In the week the Tory peer Michelle Mone has finally admitted involvement in a PPE firm awarded £200m in "VIP" Covid contracts, we discuss the numerous allegations against politicians and ask why Parliament is beset with bad behaviour - and how it's affecting the Tories' reputation. And then we let you in behind the scenes of the New Statesman newsroom, to talk about how journalists source, fact check and verify their reporting - with a debut from our features editor Melissa Denes. Subscribers ge...
Nov 09, 2023•22 min
Amid much pomp and circumstance, this week King Charles III delivered the first King's Speech in over 70 years. In this episode of the podcast Anoosh Chakelian is joined by deputy political editor Rachel Wearmouth, and political correspondent Freddie Hayward, to discuss what Charles announced in his speech, and perhaps more notably - what went unmentioned. Subscribers get ad-free access to all our podcasts via the New Statesman app. Download it in the iOS app store or the Google Play store. Down...
Nov 08, 2023•17 min
On 2 November 2023, Rishi Sunak closed his global AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park by interviewing the richest man on Earth, Elon Musk. The mood was deferential (the PM towards the tech billionaire). Was Sunak eyeing up a post-politics job in San Francisco, some wondered , or calculating that Musk’s Twitter might be an effective campaigning tool come 2024? In this week’s audio long read, the New Statesman contributing writer Quinn Slobodian examines the origins of Sunak’s “fa...
Nov 04, 2023•22 min
"Looking at the polling for a ceasefire in Gaza, it seems like foreign policy is the area where Westminster is most out of touch with public opinion. Why is this?" - one listener asks. Anoosh Chakelian is joined by business editor Will Dunn and politics correspondant Freddie Hayward to discuss the government's position on a ceasefire, Labour's plans, and also the UK's AI safety summit which took place this week. Subscribers get ad-free access to all our podcasts via the New Statesman app. Downlo...
Nov 03, 2023•16 min
Module two of the Covid inquiry - decision-making and political governance - was set to be the most controversial section, looking into the workings of central government. And from the use of the term “f***pigs” to Boris Johnson’s query about blowing a hair dryer up his nose, this has rung true. On this episode of the podcast Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Emma Norris, deputy director at the Institute for Government, and the New Statesman's associate political editor, Rachel Cunliffe, to analyse ...
Nov 02, 2023•23 min
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide – but it doesn't affect everyone equally. Data shows wide regional variation of lung cancer diagnoses, as well as huge differentials linked to socio-economic factors and class. In this episode Becky Slack is joined by a panel including a leading clinical expert, Professor David Baldwin, Lorraine Dallas from the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, as well as David Long from the leading pharmaceuticals company an...
Nov 01, 2023•32 min
We’re bringing you something new on the podcast today – a pilot of a new show we’re working on from our political editor, Andrew Marr. Before we make this a regular feature on the New Statesman podcast, we’d really value some feedback from you, our listeners. If you enjoy this episode or have any thoughts you’d like to share, please get in touch at [email protected] - or if you’re listening on Spotify you can type a reply below the episode. Excerpts featured from: TRT World, Media...
Oct 31, 2023•12 min
What might be the long term impact of the Israel-Hamas war on global alliances? In this week’s audio long read, the New Statesman ’s contributing writer John Gray reflects on three weeks of bloodshed, beginning with the massacres of 7 October, and their wider consequences. An escalating conflict will empower Iran and Russia , he writes, as well as strengthen swing states such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar . The United States might abandon Ukraine ...
Oct 28, 2023•16 min
This Wednesday marked one year of Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister. Following Liz Truss's short, yet chaotic, premiership - has Rishi Sunak managed to stabilise the economy and the Conservative Party? Where does he stand on his 5 pledges? And is he still being haunted by 'Tory sleaze'? Joining Anoosh Chakelian to analyse the first year of Sunak's premiership is Rachel Wearmouth, deputy political editor, and Zoë Grunëwald, politics and policy correspondent. Subscribers get ad-free access to all our ...
Oct 27, 2023•20 min
Nine days after saying on LBC that “Israel has that right” to cut of water and power off to Gaza, Keir Starmer explained that this wasn't what he meant. This has caused quite a lot of damage, with 23 Labour councillors resigning and over 150 Muslim Labour Councillors now petitioning Labour’s leadership to support an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Could Israel and Palestine prove just as much a problem for Keir Starmer as it did for Jeremy Corbyn? Joining Anoosh Chakelian in the studio is depu...
