Podcast
The New Statesman Podcast
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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 Politics, 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 ChakelianRegular contributors and co-hosts:Tom McTague, Editor-in-chiefAilbhe Rea, Political editorProduction team:Senior podcast producer: Catharine HughesPodcast and video producer: Rob Le MareAssistant producer: Biba KangExecutive producer: Chris Stone Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 Politics, 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 ChakelianRegular contributors and co-hosts:Tom McTague, Editor-in-chiefAilbhe Rea, Political editorProduction team:Senior podcast producer: Catharine HughesPodcast and video producer: Rob Le MareAssistant producer: Biba KangExecutive producer: Chris Stone Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Trump’s “demented” Easter and fragile ceasefire | Will and Anoosh's weekly round up
Episode in
The New Statesman Podcast
Trump’s "demented" Easter announcement, Britain’s squeezed middle and getting “the ick” for Zack Polanski…
Anoosh Chakelian and Will Dunn round up the stories of the week.
READ: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/the-sketch/2026/04/the-trumps-wish-the-world-a-very-demented-easter
https://www.newstatesman.com/international-politics/economy-international-politics/2026/04/britains-vanishing-middle-class
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26:02
AI is embedded in the British state
Episode in
The New Statesman Podcast
AI is embedded in the machinery of the British state: drafting legislation, shaping spending decisions, informing interest rate policy and writing speeches delivered in parliament.
Has Britain handed over political power without ever really deciding to, and without fully understanding to whom?
Tom McTague is joined by Will Dunn to discuss.
READ Will's piece: https://www.newstatesman.com/technology/2026/04/the-silent-coup
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55:15
Yanis Varoufakis: Greece has become Israel's "handmaiden"
Episode in
The New Statesman Podcast
Follow The Exchange on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube for more episodes like this.
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01:03:56
Thames Water's careless vandalism
Episode in
The New Statesman Podcast
The pollution of Britain’s waterways is well known, but the full extent of the carelessness and vandalism of Britain’s biggest water company, Thames Water, is a catalogue of wrongdoing on an industrial scale.
Will Dunn speaks to the MP with the dubious honour of representing the constituency that is worst affected by sewage spills - Liberal Democrat MP, Charlie Maynard.
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31:18
Trump’s ground options in Iran
Episode in
The New Statesman Podcast
As the war in Iran enters its second month, President Trump has delivered a prime time address promising, simultaneously, that the conflict will be over “very shortly” and that the United States is preparing to hit Iran “extremely hard”.
Thousands more US troops have arrived in the region in recent days, including a marine expeditionary unit as the president is reportedly weighing options for a potential ground assault, such as an attempt to seize the Iranian oil export hub on Kharg Island, which Trump has said the US could take “very easily.”
But what options does the President actually have and what would be involved in an attempt to forcibly re-open the strait of Hormuz?
Katie Stallard is joined by Ruben Stewart, senior fellow for land warfare at the IISS think tank and a former infantry officer and UN peacekeeper.
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31:46
Has Keir Starmer found his vision?
Episode in
The New Statesman Podcast
Keir Starmer delivered one of his routine updates on the war in Iran in a press conference from Number 10 this morning - but this one was a little meatier than usual.
Will Lloyd is joined by Ailbhe Rea to discuss
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18:25
How green is the Green Party?
Episode in
The New Statesman Podcast
Green Party support is surging after its by-election victory in Gorton and Denton last month.
But is Zack Polanski’s party leaving its environmental principles behind?
Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Megan Kenyon to discuss.
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30:56
Inside Labour’s immigration feud
Episode in
The New Statesman Podcast
As ministers and backbenchers criticise Shabana Mahmood’s immigration plans, is Labour about to water them down? And what is behind the splits over the policy?
Anoosh Chakelian and Ailbhe Rea go behind the scenes of Labour’s battle over immigration reform.
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31:58
“Another chapter in the farce that is HS2” | Will and Anoosh’s weekly round up
Episode in
The New Statesman Podcast
Morgan McSweeney’s stolen phone, Kemi Badenoch’s council tax claims and the UAE defence attache, Group Captain Sandy Sandilands.
Will Dunn and Anoosh Chakelian round up their stories of the week.
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37:57
Rory Stewart sees fundamental evil in Trump
Episode in
The New Statesman Podcast
Follow The Exchange on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube for more episodes like this.
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01:09:18
Ban Instagram? You must be kidding.
Episode in
The New Statesman Podcast
What does the Instagram and YouTube verdict mean for the UK's proposed social media ban?
A California jury has found Meta and Google liable in a case that accused them of building intentionally addictive platforms.
Here in the UK, the government is consulting on whether to ban children from using social media. Australia and Spain have already implemented similar bans, and France has backed a ban for under-15s.
