Politics: Where Next?

This week, we discuss COVID-19 and ask: how it will change our politics. Gary chats to Matthew Taylor, former Head of Policy for Number 10 under Tony Blair and now Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Arts, and Danny Finkelstein, columnist for The Times and a Tory peer.

This week we are looking at the negotiations for the new relationship with Europe as we now have the opening positions of both sides.   As the British document was published on Thursday, Gary Gibbon caught up with Georgina Wright of the Institute for Government and Same Lowe of the Centre for European Reform to wade through the documents and tell us what they say about the chance of a deal and the shape of a deal. Producer: Rachel Evans

This week, after decades of signing up to the EU policy of free movement of people, Boris Johnson announced Britain will halt low-paid immigration with just a few exceptions at the margins  - and he'll make high-skilled immigration a little easier if you're outside the EU.   The day after the announcement, Gary spoke to Sunder Katwala, director of the think tank British Future, which looks at migration and identity issues, and Eric Kaufmann, Professor of politics at Birkbeck College at University of London, and author of the book, 'Whiteshift'.

This week, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sajid Javid resigned.   A few hours after the announcement, Gary sat down with Lord Nick Macpherson, who ran the Treasury as its Permanent Secretary for 11 years under Labour, the Tories and the Coalition.   He was also joined by Torsten Bell, Chief Executive of the Resolution Foundation, who was once a Treasury civil servant himself and then special adviser to Alistair Darling when he was Chancellor.   Producer: Rachel Evans

This week Gary sits down with two guests on the eve of the Irish general election.   He speaks to Denis Staunton of the Irish Times and Patrick Maguire of the New Statesman to discuss the Sinn Féin surge and what this election means for Brexit trade talks and for a united Ireland.   Producer: Rachel Evans

With Brexit happening we've spoken to its godfather - Nigel Farage - to ask about the journey that got us here.   We took him to a small viewing cinema in London to show him video clips from the news stories that marked our journey to Brexit and his role in it.

This week we are discussing what happens next on Brexit and what is in store for our new relationship with Europe.   Gary talks to Georgina Wright from The Institute for Government and Sam Lowe of the Centre for European Reform. 

As the Labour leadership contest gets motoring we look at who is likely to win it and what are the lessons of Jeremy Corbyn's leadership.   Gary talks to Sienna Rodgers, editor of the Labour List and Paul Mason, left-wing commentator and author. 

This week, a new year, a new government - what do we make of it so far? Where is Boris Johnson heading? Will this feel like a revolution or nothing of the sort? Joining Gary to discuss that is Robert Colvile, Director of the Centre for Policy Studies, who helped write the Tory manifesto for the last general election and Rachel Sylvester, Times columnist and distinguished political commentator.  Producer: Rachel Evans

The election done, what is next for the politically dispossessed?    This week Gary talks to Pat McFadden, who worked for Tony Blair in Downing street and has been MP for Wolverhampton since 2005.   He is joined by Rory Stewart who was thrown out of the Tory Party by Boris Johnson and is now running for Mayor of London as an Independent.   They discuss their reactions to election result, whether the Labour Party can recover from their defeat and what this means for the question of Scottish independence. 

Mere days away from the general election, Gary Gibbon sits down with the political editor of the Daily Mirror, Pippa Crerar, and by James Kirkup, director of the Social Market Foundation, and before that a senior journalist at The Telegraph.

This week Gary speaks to Stephen Bush, the Political Editor of the New Statesman and Tory Peer Danny Finkelstein. They talk to Gary about the party manifestos, who is ahead of the race and what comes after the election.

Veteran political analyst Professor John Curtice and Professor Matthew Goodwin of the University of Kent tell Gary Gibbon their predictions for this general election. Curtice is also a senior fellow of the UK in a Changing Europe research unit, where we sit down to record this week's podcast.

Ken Clarke and Iain Duncan Smith, two of the most senior, long standing members of the Tory Party, discuss the state of the Conservatives.  Clarke had the whip withdrawn in September after he voted against the government.    A passionate opponent of Brexit and a life-long Europhile Clarke discusses how Brexit and Europe is eating away at his party with his long-standing colleague and former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith - a vocal proponent of leaving the EU. 

This week we reassembled our regular duo - Labour MP Jess Phillips and the Independent MP, formerly a Conservative minister, Nick Boles.   We spoke on Thursday as cabinet members were gathering in Number 10 to discuss strategy, they hadn't yet announced their offer to Labour - agree to a new timetable for the Brexit bill but also agree to a general election on December 12th. 

This week we speak to two people who have worked closely on previous elections as we look to the general election looming in front of us.   We're joined by Patrick Heneghan, former Head of Campaigns for the Labour Party, who worked on five general elections and James Johnson, who for three years was Theresa May's polling strategist inside Number 10. 

This week we’re joined by Charles Moore, biographer of Margaret Thatcher - his third and final volume - Herself Alone -  is just published. And Professor David Edgerton from Kings college London, author of The Rise and Fall of the British Nation.

