The Bylines Network Podcast

At the end of November, Rachel Reeves unvieled a new Autumn Budget.

Our hosts, Julian and Chris, go through the major measures in it to tell you the good, the bad, and the apathetic.

If you wish to contribute to our cause, we have a crowdfunding page to help the Network expand. Donate only if you can and whatever you can, every little really helps. ⁠https://chuffed.org/project/ng7b7xwqwlze⁠

The Bylines Network has also relaunc...

Dominic Grieve is a former Conservative MP for Beaconsfield and current Co-President of the European Movement.

In this episode, Peter and Michelle of West England Bylines interview Mr Grieve, asking about a wide range of issues, both domestic and foreign, from recent news stories, such as the failed procesution of alleged Chinese Spies, to, of course, Brexit.

If you wish to contribute to our cause, we have a crowdfunding page to...

September marked end of recess and the start of Labour's Phase 2, marked by a cabinet reshuffle, and several unforeseen controversies, involving his deputy prime minister and his American ambassador. Is this a genuine phase 2 to mark the next stage in Labour's premiership or a distraction?

In other major news, the Green Party had a leadership election where a new face was elected, that being former deputy leader, Zack Polans...

Now onto the largest of the publications, today we celebrate the 5th Birthday of Central Bylines, who report from the entirety of the Midlands.

Julian talks with the former editor of East Midlands Bylines, Simon Ferrigino, as well as member of the current editorial board, Judy Copage and Mark Cunliffe to talk about the last 5 years of reporting, where the publication currently stands, and what the future holds.

If you wish to contrib...

Marcus Ryder MBE is a huge figure in the factual news world, spending 25 years in networks around the world, 8 of them acting as a senior executive at the BBC.

He's currently the CEO of the Film & TV Charity and chair of RADA. His new book, in collaboration with Sir Lenny Henry, The Big Payback talks about Reparations to address the legacy of slavery.

He sits down with Ben Dickenson and Anna Schurer to talk about diversity in the...

Immigration and small boats have been in the news for a number of years now, with many Right-Wing parties created to address this so-called issue.

However, Chris and Julian feel like there's always a perspective that goes unconsidered, the perspective of the people seeking asylum themselves and those who work with them.

This month, Chris and Julian sit down with Charlotte Khan from Care4Calais, a charity who works with migrants l...

Another birthday to celebrate.

This time we look to the south as our smallest publication in Sussex Bylines. We ask the Editor-in-Chief, Ginny Smith, as well as James Joughin and Pea Channon, both members of SBL core editorial team, to talk about what the last 5 years have been like.

On top of that, we're joined by 2 of Sussex's contributors, Ross McNally and Rudi Banfield, who talk about what it's like to write for Susse...

July signalled Labour's first year in power, so what better time than now for our hosts to look back at the last 12 months of policy making and give their opinions on The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

We list bills we like the look of, actions that have been taken, such as the railways going back into public ownership, and why, despite all the good, it's been a mixed bag of a first year for Labour.

If you wish to contribut...

Continuing out 5 years on series, we come to the third oldest of the publications, and the stomping grounds of one of our hosts, West England Bylines.

Our hosts interview the 3 Editors-in-Chief, Peter Burke, Claire Jones, and Michelle Cook, as well as Jon Hill, the former Editor, to ask how the last 5 years has gone, what goes into running a publication with such a varied area, andwhere they'd like to see it go in the next 5 yea...

An extra special episode in our Bylines Reports series, bringing you a passionate and insightful debate recorded live at the Byline Festival 2025, in front of an excited audience of 200 people.

Join host Ben Dickenson (Bylines Network’s managing director), and an expert panel including:

•⁠ ⁠Outspoken former UK diplomat Alexandra Hall Hall.

•⁠ ⁠High-profile campaigner Stephen Kinsella, founder of Hacked Off and the Press Justice Proje...

For Pride month, we ask what life is like for transgender people in the UK right now. On this special episode, Julian sits down with Zoe Perry from the Forrest of Dean and Natacha Kennedy, two trans writers from the Bylines Network, to discuss the

impact of the recent hotly contested Supreme Court decision.

The court ruled that protections from sex based discrimination in the Equality Act referred to biological sex only. Our gue...

Danny Dorling's new book, The Next Crisis: What We Think About the Future, is out and the Editor's-In-Chief of Bylines Cymru and West England Bylines interview him about it.

It's facinating and vital stuff to know.

The book is about the growing wealth gap between rich and poor, the effects of the Cost of Living Crisis, and how unknowns dictate the way we think about the future.

If you wish to contribute to our cause, we ha...

We're starting a new occasional mini series, celebrating the 5th birthday of every Publication when they come up.

This time, Chris and Julian are talking to Yvonne Wancke, Editor in Chief of North East Bylines.

We talk about how it started, how it's going and how she hope siit'll shape up in the future.

If you wish to contribute to our cause, we have a crowdfunding page to help the Network expand. Donate only if you ca...

The month of May was certainly full of news.

Our hosts pick two things to talk about in this episode, with the main topic being the Local Elections and the atronomic rise of Reform UK who won 10 councils and 2 Mayoralities, even doing very well in areas they didn't win, such as the WECA Mayor elections.

The other topic of discussion is the start of the leadership campiagn for the Green Party, with Zack Polanski and Co-Leader Adri...

One of Labour's big promises during the election was the creation of a new publicly owned body to tackle the massive bills the British Public was facing and aid the transition to renewable energy.

On the 15th May 2025, the creation of GB Energy was given Royal Assent. And former chief executive of Siemens UK, Juergen Maier was named as its chairman.

Anna Damski, from East Anglia Bylines, and Charlie McCarthy, from Bylines Scotla...

Jemma Forte & Marina Purkiss from the Trawl Podcast?!? What is this, a crossover episode?

Lydia Pearson and Gemma Gould of North West Bylines and Central Bylines, respectively, interview the hosts of one of the most popular political podcasts, asking them about the current political climate, the state of social media, and how do they cope with both and their own mental health juggling it all.

If you wish to contribute to our caus...

Ginny Smith returns in our 5th episode of Bylines Reports, this time talking to Tan Dhesi.

Tan Dhesi is the Labour MP for Slough and has been since 2017. When elected, he was one of the first Turbened MPs in Europe and Britain's first. He currently chairs the Defence Committee, which is a multi-party committee, which loosks at the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Ministry of Defence and its associated public bodies...

This month, Julian and Chris celebrate pride month by bringing you some Pride themed articles or articles written by Queer authors.

The articles this month include a discussion about gender from North West by Isabelle Goodhand, the function of Pride in the 2020s, especially with encroaching of LGBT+ rights from Central Bylines by Bryan Manley-Green, and a queer filmmaker’s examination of dealing with disability from Bylines Cymru by...

Grace Blakeley is a leading left-wing political commentator, author, and journalist who describes herself as a democratic socialist. She writes for the Tribune and is regularly seen working at the coal face battling Piers Morgan on Talk TV.

She studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics and then African Studies at Oxford. She’s a former fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research, former New Statesman commentator and for...