Will Dunn meets the political pranksters who sent Liz Truss fleeing in rage. **Follow on your podcast app to get new episodes as soon as they're released** From films detailing Conservative hypocrisy projected on Parliament buildings, to remote-controlled lettuce banners unfurling over the head of the former Prime Minister, Led By Donkeys have been a regular fixture of political activism over the past decade. Now with a Labour government in place after 14 years of Tory rule, will the group -...

Freddie Hayward rejoins the podcast in his new role as US correspondent to answer listener questions on the weird world of US politics.  **Hit 'follow' on your podcast app to get new episodes first** He speaks to Hannah Barnes and Rachel Cunliffe to discuss how Keir Starmer’s commitment to “tough choices” compares with the Kamala Harris campaign, and how US election campaigns use the vast amounts of money they receive in donations. – Read more:  Robert F Kennedy Jr and the end of the...

“She’s done an awful lot of damage to morale,” says Andrew Marr. Hit “Follow” in your podcast app to get new episodes as soon as they publish Chancellor Rachel Reeves secured a victory in Parliament for her proposed changes to the Winter Fuel allowance.  But the move has divided the Labour party, angered voters, and possibly tarnished Keir Starmer’s authority. Is this a sign Rachel Reeves “is not very good at politics”?  Andrew Marr and George Eaton join Hannah Barnes on this episode of the...

“We cannot know what sort of human beings will emerge from this.” Following Hamas’s deadly attack on 7 October 2023, Israel’s military response has been described as “inevitable”. Eleven months on, the scope and ferocity of that military response has stunned the world.  In this episode of the podcast we speak to four of the writers who contributed to the New Statesman essay collection Losing Gaza. Raja Shehadeh: “Palestinians are not treated as human beings deserving of human rights” Ghada...

The former Labour leader’s new coalition could be “a real force” in Parliament, says Andrew Marr. **Hit ‘Follow’ in your podcast app to get every episode as soon as it drops** Jeremy Corbyn has formed a new “Independent Alliance” of MPs, united around opposition to the Gaza war. Answering a listener question on this “You Ask Us” episode, Andrew Marr says Corbyn could well attract more Labour MPs to his cause. This would make the Independent Alliance bigger than Reform UK, and could influence...

The Grenfell report is damning. Will there finally be justice for Grenfell? -- After seven long years the Grenfell Inquiry has published its damning verdict: the 72 deaths caused by the Grenfell Tower fire were completely avoidable. The 1500-page report names and shames companies and government bodies who’s choices and actions led to the deaths. In this episode, Andrew Marr and Rachel Cunliffe join Hannah Barnes to discuss the findings of the inquiry and why justice must finally come for...

Noel and Liam Gallagher have managed the impossible. They've apparently buried the hatchet and announced that Oasis is coming back in 2025. Is this the return of Cool Britannia? Rachel Cunliffe, associate editor, is joined by George Eaton, senior editor, to answer listener questions about ex-MP's jobs, SPADs, and the politics of Britpop. Sign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning Call   Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask Us Hosted on Acast. See...

On Tuesday morning Keir Starmer addressed the nation and warned that Labour’s first Budget “is going to be painful”, suggesting that tax rises are on the way.  While the prime minister stressed that those with the “broadest shoulders should bear the heavier burden”, he warned that he won’t “shy away from making unpopular decisions”, raising the question of whether Labour is bringing back austerity. Rachel Cunliffe, associate political editor, is joined by George Eaton, senior editor. ...

A listener asks: will Keir Starmer and the Labour government attempt to change the conversation around immigration, or continue with a more hawkish stance in an attempt to win over reform voters? Hannah Barnes and George Eaton discuss in our latest listener questions episode. They also answer questions on how the electorate might change by the next election and whether voting reform will have an impact in future. Send us a question: www.newstatesman.com/youaskus Read more: George’s interview...

Labour have agreed pay deals with NHS staff, public service workers and now train drivers - but they've handed the conservatives an effective attack line. Are Labour really beholden to "union paymasters"? And can they sustain pay rises while cutting the winter fuel allowance? Hannah Barnes and George Eaton discuss on the New Statesman podcast. Also in this episode, Hannah and George look at the crisis in prisons, and Labour's plan to house inmates in police cells. Can Keir Starmer and new...

And should Starmer be trying to befriend Elon Musk? Hannah Barnes, associate editor, is joined by senior editor George Eaton to answer this week's listener questions. Sign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning Call Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask Us Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The unrest and violence which gripped the country last week after the killing of three young girls seems to have halted for the time being. A brief sigh of relief. But this doesn’t mean that the anger -  which was unleashed on asylum seekers, police, mosques, and local communities - or what may lie beneath it, has gone away. The prime minister promised that rioters would feel ‘the full force of the law’. And he has been true to his word. As many as 1,000 people have been arrested so far and...

