Nick Robinson talks to people who shape our political thinking about what shaped theirs. Each episode of Political Thinking features an in-depth conversation with someone who is shaping our politics. The people who run our country (and those who want to), campaigners, business and union leaders, and people who run other countries. All of them join Nick in the studio, not for a news-y interrogation, but for an extended and relaxed conversation, delving into their past and how it shaped their worldview. New episodes drop on Fridays on BBC Sounds. You can also watch them on BBC Two at 12:15pm on Fridays or on BBC iPlayer. And you can listen on BBC Radio 4 on Saturdays at 17:30.
The new First Minister of Wales Rhun ap Iorwerth on what Wales really wants, why Reform surged in the Senedd election, and how working as a nightclub bouncer will help him deal with Andy Burnham.
Former Tory adviser and candidate for California Governor Steve Hilton on the frustrations that drove his political journey and why he believes the Golden State can turn red.
International lawyer and judge Theodor Meron on issuing Netanyahu’s arrest warrant, and how daydreaming helped him to survive the Holocaust.
The Attorney General Richard Hermer speaks to Nick about small boats, his most controversial cases, and why his old friend Keir Starmer can survive a leadership challenge.
Chair of the equalities watchdog, Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson, on sex and gender, the right to protest, and doing one of the hardest jobs in Britain.
Labour leadership contender and former health secretary Wes Streeting on what prompted his resignation, the challenges of being a working class politician, and his wealth tax plan.
The former Communities Minister Miatta Fahnbulleh, who was the first Minister to resign from Keir Starmer's government after the elections, discusses reaching breaking point, who should lead Labour now, and why she's terrified of where politics is going. She also talks about her experience as a civil servant working with Conservative Ministers, and why her children are her toughest critics. Senior Producer: Hannah Wilkinson Producer: Flora Murray Sound: Jack Wilfan Editor: Giles Edwards...
Few people have done more to shape politics in recent months than the Green Party Leader in England and Wales, Zack Polanski. In his Political Thinking debut, he tells Nick Robinson about his 'whirlwind' journey since becoming leader, saying that becoming PM is now 'in his mind' . He talks about his upbringing and Jewish identity and why he has now become a prominent critic of Israel. He explains his strong opposition to the war in Iran. He describes his plans to transform the capitalist model w...
Andrew Griffith on why government sometimes has to say 'no' and why Rupert Murdoch was the "best boss". The Shadow Business Secretary was once the youngest Chief Financial Officer of any major British company, when he worked at Sky, before becoming an MP an joining Boris Johnson's team in Downing Street. Senior Producer: Daniel Kraemer Producer: Flora Murray Editor: Giles Edwards
The Foreign Affairs Committee Chair on Iran, Trump's 'asteroid of awfulness' and the 'grief' she felt after being dropped by Starmer. Emily Thornberry tells Nick about how her father's career as a UN peacekeeper helped shape her commitment to the ideals of international law. She also has frank views about what her party needs to do to stem the rise of the Green Party. Senior Producer: Daniel Kraemer Producer: Flora Murray Sound: Jack Wilfan Editor: Giles Edwards
The British-Iranian comic on revolutions, Kensington, 9/11 jokes, King Charles and Iran's future. Omid Djalili has become one of the loudest voices in the Iranian diaspora calling for the overthrow of the regime in Tehran, in favour of US military action. While the world waits for Trump's next steps, Djalili talks to Nick about growing up in a hub of London's Iranian community, chasing history from Berlin to Czechoslovakia, deciding to perform in Saudi Arabia and turning down Game of Thrones Pro...
What links Bridget Jones to social media regulation? The answer: Baroness Beeban Kidron. In 2004 she directed the Bridget Jones sequal. 20 years later, she became one of the most vocal campaigners for regulation of social media and tech in the UK. She joins Nick in the Political Thinking studio to tell her story, from joining Marxist dinner parties in her childhood home, to filming and living with the protesters of Greenham Common in the 1980s. Today, she has strong words for Keir Starmer's gove...
A frank conversation with the leader of Reform UK. Nigel Farage has put his party on a "general election war footing" and says he is preparing for power. What has his party still got to learn before they're ready? Who is he referring to when he talks about putting "our own people first"? And what made him change his mind and return to politics? Senior Producer: Daniel Kraemer Producer: Flora Murray Editor: Giles Edwards Sound: Ged Sudlow This episode has been subject to a Corrections and Clarifi...
James Graham joined Nick in the political thinking studio in late January, ahead of a this year's TV adaptation of his play Dear England. What did Gareth Southgate get right about national identity? What advice does the playwright have for Keir Starmer on storytelling? And why is it important that people continue to go to the theatre? Senior Producer: Daniel Kraemer Producer: Flora Murray Sound: Ged Sudlow and Hal Haines Editor: Giles Edwards
How did the world heavyweight champion end up running a city of 3 million people in wartime? Vitali Klitschko joins Nick from the Ukrainian capital in the midst of a Russian campaign to descimate the city's energy infrastructure. He talks about what peace could look like, the lessons he learned from living under Soviet rule as a child, and why he decided to abandon a lucrative life in the US to enter Ukrainian politics. Senior producer: Daniel Kraemer Producer: Flora Murray Sound: Ged Sudlow Edi...
What happens when US Vice President Vance goes drinking with Angela Rayner & David Lammy? The Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary knows America better than probably anyone else around the cabinet table. And in this interview he reflects at length on the state of the world and the significance of the US president's Greenland threats. David Lammy gives an impassioned defence against critics who question his friendship with Vice President J D Vance and reflects on his life's journey fro...
