The New Statesman | UK politics and culture

The New Statesman | UK politics and culture

Reporting and analysis to help you understand the forces shaping the world - with Andrew Marr and Anoosh Chakelian, plus New Statesman writers and expert contributors. -- New Statesman subscribers can listen ad-free on the New Statesman app. Get your first two months' subscription for just £2 at https://www.newstatesman.com/save Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

July 24, 2025 19 mins

This week - Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has identified immigration, economic insecurity and time spent online as key causes of unrest and rioting in the UK following last year's Southport attacks. Also, Can Rachel Reeves avoid another fiscal crisis?


Rachel Cunliffe is joined by Andrew Marr and George Eaton to discuss.


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Can Rachel Reeves avoid a new fiscal crisis - George Eaton


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She was the Tory saviour. Now, by November, she could be gone.


Where did it all go wrong for Kemi Badenoch?


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For this week's New Statesman magazine, Will Lloyd has written a powerful and revealing profile of the Nigerian immigrant who rose to lead the Conservative Party.


Will joins Tom McTague to discuss what he discovered in the course of his reporting, including why Conservative grandees first celebrated, then turn...

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July 22, 2025 39 mins

Could Donald Trump’s plea to his support base to “not waste time and energy on Jeffrey Epstein” finally drive a wedge between the US president and his MAGA faithful? And what are Trump and Vice President JD Vance doing in the UK this summer?


Katie Stallard is joined by the New Statesman’s US correspondent Freddie Hayward to discuss.


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A conspiracy theory that Donald Trump can't control - Freddie Hayward


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Water regulator Ofwat is to be abolished - but Labour should go further.


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On Monday the results of an independent review of the water industry were published. The results were damning for the regulator, Ofwat, which will be abolished in response to the report.


Megan Kenyon attended the announcement for the New Statesman and joins Anoosh Chakelian and George Eaton on the podcast.


They argue that while provision of wa...

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As Keir Starmer's government appears to be buffeted by internal storms, multiple factions are influencing the flow of power. Not least, the oxymoronically-named 'Blue Labour'.


But what is Blue Labour? And what do those in the movement actually want?


In this episode, Anoosh Chakelian and Rachel Cunliffe are joined by the author Morgan Jones, who specialises in reporting on the politics of the Labour Party. She's also the co-e...

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The government are pursuing AI developments, but at what cost? Why aren't Labour rebels protesting about stealth taxes? And will Jeremy Corbyn join the Green Party?


Rachel Cunliffe is joined by Will Dunn and Andrew Marr to answer your questions.


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Magic and divination in the age of AI - Will Dunn


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On Wednesday, the prime minister removed the whip from the group of MPs for breaches of discipline. The group of MPs have persistently rebelled against the Labour leader.


The government are also reckoning with a revelation that leaked information compromised the safety of Afghans who supported the British military, and inflation has risen higher than expected.


Plus: Labour introduce plans to lower the voting age to 16.


Rac...

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Jonathan Sumption, Lord Sumption, served on the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom between 2012 and 2018.


He has written a powerful and sobering essay for the New Statesman in which he argues that Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza.


In this exclusive interview, Tom McTague meets Jonathan Sumption to discuss why he has come to this conclusion now, and what it means for the international community.


Read Jonathan Sumpti...

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English literature no longer makes the top ten of A-level subject choices. English departments at universities are regularly closing. Studies show dramatic drops in literacy and reading, particularly amongst teenagers. 


Today we’re asking: is English literature dying?


The New Statesman’s deputy editor Will Lloyd is joined by the New Statesman’s new culture editor Tanjil Rashid and columnist and critic James Marriott.


...

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Nigel Farage and Reform UK are a real threat to Labour and the Conservatives alike.


We've heard a lot about the strengths of the challenger party - who would be likely to form the next government if an election was held tomorrow.


But one political polling analyst has been exploring where the Reform brand is most vulnerable to attack - and he reveals his results exclusively in this episode of the New Statesman podcast.


...

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In a New Statesman exclusive, two of the Green Party's leadership candidates, Zack Polanski and Adrian Ramsey, present their visions for the party to host Anoosh Chakelian.



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Can the Green Party ever work with Jeremy Corbyn? - Megan Kenyon



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As the UK faces economic and technological change, building a skilled workforce is critical - but what should that workforce look like? And how can employers, educators and policymakers align to prepare people for what’s next?

 

Host Zoë Grünewald is joined by Pearson’s UK Lead Sharon Hague and Vice Chair of Skills England Sir David Bell, to explore the future of skills in a rapidly evolving economy.

 

Their discussion explor...

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Our listeners ask: How will Zarah Sultana's new party on the left ever be able to square wildly different views among those involved?


Also in the show, listeners ask how well, or badly, have Labour been dealing with the media and whether Reform will now pull their support for voting reform.


Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Rachel Cunliffe and Megan Kenyon to answer all.


Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask Us


Si...

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With resident doctors set to strike yet again, the courts log jammed and the OBR sounding the alarm over Britain's financial trajectory, what can and should be done to arrest the decline?


Anoosh Chakelian is joined by colleagues George Eaton, Rachel Cunliffe and Will Dunn to unpack the latest symptoms of the British State's interminable malaise.



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Britain is growing old disgracefully - Will Dunn


The five-day doct...

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'Some of his views are pretty extreme... I found it pretty sinister'


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Harry Lambert, contributing writer to the New Statesman, talks to Anoosh Chakelian and Will Lloyd about his cover story profiling the Conservative MP and leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick.


Can he really become PM, why is he so popular online and how did his politics get so radicalised?



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Inside Robert Jenrick’s New Right revolution - Harry ...

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With the biggest reunion tour in years kicking off in Cardiff last weekend, the culture show asks if Oasis were just too Irish to be the best Britpop band in the first place?


The New Statesman's commissioning editor Finn McRedmond sits down with colleagues George Eaton, Nick Harris and Faye Curran to discuss the Gallagher brothers real allegiances.



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Oasis are the greatest Irish band of all time - George Eaton

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July 7, 2025 18 mins

After the bruising passage of the government's welfare reform bill, attention on the backbenches is now turning to another lightning rod issue - the potential overhaul of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system.



Anoosh Chakelian discusses the battles looming with colleagues Hannah Barnes, Will Dunn and Pippa Bailey.


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Starmerism is disintegrating - Aaron Bastani


LISTEN


One year of Labour r...

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Labour MP Jake Richards sits down with Anoosh Chakelian to discuss the drama over the government's welfare reform bill and why he thinks the European Convention on Human Rights needs a desperate overhaul.



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Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask Us


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Our listeners ask: Can we really argue that Keir Starmer has a plan after yet another disaster over the welfare reform bill?


Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Tom McTague and Rachel Cunliffe. This episode was recorded before MP Zarah Sultana announced she is launching a new political party with Jeremy Corbyn.


Sign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning Call


Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask ...

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'We've not been here since the 70s'


As the government marks one year in office, Anoosh Chakelian sits down with Andrew Marr, Tom McTague and Rachel Cunliffe to discuss Keir Starmer's highs, lows and the many, many challenges that lie ahead.


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We must prepare for Prime Minister Farage - Andrew Marr


LISTEN


JUST RAISE TAX


Sign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning Call





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