Amol and Nick look ahead to the week in which the release of party manifestos could well reset the narrative of the election. They consider what the rise of the right in European elections might mean for the UK with the help of friend of the pod, pollster James Kanagasooriam. Plus Nick talks tactics ahead of his TV leadership interview with Rishi Sunak. Episodes of The Today Podcast during the election campaign will land on Mondays and Thursdays. Subscribe on BBC Sounds to get Amol and Nick's ta...
Jun 10, 2024•43 min
Amol and Nick look at two possible game-changers in week two of the election campaign: Nigel Farage returning to lead Reform UK, and Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer facing off in the first head-to-head debate of the campaign. They’re joined by Cleo Watson – a former deputy chief of staff to Boris Johnson in No10 and now a novelist - and Peter Kellner, former president of pollsters YouGov. Episodes of The Today Podcast will land twice a week during the election campaign. Subscribe on BBC Sounds to g...
Jun 05, 2024•53 min
In the first of our election campaign Monday bonus episodes, Amol and Nick look ahead to the head-to-head television debate between Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer. What can the two leaders learn from previous election debates? How do they deploy the perfect zinger? And how will they judge their performance a success? And they answer a listener question on how much influence the media will play this election. Episodes of The Today Podcast during the election campaign will land on Mondays and Thursd...
Jun 03, 2024•36 min
Nick has long thought that the most important question in politics is ‘whose side are you on?’ It turns out Keir Starmer might think the same. On The Today Podcast this week Nick looks into why the Labour leader highlighted that question in his first big speech of the election campaign. Also – why did Starmer tell the BBC that he identifies as a socialist? And what will Diane Abbott do next? And in a week when the Conservatives have promised national service for 18-year-olds and a pensioners’ ‘t...
May 30, 2024•50 min
Less than a day after calling the general election, Rishi Sunak kicked off his campaign with a set-piece interview with Nick on Today. Amol and Nick explore what clues it provides for the coming campaign – and Nick talks though his interview strategy. Also, with inflation now down to 2.3% we bring together two of the leading economic thinkers from the left and the right to talk tax-and-spend: Kate Bell, assistant general secretary of the TUC, and Robert Colvile, director of centre-right think ta...
May 23, 2024•50 min
The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called an election on July 4th. But why did he choose today to do it and what can we expect in the coming weeks? Amol and Nick consider the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s calculation on an announcement that took both of them by surprise. Episodes of The Today Podcast usually land on Thursdays. Subscribe on BBC Sounds to get Amol and Nick's take on the biggest stories of the week, with insights from behind the scenes at the UK's most influential radio news program...
May 22, 2024•23 min
In a week in which Keir Starmer outlines his six ‘first steps for change’ (just don’t call it a pledge card), Amol and Nick look into what defines the Labour leader’s mission – and how left wing he really is. Labour insider and author of Starmer’s latest biography, Tom Baldwin, gives Amol and Nick a behind-the-scenes look into what Keir Starmer is really like and how his working class background has shaped his political beliefs. Zarah Sultana, a leading light among Labour’s socialist MPs, gives ...
May 16, 2024•58 min
Amol asks what the local elections results really tell us about what might happen in a general election and why so many Britons feel skint. Pollster James Kanagasooriam is back in The Today Podcast studio to give his verdict on whether the local election results point to a Labour majority at the general election or a hung parliament. In a week where Britain could come out of a recession Amol asks whether an improving economic picture may pay political dividends in the general election. Torsten B...
May 09, 2024•54 min
As votes the continue to be counted Amol and Nick give their take on where the election results leave both the Tories and Labour. Pollster James Kanagasooriam, chief research officer with Focal Data who sits on the board of centre-right think tank Onward, is back with some expert analysis. And find out how you can come along to a special recording of The Today Podcast: Live! Regular episodes of The Today Podcast land on Thursdays. Subscribe on BBC Sounds to get Amol and Nick's take on the bigges...
May 03, 2024•33 min
This week we’ve taken inspiration from friend of the podcast, Stephen Fry, who challenged Amol and Nick to look at what the future of AI means for us all – and whether it will herald in a utopian or dystopian future. Dame Wendy Hall, member of UK’s AI Council and adviser to the UN, explains why she is worried that it is too late to prevent AI-generated deepfakes impacting elections around the world this year. And Professor Nick Bostrom, futurologist at Oxford University and the man known as Elon...
