Inside Whitehall

In the last of the mini election series James is joined by the fabulous James Heale, Political Correspondent of the Spectator to look at what historical parallels there might be with the current election and political actors of the past. James is an established lobby journalist and author, having written the Out of the Blue: The inside story of the unexpected rise and rapid fall of Liz Truss. He is also a keen follower of political history and the pair look at which political figures are most like our current political leaders and whether elections past point to what might ahead for the main parties. Follow and comment on Twitter @WhitehallPodUK

Jonathan rejoins James as a guest, having taken a leave of absence for the campaign. They discuss the way political parties are targeting voters during the election and the life of a candidate during the election campaign. They also take a look at the last two weeks of the election and what that brings as well as the campaign diet and how you keep going while walking 20, 000 steps a day! Follow and comment on Twitter @WhitehallPodUK

Alain Tolhurst, Chief Reporter at PoliticsHome, joins James this week to discuss manifestos. Each election political parties will publish a manifesto, an outline of what they would deliver should they win power. Alain and James look at which manifestos have made the biggest difference in recent election campaigns, for good or bad. Why are they important once a party is in government? What is the the Salisbury Convention and why does it matter? As well as a look at how the current party manifestos have gone down so far and what they might mean in the months ahead in the week that both the Labour Party and the Conservative Party launched their manifestos. Follow and comment on Twitter @WhitehallPodUK

James is joined this week by the Sunday Times Deputy Political Editor, Harry Yorke. They look at the TV debates between the political leaders. With the first of those debates for the 2024 General Election held last week, Harry and James look back at the history of debates in the UK and how they impact elections. Take a peak inside the 'spin room' with Harry, who has covered multiple TV debates, and the pair discuss who won last weeks debates and how much they really matter. Follow and comment on Twitter @WhitehallPodUK

James and Jonathan discuss the moment the 2024 General Election was called and what Jonathan has had to do since. When did Jonathan find out? How do candidates prepare for an election? What's the difference between leafletting and canvassing? Listen to find out. The episode was recorded whilst Jonathan was still an MP, due to the dissolution of Parliament there are no longer any MPs for the duration of the election and Jonathan is now an official Conservative Party candidate. Follow and comment on Twitter @WhitehallPodUK

Jonathan and James were joined by George Eustice MP. George has spent the best part of a decade in Government, culminating in his time as Secretary for State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Recorded before the announcement of the timing of the General Election, we talked to George about his time working for David Cameron and the Conservative Party during opposition. From David Cameron's leadership campaign through to preparing the Conservative Party for government we take a look at how you go from being seen as the party of opposition to a potential party of government. Follow and comment on Twitter @WhitehallPodUK

Jonathan and James were joined by Liz Truss MP to discuss her recent book 'Ten Years to Save the West'. In a wide ranging interview the former Prime Minister discusses her time in office, her career as a minister and how she fist got involved in politics. Liz describes the time she met Tony Blair in a laundry lift, whether or not she will appear on Dancing on Ice and what the future may hold for her. Follow and comment on Twitter @WhitehallPodUK

The Ten Minute Rule Bill,. sometimes abbreviated to 'TMRB', is a way in which Members of Parliament can introduce their own bills. The vast majority of ours laws will pass because the government has put forward and passed legislation but the TMRB offers one avenue MPs can attempt to pass their own. Jonathan takes us through his own experience of passing a TMRB, being one of the first of the 2019 intake of MPs to do so. We also get an insight into the fabled MPs tearoom and discuss the limits of free speech. Follow and comment on Twitter @WhitehallPodUK

With the local elections dominating the news we go inside local government with the former leader of Stoke on Trent City council, Abi Brown. Abi became the face of Stoke for many leading a number of high profile projects such as the Ceramic Valley Enterprise Zone and, working with local MPs like co-host Jonathan Gullis, secured significant new funding for the area. Abi is also active within the Local Government Association and shared insights with us on how to run a council and the ways local government interacts with national politicians and central government. Follow and comment on Twitter @WhitehallPodUK

James and Jonathan look behind the scenes in Parliament. What really goes on in the MP's team room? Why was Jonathan smuggled into No10 via 70 Whitehall and what did Theresa May make of James' trainers? Follow and comment on Twitter @WhitehallPodUK

This week the team take a look at the upcoming local elections, the impact of those results on the national picture and Jonathan's new role as Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party. Follow and comment on Twitter @WhitehallPodUK

Jonathan goes inside the budget process with Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury [EST] Gareth Davies MP. Gareth entered Parliament in 2019 after a stellar career in the City and has quickly risen through the ranks, and he's sure to play a big part in the future of the Conservative Party. As EST he plays a key role in the budget process and takes listeners through that process. Follow and comment on Twitter @WhitehallPodUK

