Episodios

  • Postcard from Liverpool: is Starmerism over already?

    Postcard from Liverpool: is Starmerism over already?
    Oct 3 2025
    Host Sascha O'Sullivan goes behind-the-scenes of Labour Party conference in Liverpool, talking to senior politicians and advisors as she tries to hunt for Keir Starmer's ideology – once dubbed "Starmerism". She tracks down Andy Burnham as the threat of a leadership challenge from the Manchester Mayor fades into the distance. And she speaks to Lucy Powell as she runs to be deputy leader of the Labour Party. Outside the POLITICO Pub, Sascha interviews Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy about what he thinks Starmerism means. And Sascha speaks to head of policy at Labour Together Morgan Wild and former senior advisor to the Prime Minister Peter Hyman about why finding a philosophical direction for the party is so important. Financial Times journalist Stephen Bush and Labour MP Alistair Strathern give Sascha their analysis on the all-important speech from the Prime Minister – and what it says about the future of Keir Starmer's Labour Party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    39 m
  • What do Gen Z want?

    What do Gen Z want?
    Sep 26 2025
    Four and a half thousand miles away in Nepal, Gen Z protestors recently brought down their government in just 48 hours, amid roiling anger over corruption and nepotism. The uprising, led by online influencers harnessing the power of AI and Tik Tok, has sent shockwaves through South Asia. So, this week on Westminster Insider, host Patrick Baker decides it’s time to look at U.K. politics through the eyes of Gen Z — generally regarded as those born between 1997 and 2012. Luke Tryl, UK director of polling company More in Common, sheds light on the concerns of a generation that has only ever known constant crisis — from the 2008 financial crash to Brexit paralysis and then the Covid-19 pandemic. A Gen Z focus group describes what matters to them, and which political parties are grabbing their attention. Gen Z MPs — Sam Carling, the Labour MP known as the ‘Baby of the House’, Keir Mather, who recently became the youngest Government minister in 200 years, and Lib Dem MP Joshua Reynolds — set out their plans to restore their generation’s faith in mainstream Westminster politics. ‘Your Party’ co-leader Zarah Sultana, which has polled well with young people, speaks to Patrick at a grassroots party meeting in North London, where we hear from Gen Z about their hopes for the future, and why they still back Jeremy Corbyn. With a big increase in Gen Z men voting for Reform UK, Owain Clatworthy, a 21-year-old Reform UK councillor in Bridgend in Wales, explains why he stood for Nigel Farage’s right-wing populist party at such a young age. And following the recent killing of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk on a U.S.college campus, Patrick attends his memorial in London to speak to young men inspired by Kirk’s ultra-conservative brand of right-wing politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    46 m
  • Inside the fight to stop migrants crossing the Channel

    Inside the fight to stop migrants crossing the Channel
    Sep 19 2025
    Just this week, Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, has made a fresh effort to remove migrants arriving from the English Channel with the Government's one-in-one-out agreement with France. So this week on Westminster Insider, host Sascha O'Sullivan finds out why it's so hard – and who is really in control. She speaks to former Home Secretary James Cleverly who explains the thinking behind the controversial Rwanda plan and how it clashed with the courts. Glyn Williams, a top civil servant at the Home Office for more than a decade, tells Sascha the European Convention of Human Rights frustrated the department's ability to deport people and explains how the fight to stop the boats has changed since it was declared a 'national emergency' by former Home Secretary Sajid Javid in 2018. Nicola Kelly, author of Anywhere but Here and former Home Office press officer, explains why processing has always been such a pinch point in the asylum system. And lawyer Joe Middleton KC, head of immigration and human rights law at Doughty Street, takes Sascha through the appeals process available to migrants rejected by the Home Office. Andrew Harding, BBC Paris Correspondent, tells Sascha how powerful the gangs are and how clever they are in adapting to any efforts to stop migrants crossing at the Channel. And Sascha speaks to Georgina Wright, special advisor at the German Marshall Fund, a European think tank, about whether France is as concerned with boat crossings as the Brits. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    47 m
  • Secrets of a state visit

    Secrets of a state visit
    Sep 12 2025
    U.S. President Donald Trump is in town next week for an unprecedented second state visit to the U.K. The sacking of Peter Mandelson as Britain’s Ambassador to Washington, following the revelations about the extent of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, could not have provided a more awkward backdrop for the visit. Shorn of his “Trump whisperer,” and badly bruised by recent events, the prime minister needs to make the most of the opportunity after deploying the ultimate diplomatic move. The U.K. is looking to make progress on a whole host of thorny issues, including trade and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. This week on Westminster Insider, host Patrick Baker explores what the British state has up its sleeve when it comes to charming foreign dignitaries into giving the U.K. what it wants. Theresa May’s former Chief of Staff Gavin Barwell explains the jeopardy attached to Trump’s dealings with the press when he’s abroad, and the stress involved in trying to minimize the U.S. president’s exposure to any protests. Esther Webber, POLITICO’s senior foreign and defense correspondent, takes us through what’s at stake with this Trump visit, and reveals how the royal family are set to be deployed to woo a U.S. president known for his love of pomp and pageantry. Robert Hardman, the royal historian and author of “King Charles III: The inside story,” reveals the U.K.’s long and storied history of inviting controversial world leaders on state visits, leveraging the mesmerizing power of the monarchy as the ultimate diplomatic weapon. Grant Harrold, a former royal butler to King Charles, explains the importance of etiquette to the royals, and takes us through what Trump can expect at the glittering state banquet. Former Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell lifts the lid on what it’s like to be entrusted as guardian of the Government’s vast wine cellar, and how the finest claret is served up to heads of state to lubricate potentially difficult political discussions. And Kate Fall, former deputy chief of staff to David Cameron, recounts her former boss taking China’s President Xi for pints at the pub on a 2015 state visit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    33 m
  • Can Britain have a proper Green Party?

