Westminster Insider

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POLITIQUE
CHAQUE SEMAINE

POLITICO’s weekly political series lifts the curtain on how Westminster really works, offering in-depth insight into the political issues which typically only get broad-brush treatment in the wider media.

19/12/2025

2026: The year ahead in 40 minutes

As another year of political mayhem beckons, host Patrick Baker dusts off the crystal ball to see what’s in store in 2026, both in Westminster and around the world. POLITICO's Dan Bloom and Annabelle Dickson explain what's at stake at the crucial May elections in Scotland and Wales — and how dire results for Labour could lead to a very real leadership challenge against the prime minister. Dan and Annabelle set the scene for the King's Speech, scheduled for mid-May, and set out the massive challenges the Government faces on a host of domestic fronts including immigration and welfare. Jack Blanchard, POLITICO Playbook managing editor and author in Washington D.C., paints a picture of what we can expect in Trump's America in 2026; highly-charged midterms, crucial Supreme court decisions, multiple foreign policy skirmishes and …. a UFC fight on the White House lawn. Russia expert Mark Galeotti of Mayak Intelligence describes how the war in Ukraine might play out in 2026 and weighs in on the likelihood of a peace agreement both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy can swallow. POLITICO's Sarah Wheaton, host of the EU Confidential podcast, looks ahead to elections in Hungary in April, which could spell the end for President Viktor Orbán. Middle East expert and author Kim Ghattas, who writes for The Atlantic, explains what could be in store for the next phase of the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. And football writer Henry Winter looks ahead to the FIFA World Cup next summer. Could 2026 be the year it finally comes home? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

42 min
12/12/2025

Spin, half-truth or deceit? How political lies really work

Surfball was supposed to be the sport of the next generation – but it instead it was a fiction created by Peter Mandelson. Lying in politics is nothing new, but after the budget, Rachel Reeves' extraordinary pitch-rolling was viewed by some as an outright lie and others as justifiable spin. Inspired by this grey area, host Sascha O'Sullivan tries to find out the difference. BBC Radio 4 Presenter Nick Robinson tells Sascha how he can spot when a politician is lying and explains the difference between ministers making a justifiable argument and those who read "the line to take." Former Keir Starmer Political Director Luke Sullivan says Rachel Reeves was "absolutely not" lying in the run-up to the budget and explains how Starmer made the most of Boris Johnson-era scandals when the Tory prime minister was accused of lying. Craig Oliver, David Cameron's former director of communications, rehashes the fibs told during the Brexit referendum, telling Sascha there were attacks "that were straightforwardly untrue." Sascha then digs in to what happens when a minister... fesses up. She speaks to Mark Harper, who resigned as immigration minister after discovering his cleaner did not have the right to work in the UK. Harper lost his job – but was welcomed back months later. Full Fact Chief Executive Officer Chris Morris tells Sascha it's hard to distinguish outright lies and spin — because most of the time politicians quote half-truths wrapped up in narrative. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

45 min
05/12/2025

Russia raises the stakes: how can Starmer shape Ukraine’s endgame?

The latest round of peace talks in Moscow between the Americans and the Russians has ended without agreement. As President Vladimir Putin talked of being ready to fight a war with Europe, attention in Westminster turned to whether the U.K. has the capability and the will to help protect Ukraine in all scenarios. While Keir Starmer flew to Scotland to announce a joint maritime operation with Norway to ward off prowling Russian submarines in the North Atlantic, defense chiefs and MPs asked why there was so little mention of the spending commitments in the Budget — and what that means for Britain's preparedness. This week, Anne McElvoy talks to John Foreman, who was Britain’s military attaché in Moscow between 2019 and 2022 having previously performed the same role in Kyiv; and with Esther Webber, POLITICO’s Senior Foreign and Defense Correspondent. Both have been keeping a close eye on the talks. Later she's joined by two influential MPs to discuss Starmer's options. James Cartlidge is the Shadow Defence Secretary, and Labour’s Calvin Bailey sits on the influential Defence Select Committee and served in the RAF for 24 years, including in Afghanistan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

40 min
02/12/2025

“Lawless” Britain: Rhetoric and reality

Politicians in Westminster are always falling all over themselves to sound tough on crime. But with so-called “low level” crimes like shoplifting and phone snatching now at record levels, the rhetoric on “lawless” Britain has been growing ever louder. This week, host Patrick Baker has been to Dagenham in outer London where the Labour MP Margaret Mullane says she fears parts of her local area are being overrun with street crime. After speaking to local residents and shop owners about their fears, Patrick speaks to the Policing Minister Sarah Jones in Parliament about how the government is planning to cut crime and make people feel safer. Gavin Stephens, chief of the National Police Chief’s Council, sets out why he believes Westminster’s obsession with police numbers makes policing harder and what reforms he feels are needed tackle the worsening perception of crime in Britain. And Alastair Greig of the security think tank RUSI explains how social media is amplifying public fears — and says policy makers face tough tradeoffs when trying to tackle crime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

