
90 episodes

Westminster Insider POLITICO Europe
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- News
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5.0 • 26 Ratings
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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.
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The Battle for Scotland
Host Ailbhe Rea hits the campaign trail in the greater Glasgow constituency of Rutherglen and Hamilton West, where a high-profile by-election battle between Labour and the ruling Scottish National Party looks very much like next year's general election in Scotland in microcosm.
Ailbhe meets the leaders of the two parties battling it out here: the SNP leader and Scottish First Minister, Humza Yousaf, and the Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar. She meets their candidates, the SNP's Katy Loudon and Labour's Michael Shanks, and the voters of Ruthergen and Hamilton West. Everyone's favourite pollster, Professor John Curtice, explains what's at stake.
And do be sure to check out POLITICO's brand new transatlantic podcast "Power Play," hosted by Anne McElvoy. In this week's inaugural episode, Labour leader Keir Starmer unpacks his vision for U.K. foreign policy should he make it to No. 10 at the next election.
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Meet Robert Peston — ITV's political editor on friendship, loss and being the face of a crisis
This week host Aggie Chambre sits down with her old boss Robert Peston, the TV journalist who shot to fame during the last financial crash.
Almost two decades on, ITV's political editor remains one of the best-known faces in U.K. politics. He's also joined a celebrity band with his pal Ed Balls, launched a high-profile podcast, and just published his second novel, a fictional work set in the chaos of the 2007/08 financial meltdown.
In a wide-ranging interview Peston discusses the art and the ethics of journalism; opens up about love and grief, plus his battle with obsessive compulsive disorder; explains why he would never want to be a politician, and why he believes the country is in such a mess.
Aggie also goes behind the scenes at Peston's TV chat show — and hears what his team really think of him.
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What ex-prime ministers do next
In the week we marked the first anniversary of Liz Truss taking office — and Boris Johnson leaving Downing Street — host Aggie Chambre explores what former prime ministers do next with their lives.
Former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, fired by Truss 38 days into her 45 day premiership, talks of the “emptiness” and “numbness” that comes with leaving Downing Street, and how he felt “let down” by his old friend.
Speaking agency founder Jeremy Lee, recently retired, is gloriously indiscreet as he regales Aggie with stories of his conversations with ex-prime ministers seeking riches down the years.
Political biographer Anthony Seldon takes Aggie through the history of former prime ministers, and how the role has changed since Winston Churchill’s Champagne-fueled heyday.
Unherd journalist Tom McTague explores Tony Blair’s increasingly powerful Institute for Global Change, while POLITICO’s Annabelle Dickson tells tales of tracking down Boris Johnson in downtown Dallas.
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Back to school briefing: A whirlwind guide to UK politics this autumn
As MPs return to parliament after the summer break, host Ailbhe Rea and an array of expert guests provide an essential briefing on everything that’s coming up in British politics over the next few months.
The Spectator’s political editor Katy Balls takes Ailbhe through Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s "not-a-reset" leadership reset, and explains No. 10's thinking around reshuffles, the King's Speech, the party conferences ... and its plan to go "in the gutter" for a fresh wave of attacks on Labour leader Keir Starmer.
Paul Johnson of the Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank gives provides a debrief on the U.K.'s economic situation and looks ahead to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's autumn statement, while the Times’ Scottish political editor Kieran Andrews has everything you need to know about the upcoming Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election.
BBC Northern Ireland’s Jayne McCormack ponders whether Stormont might finally get up and running again this autumn, while POLITICO’s very own Eleni Courea has all the gossip on a Labour reshuffle — and explores Rishi Sunak’s hopes for the G20 summit in India.
Finally, POLITICO'S Annabelle Dickson lifts the lid on what might yet prove to be the biggest political event of the year — the final Supreme Court judgement on Sunak's controversial plan to deport undocumented migrants to Rwanda.
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I know what MPs did last summer
With Westminster largely empty during the summer recess, host Aggie Chambre heads out of London to watch MPs in different parts of the country meet the people who really matter — the voters.
At constituency surgeries in Glasgow East, Pontypridd and North Norfolk, Aggie watches politicians help desperate constituents who have nowhere else to turn, hearing heartbreaking stories of poverty as well as local rows about overgrown trees and NHS dentists. And on doorstep visits she sees them met by barking dogs, angry voters and even the occasional slammed door.
Aided by Tory MP Duncan Baker, Labour MP Alex Davies-Jones and SNP MP David Linden, Aggie explores how the job of an MP has changed — and whether this is really the sort of work they should be carrying out at all.
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Westminster Insider trailer
Westminster Insider will be back next Friday! Hosts Aggie Chambre and Ailbhe Rea chat about what to expect from season 11 of the weekly podcast from POLITICO.
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Customer Reviews
Excellent view into UK politics.
As a Brit living in the USA I love this podcast because it reminds me how thankful i am not to be living in the post Brexit apocalypse.
Favorite Podcast
My new favorite podcast. I am an Anglophile living in Los Angeles, and I never completely understood how parliament works. This podcast is fantastic!! Informative and super funny. A great entertaining way to understand both current events and history.
Brilliant Deep Dives
The great thing about this show is that it respects Westminster politics enough to think deeply about it—yes, on the level of recent events but also examining the system that creates and reports them. The host also has a way of obtaining and featuring delicious quotes from his guests. These deep dives are what I recommend for people who want to know both the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ of UK politics.