Boris Johnson has unveiled his proposal for a deal, but how has it gone down in the EU?   In conversation with Gary this week are Peter Foster, Europe Editor of the Daily Telegraph - the man who first brought you a leak of the deal - and James Kirkup, director for the Social Market Foundation, but before that writing about politics at The Telegraph.   Subscribe to Politics: Where Next? for more in-depth discussion every Friday.   Recorded: Thursday 3rd October.

While the storm rages over politicians' use of language, Gary is joined by Labour's Jess Phillips and the independent MP Nick Boles for a civilised chat about the state of the nation.

Deal or No Deal? Boris Johnson's search for a Brexit deal has intensified. Government insiders say parliament blocking the early election and passing a bill that tries to stop a no-deal Brexit has forced the government to throw itself into pursuing a last-minute compromise.   This week we talk to Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform - one of the best connected experts on all matters EU -  and to Denis Staunton, the London Editor of the Irish Times.

This week we talk to two MPs elected as Tories at the last election -Phillip Lee and Damian Green. However Phillip Lee is now a Lib Dem. Last week, he showed his displeasure with the direction of the government by crossing the floor of the house to join the Lib Dems while Boris Johnson was speaking in the Commons. Damian Green is staying put with the Conservatives but has written to the Prime Minister as the head of the centre ground 'One Nation' group of MPs - objecting to the purge of 21 Tories thrown out of the party last week for voting against a no-deal Brexit.  We met in a shut down House of Commons in Phillip Lee's parliamentary office.

What is going to happen on Monday? Will there be an election? Are we leaving the EU on the 31st? This week we talk to John McTernan - the political strategist and a downing street aide to Tony Blair -and Adrian Wooldridge, the political editor of The Economist magazine. We met just as Boris Johnson's brother Jo announced he couldn’t serve in his brother's government any more - and couldn't be a Conservative MP either.

As Boris Johnson moves into number 10, Francis Elliott (Political Editor, The Times) and Peter Foster (Europe Editor, The Daily Telegraph) thrash out the possibilities for what his Brexit plan might really entail. Subscribe to Politics: Where Next? for more in-depth discussions every Friday.

With Boris Johnson looking like the favourite to win the Tory leadership contest and become Prime Minister, political commentators Isabel Hardman (The Spectator) and Rafael Behr (The Guardian) join Gary Gibbon to chat about what a Johnson premiership might look like. Subscribe to Politics: Where Next? for more in-depth discussion every Friday.    

In this week’s podcast we bring together two brothers - Charles Powell and Jonathan Powell. Charles Powell, Lord Powell, advised Margaret Thatcher on foreign policy from 1983 to the end of her premiership. Seven years after he'd left Number 10  his younger brother Jonathan Powell moved in, as Chief of Staff to Tony Blair. Both men still travel the world, Charles Powell for business and Jonathan Powell mediating on conflicts. Gary sat down with them in the aftermath of the leaked memos home from the British Ambassador in Washington.

For this week's podcast episode, Gary Gibbon talks to Rory Stewart MP, Secretary of State for International Development, on his dynamic Tory leadership campaign, supporting Jeremy Hunt and whether he'll ever trust a word Boris Johnson says.

It's Boris Johnson versus Jeremy Hunt in the race to be Prime Minister. For this week's podcast episode, Gary Gibbon talks to Boris biographers Sonia Purnell and Andrew Gimson about what we should all expect from the bookies' favourite.  Subscribe to Politics: Where Next? for more in-depth discussion every Friday.     

James Kirkup and Professor Tim Bale discuss the Conservative leadership race, Boris Johnson’s political evolution - and whether the Tory’s want to become ‘The Brexit Party’.

What did Gideon Rachman of the Financial Times and Professor John Bew - biographer of Attlee make of the week when President Trump came to town? Subscribe to Politics: Where Next? for more in-depth discussions every Friday.

Stephen Bush, political editor of the New Statesman magazine and Paul Goodman, editor of the influential political website, Conservative Home, share their thoughts on what we're in for in the next few months. 

In Gary Gibbon’s latest Politics: Where Next podcast, he talks to David Gauke MP, Secretary of State for Justice, on Brexit, where Boris Johnson may take the Tory Party and his U-turn nationalising management of offenders. We apologise for the problem with Gary's microphone. 

Chris Wilkins, Theresa May's former Head of Strategy at Number 10 and Matthew Taylor, Head of the Policy Unit for Tony Blair discuss whether the two big political parties are going to be able to survive the current political crisis.

Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office, Jon Trickett talks to Gary Gibbon about the plausibility of a Labour-Conservative deal, the prospect of a second referendum and how Brexit is really affecting his Yorkshire constituents.   

This week's podcast takes a step back from the never-ending Brexit battles to look at where new technologies are taking politics here and across the world.  Jamie Susskind is the author of ‘Future Politics’, which looks at the impact of tech on our politics. Giuliano de Empoli is the author of ‘Engineers of Chaos’, which discusses the populist masterminds who have bent technology to their own benefit in Europe and beyond. Subscribe for more episodes every Friday. We're taking a break for Easter next week, but will be back the week after. 

