Political Thinking with Nick Robinson
310 episodes — Page 3 of 7
The Tony Danker One
Nick Robinson talks to the director general of the Confederation of British Industry, Tony Danker. They discuss what it was like to grow up in a Jewish family in Belfast during 'The Troubles', why he chose to join the Treasury three weeks after Lehman Brothers collapsed in 2008 and how his calls for post-Brexit Britain's economy to grow more led to ministers accusing him of talking the country down.
The Sharon Graham One
The leader of the Unite union gives a frank and engaging interview to Nick Robinson. She defends the new wave of strikes by ambulance workers, sets out how under her leadership Unite is 'following the money' to target bad employers and explains why Keir Starmer's Labour party is a 'bad tribute act' to Tony Blair and reveals she was threatened by former colleagues when she began an investigation into 'potential criminality' within the union. She tells stories from her early life, including how she led a walkout of silver service restaurant staff aged just 17 in a protest over pay.
The Liz Truss's Big Gamble One
A bonus episode, as Nick tells the extraordinary inside story of how Liz Truss gambled her premiership on a dramatic challenge to decades of orthodoxy.
The Bridget Phillipson One
Nick Robinson talks to Labour's shadow education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, about her mum standing up to the people that burgled their house, her grandad's love of books sparking her passion for education and how she ended up as an extra on Byker Grove.
The Clare Moriarty One
Nick Robinson talks to the chief executive of Citizens Advice, Clare Moriarty, about her and her family's long history with the civil service, how she coped with having cancer while running the Brexit department and what more the government needs to do to help people suffering in the cost of living crisis.
The Carla Denyer One
Nick Robinson talks to the Green Party's co-leader, Carla Denyer, about discovering grassroots campaigns at sixth form, declaring Europe's first climate emergency and why she chooses to wear both a red and white poppy.
The Gillian Keegan One
Nick Robinson talks to the new education secretary, Gillian Keegan, about leaving school at 16 to work in a car factory, the time Derek Hatton bought her a glass of champagne and why sometimes cabinet ministers should just admit it when they don't know something.
The Angela Rayner Deputy Leader One
Nick Robinson talks to Labour's deputy leader, Angela Rayner, about how her own experience of poverty has shaped her views on the cost of living crisis, her relationship with Labour's leader Keir Starmer and whether working class politicians need to shout louder about their roots.
The Rishi Sunak PM One - From the Archives
Nick Robinson revisits his interview with the new prime minister, Rishi Sunak, from late 2019. The then-chief secretary to the treasury discussed working in his mother’s pharmacy, why he chose to vote Leave and his knowledge of The Force
The David Frost One
Nick Robinson talks to Conservative peer David Frost, the former chief Brexit negotiator, about Boris Johnson's potential return as Prime Minister, the downfall of Liz Truss and how he went from foreign office diplomat to Brexit architect
The Lisa Nandy Levelling Up One
Nick Robinson talks to Lisa Nandy, the shadow levelling up secretary, about preparing for government, the political lessons she's learned from football and whether she disagrees with Keir Starmer's stance on strikes.
The Paul Johnson One
Nick Robinson talks to Paul Johnson, the director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, about attacks from the left and right on so-called economic orthodoxy, how to stay impartial during moments of political turbulence and what his self-proclaimed nerdy teenage self would make of his career now.
The Kit Malthouse One
Nick Robinson talks to the new education secretary, Kit Malthouse, about growing up in Liverpool, battling Labour students at university and his priorities for education in England.
The Jeremy Corbyn One
Nick Robinson talks to former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn about how he became a socialist, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and whether he'll be allowed to stand again as a Labour candidate.
The Christopher Steele One
Nick Robinson talks to Christopher Steele, the author of the 'Trump-Russia dossier'. They discuss his time as an intelligence officer in the Soviet Union, how he became an overnight public figure and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The Christopher Steele One
Nick Robinson talks to Christopher Steele, the author of the the 'Trump-Russia dossier'. They discuss his time as an intelligence officer in the Soviet Union, how he became an overnight public figure and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
10/09/2022
Nick Robinson has a conversation with, not an interrogation of, the people who shape our political thinking about what shaped theirs.
The Liz Truss One - Revisited
Nick Robinson revisits his interview with the new prime minister, Liz Truss, from July 2018. The then-chief secretary to the treasury discusses her transition from Lib Dem to Conservative, her plans for a low-tax, small state UK and comparisons with Mrs Thatcher.
