Politics Unpacked

This weekend marks the 10th anniversary of the US mission to capture al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, which resulted in his death. Matt Chorley speaks to Times War Correspondent Antony Loyd, former Foreign Secretary William Hague, former British Army Colonel Simon Diggins, and US foreign policy expert Julie Norman about the impact his death had on the region. PLUSSunday Times columnist India Knight and The Atlantic's Tom McTague discuss the day's news. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Times columnists Alice Thomson and Rosamund Urwin pick over the day's news, then Matt Chorley and Redbox Editor Patrick Maguire pause the action at Prime Minister's Questions to explain the Commons exchanges between Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Chorley speaks to Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales for the 20th anniversary of the site, and asks him why he isn't a tech billionaire. PLUSTimes columnists David Aaronovitch and Daniel Finkelstein discuss the chatty rat and No.10's refurb woes.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do protests make a difference? Luke Jones is joined by General Secretary of CND Kate Hudson, organiser of the Women's March Dr Sholu Moss-Shogbamimu, Anna Birley from Reclaim These Streets and climate activist Noga Levy Rapaport to talk about whether protesting actually makes any political difference. PLUS Times columnists Rachel Sylvester and Libby Purves discuss the ongoing Number 10 leak saga. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After 10 years of the Office for National Statistics measuring the nation's life satisfaction, Matt Chorley asks the happiness tsar Lord Layard what the government should do to make us happier.PLUS: Knight at the Marriott: India Knight and James Marriott on why we are so judgy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Times columnist Alice Thomson and Robert Crampton pick over the day's news, then Matt Chorley and Redbox Editor Patrick Maguire pause the action at Prime Minister's Questions to explain the Commons exchanges between Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As two films focus on the 1960s political group, Matt Chorley speaks to the Black Panthers' photographer Stephen Shames about how the organisation was born, and how many racial injustices still exist today.PLUS: Finkelvitch - Daniel Finkelstein and David Aaronovitch on the politics of sport. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

20 years since Robin Cook's "chicken tikka masala" speech, Matt Chorley is joined by food historians Dr Rachel Rich from Leeds Beckett University and Dr Lisa Smith from University of Essex for a trip down memory lane, from John Gummer’s burger and David Cameron’s pasty, to Liz Truss’s cheese and Ed Miliband’s bacon sandwich.PLUS: Libberachi - Libby Purves and Rachel Sylvester give their take on the news. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is standing down later this year, and her party, the Christian Democratic Union, are choosing her successor. Matt Chorley speaks to CDU MEP David McAllister, former Conservative Europe Minister David Lidigton and journalist Katrin Pribyl about the candidates and what it will mean for Germany's relationship with Britain. PLUSColumnists India Knight and James Marriott discuss lobbying and contrarianism.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Chorley and Sunday Times Political Editor Tim Shipman pause the action to explain what's going on at Prime Minister's Questions.PLUSColumnists Alice Thomson and Robert Crampton discuss lobbying and supporting women in the workplace.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An inquiry into the government's handling of Coronavirus seems inevitable; Matt Chorley is joined by the chair of the inquiry into Bloody Sunday Lord Saville and expert inquiry lawyer Peter Jones to discuss in the ins and outs of holding an inquiry, and how long the one into Covid might take. PLUSTimes Columnists Daniel Finkelstein and David Aaronovitch remember Shirley Williams.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The pubs are back open in England and Matt Chorley is live from the Ship Tavern in London, where he speaks to landlords from across the country including Tim Martin from Wetherspoons, Jack Stein and [insert names of other landlords here from script].PLUSTimes columnists Rachel Sylvester and Libby Purves discuss the day’s news.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Luke Jones speaks to Sir Alan Duncan on his new memoir In The Thick Of It about life as an MP and foreign minister. Plus our columnists India Knight and James Marriott on Astrazeneca vaccine confidence and their favourite diary entries. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Luke Jones sits in for Matt Chorley and he speaks to the UK's National Statistician Professor Sir Ian Diamond on why data is key. Plus Robert Crampton and Rosamund Urwin on vaccine passports and female billionaires. And the incredible life of Dr Ike McKinnon, the former Detroit Police chief on the Chauvin trial. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Luke Jones speaks t Lord Heseltine and Akash Paun from the Institute Government on the power of mayors and devolution.Plus Danny Finklestein and David Aaronovitch on Boris Johnsons roadmap Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Luke Jones speaks to; Frances Crook, Chief Executive of the Howard League for Prison Reform, former prisoner Andrew Morris and the national chairman of the Prison Officers' Association Mark Fairhurst on how prisons have been during the pandemic.PLUS: Libby Purves and Rachel Sylvester give their take on the day's news. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the final instalment of Prime Ministers Week, Matt Chorley looks to the future, and convenes the Times Radio focus group to find out swing voters in Red Wall seats think of Keir Starmer's chances of becoming PM. PLUS:Times columnists India Knight and James Marriott discuss the day's news, and the war on human nature. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Parliament in recess, Matt Chorley looks at what it takes to win PMQs with former Ed Miliband advisor Ayesha Hazarika, Theresa May's former press secretary Paul Harrison, and which leaders were the best to caricature with sketch-writers Quentin Letts and Ann Treneman.PLUS:Times Columnists Alice Thomson and Robert Crampton discuss the government's Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Chorley is joined by Jonathan Lynn, co-creator Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister, to talk about the legacy of the hit comedy series, and how he thinks it may not have been beneficial to the way Whitehall works now.PLUS:Times' Columnists Daniel Finkelstein and David Aaronovitch discuss the day's news. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week marks 300 years since Britain got its first Prime Minister. In the first instalment of a special Prime Ministers' week, Matt Chorley is joined by Times Columnist Danny Finkelstein, Historian and political biographer Anthony Seldon, author and journalist Andrew Gimson and former civil servant Jill Rutter to discuss what qualities are needed to build the perfect Prime Minister. PLUS Columnists Rachel Sylvester and Libby Purves pick over the days' news.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Chorley tackles the philosophical questions behind pub passports and longer lockdowns, with AC Grayling, Baroness Deech and Alberto Giubilini.PLUS: India Knight and James Marriott on editing friends out and the curse of London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Times columnist Alice Thomson and Robert Crampton pick over the day's news, then Matt Chorley and Sunday Times Political Editor Tim Shipman pause the action at Prime Minister's Questions to explain the Commons exchanges between Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To mark a year of lockdown, Matt Chorley and former Number 10 pollster James Johnson convene the Times Radio focus group to see how people's attitudes to politics and politicians have changed over the past year. PLUS Times columnist Daniel Finkelstein and Red Box Editor Patrick Maguire talk protests, Scotland and flags.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Chorley speaks to the Times' veteran war reporter Anthony Lloyd about Syria, Shamima Begum and what essential packing for life in a war-zone. PLUS Times Columnists Rachel Sylvester and Libby Purves discuss Nicola Sturgeon and the droves of people leaving cities for villages.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special bonus edition we are bringing you an episode from another Times podcast - Past Imperfect.Ed Balls is a broadcaster, former Labour Politician and Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer and the winner of Celebrity Best Home Cook 2021. He talks openly to Rachel and Alice about his time in government, how he overcame the bullying he faced as a child and why he kept his lifelong stammer a secret.Get The Times free for a month: thetimes.co.uk/pastimperfectBullies Out: www.bulliesout.comYoung Minds: www.youngminds.org.ukThe Brittish Stammering Associtation: www.stamma.