The National Education Union's general secretary on banning social media, strikes and race Daniel Kebede says he is "completely aligned" with Kemi Badenoch on social media policy but warns that the Labour government is on a "collision course" with teachers over pay and conditions. Why does a former minister describe him as "disarming" while the press brand him as "militant" and a "hardened protester"? Nick also presses Kebede on the blocking of a Jewish Bristol MP from visiting a school, past co...
What is the Scottish First Minister's secret for getting Donald Trump's attention? Nick is in Edinburgh to sit down with John Swinney, at the start of a year of big elections across the UK, including for the Scottish Parliament. He has been at the top of SNP-led government's for almost all of the last 19 years. He is now asking for another five years, with the hope of securing a new independence referendum. In this conversation, Swinney talks about how he charmed Donald Trump, reflects on a dang...
An exclusive interview on immigration, racism, Russia, Farage and Trump. Jordan Bardella is the leader of National Rally in France, and currently leading the polls to become president in 2027 if his mentor, Marine Le Pen fails to overturn a conviction that bars her from running for office. In the meantime, he is on a mission to persuade people that his party has changed since its history as the National Front, founded in the 1970s by Jean-Marie Le Pen, a convicted racist and Holocaust-denier. Ca...
Why did the leader of the opposition call the chancellor 'spineless' and 'shameless'? Kemi Badenoch joins Nick in the Political Thinking studio to reflect on what lay behind the personal and political debates around Budget Day. How can she emulate Margaret Thatcher's regeneration of the Conservative Party? How did anger help drive her into politics? And why do her kids wish she still worked at McDonald's? Producer: Daniel Kraemer Research: Chloe Desave Editor: Jonathan Brunert Sound: Ged Sudlow ...
Why is the Home Secretary warning against leaving space for "darker forces"? Shabana Mahmood sits down with Nick off the back of announcing sweeping changes to the asylum system in the UK. Why did she decide to quote explicit racial abuse in the House of Commons? And how does she intend to avoid "ceding the territory of asylum to the far right"? The Home Secretary reflects on how her Muslim faith plays a part in her job and sense of public service. And she reflects on the "humiliation" of the Do...
Can Plaid Cymru replace Labour as the party of power in Wales next year? Rhun ap Iorwerth, the party's leader, thinks so. Rhun ap Iorwerth joins Nick in the Political Thinking studio to talk about how his parents' passion for Welsh heritage and language formed the basis for his vision for the country. They explore Welsh identity and the anti-monarchy spirit that inspired the name of his teenage band. Also on the agenda: immigration, mispronunciations, and Robbie Williams. Producer: Daniel Kraeme...
Ed Davey warns Starmer against handing Reform UK 'the keys into 10 Downing Street' Producer: Daniel Kraemer Research: Chloe Desave Sound: Ged Sudlow and Andrew Mills Editor: Giles Edwards
How a trip to the West Bank in her teens set the Coventry MP on a path into politics. Zarah Sultana joins Nick in the studio a few weeks before the launch of her new party with Jeremy Corbyn. In the interview, they discuss her positions on NATO, the state of Israel, seeking power, and why she likened her relationship with Corbyn to the Gallagher brothers. Producer: Daniel Kraemer Research: Chloe Desave Editor: Giles Edwards
Driving through Gaza is like "driving through the ruins of Hiroshima, or Stalingrad, or Dresden" Tom Fletcher has been the United Nations humanitarian chief for almost a year and speaks to Nick two weeks into his organisation's efforts to get as much aid as possible into the Gaza Strip. He gives a behind-the-scenes account of how he works with the Trump White House and how the ceasefire deal was struck in Sharm el-Sheikh. Fletcher also shares his lessons learned from his years as foreign adviser...
The Shadow Energy Minister has transformed her party's approach to climate policy. In this extended conversation, Claire Coutinho sets out what changed her mind on net zero, a shift that has brought her into fierce debates with her opposite number, Ed Miliband. She also shares her feelings about what she calls a rising "ethno-nationalism" on the right of British politics, as well as her reaction to her colleague Robert Jenrick's comments about Birmingham. Nick asks how she ended up being sacked ...
How do you protect and police freedom of speech on campus and in society? Arif Ahmed is a Cambridge Philosopher who is now responsible for enforcing new freedom of speech rules on universities, colleges and students. He took office at a time when there is particular focus on a vexed question: where the boundary should lie between free speech - which should be protected - and speech that threatens, intimidates and leaves people feeling unsafe, which can and should be restricted. He talks to Nick ...
One of the two candidates to be deputy leader of Labour joins Nick at the end of party's conference in Liverpool. Bridget Phillipson opens up about how her own experience of poverty informs her political views on childcare, schools and universities. She also reveals her DJ set-list Producer: Daniel Kraemer Research: Chloe Desave Editor: Giles Edwards
Danny Kruger had been at the heart of the Conservative Party since it was led by David Cameron, until he decided that party was "over". He is now a Reform UK MP and has been tasked with preparing the party for government. He sits down with Nick to explain why we need a "revival" of Christian conservatism. Producer: Daniel Kraemer Reserach: Chloe Desave Sound: Ged Sudlow and Hal Haines Editor: Giles Edwards
Lucy Powell on why and how she was sacked by Keir Starmer, and why she now wants to be his Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. Producer: Daniel Kraemer Editor: Giles Edwards
