How To Win An Election

The prime minister is trying to appeal to voters ahead of May's elections by talking about conflict overseas - can branding him as a global statesman rescue his premiership, in the same way Gordon Brown tried to survive after the financial crash?With Danny away, we turn to the next generation - Simon Finkelstein, former adviser to Jeremy Hunt and Dominic Raab (and Danny's nephew) joins Sally, Polly and Hugo.We also discuss whether MPs know enough about the real world - would we be better off with a House Of Commons full of Ed Milibands or Angela Rayners?And, we answer a listener who worries we're too flippant about the remarkable rise of Zack Polanski's Green Party.Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There's an arms race under way as the parties make competing offers to help with the rising cost of living. Is anyone cutting through to the voters?And as Keir Starmer's rivals consider whether to move against him after May's elections, Danny argues that the looming economic crisis makes it a bad time for them to act.We also find out why Sally introduced 'garish posters and loud music' to Downing Street, and Polly holds forth about barbecues.Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sally, Polly, Danny and Hugo discuss the conspiracies swirling around the theft of Morgan McSweeney's mobile phone. How did government work in the pre-smartphone era, when Tony Blair refused to use one?They also explore how political language is evolving (and whether it’s becoming dangerously loose), and imagine what’s more likely - a Lab-Lib coalition or a Tory-Reform alliance.Plus, the team settle a debate you didn't even know existed - chilled vs super-chilled.Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Angela Rayner has fired the opening shot in the leadership race to succeed Keir Starmer, warning that Labour is 'running out of time'.We discuss the art of being on manoeuvres without being caught doing it - from Michael Portillo installing the phone lines, to Rishi Sunak's team secretly registering 'readyforrishi.com'.And, will any of the potential candidates - including Angela Rayner, Wes Streeting, Andy Burnham or even John Healey - actually be ready to go if the party suffers a heavy defeat in the local elections in May?We also give (unsolicited) reading suggestions for Keir Starmer:Sally: The Choice Before the Labour Party, RH TawneyPolly: The Man Who Planted Trees, Jean GionoDanny: Get In: The Inside Story of Labour Under Starmer, Patrick Maguire and Gabriel PogrundHugo: Guards! Guards! Terry PratchettSend your questions, comments and voicenotes to [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special crossover episode with our colleagues at the Times podcast The State Of It, Hugo is joined by Patrick Maguire and Gabriel Pogrund to discuss the new edition of their book Get In: The Inside Story of Labour Under Starmer.Morgan McSweeney was the man credited with rescuing Labour from electoral oblivion and propelling Keir Starmer to power. How did it all go so wrong, and how did Keir Starmer end up running a 'passive premiership'?The paperback edition is available to order at the Times Bookshop where Times Plus members can get a 20% discount.Artwork: Russel Herneman for the Sunday Times Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sally, Polly, Danny and Hugo look at what the Mandelson files say about decision making in Keir Starmer's Downing Street. Is there a comparison with Boris Johnson's handling of the Chris Pincher scandal, which led to Johnson's resignation as prime minister?With Starmer's cost of living agenda in trouble, we ask if lessons can be learned from Edward Heath and the 1973 oil crisis, and from Tony Blair taking on the tanker drivers in the 2000 fuel protests.The team give their ideas for rewiring the nation, including moving Parliament to York and swapping the older person's bus pass for electric bikes.Send your questions, comments and feedback to [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're looking at the implications of the American-Israeli attacks on Iran for British politics - has the prime minister been constrained by a near-religious belief in international law, by cabinet divisions, or by party politics?We also discuss whether the Green Party's bounce in the polls can be sustained, and whether Labour's new migration policy shows the party has made a decisive strategic choice.Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to [email protected]. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Green Party crushes Labour at the Gorton and Denton by-election, knocking Keir Starmer's party into third place in one of their safest seats.The political masterminds discuss whether the prime minister can find a new strategy to survive, whether the Green Party can replicate the victory across the country, and what the fracturing of the traditional two-party system means for the next General Election.Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we assembled the How To Win An Election team to talk about Robert Jenrick, Rupert Lowe and Danny's quest for the point of Ed Davey, news broke that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He denies wrongdoing.Sally, Polly, Danny (and Hugo) look at how the news would have been received in Downing Street, and whether republicanism has a future in British politics.Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Keir Starmer has seen off the threat to his leadership - for now. What happens inside Downing Street when things get really, really bad for a prime minister?We also discuss whether the Labour Party will swing to the left with Morgan McSweeney's departure, and Zack Polanski's singing at Liberal Democrat conference.Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Morgan McSweeney has resigned as Keir Starmer's chief of staff. With Number 10 in survival mode, can the prime minister find a new strategy, and how long will potential leadership challengers wait?Hugo, Danny and Polly respond to the emergency podcast bell and react to the news. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Mandelson-Epstein scandal has left Keir Starmer's authority over his party, perhaps his future as prime minister, dangling by a thread.In this week's episode we discuss the huge impact of the downfall of Peter Mandelson - who says he has not acted criminally in any way or acted for financial gain - and we also have a frank discussion about his time on the How To Win An Election team, his political talents and his weaknesses.Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Danny argues that if Labour wants to ditch Keir Starmer and pick a new leader, his replacement should immediately go to the polls. Have we switched to a presidential system without realising it, and would the party ever actually risk letting Reform into Downing Street?The team also discuss whether No 10's handling of Andy Burnham has parallels with Tony Blair's opposition to Ken Livingstone becoming mayor of London, and Danny's ongoing beef with Reform's Danny Kruger.Send your comments, questions and voicenotes to [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're discussing the shape of the right of British politics - are we witnessing a landmark moment in the journey of Reform UK, and is Kemi Badenoch worried the Conservative Party is now seen as less right wing?The political masterminds also consider whether anyone is making political capital from Donald Trump's diplomatic chaos, and whether Ed Davey is offering his MPs thin gruel.Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.