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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...
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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 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.
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Episodes
Political F-bombs and Jacob Rees-Mogg “unbuttoned”
4/25/2026
The inevitability of the Peter Mandelson scandal, Jacob Rees-Mogg’s live show, and the rising cost of condoms…
Will Dunn and Anoosh Chakelian round up the stories of the week.
READ: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2026/04/whos-afraid-of-olly-robbins
https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/the-sketch/2026/04/jacob-rees-mogg-relishes-the-limelight
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Duration:00:28:07
Keir Starmer is all alone
4/23/2026
The Mandelson affair has become less about Peter Mandelson’s alleged wrongdoing, and all about Keir Starmer’s ability to run the country.
This week Olly Robbins, former chief civil servant at the Foreign Office, insisted the Prime Minister pressured him into clearing Peter Mandelson for the US ambassador post.
Yesterday, Starmer was forced to admit his former spin doctor Matthew Doyle, who was suspended from the Labour Party over campaigning for a convicted child sex offender, was also considered for a diplomatic role.
Labour MPs and even cabinet ministers no longer seem able to defend the Prime Minister.
But the frontrunners to replace Starmer are also, according to reporting by our editor Tom McTague, biding their time.
How long can they wait? How long can the country wait?
Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Tom McTague in the studio.
READ: Keir Starmer is all alone
https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/labour/2026/04/keir-starmer-is-all-alone
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Duration:00:34:09
Does Starmer deserve more credit?
4/20/2026
Does Keir Starmer deserve more credit for keeping us out of a third Gulf war? Is Farage's relationship with Trump hurting Reform's polling? And who are the bright young things in British politics?
Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Tom McTague and Ailbhe Rea to answer your questions.
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Duration:00:33:09
Ex defence secretary slams Starmer's strategy
4/18/2026
Criticism of Labour's response to the global threat, Trump's AI Jesus and parliament's "summer of sex".
Will Dunn and Anoosh Chakelian round up this week's stories.
Any suggestions for next week's categories, please comment below.
đź“š READ: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/the-sketch/2026/04/at-a-defence-conference-tech-execs-haggle-over-reducing-the-cost-to-kill
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Duration:00:28:10
Why do young women hate men?
4/16/2026
For years, we have wrung our hands about the manosphere: the misogynist influencers like Andrew Tate exploiting a generation of disillusioned and impressionable lost boys.
But what about radicalised young women?
New, exclusive polling for the New Statesman has uncovered a huge difference in the political, economic and social outlook of women and men under 30 in Britain, created largely by women turning to the left.
Should we be worried about the “femmosphere”?
Joining me to discuss is Scarlett Maguire, founder and director of polling and research company Merlin Strategy, and our online editor Emily Lawford, whose brilliant report about this phenomenon will be out in this week’s issue of the New Statesman.
Meet the Angry Young Women
https://www.newstatesman.com/cover-story/2026/04/meet-the-angry-young-women-why-young-women-dont-want-to-date-me
Revealed: the new radicalism among young women
https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/polling/2026/04/revealed-the-new-radicalism-among-young-women
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Duration:00:27:22
Trump’s “demented” Easter and fragile ceasefire | Will and Anoosh's weekly round up
4/11/2026
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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Duration:00:26:02
AI is embedded in the British state
4/9/2026
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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Duration:00:55:15
Yanis Varoufakis: Greece has become Israel's "handmaiden"
4/6/2026
Follow The Exchange on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube for more episodes like this.
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Duration:01:03:56
Thames Water's careless vandalism
4/3/2026
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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Duration:00:31:18
Trump’s ground options in Iran
4/2/2026
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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Duration:00:31:46
Has Keir Starmer found his vision?
4/1/2026
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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Duration:00:18:25
How green is the Green Party?
3/31/2026
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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Duration:00:30:56
Inside Labour’s immigration feud
3/30/2026
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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Duration:00:31:58
“Another chapter in the farce that is HS2” | Will and Anoosh’s weekly round up
3/28/2026
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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Duration:00:37:57
Rory Stewart sees fundamental evil in Trump
3/27/2026
Follow The Exchange on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube for more episodes like this.
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Duration:01:09:18
Ban Instagram? You must be kidding.
3/26/2026
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.
READ: Parents must also take responsibility for online safety
https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/social-media/2026/03/parents-must-also-take-responsibility-for-online-safety
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Duration:00:23:16
Is Ed Miliband the most powerful person in government?
3/25/2026
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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Duration:00:36:22
Does Trump regret the war in Iran?
3/24/2026
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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Duration:00:26:24
How Covid fear shaped the meningitis response
3/23/2026
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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Duration:00:24:23
"Build the tunnel right through stonehenge" | Anoosh & Will's weekly round-up
3/21/2026
Anoosh and Will are back with this week's round up of the politics stories you might have missed.
This week:
READ:
Anoosh's Thomas Hetherwick interview
Will's sketch on Pete Hegseth - "the boss of tough men in hot places"
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Duration:00:47:09