In 2022, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees announced that for the first time since records had begun, 100 million people were displaced by war, violence, persecution and human rights abuses. No one wants to leave their home, but for many, the threat of death, danger and destruction leaves them with very little choice. But where can they go? And where will they be met with humanity? Sarah Dawood, senior associate editor at the New Statesman, is joined by former asylum seeker...

A listener writes in to ask, "Is there any risk of a Conservative - Reform coalition?" "Why do journalists not ask “how are you going to pay for it” when it comes to defence spending? Why is Keir Starmer's defence spending target covered so differently to planned green spending?" - another listener asks. Hannah Barnes, associate editor, is joined by Rachel Cunliffe, associate political editor, and Freddie Hayward, political correspondent, to answer listener questions. Would you like to ask...

Train travel in the UK has become an increasingly painful experience in the past few years. Prices continue to rise at an astonishing rate, meanwhile delays, cancellations and strikes have become the norm. Many have simply given up on this mode of transport. Last night, Labour announced their plan to get Britain’s railways back on track. But what does this mean? And could bringing trains back into public ownership really fix the dire state of rail travel in the UK? Hannah Barnes, associate...

MPs have voted to back Rishi Sunak's progressive smoking ban. Can it work? The Tobacco & Vapes Bill includes new legislation to increase the smoking age by one year, every year, banning the sale of cigarettes to anyone born after 1st January 2009. MPs have voted the bill through its second reading and it is now in the committee stage. The tobacco firm Philip Morris International have pledged to move away from selling cigarettes, and instead focus on heated tobacco products. In this...

In March, Charles Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer, published his memoir - A Very Private School. This recounted, in devastating detail, the abuse, both mental and physical, that he had been subjected to at his elite prep boarding school. The brutality is laid bare. For centuries in the UK, a private education has been the pathway to opportunity. Today those who attended private schools are five times more likely to hold top jobs in politics, the judiciary, media, and business.  Boarding school...

This episode was recorded on the 18th of April, prior to Israel's missile strikes on Iran. Tensions in the Middle East have heightened further after Iran launched a missile attack on Israel last week. This was in response to Israel’s strike on the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria - which killed 16 people. Western leaders came to Israel’s defence and condemned Iran’s attack, but prior to this David Cameron - the UK foreign secretary - had warned that the UK’s support for Israel was ‘not...

This week Liz Truss has embarked on the press tour of a lifetime with her new book, Ten Years to Save the West: Lessons from the only conservative in the room. She's been casting blame from the UN to the Bank of England for the failure of her time in office, but does she really believe what she's saying? And how might this affect her standing in the next general election? Anoosh and Rachel also ask Freddie about his recent trip to the National Conservatism conference in Brussels with the...

People up and down the country have been struggling to get NHS dental appointments for the past few years, forcing some to pay inflated prices for private treatment, or ignore their oral health until it’s reached an unbearable point. This crisis is also greatly impacting children across the nation, and today the number one reason children are admitted to hospital is due to severe dental issues. So how did we get here? Why is the UK faced with Dickensian rot in 2024? Anoosh Chakelian, Britain...

Angela Rayner, the Labour deputy leader, is being accused of being a ‘tax avoider’. While these attacks are coming predominantly from the right, they’ve been mounting in recent weeks and now Labour is having to confront the allegations. So what could this mean for the deputy leader? Is Labour in trouble? Or is this a Tory smear campaign? Anoosh Chakelian, Britain editor at the New Statesman, is joined in the studio by political correspondent Freddie Hayward; this episode was recorded on...

We’ve been digging around in our virtual mailbag and have brought a couple of your questions  to discuss.  One listener asks: What are the political implications of the Cass report and will it affect how British politicians approach the transgender conversation? And another listener writes in to ask: Could a Starmer win in the UK and a Trump win in the US spell the end for the ‘special relationship’? Ask a question for a future podcast: www.newstatesman.com/podcasts/2022/10/you-ask-us Read...

The British royal family was in crisis even before Queen Elizabeth II died, and the new King and princess of wales both became ill with cancer. In this modern age where access increasingly equates to relevance, and truth and conspiracy so often intertwine, how is Britain’s relationship with monarchy changing? Chris Stone is joined on the New Statesman podcast by author Tanya Gold who has written this week's cover story: The Fragile Crown. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...

It's listener questions time! Anoosh Chakelian and Rachel Cunliffe answer a listener who asks why senior politicians flock to address culture wars issues "which are frankly below their station", and another who wants to know if MPs who are also landlords should recuse themselves from voting on laws affecting renters. Submit a question for us to answer on a future episode: www.newstatesman.com/youaskus Listen to our previous episode on leasehold reform with Barry Gardiner MP:...