The number of children who say they feel lonely at school more than doubled between 2012 and 2018, and Britons aged 16-29 are more than twice as likely to report feeling often or always lonely as those aged over 70.  A report by the think tank Onward found that one in five Britons aged 18-24 have one or no close friends, a proportion that has tripled in the past decade.  Historically, people’s social networks have tended to shrink with age, but nowadays research shows that young people have...

If the Labour party in the next 5 years decide to get rid of the House of Lords, what is the most likely option for a replacement? Should there be upper and lower age limits for politicians? What are the rules for becoming a lobby journalist? Who decides who gets in, and can a journalist be kicked out? Hannah Barnes, associate editor, is joined by Rachel Cunliffe, associate political editor, to answer this week's listener questions. Sign up to the New Statesman's daily politics...

After over a week of violence and unrest, it was feared last night that the riots would gather even more momentum, targeting immigration offices and centres across the country. Instead, we saw an outpouring of solidarity and counter-protests took place. Hannah Barnes, associate editor, is joined by Rachel Cunliffe, associate political editor, and Nick Harris, Staggers' editor. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This weekend, far-right riots and violence have continued to spread across the country after the killing of three young girls in Southport last week. Hundreds of people have been arrested following violent altercations and the destruction and burning of hotels in Rotherham and Tamworth where asylum seekers were living. Nazir Afzal was a Chief Crown Prosecutor in 2011 during the August riots that began in London and spread across the whole country.  He joins Rachel Cunliffe, associate...

Should Starmer be more open to challenge from his party?  Did the Blair government carefully chose to ignore housing issues because they thought doing anything would alienate middle class voters? What events lead to the dissolution of he Whig party and how does it correlate to the Tories now? This is our weekly listener questions episode, You Ask Us. Hannah Barnes, associate editor, is joined in the studio by associate political editor, Rachel Cunliffe. Sign up to the New Statesman's daily...

Hannah Barnes, associate editor, is joined by Rachel Cunliffe, associate political editor to discuss the horrific events in Southport, violence on the streets, and how Labour plan to fill their financial black hole. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Britain faces a severe housing crisis. But while high interest rates, mortgages, and sky high prices in the private rental market dominate headlines, Britain's diminishing social housing stock gets less attention. The supply shortages, landlord mismanagement, and unsafe conditions often seen in social housing are all issues that the new Labour government will have to contend with. Social housing campaigner and author Kwajo Tweneboa joins the New Statesman's policy correspondent, Harry...

What do parliamentary private secretaries, aka 'bag carriers', really do? How will Ben Houchen fare as a mayor in opposition? How much will Labour commit to international development? And should funding for GB News be considered a political donation? Hannah Barnes, associate editor, is joined by George Eaton, senior editor, and Freddie Hayward, political correspondent, to answer your questions. Sign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning Call   Submit a question for a...

Keir Starmer’s leadership of the Labour party has been described countless times over the past 4 years as ‘ruthless’, and this week we saw this in action for the first time as prime minister withdrawing the Labour whip from seven MPs who voted with an SNP amendment to scrap the two child cap in certain benefits. Hannah Barnes, associate editor, is joined by senior editor George Eaton, and political correspondent Freddie Hayward. Sign up to the New Statesman's daily politics...

In a surprise social media post this weekend, Joe Biden stood down from his re-election campaign and endorsed VP Kamala Harris. Significant support has mounted in the past 48 hours for Harris, but how does this change the presidential race? Hannah Barnes, associate editor at the New Statesman, is joined by political editor Andrew Marr to discuss the developments in the US as well as Labour's imminent challenges this summer as parliament heads for recess. CORRECTION: Andrew Marr states that...

The new PM has been in office a couple of weeks, but you've already asked how long he's got. In our weekly "You Ask Us" episode, Hannah Barnes and Rachel Cunliffe answer listener questions on how long Keir Starmer has before the Conservatives can form a coherent opposition, how a Labour government will approach China, and the things that have surprised them about the new parliament so far. Submit a question for the New Statesman team to answer at www.newstatesman.com/youaskus, or if you're...

Clean energy by 2023? We're "pretty far off". Ed Miliband today made his first parliamentary speech as the new Energy Secretary, hailing the Labour government's progress on their energy plans. Central to their goal to reach clean energy by 2023 is their proposal for a new publicly owned energy firm, Great British Energy. Sustainability correspondent Megan Kenyon joins Hannah Barnes and Rachel Cunliffe on the New Statesman podcast to unpick Labour's energy plans and discuss whether or not GB...

"It's been a long time since we've had a government with this level of ambition" - George Eaton Black Rod has been summoned and the weighty wooden doors swung open on a new parliamentary year. At the State Opening of Parliament, Keir Starmer's government unveiled their ambitious legislative agenda through the King's speech, which introduced a bumper 39 bills. George Eaton and Rachel Cunliffe join Hannah Barnes on the New Statesman podcast to unpick the policy announcements and explore the...