The New Statesman: politics and culture
Helping you make sense of politics, culture and world affairs – every weekday. Anoosh Chakelian, Andrew Marr and the New Statesman team bring you sharp reporting, clear analysis and thoughtful conversations to help you understand what’s really going on in Westminster and beyond. The New Statesman is Britain’s leading source of news and commentary on politics and culture with a progressive perspective. On the podcast, our journalists and expert guests cut through the noise of the headlines to explain the forces shaping our world. From the battles inside the Labour Party to the future of the Conservatives, from the rise of Reform UK to the debates that dominate Parliament, we provide the clarity you need to follow UK politics. But the story doesn’t stop at Westminster. Each week we take you around the globe, covering world news and international current affairs — from the war in Ukraine and the leadership of Volodymyr Zelensky, to Russia under Vladimir Putin, to the conflict in Israel and Gaza, and the impact of Donald Trump on American and international politics. Our interviews bring leading thinkers and cultural figures into the conversation, while our Saturday episodes explore books, literature, film and wider culture. Whether you want to stay on top of UK news, understand the shifts in global politics, or dive into the ideas that drive our culture, the New Statesman podcast is your essential daily listen. -- START HERE: ▶︎ Kemi Badenoch isn't working | Cover Story with Tom McTague ▶︎ Do billionaires really benefit the UK? ▶︎ One year of Labour rule: can things still only get better? -- LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱Download and subscribe in the New Statesman app to enjoy all our episodes without the ads. -- MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN: ❓ Ask a question - we answer them on the podcast every Friday ⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter in your inbox every morning ✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday -- JOIN US: ⭐️ Get full access to all our reporting and analysis - and get our magazine delivered to your door every week - with a print + digital subscription -- Host: Anoosh Chakelian Regular contributors and co-hosts: Tom McTague, Editor-in-chief Will Lloyd, Deputy editor Andrew Marr, Political editor George Eaton, Senior editor, politics Hannah Barnes, Associate editor Rachel Cunliffe, Associate political editor Will Dunn, Business editor Megan Gibson, Foreign editor Katie Stallard, Global affairs editor Tanjil Rashid, Culture editor Kate Mossman, Senior writer Production team: Senior podcast producer: Catharine Hughes Video producer: Rob Le Mare Executive producer: Chris Stone Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Last October, the government published the Employment Rights Bill, a slate of reforms set to change workers' rights in the UK - from banning “fire and rehire” tactics, to ending exploitative zero-hours contracts, to giving workers employment protection from day one.
The bill has passed through the Commons and is currently on its third reading in the House of Lords - the first changes are expected to be enacted in 2026.
But wh...
Ahead of this autumn’s budget there has been a reshuffle in Rachel Reeves’ treasury team. What’s at play? And what might it tell us about the trajectory of Britain’s finances?
Will Dunn, the New Statesman's business editor, is joined by George Eaton.
Read: Torsten Bell rises as Rachel Reeves reshuffles her team; Rachel Reeves will never get serious on tax
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Students across the UK have reported a dramatic rise in misogyny in their schools. The government has described this as being on an "epidemic scale". This is often connected to social media content targeted at young men and boys, but is there more to it?
Anoosh Chakelian is joined by journalist James Bloodworth, author of Lost Boys: A Personal Journey Through the Manosphere, to discuss.
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Due to Britain’s falling birth rates and the government’s desire for lower immigration levels, does the government have any plan to financially encourage and support couples to have children?
Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Rachel Cunliffe and George Eaton to answer listener questions.
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The Mayor of Manchester is the most popular choice to replace Keir Starmer as Prime Minister.
Keir Starmer is now less popular than Donald Trump.
Despite the Labour Party's historic election win just over one year ago, popularity ratings for leading Labour figures have plummeted.
Economic woes, crunching u-turns, unrest over Gaza and asylum hotel protests have left leading Labour figures looking to their next leadership ba...
Following last year’s riots, in the wake of the Southport murders, Elon Musk predicted civil war in the UK was “inevitable”. So far, however, no civil war…
Over the last century, people in British politics at times of turmoil have raised the prospect of civil war, repeatedly, in ways not unlike today. What did they fear, and why? And what might we learn from the fact that - each time - those fears remained unfounded?
Ano...
Yesterday, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Washington, flanked by seven European leaders, in order to meet with Donald Trump and push forward talks to end the war in Ukraine.
This came just three days after Trump’s carefully choreographed meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
Could this be the beginning of the end for the drawn out conflict? And can Trump be trusted?
Megan Gibson is joined by Katie Stall...