34 min
21/11/2025

How to raise taxes and get away with it

As Rachel Reeves' budget approaches, Westminster is braced for tax hikes. The political manoeuvring necessary may just be one of the greatest political challenges of her career. So on this week's episode of Westminster Insider, Sascha speaks to those who have been there, and compiles some golden rules on how to raise taxes – and get away with it. Social Market Foundation Director and former Gordon Brown advisor Theo Bertram walks Sascha through Brown's 2002 decision to raise National Insurance, and how he kept voters onside while he did it. And Rishi Sunak's former advisor James Nation explains why Sunak's health and social care levy was such a difficult tax rise to announce – and how he tried to mitigate the political blowback. Jeremy Hunt, former Conservative Chancellor, defends not bringing back this tax rise and tells Sascha why freezing income tax thresholds – as Reeves is expected to do – was "less visible" than a hike to the basic rate of income tax, but still "very politically painful". And Sascha, with the help of Bloomberg journalist and author of Can You Run the Economy Joe Mayes, puts herself in the shoes of Rachel Reeves and goes through the options available to her to fill what is expected to be a £20bn blackhole in the budget. Helen Miller, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, warns Britain is in for a productivity down-grade, and if she were Rachel Reeves, she would worry about whether or not the budget will "drag down growth". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

38 min
14/11/2025

Inside No. 10: The creaky house that runs Britain

After a wild week in No.10 Downing Street, host Patrick Baker takes listeners on a podcast tour of the famous building to find out how the hell a cobbled-together Georgian townhouse is meant to run a modern state. Patrick asks how the rabbit warren layout influences those who govern the country, for better or worse. In one of his first interviews since stepping down, former Cabinet Secretary Simon Case opens up on how the building is less-than-ideal for the demands of modern government — with problems like losing the PM all-too-common. Case argues its layout contributed to the Partygate scandal that toppled Boris Johnson. The set designer of the film “Love Actually,” Jim Clay, recounts a tour given to him by Gordon Brown so he could memorise the layout — and commentates on Hugh Grant as he boogies down the Grand Staircase. Jack Brown, author of “The Power of Geography at No 10,” gives a step-by-step tour, taking us inside the pokey “Den,” the prime minister’s office at the heart of Downing Street. POLITICO Political Editor Dan Bloom explains why Keir Starmer prefers working in open-plan offices — and shares some secrets from rooms you’ve never heard of. Beatrice Timpson, former deputy press secretary to Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, shares her sympathy for those in the policy unit, seen as banished to the rafters of Number 10. And she reveals the constant battle for phone signal that rages at the heart of British power. John McTernan, who served as political secretary to Tony Blair, reveals stories from the Number 10 flat — and sets out what the current government must do to overcome the limitations of the building. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

45 min
07/11/2025

Who really cares about Britain's farmers?

Does anyone care about British farmers? Those ploughing the fields and harvesting crops certainly don't feel Westminster pays attention to them. So this week Westminster Insider finds out how the relationship between politics and farming – from post-Brexit trade deals to inheritance tax. She speaks to NFU President Tom Bradshaw about how Keir Starmer set up the promise of hope for farmers, before swiftly letting them down. Michael Gove, editor of the Spectator and former Conservative Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra) Secretary, admits the Australia trade deal did betray Britain's farmers. Emma Pryor, former special advisor to Defra Secretary George Eustice, explains how subsidies, which mean farmers can make a profit on producing food, changed after Brexit. And Sascha heads to rural South West Norfolk, where she speaks to Terry Jermy, the Labour MP who ousted Liz Truss. He tells her the new rules on inheritance tax are "unfortunate" and he hopes they are changed. Sascha gets on a tractor harvesting potatoes and speaks to farmers Danielle and Richard Gott. And she visits a farm run by Ed Pope which has turned 170 acres of the property into wildlife conservation. This episode was produced by Robert Nicholson and Artemis Irvine at Whistledown Productions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

39 min
31/10/2025

How (not) to start a political party

With Jeremy Corbyn's Your Party suffering some teething problems, host Patrick Baker delves into the art of starting a new political outfit. Corbyn himself speaks to POLITICO's Bethany Dawson at one of the many Your Party regional assemblies happening across the country. With tensions between Corbyn and co-leader Zarah Sultana simmering as the duo try to get their start up off the ground, Labour insider Sienna Rodgers of The House magazine explains the roots of the discord and how rival factions have been undermining the party's progress at an early stage. Patrick sits down with former Change UK MP Gavin Shuker in Nando's, site of one of the now-extinct party's early summits, to discuss the pitfalls of starting a new venture in Westminster. Journalist Catherine Mayer, who co-founded the Women's Equality Party alongside comedian Sandi Toksvig, lifts the lid on the curious underworld of smaller political parties and the outsized impact they can have on our politics. Professor Alan Sked, the founder of UKIP, tells the story of arguably the U.K.’s most consequential political newbie and describes how he slowly lost control of the party to Nigel Farage. And Reform UK board member and Farage's former press secretary Gawain Towler sets out how he believes the U.K.’s current insurgent can complete its journey from newcomer to party of power. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

44 min

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POLITICO’s weekly political series lifts the curtain on how Westminster really works, offering in-depth insight into the political issues which typically only get broad-brush treatment in the wider media.