England’s waterways are overflowing with sewage. In a recent report it has been found that a record amount of sewage is being discharged into rivers and seas around England. Data revealed that last year raw sewage was discharged, by private water companies, for more than 3.6 million hours, a 105% increase on the previous 12 months.  And in addition to all of this Thames Water, Britain’s biggest water company, is at risk of insolvency. Who’s responsible for this shitstorm? And in how many ways...

Flexible work has existed for decades. Think about local hairdressers, personal trainers, or tutors working for themselves – or even the jazz musicians in the early 1900s who coined the term ‘gig economy’. But the past ten years of technology have made it more accessible – and visible – to both the people who use it and those who work in it. But what is the right balance between job autonomy, economic security and worker’s rights? Is there a world where an evolving labour market provides...

Today on the podcast we're bringing you a conversation from the New Statesman's Path to Power conference which looked inside the Labour Party machine as it gears up for the next election. In this session Rachel Cunliffe, associate political editor at the New Statesman, was joined by Alison McGovern, MP for Wirral South and Shadow Minister for Work and Pensions, to discuss Labour's plans for labour. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is an episode we like to call “You Ask Us”.   Our first question from James who says: "How would the results of a general election change if all British residents were allowed to vote, not just British Citizens? In other words what happens if we let immigrants without British passports vote?"   Ryan also writes in to say: "Will Labour be forced into a strict immigration policy come the general election in order to stop it being the dominant issue?"   Anoosh Chakelian, Britain editor of...

Earlier this week the UK government accused China of stealing 40 million UK registered voters’ names and addresses. The breach occurred in 2021 and 2022, in which time GCHQ has ascertained that China state-affiliated actors also targeted several parliamentarians’ emails - including former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith.  So what could the Chinese government do with this data? How real is the threat of China to Western democracy? And what is our government doing to mitigate this...

Each one of us in the UK is likely to be or become a carer at some point in our lives. Women have a 50:50 chance of caring by the time they are 46 and men by the time they reach the age of 57. But the UK’s social care system is failing all of us. This includes those that require care (whether this is older or disabled adults), and both formal employed carers and informal carers who tend to be parents, children, siblings, or spouses. Rachel Cunliffe, associate political editor of The New...

This is an episode we like to call “You Ask Us”. Our first question from Adam in Cardiff who says: "Does it matter who was elected in the Welsh Labour leadership election? It seems that both candidates had a very similar platform. Does the selection of Vaughan Gething have political implications in Westminster?" Rory also writes in to say: "With the Mayoral elections coming up, what would the significance of a Labour clean sweep be? A lot has been said about the different experiences of...

Stability, investment, and reform - these are the three pillars for growth set out by Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her Mais Lecture to business and finance leaders earlier this week. “In a changing world, Britain has been behind the curve,” she said, but a Labour government, she stated, would seek to bring a “new chapter in Britain's economic history”.  Anoosh Chakelian, Britain editor at the New Statesman, is joined by George Eaton, senior editor, and Freddie Hayward, political...

Why are women still taken less seriously than men? Alona Ferber, senior editor at the New Statesman, is joined by Mary Ann Seighart, journalist, former assistant editor of The Times, visiting professor at Kings College London and author of The Authority Gap: Why women are still taken less seriously than men, and what we can do about it. One of the things that shocked Mary Ann Seighart most from writing this book was that even the most senior, successful, authoritative women are taken less...

Ben Walker shares exclusive analysis on the impact of a dying electorate. In our weekly listener questions episode, Rachel Cunliffe is joined by Freddie Hayward and Ben Walker to answer two questions from New Statesman listeners: Nick asks: "what is the whip system and how (the hell) can it be democratic?" Freddie explains how it works, and Ben shares his experiences being 'whipped' in his role as a borough councillor. And an anonymous listener asks for analysis on the proportion of voters...

The Tory racism row exposed the Prime Minister's weakness. It's been another "torrid" week for the Conservatives, with a row over alleged racist comments made by their largest donor overshadowing the announcement of new extremism rules. Rachel Cunliffe is joined by George Eaton and Freddie Hayward to discuss how Rishi Sunak's response to Frank Hester's alleged comments exposes his weakness as leader - and the impact this might have on the next election. Submit a question for "You Ask Us":...

At the beginning of February Anoosh Chakelian, Britain editor at the New Statesman, travelled to Liverpool to interview two regional mayors: Andy Burnham the Mayor of Greater Manchester and Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region. Their new co-authored book, Head North: A Rallying Cry for a More Equal Britain, chronicles their intersecting journeys in politics, the careers paths which brought them to Westminster, and ultimately their joint decision to leave Westminster in...