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Chorley hosts the Parliamentary Book Awards, revealing the winners of the best books by, and about, politicians. Stephen Lotinga, from the Publishers Association, dishes out the prizes, and Chris Bryant, Nicky Morgan and Dan Jarvis discuss their work. PLUS: Rosamund Irwin and James Marriott on self-esteem, and one man who doesn't lack it, Dominic Cummings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How will nightclubs survive the pandemic? Matt Chorley speaks to CEO of Night Time Industries Association Michael Kill, Chief executive of late night bar and club operator REKOM Peter Marks and Graeme Park who is one of the original founders of the UK rave/club scene about how the nightlife industry will bounce back after the pandemic.PLUS Times columnists Robert Crampton and Alice Thomson pick over the day’s news Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With a bumper crop of elections across Britain on May 6, Matt Chorley speaks to Robert Hayward, the polling analyst, Ailsa Irvine from the Electoral Commission, and Jackie Weaver on parish councils.PLUS: Daniel Finkelstein and Patrick Maguire on what is annoying them this week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Chorley speaks to Jihyun Park who was tortured and persecuted in North Korea before coming to Britain, where she is now standing in the local elections.PLUS: Libby Purves and Rachel Sylvester on the weird obsession with violence against women in books and films. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special bonus edition we are bringing you an episode from another Times podcast - Stories of our times.Last year, a Sunday Times investigation exposed failures at the top of government which may have cost thousands of lives. Now the team behind those revelations has written the first major book telling the inside story of Britain's battle with coronavirus.In the first of three episodes this week, we examine what went wrong between January and March 2020.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guests: - Jonathan Calvert, Insight Editor, The Sunday Times.- George Arbuthnott, Deputy Insight Editor, The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Links:- Failures of State: The Inside Story of Britain’s Battle with Coronavirus by Jonathan Calvert and George Arbuthnott.- Audiobook of Failures of State.- '38 days when Britain sleepwalked into disaster', The Sunday Times, April 19 2020.Clips used: BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky News, CNA, The Sun, Daily Mail, Met Office, ABC News, DW News. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What class are you? As a major study reveals we are becoming more middle class, Matt Chorley speaks to the Britain Thinks' Deborah Mattinson about the focus groups into social status, and comedian Russell Kane and self-styled middle class British Battleaxe Christine Hamilton talk about what their class means to them.PLUS: Esther Webber and Robert Crampton on why refurbishing parliament is more pressing than No10's makeover Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Times columnist Alice Thomson and Red Box writer John Kampfner pick over the day's news, then Matt Chorley and Sunday Times Political Editor Tim Shipman pause the action at Prime Minister's Questions to explain the Commons exchanges between Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Chorley ventures on to the much-hyped social media app, and joins a room with Conservative MP Esther McVey and Labour's Stephen Doughty to find out how British politicians are using it, while the New Yorker's Jiayang Fan describes how young people in China used it to discuss human rights abuses - before the app was banned.PLUS: Finkelvitch - Daniel Finkelstein and David Aaronovitch give their take on the political news. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Chorley boards a Times Radio Airways flight around the world to see how the vaccine roll-out is faring in America, China, France, Germany, Spain and Japan.PLUS: Libby Purves and Rachel Sylvester on the art of stepping back, from royals to Nigel Farage. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Forget the budget, the government wants us to lose the pounds from our waistline. Prue Leith from the Great British Bake-Off tells Matt Chorley whether it will work, and Dr Tim Lobstein, from the World Obesity Federation, explains how thousands of deaths in Britain could have been avoided if we had not been so obese.PLUS WebbCram: Esther Webber and Robert Crampton on Labour's problem with Rishi Sunak. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Chorley and Red Box Reporter Patrick Maguire give their snap analysis of the budget, ahead of PMQ's Unpacked, where Matt is joined by Sunday Times Political Editor Tim Shipman to pause the action and explain the exchanges between Boris Johnson and Kier Starmer.PLUS Times Columnist Alice Thomson and Red Box writer John Kampfner pick over the day's news. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond were once close allies and friends, but then the relationship turned sour, with the battle going all the way to the courts and to the heart of the question about whether the United Kingdom will follow their friendship in being broken up. Matt Chorley is joined by Keiran Andrews, Scottish political editor of The Times, to explain the row. Professor James Mitchell from Edinburgh University and journalist Angela Haggarty assess the impact on the SNP; and Luke Graham, former head of Boris Johnson's Union Unit, on turmoil in the Tory camp.PLUS: Finkelvitch: Daniel Finkelstein and David Aaronovitch on political retreads, and Trump's comeback. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New polling shows the public now thinks benefits are too low. Matt Chorley speaks to a mother on Universal Credit and a former MP who had to rely on benefits after losing his seat.PLUS: Libby Purves and Rachel Sylvester on why we really do hate elections. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New polling reveals just 4 per cent of people know what the culture war is. Matt Chorley speaks to an expert panel about what this means for politics.Plus Esther Webber and Robert Crampton on why Germany now envies Britain. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Times columnist Alice Thomson and Red Box writer John Kampfner pick over the day's news, then Matt Chorley and Sunday Times Political Editor Tim Shipman pause the action at Prime Minister's Questions to explain the Commons exchanges between Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chris Smith tells Matt Chorley about being the first MP to come out as gay, and the first to come out as HIV positive, in the latest episode marking LGBT+ History Month.PLUS: Finkelvitch - Daniel Finkelstein and David Aaronovitch on Lady Macbeth and anti-lockdowners losing the argument. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One year out from the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, Matt Chorley speaks to Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat and the Muslim Council of Britain's Hassan Joudi about whether Britain should boycott the event over allegations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang, and to Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies and the Times' Matt Lawton about attending controversial international sporting events. PLUS: Times Columnists Rachel Sylvester and Libby Purves pick over the day's news.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Red Box reporter, Esther Webber, and Times' columnist Robert Crampton pick over the day's news; Matt Chorley is joined by Blair Jenkins who ran Yes Scotland campaign and Blair McDougall who ran the Better Together campaign on whether a second Scottish independence referendum is likely. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has announced sweeping reforms to the NHS, but social care plans have been delayed again. Luke Jones - sitting in for Matt Chorley - is joined by experts in the area to discuss how to fix the system. Plus: Times writers Alice Thomson and John Kampfner pick over the day's news Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The UK parliament has more LGBT members than ever before, but how did it here? As part of LGBT History Month Luke Jones - sitting in for Matt Chorley - is joined by parliamentary historian Penny McMahon and current and former MPs Chris Bryant, Justine Greening and Hannah Bardell to talk about the history of the laws surrounding LGBT rights and what it's like being an out politician today.Plus, Times columnists David Aaronovitch and Danny Finkelstein discuss the day's headlines. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Luke Jones sits in for Matt Chorley. On Rishi Sunak's first anniversary as Chancellor Luke is joined by IPSOS Mori's Head of Politics Kieran Pedley, George Osborne's former Chief of Staff Rupert Harrison and former economic advisor to John McDonnell James Meadway to discuss why the Chancellor remains so popular, and what challenges he faces in the coming year. PlusColumnists Rachel Sylvester and Libby Purves pick over the day's news. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Red Box reporter, Esther Webber, and Times' columnist Robert Crampton pick over the day's news; Matt Chorley marks International Day of Women and Girls in Science by speaking to three prominent scientists, Payal Jain, Professor Monica Grady, Professor Lorna Dawson and the science minister Amanda Solloway.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Spectator's economics correspondent Kate Andrews and Red Box writer John Kampfner pick over the day's news, then Matt Chorley and Sunday Times Political Editor Tim Shipman pause the action at Prime Minister's Questions to explain the Commons exchanges between Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you noticed a change in the prime minister? Less prone to starting fights? The over-optimism dialled down? Matt Chorley speaks to Steven Swinford, the Times political editor, about a change in tone in No10, plus Charles Walker, the vice-chairman of the 1992 committee of Tory MPs, and Baroness Jenkin, on why the reboot should involve more women.PLUS: Finkelvitch - Daniel Finkelstein and David Aaronovitch on Keir Starmer's "Infamy" moment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former No10 pollster James Johnson chairs a group of swing voters to get their views on Boris Johnson, Keir Starmer and the economy.Plus: Libby Purves and Rachel Sylvester on who is in tune with the national mood on tax. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.