PoliticsJOE Podcast

Andy Twelves is a writer and commentator, and joined Seán to chat about the battle the Labour Party has ahead in winning back support from their traditional base, after bleeding support to Reform UK since their election victory.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seán and Laura swap hard political analysis for crystal balls as they set out to predict the big stories of 2026; from Trump and the fate of NATO to who could topple Starmer.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we're back to the grindstone reacting to another Wednesday in the House of Commons, where today Keir Starmer batted down questions of foreign policy from the leader of the opposition.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy New Year. Seán and Laura return to discuss 2026's blistering start, from US strikes in Venezuela and the capture of President Maduro to X's Grok and its use to create explicit images of women and children.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We sat down with Children's Minister Josh MacAlister to hear about the government's launch of a new Child Protection Authority. In a wide-ranging conversation, MacAlister tells us about his role, the mess the Labour government inherited from the Conservatives, and how to properly address the needs of victims.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As another year draws to a close, we are joined for another therapy session by none other than Ian Hislop.The editor of Private Eye took time out of his busy schedule to run through the insanity that has been the year in politics.From the rise of Nigel Farage's Reform and Zack Polanski's Green Party, to the complete and utter collapse in support for Keir Starmer's Labour government, this year in British politics gives ample ground for Ian to reflect on the year that has been.Elsewhere the royals have had a year to forget with Andrew losing all of his titles for his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. Another Epstein link had Britain's Ambassador to the US lose his job, even though Peter Mandelson certainly had a mutual friend with Donald Trump through his meetings with the New York financier.Ian also gives his take on how the fiasco that was the founding of Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana's Your Party, and how Donald Trump has managed to alienate the globe by throwing the might of the White House around on the world stage.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the final PMQs podcast of the season! Today Keir Starmer came under fire for two ongoing strikes: The resident doctor strikes set to go ahead in the run up to Christmas, and the ongoing hunger strikes in British prisons.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yesterday, Keir Starmer defended his record in government before the Liaison Committee. Ava and Laura check his report card.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Ava and Laura on Facetime as they react to Bonnie Blue's endorsement of Reform UK. Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After an impassioned defence of the Employment Rights Bill in the Commons on Monday, Angela Rayner is back in the Labour limelight. She rivals only Wes Streeting, the supposed faithful, for number of rumours swirling about a leadership bid. Laura and Seán get to the bottom of things.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ava and Laura react to one of Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch's sharper exchanges in recent weeks, and hear questions from Rachael Maskell, Ed Davey, and Sojan Joseph.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Author, journalist, and train nerd John Elledge joins Ava to talk Labour's nationalisation of rail under the freshly unveiled Great British Railways.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ava comes back from her slot on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg and gave us the lowdown on what was missing from the debate on the BBC yesterday.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We asked the lovely people of the PolJOE Patreon to ask us everything they wanted to know about Your Party conference. From the office floor, Laura, Ava, and Seán endeavour to answer those questions. Hear about the Corbyn-Sultana feud, rumours of expulsions and boycotts, and all the behind-the-scenes gossip.Take part in the discussion:patreon.com/PoliticsJOESubscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another week at the despatch box, but this time Keir Starmer had to fight off attacks from the opposition on the fallout from the budget which led to the resignation of the head of the OBR over the weekend. Safe to say Kemi Badenoch made great hay off the decision.Grace Blakeley interview: https://youtu.be/LFVgYXfegkQClive Lewis interview: https://youtu.be/qc1E_t68ehsSubscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Live from a new studio, Laura and Seán reflect on Rachel Reeves' autumn budget and the controversy surrounding the OBR.Watch our Paul Collier interview here: https://youtu.be/f51urcvWmsMSubscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ava and Laura come to you from the long and arduous journey back to London from Liverpool, where the future of Britain's newest political party was decided over the weekend.If you'd like to watch Ava's explainer video find it here: https://youtu.be/5WnxZFg_J9USubscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Noah East of Northstar Politics is joined today by author and Journalist Cory Doctorow to discuss his new book Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It. Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ava and Laura are on the ground at Your Party conference in Liverpool, where day one of the inaugural conference has been thrown into disarray after founding member Zarah Sultana decided to boycott the first day. We've got the scoop from the inside for you.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Laura was joined by Grace Blakeley to make sense of the Budget, and find out who the real winners and losers were.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today Ava is joined by Richard Murphy to break down Rachel Reeves' Budget, what it means for workers, and debunks the idea that the Chancellor has just delivered a traditional Labour budget.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We were outside the mother of Parliaments this afternoon on College Green with our instant reaction to the Budget, which was conveniently leaked an hour before the Chancellor Rachel Reeves took to the despatch box. Ava and Laura are joined by Labour MP Natalie Fleet and SNP MP Stephen Flynn who give their instant reaction to the goings on in the chamber, and what it means for the rest of the country.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ava and Laura discuss rumours that Zarah Sultana, co-founder of Your Party, considered defecting to the Green Party. What's going on with the British left, and what might come next?Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Laura Kuenssberg yesterday Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander hinted that Labour might scrap the two-child benefit cap in Wednesday's budget. Mel Stride was not happy about this revelation. Ava and Seán discuss.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ava is joined by artist and activist Bob Vylan to discuss his music, politics, and the controversy surrounding the group since their Glastonbury set this summer.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We were joined by Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport Lisa Nandy to discuss the government's plans to tackle a crisis in male loneliness through greater support for those who need it most.