May 02, 2024•1 hr 9 min
In a week where broadcasters with shows hosted by politicians were warned they could face fines if they break impartiality rules during the next general election campaign, Nick looks at the issues it raises about which programmes MPs should be allowed to present. Former ITN chief executive Stewart Purvis tells us why he believes we will “see and hear things on the air we’ve never seen before” in general election coverage. And GB News presenter Albie Amankona joins the conversation to explain why...
Apr 25, 2024•45 min
In this bonus episode of The Today Podcast, Amol and Nick take on more of your questions – on politics, AI and their approach to journalism. Friends of the pod Dame Esther Rantzen and Stephen Fry join other listeners in asking Amol and Nick questions like ‘how did we come to have such lightweight politicians in charge?’ and ‘have you done any interviews that went so badly wrong that the memory makes you blush?’ Episodes of The Today Podcast land every Thursday and watch out for bonus episodes. S...
Apr 22, 2024•39 min
How big a social change will Rishi Sunak’s smoking bill prove – and why does he want this to be his legacy? On this week’s podcast Amol and Nick look at what the plan to end smoking for the younger generation – which passed its first parliamentary hurdle this week – says about the direction of the Conservative Party and the control Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has over his MPs. They’re joined by Sir David Davis, known for his campaigning on civil liberties, who explains why he believes the smoking...
Apr 18, 2024•54 min
In an interview with Nick on Radio 4’s Today this week, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves outlined how Labour would try to plug the gap in NHS funding. The interview raised big political and economic questions about the state of the nation’s finances ahead of the next general election. In The Today Podcast this week, Nick reflects on that interview and why the economic credibility of opposition parties can win or lose elections. Former chancellor Philip Hammond lifts the curtain on his time in the...
Apr 11, 2024•1 hr
Two events in the Middle East have grabbed the headlines this week - the killing of seven aid workers, including three British nationals, in Israeli strikes in Gaza and the assassination of three Iranian generals in Syria. But will these events change anything? Nick is joined by former chief of MI6, Sir Alex Younger, almost six months after his first appearance in the wake of the Hamas attacks. They reflect on how the war has changed since they first spoke. Tel Aviv-based political analyst Dahli...
Apr 04, 2024•49 min
BBC director general Tim Davie has outlined his vision for the future of the BBC. He fired the starting gun on a consultation on the future of the licence fee and spoke of how the BBC could increase its revenue through adverts. So this week Amol and Nick ask, why should you have to pay for the BBC? They speak to Richard Sharp, the former chairman of the BBC, in his first interview with the BBC since leaving the corporation. Youtuber and comedian, Max Fosh, explains why younger people are choosin...
Mar 28, 2024•56 min
In a week where shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves echoed Margaret Thatcher when outlining her vision for the UK economy, we ask, is Labour ready for government? Amol is joined by The Rest is Politics’s Alastair Campbell to talk about Reeves’ speech and whether Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has done enough to signal what his government could look like. Pollster Kelly Beaver, chief executive of Ipsos Mori, unpacks whether Keir Starmer appeals to people enough to win the election. And voice of Unive...
Mar 21, 2024•52 min
Lee Anderson grabbed the headlines this week as he defected from the Conservatives to become Reform UK’s first MP. This prompted rumours of further red wall MPs thinking about defecting. This week we ask, is there a new revolt on the right? Amol is joined by James Kanagasooriam, the pollster who first identified and the defined the red wall, to look at what will happen in those constituencies in the coming general election and whether Reform UK offers a genuine threat. Dame Andrea Jenkyns gives ...
Mar 14, 2024•41 min
David Neal was sacked last month from his job as Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration for leaking details of critical reports which ministers had not published. In his first broadcast interview since then he tells Amol and Nick why he thinks the Home Office is dysfunctional and in need of urgent reform. He adds that since his dismissal there is now no one in place to monitor how ministers implement the Rwanda plan, if it goes ahead. Regular episodes of The Today Podcast land every Thursday...
Mar 11, 2024•41 min
Has Jeremy Hunt done enough with his Budget to change the political and economic weather? Amol and Nick assess the politics of the Chancellor’s speech – possibly his last major intervention before a general election. And they’re joined by Andy Haldane, a former chief economist at the Bank of England and now chief executive of the Royal Society of Arts, to look at what difference the economic measures will make. Episodes of The Today Podcast are weekly and watch out for bonus episodes. Subscribe ...