The Greater London Authority [GLA] is the body that governs London, the capital city of the United Kingdom, and home to 9 million people with a GDP of over £500 billion. The eventual successor to the Greater London Council, it came about to a backdrop of a wider push towards devaluation. To discuss the GLA and wider London politics we were joined by Gareth Bacon MP. Gareth is the current Minister for Sentencing and Member of Parliament for Orpington. He previously served as the leader of the Conservative party in the London Assembly as well as a Councillor in Bexley. Gareth also Chaired the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority during Boris Johnson’s time as Mayor. Follow and comment on Twitter @WhitehallPodUK

They are the people who provide advice to ministers, provide consistency as Government’s change and run departments on a day to day basis. It is impossible to understand how Whitehall works without an understanding of the civil service. We were delighted to be joined by Sir David Bell, former Permanent Secretary of the Department for Education. His time there spanned 6 years, a change of government and 4 Secretaries of State, covering both Ed Balls and Michel Gove's time as Education Secretary. Sir David is a giant in the world of education, having started as a school teacher and working his way to through various senior roles, including Director of Education and Libraries with Newcastle City Council, to become the Chief Inspector of Schools for almost 4 years. He is now Vice Chancellor of the University of Sunderland. Follow and comment on Twitter @WhitehallPodUK

The first episode of our podcast was Jonathan's journey to becoming an MP, here he gets to turn the tables on James and grill him about how he ended up inside Whitehall. From Baghdad to the bright lights of Westminster, hear how James ended up working on the Vote Leave campaign and onto his time as Special Advisor with Michael Gove and Priti Patel. Follow and comment on Twitter @WhitehallPodUK

Pippa Crerar has reported on all there is to in politics, general elections, referendums as well as breaking some of the biggest stories over the past decade. Pippa also covered London for almost a decade, throughout Boris Johnson’s time as mayor, for the London Evening Standard. Pippa is now the Political Editor of the Guardian newspaper, having moved there after 4 years at the Daily Mirror. Pippa takes us inside the daily print and online lobby, and the Scottish press mafia! Hear about her journey into journalism and life covering Whitehall. We look at how digital news has changed the traditional print lobby and the nature of the changing media landscape. Follow and comment on Twitter: @Whitehallpoduk

There are few buildings as iconic as the Houses of Parliament. A UNESCO world heritage site, the Gothic style building is around 150 years and for many is the image that comes to mind with even the mention of the word Parliament. Parliament is home to the UK legislature, both the House of Commons and House of Lords with around 3, 000 people supporting the working of the place daily. Running this iconic institution is a mammoth task and one made harder by the restoration needed to a building that hasn’t seen a major refurbishment for over 80 years. Joining us to discuss the upkeep of such a special building we have Nigel Evans MP. Nigel is a familiar face to many in Westminster having represented Rible Valley for more than 30 years. Nigel became Deputy Speaker in 2020 and second deputy chairman of the ways and means committee, having also previously held this role for 3 years. Nigel is also chairman of the Restoration and Renewal (R&R) Programme Board which made him the perfect guest to understand more about this crucial process. Follow and comment on Twitter: @Whitehallpoduk

Can you guess your favourite guest? As we take a break over parliamentary recess tune in to this special 'Best of Inside Whitehall' episode, featuring highlights from: • Michael Gove • Matt Warman • Priti Patel • Eleni Courea • David Linden • Sir Robert Buckland • Cat Smith • Sam Coates A big thank you to all the wonderful guests who have come on so far. Follow and comment on Twitter: @WhitehallPodUK

In this episode we look at the point business and politics meet. How can that relationship work best? Do great businessmen make great politicians? Our guest Saqib Bhatti MP, is the Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy. Saqib was the youngest President of the Birmingham chamber of commerce, and also the first Muslim to hold that office. Previously the Conservative Vice Chair for Business, as well as PPS for Sajid Javid MP during his time as Health Secretary. Saqib talks to us about his own experience as a businessman, and representing businesses as well as how he now interacts with businesses as a Minister. Follow and comment on Twitter: @Whitehallpoduk

Labour MP Cath Smith takes us inside the petitions committee. This is a part of Parliament that the public get to play a direct role in. The petitions committee is a function of Parliament that perhaps has the most obvious direct public engagement and receives thousands, even hundred of thousands, of signatures from members of the public every week. So what is the petitions committee and what does it do? Join us to find out. Follow and comment on Twitter: @Whitehallpoduk