In 1978, the broadcaster and journalist Jonathan Dimbleby, and photojournalist Don McCullin, published The Palestinians - a book that sought to tell the human story behind one of the world’s most intractable conflicts.
This year, in the wake of the ongoing and constantly escalating war, the book will be republished with a new foreword.
In this episode Dimbleby joins Anoosh Chakelian to discuss the current phase of the conflic...
There’s one thing you need this summer. A good book.
Will Lloyd is joined by culture editor Tanjil Rashid, and staff writer Finn McRedmond to discuss the New Statesman's ultimate beach reads for 2025 and beyond.
Host: Will Lloyd
Guests: Tanjil Rashid, Finn McRedmond
Producer: Catharine Hughes
Video producer: Rob Le Mare
Executive producer: Chris Stone
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Will Starmer face a vote of no confidence? What does Reform UK mean by scrap Net Zero? Should the Democrats distance themselves from the Clintons?
Anoosh Chakelian is joined by George Eaton and Will Lloyd to answer listener questions.
Host: Anoosh Chakelian
Guest: George Eaton
Guest: Will Lloyd
Producer: Catharine Hughes
Video producer: Rob Le Mare
Executive producer: Chris Stone
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On Thursday morning, data was released showing that UK economic growth has slowed to 0.3%.
Also, JD Vance has been holidaying in the UK, recently meeting with a who’s who of right-wing populists - from Robert Jenrick, to Nigel Farage, to, somewhat bizarrely, enjoying a BBQ with ex-Apprentice contestant and social media star, Thomas Skinner.
Anoosh Chakelian is joined by George Eaton and Will Lloyd.
Read: The Cotswolds plot...
On Saturday, in Westminster, police arrested more than 500 people under the Terrorism Act.
That’s more in a single day than have ever been charged with terrorist-related activity in a whole year.
Many of those arrested were pensioners. Their crime: holding cardboard signs which read “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”
One of those 532 people arrested on Saturday was Sir Jonathon Porritt, a long-time acti...
US President Donald Trump will meet with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday for a high stakes summit to discuss the war in Ukraine.
Trump has been upping the ante with his rhetoric around Putin in recent months. On July 14, the US president set Putin a 50 day deadline to agree a ceasefire with Ukraine. On July 28th, he reduced it to 10-12 days. As that deadline was reached last Friday, Trump announced plans for...
Youth membership for the Labour party has collapsed – from 100,000 to just 30,000 under Starmer’s leadership. The relationship between Labour HQ and its members on university campuses has soured over the past year, reaching boiling point following the prime minister’s decision to conditionally recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire.
Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Hattie Simpson.
Read: In...
Whit Stillman is something of a cult film director. He rose to prominence in 1990 with his debut film Metropolitan, which became the first in the so-called “Doomed. Bourgeois. In love” trilogy: Barcelona came out in 1994 and The Last Days of Disco in 1998. Set among America’s so-called “Preppy” class, the films are comedies of manners in the tradition of Jane Austen, exploring the transitional phase of youth and a certain American ...
Is Keir Starmer sucking up to Donald Trump, and what do politicians get up to during parliamentary recess?
Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Rachel Cunliffe and George Eaton to answer listener questions.
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⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning
✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via e...
New polling has found that Keir Starmer is now less popular amongst British voters than Donald Trump.
Today, we’re talking about Keir Starmer’s first year in government and the rapid decline in his personal popularity. From a triumphant election victory to sliding approval ratings, where has it gone wrong for the Labour leader?
Anoosh Chakelian is joined by the New Statesman's senior data journalist, Ben Walker.
...
Nine years after the Brexit referendum, the dream of 'Singapore-on-Thames' has quietly evaporated. Instead, we’ve got a Labour government embracing high taxes, stronger workers’ rights, even state ownership.
What’s behind Labour’s European turn and is Starmer quietly reversing Thatcher’s legacy?
Rachel Cunliffe is joined by George Eaton.
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The dormant Democrat party must find a way to revive itself if it is to have any hope of challenging the Maga movement, Donald Trump, and his eventual successor. The party is split on whether Trump is simply an aberration to endure, or whether he represents the death of democracy, justifying a dirtier form of opposition politics.
Anoosh Chakelian is joined by the New Statesman's US correspondent Freddie Hayward.
Parliament is in recess for the next four weeks, a time when Westminster usually goes quiet, but this year there’s one man who’s determined to keep working. Nigel Farage.
Today the Reform UK leader delivered his third weekly conference as part of his campaign on “Lawless Britain”, broadening out (slightly) from the party's usual single-issue politics. Of course, much of the emphasis is still heavily on migration.
But do these...
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