    Can Britain have a proper Green Party?
    Sep 5 2025
    Zack Polanski, the self-confessed eco-populist, won the leadership of the Green Party in a landslide this week. So Westminster Insider Host Sascha O'Sullivan finds out why the Green Party have often struggled to be taken seriously in SW1. Sascha speaks to the man himself – Polanski – who tells her he is a vegan, who doesn't drive and wants to tell "similar stories as Nigel Farage" but his will be "the truth". She speaks to Jonathon Porritt, a Green Party veteran and former chair, who says he isn't "completely comfortable with eco-populism". And Natalie Bennett, Green Party peer and former leader, tells Sascha the party will have to "stir the hornet's nest" to start to get their message across. Jürgen Klockner, senior policy reporter for POLITICO Europe, based in Berlin, takes Sascha inside the troubles of the Green Party in Germany and issues a warning to their compatriots back in the UK. "They would promise a Mercedes but turn up with an empty wallet", he says. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    41 m
  • How to reset your government

    How to reset your government
    Aug 29 2025
    With a very busy autumn of politics just around the corner, many in the government are looking at the polls and wondering how they turn their fortunes around. This week, host Patrick Baker explores how Labour might use the coming months to try and reset the narrative. Speaking for the first time since he left Number 10, Ravinder Atwhal, Labour’s former head of policy and author of its election-winning manifesto, takes us inside the government’s difficult first year of power and explains what he thinks Keir Starmer needs to do to get back on track. With the autumn bringing plenty of reset opportunities, Scotland Office minister and Gordon Brown’s former speechwriter Kirsty McNeill reveals the secret to a barnstorming conference speech and offers her advice to the PM about how to make a success of his own Labour conference address in Liverpool. Poppy Trowbridge, former Treasury comms director under Theresa May and someone with no shortage of experience working on tricky budgets, offers her advice to Chancellor Rachel Reeves on how to turn this autumn’s big fiscal event into a political success (spoiler: it might not be possible). And former government chief whip under Rishi Sunak, Simon Hart, lifts the lid on the art of the government reshuffle and sets out why, in his view, they rarely provide the reset moment governments hope they might. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    41 m
  • Commons people: when politics and music collide

    Commons people: when politics and music collide
    Aug 22 2025
    From Glastonbury performers to classical music buffs, Westminster has always been packed full of music obsessives. But the music industry has not always been so obsessed with politicians. Who could forget Stormzy calling out Theresa May over Grenfell or Elton John calling Keir Starmer's government "absolute losers"? So this week on Westminster Insider, host Sascha O'Sullivan finds out what how important the cultural capital of the music industry is to SW1. She talks to boss of music lobby PRS organisation and former Longpigs frontman Crispin Hunt about Tony Blair being buoyed to success during the Britpop era. Corbyn advisor James Schneider reflects on Grime4Corbyn in 2017 and explains how important Stormzy leading the "Oh Jeremy Corbyn" chant was as a cultural moment. James Frith, Labour MP and former frontman of Finka, who once performed Glastonbury, takes Sascha inside the political scene at the music festival. Caroline Dinenage, chair of the culture select committee and former Tory culture minister, told Sascha the music industry was often ungrateful to Conservative politicians, saying they probably said "f*** the Tories" under their breath even after billions of pounds in pandemic-era support. And she takes Sascha inside the current row over artificial intelligence and the music industry. She said Technology Secretary Peter Kyle was initially "arrogant" and "swallowed the A.I. kool-aid". Lord Brennan, Labour peer who was part of the Lord's recent rebellion over AI and is currently leading a fan-led review into music, says the intervention of top musicians can help move the dial and he tells a story of teaming up with Billy Bragg to exact policy change over guitars in jails. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    42 m
  • Can Tory defections take Reform UK toward power?

    Can Tory defections take Reform UK toward power?
    Jul 11 2025
    Reform UK has claimed its biggest scalp so far with Sir Jake Berry, close friend and ally of Boris Johnson and former Conservative Cabinet minister, joining its ranks. Can Reform break the mould of British politics and vie for power at the next election? In this week's episode of Westminster Insider: Summer Interviews, Anne McElvoy talks to MP Richard Tice, deputy leader of Reform. He led the party before Nigel Farage decided to return to frontline politics at last year's general election. Despite rising in the polls, gaining Tory defectors and emerging victorious in the local elections, Reform has had to contend with several high-profile resignations and personnel disputes. Now in power in 10 councils across England, can it prove that it can be a party of power as well as disrupting the status quo? They discuss French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to the U.K., the small boats crisis and Reform's policies on the economy, education and social issues. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    34 m