Keir Starmer for an extensive profile published in the latest issue of the New Statesman.In this extended interview, Tom speaks with deputy editor Will Lloyd to discuss what he learned about the man who leads the government.Read the profile on the New Statesman website: https://www.newstatesman.comFor a daily dose of political analysis, sign up to our newsletter: morningcall.substack.comSubscribe to get access to all our reporting from just £8.99 per month: https://newstatesman.com/pod25LISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeremy Hunt held an extensive number of briefs in successive Conservative cabinets; culture secretary, health secretary, foreign secretary, and chancellor. He's now back on the back benches after just holding onto his seat, focusing his time on "reading and writing". Last week he published a new book "Can We Be Great Again? - looking at Britain’s global position, and in Hunt’s opinion, why it could be greater.Is this part of his bid for the Tory leadership? And with the rise of Reform would he consider a coalition?LISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you live in a new build, or know someone who does, who might already be all too familiar with the fact that Britain has a housing problem. Yes we have a severe shortage of housing, and the government has promised to build 1.5million new homes by the end of parliament - but something which is affecting many people but remains underreported is the terrible quality of the houses being built.Will Dunn is joined by Anoosh Chakelian who has written this week's cover story: Britain’s new-build nightmare Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask UsLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There's a gap on the left and several figures have stepped forward to fill it!Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Rachel Cunliffe and George Eaton to discuss Andy Burnham's leadership pitch, Jeremy Corbyn's Gaza inquiry, dysfunction in no 10, and what the hell Robert Jenrick is doing on the internet.Sign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning CallSubmit a question for a future episode: You Ask UsLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If there's one thing that the president loves, it's money. Recently, Trump has turned his attention to crypto - going into business with his sons and also launching $TRUMP and $MELANIA memecoins.But while this is one of Donald Trump’s latest passion projects, it joins a long, long list of business ventures over his lengthy career. A story that in reality involves a long list of failed business ventures, tax evasion, and multiple bankruptcies. So how has Donald Trump manage to fail upwards for more than half a century? And who pays the price when he does?Katie Stallard is joined by Russ Buettner, investigative reporter at the New York Times and co-author of Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump squandered his father’s fortune and created the illusion of success.LISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Reform being a right-wing populist movement, and splitting Tory voters. Why is there a lack of a strong left-wing populist party?, one listener asks.And another listener, Damon, writes in to ask, Why are fishing rights on the agenda with regards to this latest EU deal? Do you agree that France has a disproportionate influence on the EU?Anoosh Chakelian is joined by George Eaton and Rachel Cunliffe.Sign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning Call Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask UsLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Winter fuel cuts? Two child benefit gap? Rachel Reeves' fiscal rules? Angela Rayner?The team discuss what will stay and what will have to go for Labour in the coming weeks and months, and where Nigel Farage is lurking to capitalise on Labour and Tory struggles.Anoosh Chakelian is joined by George Eaton and Rachel Cunliffe.Sign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning Call Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask UsLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week, the Israeli military launched a major new ground assault on Gaza. The aim, according to Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is to force the surrender of Hamas, free the remaining Israeli hostages, and bring the entire territory under Israel’s control. The UK, France and Canada have demanded Israel halt "its military operations" and "immediately allow aid" in. While Trump spoke about his support for Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu during his campaign, in recent weeks his patience seems to be wearing this. The US ambassador to Israel maintains Hamas is still responsible for starting the war by attacking Israel on 7 October 2023, and says the militant group must release the 58 Israeli hostages it is still holding. Meanwhile Hamas has been in private talks with the US about a ceasefire.Katie Stallard is joined by Raja Khalidi and Rajan Menon.LISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The former Labour prime minister speaks to the New Statesman Podcast about how the government can reduce levels of child poverty.Read: Gordon Brown: the moral economist Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask UsLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Starmer has sealed the deal with the EU, U-turned on winter fuel, and made a marked departure on the UK's stance on Israel. This has been a big week for Labour, but how will it wash with the public?Anoosh Chakelian is drawn by the New Statesman's political editor Andrew Marr, senior editor George Eaton, and senior data journalist Ben Walker.Sign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning Call Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask UsLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seven per cent of British children attend private school – a tiny minority – and yet they retain a grip on our elite institutions. The latest figures show that 65% of judges, 44% of newspaper columnists and 23% of MPs were independently educated. Fee-paying schools, however, do not merely cater for the privileged few, but hard-working aspirational parents who want the best for their children. They also allow for a quality that is essential in all aspects of raising children: choice. Is this two-tier system an archaic injustice that needs total reform? Or is it the route to a better education for all?This debate was recorded at the Cambridge Literary Festival. You can watch and listen to more on cambridgeliteraryfestival.comLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our teenage years, music can be everything. But as we age, our relationship with music changes.Alice Vincent was a music journalist for many years, and in this frank conversation tells Kate Mossman how childbirth, PTSD and depression turned her love of music into something darker. In her new book, Hark: How women listen, Alice recounts her quest to rediscover the power of music as an adult, a mother and after mental health battles. In this conversation, Alice and Kate discuss how her quest took her from an anechoic chamber in south London to the Mojave desert - and how music is finally returning to her life.Hark: How women listen is available to buy here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/11114/9781805302063Read Kate Mossman's review here: https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/book-of-the-day/2025/04/sounds-that-shape-usLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Having moved on from Blue Labour, which other policies will Turquoise Labour adopt from the far right?"; “Given that they are a break on everything, should the Treasury department be abolished?”; “What would happen if Labour and the Conservatives got completely wiped out at the general election and the Lib Dems and Greens also had bad polling results and the Reform party suddenly lost its mojo? Could a government function or would King Charles have to step in?”Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Andrew Marr and Rachel Cunliffe to answer listener questions.Sign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning Call Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask UsLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week saw potentially the boldest moment of Keir Starmer’s leadership, as the Government announced its white paper - Restoring Control over the Immigration System. According to the Prime Minister, it marks a a significant overhaul of UK immigration policy.The headlines, however, have been less kind - focussing on the wording of his speech announcing the plans, specifically on the phrase ‘island of strangers’... Some were quick to compare this to Enoch Powell’s infamous ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech in which Powell talks of white British people becoming ‘strangers in their own country’.Hannah Barnes is joined by Andrew Marr and Rachel Cunliffe.Sign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning Call Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask UsLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the first time, the Conclave of cardinals at the Vatican have elected an American pope.Pope Leo XIV has ascended to the papacy following the death of his modernising predecessor, Pope Francis.Katie Stallard is joined by writer Madoc Cairns and the New Statesman’s Finn McRedmond to discuss Francis’s legacy and Leo’s future.Read: Pope Francis's illusionsRead: Pope Leo XIV's centrist papacyLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2025 marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Mallord William Turner, widely celebrated as Britain's greatest landscape painter. --YOUR NEXT EPISODE:The untold story of Picasso's muses--Yet, beyond the familiar image of the "painter of light", Turner was a complex figure whose radical art often baffled his contemporaries.Tom Gatti meets the New Statesman’s art critic, Michael Prodger, to explore why Turner still matters – and how themes in his work like the power of nature, the impact of technology, and national identity resonate profoundly today. READ: The second birth of JMW Turner, by Michael Prodgerhttps://www.newstatesman.com/culture/art-design/2025/04/the-second-birth-of-jmw-turnerLISTEN AD-FREEDownload the New Statesman app: iOS / AndroidSTAY IN TOUCHGet our best writing every weekend in The Saturday Read email newsletterSUBSCRIBEGet full access to the New Statesman by becoming a subscriberLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The team answer questions on the Green party's charisma issue, how Reform's power in local council could hurt their overall polling, and whether too many Lib Dems are vegan.Rachel Cunliffe is joined by Ben Walker, Megan Kenyon, and George Eaton.Listen to our episode on constitutional issuesSubmit a question for a future episode: You Ask UsLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom McTague, the incoming editor of the New Statesman, joins Andrew Marr to discuss Labour's rocky week following Reform's dramatic wins, the India and US trade deals, and also his vision for the future of the publication.Read more: New Statesman International Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask UsLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The far right now makes up a third of terrorism convictions and a majority of referrals to the governments Prevent counter-radicalisation schemeBut what fuels the far-right and how influential are they becoming?Harry Shukman, journalist and researcher at HOPE not hate, an anti-fascist organisation, went undercover with the British far right to find out how these groups operate, their plans for changing Britain, and the conversations that go on behind closed doors, far away from voters’ doorsteps.LISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Gatti meets authors Sarah Churchwell and Erica Wagner to discuss why The Great Gatsby is still relevant a century after it was published.Considered by many to be the great American novel, F. Scott Fitzgerald's iconic tale of ambition, class and the American dream continues to resonate today.Sarah Churchwell and Erica Wagner joined Tom Gatti at the Cambridge Literary Festival to offer fresh perspectives on a timeless classic.Watch more from the Cambridge Literary Festival at https://www.cambridgeliteraryfestival.com/clf-player-watch-listen/LISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yesterday elections took place up and down the country, for councils, six mayoral contests, and a by-election. What we’re looking at today is a big win for Nigel Farage’s Reform - and a seismic shift in British politics.Hannah Barnes is joined by senior data journalist Ben Walker and senior editor George Eaton.LISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Overnight, Ukraine and the United States have signed a long-awaited minerals deal. Hannah Barnes is joined by political editor Andrew Marr and international editor Megan Gibson to discuss what this means for Ukraine's security and the future of the conflict with Russia, and later in the episode the team look at Mark Carney's anti-Trump win in Canada and what this means for democracies around the world.Read more: New Statesman International Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask UsLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the short period which has elapsed since Donald Trump took office (again) in January, he has slashed public health funding, gone after education, attacked media freedom, and challenged the authority of the legal system of the courts.Some of this seems outright reckless, but some of the actions taken by this Trump administration mirror the political trajectories of countries like Hungary, el Salvador, Turkey, and Russia. Countries where democracy has crumbled and autocracy has taken hold.Katie Stallard is joined by Kim Lane Scheppele, a scholar of law and politics at Princeton University and Lucan Way, distinguished professor of democracy at the University of Toronto.LISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The politics team answers listener questions on council tax, the voters ignored by Labour and the Tories, and the true value of billionaires.Hannah Barnes is joined by Andrew Marr and Rachel Cunliffe.Sign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning Call Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask UsLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After the purported 'Easter truce' fighting has resumed in Ukraine and Russia, meanwhile peace talks in the West have broken down with the US speaking to Russia separately.Hannah Barnes is joined by Andrew Marr to discuss this week in UK politics, and later in the episode by Rachel Cunliffe and George Eaton to look at Reform UK's surging popularity ahead of the local elections.Read: Can Reform grow up?, Steve Reed: “Reform is a symptom of broken trust”LISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

China's modern history is also a story about trade. So how will the echoes of the past 200 years shape the trade war that Donald Trump has waged on the world's second largest economy?Katie Stallard is joined by Rana Mitter and Kevin Xu.Read: What will China look like in 20 yearsRead: InterconnectedLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former senior civil servant Jill Rutter joins the podcast to answer listener questions on the inner workings of government.This episode is hosted by the New Statesman's associate political editor, Rachel Cunliffe.Sign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning Call Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask UsLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.