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You asked, we delivered. The old PMQs format returns, and Noah from Northstar Politics joins Ava and Laura to break down another blockbuster PMQs bout.Check out the JOE pub quiz here: http://joe.co.uk/quizliveSubscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shabana Mahmood is set to announce today plans to rejig Britain's asylum system that wouldn't look out of place in a Conservative manifesto. We break down the plans.We also touch on the news from the United States of a special relationship between Donald Trump and Bill Clinton.Subscribe to how to rebuild the left now: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/690c814368055f905c9893ecSubscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oliver Eagleton is a journalist and author, and joined us to discuss his new book Your Party: The Return Of The Left.Today, Oliver and Ava discuss the latest fallout surrounding the new party, the alleged clashes between the two founding members, and whether the movement can survive a tumultuous start.Buy Your Party: The Return Of The Left: https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/3579-your-party?srsltid=AfmBOoqmWetzi3hDcsG-Exj0tUN-qi56U-UgU6s4qP3AhbkiioresOK6Subscribe to how to rebuild the left now: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/690c814368055f905c9893ecSubscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sam Alvis of the the Institute for Public Policy Research joined us at JOETowers to talk about why Labour must bring down energy bills, and how.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A rumoured leadership challenge on the day of PMQs, you say... Hear Ava and Laura react live from the PolJOE dungeon to what was another blockbuster bout in the Commons between Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stephen Manderson, better known as Professor Green, joined us in the PolJOE dungeon for a powerful conversation about men’s mental health, class, and the material realities shaping people’s lives.Watch Movember's fireside chat here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcSOQJNDJGISubscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim Davie stepped down as the BBC Director General on Sunday along with the head of BBC News amid a scandal surrounding a Panorama package where Donald Trump's January 6 speech was clipped without any signposting. We chat about the fallout, and what it means for national broadcasting in the future.Subscribe to our new podcast How to Rebuild the Left new: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/642d7a0cfe7063001135a38fSubscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we are joined by Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, and former leader of the Labour party, Ed Miliband.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's deputy day at PMQs. With Keir Starmer in Brazil for COP, David Lammy faces off against Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge. Ava, Ed, and Laura reacted to the exchange live.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rachel Reeves was on the airwaves this morning bracing the country for tax hikes, and dudes are rocking. What can we expect from her budget at the end of the month? Ed and Oli discuss.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The king is apparently working with the government to strip his brother of his last few titles. Ava and Seán break it down.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seán is joined by Peter Oborne to discuss his new book Complicit, and break down the complicity of Britain, the media, and the international community in Israel's genocide in Gaza.Complicit By Peter Oborne can be bought here: https://orbooks.com/catalog/complicit/Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The drama surrounding Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana's new party refuses to let up. Ava is here to fill you in on what has been going on this week, including a new custodian of a massive sum collected from supporters of the movement. Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's another housing scandal for a senior Labour minister, as it emerged last night that Rachel Reeves broke the law by renting out her family home without a licence. Keir Starmer met with his ethics advisor last night and appears to be satisfied with the Chancellor's apology, but is she in the clear?Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Live from the PolJOE dungeon, Seán and Laura react to another blockbuster Prime Minister's Questions. Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch face off once again, this time on the economy.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Laura's interview with Zarah Sultana has sparked a discourse inferno, and she joins Oli and Seán to break it down clip by clip. In the absence of many concrete Your Party policies, Sultana's thoughts on NATO, Zelenskyy, landlords, and Polanski's Greens will weigh heavily on the future of the project and the British left.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Plaid beat Reform in Caerphilly, Laura spent the morning with Green New Deal Rising, Ireland have elected a socialist president, and Zohran Mamdani is set to win the New York mayoralty next week. All of which is to say, is the Left back? Laura and Seán discuss.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zarah Sultana came by to chat to Laura and set out a bold vision for a new radical politics of the left. One that challenges the Labour Party’s shift to the right and offers a genuine voice for Britain’s working class. Sultana explains why Your Party was formed: to rebuild a politics rooted in solidarity, equality, and economic justice, and to stand up to both Labour’s establishment drift and the rise of Reform UK’s divisive populism.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Ed and Laura discuss the phenomenon of the performative male, and Ed spends 50 minutes denying he is one.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After yesterday's antics, Ava, Ed, and Seán are back to discuss transport costs, the AWS outage, and what's wrong with Labour's comms strategy. From Keir Starmer's disposables to their messaging ahead of a precarious Caerphilly by-election in Wales, nothing seems to be landing.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's Monday. Ava, Ed, and Seán are talking Maccabi Tel Aviv, the Israeli football club set to play Aston Villa on November 6th, and Prince Andrew's relinquishment of his titles ahead of the release of Virginia Giuffre's memoir. Keir Starmer recently criticised West Midlands police for their decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv from watching the game in Birmingham, inciting a discourse frenzy.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Darren McGarvey discusses his explosive new book Trauma Industrial Complex, a searing examination of class, power, and inequality in modern Britain. Known for his fearless social commentary and sharp political insight, McGarvey pulls no punches as he breaks down the class dynamics that continue to shape every aspect of British life — from politics and the media to education, housing, and mental health.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Farha Khalidi swung by the JOE studios to unpack online misogyny and how she subverts traditional understandings of how gender dynamics operate online.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today Ava is joined by Greg Barradale from the Big Issue to talk about Yo-Yo Homes. Following a report in the magazine this week, there was outcry over the apparent moneyspinning involved in buying back right to buy homes that were sold off for a song under Thatcher. Greg gives us the lowdown.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.