So, are the social media giants facing a reckoning? And should the government intervene in our kids’ social media use?
Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Hannah Barnes.
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23:16
Is Ed Miliband the most powerful person in government?
Episode in
The New Statesman Podcast
Ed Miliband, everyone would agree, is a central part of the Labour government. The ex-Labour leader is a hugely popular figure within the party.
Is his power and influence greater than we realise?
Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Will Lloyd to discuss.
READ: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2026/03/a-certain-idea-of-ed-miliband
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36:22
Does Trump regret the war in Iran?
Episode in
The New Statesman Podcast
Donald Trump is grappling with the consequences of staging a military intervention in Iran without a clear plan.
Modern conflicts are often driven less by coherent national interest than by the instincts and ambitions of powerful leaders.
From the Strait of Hormuz, to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, to the tension between China and Taiwan - miscalculation, overconfidence, and the enduring unpredictability of war are reshaping global power.
Katie Stallard is joined by Philips O’Brien, American historian and professor of strategic studies at the University of St Andrews.
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26:24
How Covid fear shaped the meningitis response
Episode in
The New Statesman Podcast
Earlier this month, a meningitis outbreak in Canterbury, Kent, led to the tragic death of two young people. So far there have been 29 confirmed or suspected cases in total. It’s thought that a “super-spreader” event at a nightclub is the source of the outbreak.
Since then, there has been a mass rollout of vaccines for Meningitis B and preventative antibiotics. Thousands of students and contacts have been treated.
Cases now appear to be slowing or stabilising, however, some questions have been raised over the speed of the response from the government.
Post-Covid, fear amongst the public of the spread of infectious diseases is heightened. This meningitis outbreak has served as a test, not just of public health response and communication, but of how the public understands risk in a post-pandemic Britain.
Anoosh Chakelian is joined by investigations editor, Hannah Barnes.
READ: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/health/2026/03/was-kent-prepared-for-meningitis
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24:23
'Build the tunnel right through stonehenge' | Anoosh & Will's weekly round-up
Episode in
The New Statesman Podcast
Anoosh and Will are back with this week's round up of the politics stories you might have missed.
This week:
Housing Secretary Steve Reed has the perfect opportunity to "build, baby, build"
Misinformation powerhouse InfoWars is officially over - just like the Metaverse
Pete Hegseth seems to encourage the US army to commit war crimes
Rachel Reeves takes a gamble on building "an army of Burnhams"
READ:
Anoosh's Thomas Hetherwick interview
Will's sketch on Pete Hegseth - "the boss of tough men in hot places"
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47:09
Is Angela Rayner making her move?
Episode in
The New Statesman Podcast
Angela Rayner has called Shabana Mahmood’s immigration plans un-British. Is this the beginning of the dilution of these reforms and even of a leadership campaign?
Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Ailbhe Rea to discuss.
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22:32
Keir Starmer’s cost of living crisis
Episode in
The New Statesman Podcast
Keir Starmer’s cost of living crisis
At the beginning of this year, Keir Starmer vowed to bring down the cost of living.
But as other PMs learned before him, this is often out of the government’s control.
The Iran war is threatening to ruin his strategy and Starmer now finds himself in a bind.
Anoosh Chakelian is joined by political editor, Ailbhe Rea.
READ: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2026/03/keir-starmer-is-struggling-to-keep-his-new-years-resolution
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25:47
The new world war
Episode in
The New Statesman Podcast
Yesterday, Keir Starmer met Volodymyr Zelensky to sign a new defense partnership.
The Ukrainian President said he faced a missile shortage due to the war in Iran and Keir Starmer resolved to remain focused on the fight against Russia.
But is the war in Eastern Europe only the first act of a much wider conflict?
Oli Dugmore is joined by Will Lloyd, who visited Ukraine last month.
Read: https://www.newstatesman.com/international-content/2026/03/the-new-world-war
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30:43
Why you'll never repay your student loan
Episode in
The New Statesman Podcast
The Treasury Select Committee has announced an inquiry into Student Loans.
It comes after Rachel Reeves announced a freeze on repayment thresholds meaning more graduates will start repaying once they earn just over the living wage.
It's an issue that doesn't just affect today's students and graduates but is increasingly becoming a political issue the government cannot ignore.
Tom McTague is joined by Rachel Cunliffe to discuss what the inquiry might achieve - and what the student loans issue means for graduates, the economy and Britain's future.
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39:01
Could surging oil prices cause a global depression?
Episode in
The New Statesman Podcast
Oil prices have spiked following the outbreak of war in Iran, with crude oil jumping to over £75 a barrel.
This is having a huge impact around the world, and is set to get worse.
Megan Gibson is joined by Rory Johnston, oil market researcher and author of the Commodity Context newsletter, who argues that this scenario could lead to a global depression.
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30:47
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