Oct 26, 2023•14 min
"We're in a very dangerous and unstable situation" Bruce Hoffman has been observing and studying global terrorism for over 50 years. In this episode he speaks to the New Statesman's Katie Stallard about how the war between Israel and Hamas places the world in danger. They discuss the threat from Hezbollah in Lebanon and the risk of escalation within the Middle East, as well as why terror organisations like ISIS and Islamic Jihad could be motivated to launch attacks on the United States, Europe a...
Oct 23, 2023•28 min
Earlier today, Labour won by-elections in Mid-Bedfordshire and Tamworth - two seats which were previously safe Tory heartlands. Labour leader Keir Starmer has described this result as a "game changer". So how did this pan out, and what does it mean looking ahead to the general election? Are Conservative voters turning to Labour, or are they being apathetic? To answer all of this Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Rachel Cunliffe, associate political editor, and Ben Walker, senior data journalist. Sub...
Oct 20, 2023•25 min
Chris Deerin reports from the SNP conference, where even "statesmanlike" Humza Yousaf couldn't outshine a guest appearance from his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon. Chris joins Anoosh Chakelian and Rachel Wearmouth to discuss the mood of the conference, which was heavy on expectation management. Read Chris Deerin's interview with Humza Yousaf: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/politics-interview/2023/10/humza-yousaf-last-snp-leader-interview Download the app: iOS: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/n...
Oct 19, 2023•18 min
Cyber-crime is predicted to cost the global economy $8tn this year, in part due to increased remote working - borne out by a spike in malware attacks at the start of the pandemic. But should responsibility for security lie solely with individual employees? “We really think it should be the responsibility of the browser vendor, the web developer, and the IT admin to make sure that the user doesn't have to think about security as much as possible,” says Emily Stark, a software engineer at Google, ...
Oct 18, 2023•18 min
As Israel prepares a ground attack on Gaza, Katie Stallard is joined by Alona Ferber and Professor Lina Khatib to explore the wider geo-political situation in the Middle East - including mounting violence on Israel's west bank and the looming shadow of Hezbollah in Iran. Follow the New Statesman's reporting and analysis of the crisis in Israel and Gaza at www.NewStatesman.com. Subscribers get ad-free access to all our podcasts via the New Statesman app. Download it in the iOS app store or the Go...
Oct 16, 2023•27 min
In May this year, an American woman sought the help of a chatbot on an eating disorders website. The bot, named Tessa and running on an evolving, generative AI, advised her to start counting calories. Perhaps she should get some calipers, it suggested, to measure her body fat. When it emerged that Tessa had given similarly dangerous advice to others, the bot was taken down. As countries around the world face a mental health crisis, exacerbated by the pandemic and a lack of human therapist...
Oct 14, 2023•22 min
On this week's You Ask Us we're getting to the heart of British politics and asking, is Paddington a centrist? But before we get there the team answers a listener's question on Rishi Sunak's ambitions for the UK and AI. The host of this podcast is Britain editor Anoosh Chakelian, and joining her is policy and politics correspondent Zoë Grünewald, and business editor Will Dunn. Submit a question for You Ask Us: https://www.newstatesman.com/YouAskUs Download the app: iOS: https://apps.apple.com/gb...
Oct 13, 2023•30 min
20 million people in the UK lack the basic digital skills required to download apps, apply for jobs online, or use the internet with confidence. This results in a £5.5bn loss of earnings to UK employees, and is a serious problem for UK productivity and individual quality of life. In this special episode, Jon Bernstein from the New Statesman’s Spotlight on Policy team meets Martin McFadyen from Virgin Media O2 Business and three charity and environmental partners - Emma...
Oct 11, 2023•24 min
Arriving on stage to an attack of glitter from a protester, Labour leader Keir Starmer quickly recovered to deliver his speech. Amongst many mentions of fighting, he promised that as Prime Minister, he will fight "for you". Anoosh Chakelian is joined by deputy political editor Rachel Wearmouth and political correspondent Freddie Hayward to discuss Starmer's vision of the decade ahead under a Labour government. Submit a question for You Ask Us: https://www.newstatesman.com/YouAskUs Download the a...
Oct 10, 2023•20 min
Darren Jones, Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, joins the podcast to take us behind the scenes of the Shadow Cabinet's announcements at this year's Labour Party conference, including Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves ' speech which received 7 standing ovations and an endorsement from Mark Carney - the former Bank of England Governor. Joining our host Anoosh Chakelian from the conference in Liverpool we hear from Rachel Wearmouth, deputy political editor, and Rachel Cunliffe, associate politi...
