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 considere...
Apr 23, 2026•34 min
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. LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN: ❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday ⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning ✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email e...
Apr 20, 2026•33 min
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. 📚 READ: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/the-sketch/2026/04/at-a-defence-conference-tech-execs-haggle-over-reducing-the-cost-to-kill LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN: ❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday ⏰ Ge...
Apr 18, 2026•28 min
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 M...
Apr 16, 2026•27 min
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 LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN: ❓ Ask a questi...
Apr 11, 2026•26 min
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 LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE FROM THE NEW STATESM...
Apr 09, 2026•55 min
Follow The Exchange on Spotify , Apple , and YouTube for more episodes like this. LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN: ❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday ⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning ✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Apr 06, 2026•1 hr 4 min
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. LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN: ❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday ⏰...
Apr 03, 2026•31 min
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, whic...
Apr 02, 2026•32 min
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 LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN: ❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday ⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning ✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more infor...
Apr 01, 2026•19 min
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. LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN: ❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday ⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning ✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for ...
Mar 31, 2026•31 min
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. LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN: ❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday ⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning ✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on...
Mar 30, 2026•32 min
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. LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN: ❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday ⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning ✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Mar 28, 2026•38 min
Follow The Exchange on Spotify , Apple , and YouTube for more episodes like this. LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN: ❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday ⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning ✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Mar 27, 2026•1 hr 9 min
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 interven...
Mar 26, 2026•23 min
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 LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN: ❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday ⏰ Get our daily politics newsl...
Mar 25, 2026•36 min
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 hist...
Mar 24, 2026•26 min
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 ra...
Mar 23, 2026•24 min
Anoosh and Will are back with this week's round up of the politics stories you might have missed. This week: Housing Secretary Steve Reed has the perfect opportunity to "build, baby, build" Misinformation powerhouse InfoWars is officially over - just like the Metaverse Pete Hegseth seems to encourage the US army to commit war crimes Rachel Reeves takes a gamble on building "an army of Burnhams" READ: Anoosh's Thomas Hetherwick interview Will's sketch on Pete Hegseth - "the boss of tough men in h...
Mar 21, 2026•47 min
Angela Rayner has called Shabana Mahmood’s immigration plans un-British. Is this the beginning of the dilution of these reforms and even of a leadership campaign? Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Ailbhe Rea to discuss. LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN: ❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday ⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning ✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more in...
Mar 20, 2026•22 min
Keir Starmer’s cost of living crisis At the beginning of this year, Keir Starmer vowed to bring down the cost of living. But as other PMs learned before him, this is often out of the government’s control. The Iran war is threatening to ruin his strategy and Starmer now finds himself in a bind. Anoosh Chakelian is joined by political editor, Ailbhe Rea. READ: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2026/03/keir-starmer-is-struggling-to-keep-his-new-years-resolution LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Do...
Mar 19, 2026•26 min
Yesterday, Keir Starmer met Volodymyr Zelensky to sign a new defense partnership. The Ukrainian President said he faced a missile shortage due to the war in Iran and Keir Starmer resolved to remain focused on the fight against Russia. But is the war in Eastern Europe only the first act of a much wider conflict? Oli Dugmore is joined by Will Lloyd, who visited Ukraine last month. Read: https://www.newstatesman.com/international-content/2026/03/the-new-world-war LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New...
Mar 18, 2026•31 min
The Treasury Select Committee has announced an inquiry into Student Loans. It comes after Rachel Reeves announced a freeze on repayment thresholds meaning more graduates will start repaying once they earn just over the living wage. It's an issue that doesn't just affect today's students and graduates but is increasingly becoming a political issue the government cannot ignore. Tom McTague is joined by Rachel Cunliffe to discuss what the inquiry might achieve - and what the student loans issue mea...
Mar 17, 2026•39 min
Oil prices have spiked following the outbreak of war in Iran, with crude oil jumping to over £75 a barrel. This is having a huge impact around the world, and is set to get worse. Megan Gibson is joined by Rory Johnston, oil market researcher and author of the Commodity Context newsletter, who argues that this scenario could lead to a global depression. LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN: ❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday ⏰ Get our daily pol...
Mar 16, 2026•31 min
After a massive 17 years reporting on politics for the New Statesman, George Eaton joins Anoosh Chakelian the podcast for a farewell episode. Anoosh and George discuss his highlights from covering the past 17 years in British politics, from the post-crash austerity years, through Labour civil war and ultimately Keir Starmer's Labour election victory in 2024. They reflect on the lessons learned, what's changed... and what's stayed the same. LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE F...
Mar 15, 2026•19 min
Hereditary peers scrapped, tech overlord villainy, Tory hypocrisy and camel pageant botox cheating. It’s another weekly round up from Anoosh Chakelian and Will Dunn. LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN: ❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday ⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning ✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Mar 14, 2026•39 min
Keir Starmer apologised for appointing Peter Mandelson as US ambassador. Is it enough? After a vote by MPs forced its hand, the government has released the first batch of files relating to Mandelson’s appointment. They revealed that the Prime Minister was told the Labour peer posed a “reputational risk” because of his relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and that his national security adviser raised concerns about the appointment. The so-called “Mandelson files” also exp...
Mar 13, 2026•23 min
Is the UK going through the “fourth great disruption” to its geopolitical position? In this unprecedented moment, we take a look at how history can shed light on the current conflict, and which politician is best placed to handle the crisis. Editor-in-chief Tom McTague is joined by John Bew, professor of history at King’s College London and former foreign policy adviser to four different British governments, and our political editor Ailbhe Rea. LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app M...
Mar 12, 2026•1 hr 9 min
Were the strikes on Iran illegal? What's next for the controversial courts bill? Are Labour leaders aware of the existential crisis within their party? On this week's episode of The Exchange, we speak with Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Justice, David Lammy. To listen more episodes of The Exchange find us on Spotify , Apple , and YouTube . LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN: ❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday ⏰ Get our dail...
Mar 11, 2026•45 min
Trump is bombing Iran. Oil prices are volatile. Is the world heading for recession? Oil prices peaked after the US and Israel started their war on Iran. Around a fifth of the world's oil supply relies on one tiny shipping lane in the Middle East called the Strait of Hormuz, and shipping firms are refusing to use it for fear of attack. Meanwhile, Britain remains in the grip of inflated prices and shoppers fear the war in Iran will only make things worse. Anoosh Chakelian and Will Dunn discuss how...
Mar 10, 2026•31 min
