The Politics Show
Helping you make sense of politics – every week. Anoosh Chakelian 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 Politics Show, 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. -- 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 -- Hosts: Anoosh Chakelian Regular contributors and co-hosts: Tom McTague, Editor-in-chief Ailbhe Rea, Political editor Production team: Senior podcast producer: Catharine Hughes Podcast and video producer: Rob Le Mare Assistant producer: Biba Kang Executive producer: Chris Stone Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
At this week’s Labour conference, Andy Burnham announced bigger and bolder policy ambitions than anyone expected. Was this too big a swing? Or the grand vision the country needs?
Elsewhere, next Thursday, there is a by-election happening in Holborn and St Pancras, the seat vacated by Keir Starmer.
Oli Dugmore is joined by business editor Will Dunn and political correspondent Megan Kenyon to discuss.
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Labour Conference 2026 draws to a close with Andy Burnham's speech.
The PM's announcements included scrapping the triple lock pension, electoral reform, a new help-to-buy scheme, Great British Grid, an end to the public ownership ban on water companies and a range of options for our relationship with Europe which he will be looking into.
Anoosh Chakelian is at the Labour Conference and is joined by Ethan Croft and Ailbhe Rea ...
The Chancellor gives his conference speech just four weeks before his first budget and Andy Burnham proposes a national care service in England.
Anoosh Chakelian, Ailbhe Rea and Ethan Croft bring you the latest from the Labour Conference.
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The rise of balaclava Britain, Kemi Badenoch’s billionaire baloney and Donald Trump’s AI rebrand.
Anoosh Chakelian and Will Dunn discuss the stories of the week.
📚 READ:
https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2026/09/ed-davey-has-a-superpower-immunity-from-embarrassment
https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/bursting-the-bubble/2026/09/the-rise-of-balaclava-britain
https://www.newstatesman.c...
For this week’s New Statesman, our Politics Show stars have been busy interviewing some key players in the past year of Labour turmoil.
Ailbhe Rea, our Political Editor, had a fascinating encounter with the MP and former chief secretary to the Prime Minister, the Starmer loyalist Darren Jones.
And speaking of Andy Burnham, Tom McTague, our Editor-in-Chief, has been busy profiling the Prime Minister himself…
LISTE...
Are tech companies turning apocalypse into profit?
In 2022, we were all having fun with a new chatbot called ChatGPT. Meanwhile, ministers and civil servants of the British government were imagining how it might go horribly wrong.
Four years ago, AI experts were concerned about what people might do using their technology. Today, they fear what the technology is doing on its own, without being asked.
Tom McT...
Reform UK received two £36 million donations from crypto billionaire Ben Delo. This has sent shockwaves through Westminster and thrown the question of political finance reform into sharp relief.
Labour is caught in an uncomfortable bind - appalled by the scale of Reform's fundraising, but reluctant to cap donations in a way that could threaten trade union funding and destabilise its own finances.
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The fallout from Reform’s latest scandal, John Healey’s first major speech as Chancellor and Ukraine’s plan to tax porn stars.
Anoosh Chakelian and Will Dunn discuss the stories of the week.
Read: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2026/09/the-gospel-according-to-nigel-paul-farage
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Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has unveiled the biggest reset in UK relations with Israel for decades, and, in typical fashion, is putting his stamp on his new role.
Meanwhile, the scandal surrounding Reform and their finances continues, with the Met Police announcing they are launching a criminal investigation.
Pippa Bailey is joined by Ailbhe Rea, and guest Ben Judah, to discuss.
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Labour’s missing money metaphor, the millionaires still getting benefits and Dyson’s £420 toothbrush.
Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Will Dunn to round up the stories of the week.
https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2026/09/britain-must-stop-paying-benefits-to-millionaires
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This week was Andy Burnham’s first in the Commons as Prime Minister, facing his inaugural head to head with Kemi Badenoch at PMQs.
As for the Tories, they have undergone a major reshuffle.
Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Ailbhe Rea and Tom McTague.
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As the UK faces hotter summers, wetter winters and more unpredictable weather, its historic buildings will need to adapt. But how can Britain make them more resilient without compromising the heritage that makes them worth protecting?
Host Sarah Dawood is joined by Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, Chair of the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, and Tor Burrows, Chief Sustainability Officer at Grosvenor, to ask whether th...
The investigation into Nigel’s “Farage Fest” election party, Andy Burnham’s Ukrainian jam session and Pope Leo XIV making it onto Vanity Fair’s best dressed list.
Anoosh Chakelian and Will Dunn round up the stories of the week.
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It’s nearly a year since Zack Polanski took the reins of the Green party.
In many ways the party has never been so successful – with five MPs, leading six local authorities and a leader who cuts through with the public.
But now the Greens have to contend with a new – and relatively popular – Prime Minister, and internal factions within the party threaten to make life difficult for...
One of the first big decisions of Andy Burnham’s premiership is looming: whether to drill for North Sea oil and gas.
Labour made a manifesto promise not to grant new licences for oil and gas exploration, but the question of whether to go ahead and drill at the Rosebank and Jackdaw sites - offshore oil and gas fields that have pre-existing licences - remains.
After a summer of wildfires and heatwaves, but with our ...
What constitutes a wealthy society, Richard Tice saying we should “enjoy” climate change and the clamour around Harry and Meghan’s return to the UK.
Anoosh Chakelian and Oli Dugmore discuss the stories of the week.
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On the one hand, Burnham may never be as popular as he is now. On the other, the PM could lose an election if he calls it soon, bringing his long-held dream of being prime minister to a horribly premature end.
Anoosh Chakelian is joined by political editor Ailbhe Rea.
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The UK still sends millions of tonnes of waste to landfill, creating environmental risks while losing resources that could be put to better use.
Given there will always be some waste that we cannot reuse or recycle, what role should government and industry play in finding a more sustainable alternative?
Host Emma Haslett is joined by Toby Perkins MP, chair of the Environmental Audit Select Committee and Karl Smyth, Director o...
After its victory in Clacton, Reform has announced plans to slash the welfare state.
Over the weekend, Robert Jenrick claimed a Reform government would cut £50 billion from the welfare bill, excluding foreign nationals from most benefits.
Meanwhile, a parliamentary investigation into Nigel Farage’s finances has resumed, after he was found to have accepted a £5 million gift from billionaire Christopher Harborne.
Anoos...
Labour overtaking Reform in opinion polls for the first time in over a year, travel chaos for government ministers and the controversial grave of Dobby the house-elf.
Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Oli Dugmore to discuss the stories of the week.
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