Oct 09, 2023•29 min
What are the roots of today’s maternity crisis? Recent research by the Care Quality Commission has found a “concerning decline” in England, with over half of maternity wards rated substandard. Donna Ockenden’s review of Shrewsbury and Telford maternity trust found that, between 2001 and 2019, 201 babies and nine mothers had died avoidable deaths. In this week’s audio long read, the editor of the New Statesman ’s Spotlight magazine Alona Ferber traces the origins of this decline – fr...
Oct 07, 2023•24 min
In what has been described by Keir Starmer as a 'seismic result', Labour has taken the Rutherglen and Hamilton West seat with more than twice the votes received by the SNP candidate. Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Ben Walker, the New Statesman's senior data journalist, and Chris Deerin, Scotland editor, to discuss what this result means for the future of Labour, for Scottish politics, and the question of Scottish independence. Submit a question for You Ask Us: https://www.newstatesman.com/YouAskU...
Oct 06, 2023•26 min
Rishi Sunak wrapped up this year's Conservative Party conference with an hour long speech in which he finally announced the long-rumoured cancellation of HS2 Manchester. He also proposed a life-ban on smoking and a replacement for A-levels, as well as waging into the culture wars asserting that 'a man is a man and a woman is a woman'. Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Rachel Wearmouth and Zoë Grünewald, who have both been in Manchester this week. They discuss the impact of the Prime Minister's speec...
Oct 05, 2023•22 min
Economic growth in the UK is stagnating. Can a radical reshaping of private and public sector roles in core cities help unlock productivity and prosperity in Britain? The latest in our Spotlight on Policy series welcomes the Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, the CEO of Leeds City Council, Tom Riordan, and PwC’s Public Sector expert Katie Johnston, to explore the role cities can play in boosting Britain’s productivity. This episode is sponsored by PwC. Download the Good Growth fo...
Oct 03, 2023•25 min
We're bringing you this episode from Manchester where this year's Conservative Party conference is taking place. Rachel Cunliffe, associate political editor, is joined by political correspondent Freddie Hayward, and deputy political editor Rachel Wearmouth to discuss the speculation around the scrapping of HS2 Manchester, as well as Liz Truss's popularity at the conference a year on from her chaotic leadership. Submit a question for You Ask Us: https://www.newstatesman.com/YouAskUs Download the ...
Oct 02, 2023•17 min
For today’s Audio Long Read we’re bringing you one from our archives, which is suddenly extremely prescient. This week GB News is in the spotlight once again, this time for broadcasting misogynist comments made by Laurence Fox about a female journalist, Ava Evans. The channel has suspended Fox, along with host Dan Wootton, and has apologised for broadcasting the comments. But this is the latest in a long line of incidents in which GB News has pushed the boundaries o...
Sep 30, 2023•48 min
The Home Secretary made a speech this week in Washington to a right-wing US think tank called the American Enterprise Institute. She made a number eye-catching statements, including “a misguided dogma of multiculturalism” has proven “toxic” for Europe, and the pace of migrant arrivals posed an “existential threat” to the West. Anoosh Chakelian, Britain editor and host of the New Statesman podcast, is joined in the studio by Zoë Grünewald, policy and politics correspondent, and Freddie Hayward, p...
Sep 29, 2023•20 min
The Conservatives have been in power for more than 13 years under five different prime ministers. We have experienced Cameroon austerity, Mayite statism, Johnsonite populism, and Trussite libertarianism. But who now wields the greatest influence among the Tories and on the British right? George Eaton, senior editor, joins the podcast to discuss the publication of the New Statesman's inaugural Right Power List – a guide to the 50 most influential people in conservative politics. This podcast is h...
Sep 28, 2023•22 min
Where does the concept of IQ fetishism originate? And why has it resurfaced in contemporary discussions, particularly within the tech-right movement? Join historian Quinn Slobodian as he discusses how IQ-based hierarchies have influenced societal perceptions and policies and the potential societal consequences and divisions resulting from the prevalence of such thinking. The host for this episode is senior editor for China and global affairs, at the New Statesman. You can read Quinn Slobodian's ...
Sep 25, 2023•29 min
At the time of writing, the crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried is due to stand trial on 3 October 2023. He stands accused of fraud and money-laundering on an epic scale through his currency exchange FTX. Did he gamble with other people’s money in a bid to do the maximum good? In this week’s long read, the New Statesman ’s associate editor Sophie McBain examines the relationship between Bankman-Fried and the Oxford-based effective altruism (EA) movement. The billionaire was a close...
Sep 23, 2023•36 min