Mar 06, 2024•39 min
George Galloway is back in parliament with a resounding win in the Rochdale by-election. In this bonus episode of The Today Podcast Amol and Nick discuss what his victory means and how the Israel-Gaza conflict is shaping politics. They also look back Galloway’s fifty years in politics and consider how he will operate in a social media age. Episodes of The Today Podcast land every Thursday and watch out for bonus episodes. Subscribe on BBC Sounds to get Amol and Nick's take on the biggest stories...
Mar 01, 2024•25 min
With pro-Palestinian marches in the spotlight, the prime minister saying mob rule is replacing democratic rule and the government announcing more money to protect MPs whose homes are being targeted, this week Amol and Nick explore where the line stands on legitimate protest. And they look at why Lee Anderson - the MP who lost the Conservative whip after accusing London Mayor Sadiq Khan of being ‘controlled’ by Islamists – still holds power over the Conservative party. Amol and Nick speak to vete...
Feb 29, 2024•45 min
As the fallout continues from the chaos in the Commons over a ceasefire vote, Amol and Nick look at the issues the unprecedented night in parliament highlighted. Labour’s Harriet Harman is in the studio to discuss the safety of MPs. Plus hear some of this week’s coverage of Israel-Gaza conflict from the Today programme. Episodes of The Today Podcast land every Thursday and watch out for bonus episodes. Subscribe on BBC Sounds to get Amol and Nick's take on the biggest stories of the week, with i...
Feb 22, 2024•52 min
Rarely a week goes by without a fresh skirmish in the culture wars between the right and the left. Whether it’s cancel culture, wokeism, defining a woman or marking colonial history, battles between the warring tribes are increasingly having an impact on our lives. With the row over Rishi Sunak’s joke at Prime Minister’s Questions over defining a woman still reverberating around Westminster, this week Amol and Nick look at the roots of culture wars, why they matter and where they’re going. They’...
Feb 15, 2024•45 min
In a week in which King Charles III shared his cancer diagnosis, Amol and Nick ask why it’s important to talk about cancer. Stephen Fry talks about his own diagnosis of an aggressive prostate cancer and we also hear from Paralympian Erin Kennedy, the BBC’s international editor Jeremy Bowen, broadcaster Edward Stourton and from Steve Bland whose partner, the ‘You, Me and the Big C’ host Rachael Bland, died of cancer in 2018. Nick also talks to Amol about his own experience of cancer and they spea...
Feb 08, 2024•57 min
In a week in which the government told us more about its plans to create a smokefree generation, Amol and Nick look at why many politicians from across the political spectrum are now embracing the nanny state. But how much do we want them telling us how to behave? They speak to James Bethell, the former health minister responsible for Boris Johnson’s anti-obesity strategy – who now says that Margaret Thatcher would have embraced nanny statism if prime minister today. And they hear from Baroness ...
Feb 01, 2024•49 min
Shockwaves from the Republican primary in New Hampshire are reverberating through the streets of Westminster and across Europe as political leaders come to terms with a new reality – Donald Trump could well be elected US president in November. Amol and Nick look at why America may turn back to Trump with Megyn Kelly, the US news anchor who had to deal with invoking the ire of the former president – but is now the broadcaster he turns to when he wants to speak to the nation. They also speak to Jo...
Jan 25, 2024•51 min
Does the route to a Labour election victory at the next general election run through Scotland? With Nick in Glasgow this week we turn our attention to the role Scotland will play in deciding who takes the keys to No 10. Will it be a referendum on 14 years of Conservative UK government or 17 years of the SNP in Holyrood? Has Labour historically had to rely on winning big in Scotland to get a majority across the UK? Amol and Nick hear from polling guru Prof Sir John Curtice and former leader of th...
Jan 18, 2024•45 min
Why are younger voters around the world turning their back on democracy in favour of strongman leaders who are prepared to defy parliaments? In a year when more than two billion people in 50 countries will go to the polls – the biggest global election year in history – Amol and Nick talk to Lord Gus O’Donnell, the former head of the civil service who has been travelling the world looking for ways of restoring trust in democracy. And they also hear from Ravish Kumar, a news anchor in India who fe...
Jan 11, 2024•48 min
Amol and Nick answer your questions on how Radio 4’s Today is put together and which historical figures they most wish they could interview. Episodes of The Today Podcast land every Thursday and watch out for bonus episodes. Subscribe on BBC Sounds to get Amol and Nick's take on the biggest stories of the week, with insights from behind the scenes at the UK's most influential radio news programme. If you would like a question answering, get in touch by sending us a message or voice note via What...
Jan 04, 2024•29 min