The Rishi Sunak One - Revisited
Nick Robinson revisits his interview with Rishi Sunak from November 2019. The then-chief secretary to the treasury discusses working in his mother’s pharmacy, why he chose to vote Leave and his knowledge of The Force
The Liz Truss Foreign Secretary One - Revisited
Nick Robinson revisits his interview with Liz Truss from December 2021. The foreign secretary discusses facing down Russia on the global stage, the way we view British history and comparisons with Mrs Thatcher
The Johnson Succession One
With Boris Johnson having resigned as Conservative leader, Nick Robinson takes a look through the Political Thinking archives, to see what has shaped the thinking of the men and women hoping to become the UK’s next prime minister
The David Lammy Shadow Foreign Secretary One
Nick Robinson talks to the shadow foreign secretary, David Lammy, about loneliness, belonging and Britain's place in the world
The Martin Lewis One
Nick Robinson talks to the journalist and founder of Money Saving Expert, Martin Lewis, about his love of numbers, the cost of living crisis and his application to become a crossbench peer
The Naomi Long One
Nick Robinson talks to Naomi Long, the leader of the Alliance Party and Northern Ireland's Justice Minister, about growing up during the Troubles, the ongoing implications of Brexit and her decision not to identify as nationalist or unionist
The Yvette Cooper One
Nick Robinson talks to Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, about immigration policy, being a working mum in politics and Labour's chances of winning back power.
The Sara Khan One
Nick Robinson talks to the government's social cohesion adviser, Dame Sarah Khan, about her efforts to counter extremism and the upcoming review of the Prevent counter-terror strategy
The Mick Lynch One
Nick Robinson speaks to Mick Lynch, the general secretary of the RMT, about his union's planned strike action this summer
The Nimco Ali One
Nick Robinson speaks to Nimco Ali, the government's adviser on violence against women and girls about her campaigning on female genital mutilation, calls for street harassment to be made a crime and her friendship with Carrie Johnson.
The Nadine Dorries One
Nick Robinson speaks to the Culture Secretary, Nadine Dorries MP about her efforts to clean up social media, her upbringing in Liverpool, and being a bestselling author.Producer: Jack Fenwick.
The Jacob Rees-Mogg Leadership Crisis One
Nick Robinson talks to Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg about the Prime Minister's survival, cake, dead cats and banned words
The Steve Baker One
Nick Robinson talks to Conservative MP Steve Baker about the PM, the pandemic and parachutes
The Gary Neville One
Nick Robinson talks to Gary Neville about his footballing career, the state of English football and his own political ambitions
The Wes Streeting One
The Shadow Health Secretary on bouncing back after illness, living with Covid and his connection to Christine Keeler
The 2022 New Year Special One
Nick Robinson reviews the highlights of Political Thinking in 2021 including interviews with leading politicians and public figures
The Ed Balls Christmas Special One
The former Cabinet Minister on his passion for cooking, dancing, documentary-making and his previous career in politics.
The Katharine Birbalsingh One
The Chair of the Social Mobility Commission on why she ‘came out’ as a conservative, the purpose of education and the perils of smartphones
The Liz Truss Foreign Secretary One
The Foreign Secretary on the ‘network of liberty’, those Mrs Thatcher-styled photoshoots and being too busy to hold Christmas parties
The Chris Bryant One
The Chair of the Commons Standards Committee on upholding the rules, being gay and why he could never have been 007
The Keir Starmer Opposition Leader One
The Labour leader on his family, the migrant boats crisis and why Boris Johnson makes him angry
The Nick Carter One
The Chief of the Defence Staff discusses the lessons learned in Iraq and Afghanistan, and being kicked out of his school's cadet force for playing golf.
The Rachel Reeves One
The Shadow Chancellor on learning from Labour’s defeats, playing aggressive chess and that ‘boring snoring’ Tweet
The Sajid Javid Health Secretary One
The Health Secretary on the reshuffle, health inequalities after the pandemic and a missing pair of scissors
The Jeffrey Donaldson One
The DUP leader on his fear of further unrest in Northern Ireland, what he learned from Boris Johnson and the Mountains of Mourne
The Tom Tugendhat Afghanistan One
The Foreign Affairs Select Committee Chair on shame, Afghanistan and Global Britain
The Oliver Dowden One
The Culture Secretary on culture wars, suburban values, football heritage and treading the boards
The Alok Sharma One
The COP26 President on the ‘decisive decade’ to tackle climate change, why Swampy runs Britain’s boardrooms and being Mr Boring
The Gordon Brown One
The former Prime Minister on tips for chairing the G7, footballers taking the knee and ‘not being silent’ on Scotland’s future
The Ed Miliband Reunion One
The Shadow Business Secretary and former Labour leader on thinking ‘big’, standing against his brother and emergency-charging his electric car
The Christina McAnea One
The Unison General Secretary on Red Clydeside, the art of negotiation and words of advice for Labour
The Kate Forbes One
The Scottish Finance Secretary on growing up in India, her faith and how another independence referendum will be fought