In Gary Gibbon’s latest Politics: Where Next podcast, he talks to Sir Ivan Rogers - formerly our man at the EU. He was the British diplomatic service’s top EU expert - let go effectively by Theresa May just as the Brexit negotiations were getting under way. Sir Ivan Rogers served as the UK Representative to the EU under David Cameron and Theresa May. He resigned in January 2017 - it’s been said he sensed his advice wasn't wanted.

Speaking ahead of Friday's vote, Father of the House of Commons Ken Clarke discusses his customs union amendment and where next for the Government and Tory party. Subscribe for more episodes every Friday. Producer: Sarah Gough.

Conservative Tom Tugendhat and Labour’s Lisa Nandy discuss the revolutionary qualities of Brexit - and how it could change the UK’s political system forever. 

In the week of one meaningful vote and two indicative votes, Jess Phillips and Nick Boles get together with Gary Gibbon for the first time after *that* "irresistible" comment to bash out what might be happening with Brexit. Subscribe to Politics: Where Next? for new episodes every Friday. Producer: Sarah Gough.

As the Brexit process treads water, we've decided to stand back and ask: does Brexit matter in the big scheme of things? Is it virtually irrelevant beside the forces that are shaping our changing world? Gary chats to Peter Frankopan, Oxford professor of global history and author of the best-selling The Silk Roads and The New Silk Roads.   Subscribe to Politics: Where Next? for new episodes every Friday.   Producer: Sarah Gough

In his first broadcast interview since losing his job Nick Timothy - Theresa May’s former joint chief of staff - discusses Brexit, his alleged ‘reign of terror’ - and the mistakes around the 2017 snap election that ultimately cost him his job.

Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable and godfather of New Labour Lord Mandelson discuss the new Independent Group - and whether it can possibly be a success.

From Continental Europe to the USA - Gary Gibbon and his guests discuss the international view of Brexit - and what our imminent departure from the EU could mean for how the world sees Britain for years to come. This week Gary is joined by two experts in foreign policy: Hans Kundnani, a Senior Research Fellow at Chatham House - and Jeremy Shapiro, a Research Director at the European Council on Foreign Relations, and a former State Department aide to Barack Obama.

Two former Number 10 advisers chat to Gary Gibbon about the likelihood of a new centrist party, what Brexit tells us about voter behaviour and where that will take our politics. Pollster Andrew Cooper worked on two referendums with varying success - for Remain in 2016 and more successfully for the NO campaign in Scotland's referendum in 2014. Gavin Kelly worked for Gordon Brown at the Treasury and at Number 10 - he's now Chief Executive of the Resolution Trust. Subscribe to Politics: Where Next? for new episodes every Friday.  

After Theresa May's change of direction on the withdrawal agreement, Gary takes Labour MP Caroline Flint up a winding staircase in Parliament to find the hidden away office of former Brexit Secretary David Davis. 

Union leaders headed into Number 10 this week as Theresa May's cross-party Brexit talks continued. Gary grabbed half an hour with the man of the moment Len McCluskey and picked his brains over Labour's Brexit strategy and what a Corbyn government could look like.

Extraordinary times. Two votes this week, one question remains: where next for Brexit? Gary talks to former Tory minister George Bridges in his first long-form interview since standing down at the snap election, and is expecting former Brexit secretary David Davis to pop in for a chat, if he can wriggle free from the Prime Minister's office. Subscribe to Politics: Where Next? for more episodes every Friday. Leave us a rating and a review if you're enjoying the podcast.  

Labour MP Liz Kendall and former Conservative Culture Secretary Ed Vaizey talk to Gary for this week's episode about whether cross-party unity will influence how Brexit unfolds after next week's vote. We apologise for slight technical issue with Gary's microphone in this episode.

With Parliament descending to farce this week, the Christmas period is a welcome chance to reflect and assess where Theresa May's Brexit project is heading. For this week's episode Gary Gibbon talks to former Tory minister David Willetts and Stewart Wood, who was an adviser and shadow minister under Ed Miliband. Producer: Sarah Gough.

We speak to Jess Philips, Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley - who thinks a second referendum is the way ahead and Nick Boles - Tory MP for Grantham and Stamford in Lincolnshire. He thinks the answer to the Brexit conundrum is Norway Plus - where we stay in the single market and the customs union.

Debates on the Brexit withdrawal agreement have begun and with the meaningful vote on Theresa May's deal on the horizon, Gary talks to pro-Leave professor Robert Tombs about where the future of our party politics could be heading.

As Theresa May heads off, quite inconveniently, to the G20 Summit in Buenos Aires, the Commons vote on her Brexit deal looms ever closer. Gary asks Lord Peter Hennessy - venerated professor of post-war history - how he thinks this period of political and economic uncertainty will be written up in the history books. Subscribe to Politics: Where Next? for more political discussion every Friday. Producer: Sarah Gough.