Podcast appearances and mentions of Theresa May

This week the podcast looks at another of those knotty, seemingly intractable issues sat on Labour's in-tray when they entered government last year; namely social care.To look at how successive administrations have failed to grasp the nettle and deal with the rising costs of a sector that has ballooned in size to deal with our ageing population, host Alain Tolhurst is joined on the panel by Paulette Hamilton, Labour MP and the acting chair of the health and social care select committee, as well as Joe Robertson, Tory MP for the Isle of Wight who also sits on the select committee.Alongside them are Lucinda Allen, policy fellow in social care at The Health Foundation, and Will Dalton, national officer for care at the GMB union, to discuss Andrew Dilnot's infamous unimplemented review, Theresa May's election-losing dementia tax, and what Keir Starmer's government is doing to take on the care crisis.They argue whether the latest review is another exercise in kicking the can down the road, and what impact this week's immigration white paper will have on the sector's massive vacancy issues, while later on in the episode Joe Dromey from the Fabian Society talks about the think tank's proposals for dealing with pay and recruitment.To sign up for our newsletters click herePresented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot

What does it take to make one of the most scrutinised leaders in the world feel relatable? And how do we build internal comms that truly include everyone — especially the quieter voices? In this episode, Katie Macaulay is joined by personal brand expert, storytelling strategist and award-winning filmmaker Richard Etienne. Richard shares the remarkable story of being summoned to 10 Downing Street and handed a single-line brief: make the Prime Minister more personable. As Theresa May's official videographer, he used empathy, authenticity and storytelling to reveal the human behind the headlines. But this episode goes beyond politics. Richard explores how to build a bold career in comms, why speed and trust matter more than ever, and how storytelling remains a vital leadership tool. He also shares the mission behind The Introvert Space, his community interest group and his mission to ensure even the quietest voices are heard in the workplace. Expect honest reflections, practical insights — and a timely reminder that powerful communication starts with listening. Share your thoughts on this or any other episode of The Internal Comms Podcast using the hashtag #TheICPodcast. Thank you for listening.

Cricket legend Sir Geoffrey Boycott is one of the world's most famous sportsmen. The England test batsman was the man who could defend against the very best fast bowlers, score plenty of runs and give England a chance.Theresa May once described him as her political hero; gritty, digging in and getting the runs in the end. But last year he discovered his throat cancer, which he first battled in 2002, had come back, undergoing a three-hour operation to remove the cancerous tissue.In this special episode of The Daily T, Geoffrey Boycott joins Kamal and Telegraph Chief Cricket Correspondent Nick Hoult to discuss pontificating politicians, showman sportsmen and why he's 'absolutely sympathetic' to Esther Rantzen's arguments for assisted dying.Read: Sir Geoffrey Boycott: After everything I've been through, I wouldn't be against assisted dying, by Oliver Brown: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/2025/05/03/geoffrey-boycott-politics-farage-starmer-cancer-nhs-health/Senior Producer: John CadiganPlanning Editor: Venetia RaineyExecutive Producer: Louisa WellsSocial Media Producer: Rachel DuffyStudio Operator: Meghan SearleVideo Editor: Andy MackenizeOriginal music by Goss Studio Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking has issued a "wake-up call" to the world to act on what they deem "one of the most pervasive human rights issues of our time." The report makes several recommendations specifically for women and girls who make up 54% of the estimated 50 million people trapped in slavery around the world. They are more frequently targeted for forced marriage, sexual exploitation, and domestic labour. Nearly one in four victims are children. To discuss the topic Nuala McGovern was joined by the former Prime Minister, Baroness Theresa May and Nasreen Sheikh, who is a survivor of modern slavery.The Irish writer Edna O'Brien died last year at the age of 93. The last person to be granted an interview with her was the documentary maker Sinéad O'Shea. Her new film Blue Road weaves those final interviews with archive and readings from Edna's own diaries to tell the story of her extraordinary life.For the first time in its 900 year history, girls will be singing in the choir at St Paul's Cathedral on Easter Sunday. We hear from some of the girl choristers, and Kylie Pentelow speaks to Dr Katherine Hambridge, Associate Professor of Musicology at the University of Durham and Carris Jones, Vicar Choral and Girls' Voices Project Manager at St Paul's Cathedral about the significance of this moment.Presenter: Kylie Pentelow Producer: Annette Wells Editor: Emma Pearce

The Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking has issued a "wake-up call" to the world to act on what they deem "one of the most pervasive human rights issues of our time." The report makes several recommendations specifically for women and girls who make up 54% of the estimated 50 million people trapped in slavery around the world. They are more frequently targeted for forced marriage, sexual exploitation, and domestic labour. Nearly one in four victims are children. To discuss the topic Nuala McGovern is joined by the former Prime Minister, Baroness Theresa May and Nasreen Sheikh, who is a survivor of modern slavery.As the Six Nations passes the half way mark we speak to fans from each of the four nations to discuss their teams. We also look ahead to their hopes for the Women's Rugby World Cup, being held in England later this summer. Nuala is joined by Kate Buck, Betti Ginnelly, Charlotte Williams and Ailbhe O'Nolan.As a teenager, Roxy Longworth was coerced into sending nude images online. After years of shame and struggling with her mental health, she is now 22 and leading the Behind Our Screens campaign about child safety online. Roxy and her mother Gay, co-authors of the memoir When You Lose It, join Nuala to talk about shame, recovery and bridging the generational gap.And a look at the cultural history of the speculum from Dr Shema Tariq.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Corinna Jones

Senior Labour MP Liam Bryne, who chairs the Commons business and trade committee, joins host Alain Tolhurst to discuss how Keir Starmer navigates the post-tariff world, and whether the market turmoil could be an opportunity for Britain. Later in the episode a panel of experts discuss the small matter of what on earth is happening to the global economy - and what that will mean for the UK - after Donald Trump's sudden volte face on Wednesday, abandoning almost all of the tariffs he had meted out on so-called ‘Liberation Day' a week before, but leaving 10% levies on British goods and 25% on steel and the automotive sector. Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government and a former senior civil servant, Raoul Ruparel, a former adviser to Theresa May on Europe and a special adviser in the Brexit department, Allie Renison, associate director at SEC Newgate and a former policy adviser to the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, and Clive Jones, Liberal Democrat MP and his party's spokesperson on trade, try to make sense of what just happened, and explain what might happen next.To sign up for our newsletters click herePresented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot

Ben Riley-Smith of The Daily Telegraph assesses the latest developments at Westminster.After the government announced savings of £5bn a year from the benefits bill, Ben speaks to Labour MP Clive Lewis, who raised concerns about the plans in the Commons, and David Blunkett, formerly a Cabinet minister under Tony Blair and now a Labour peer.Also this week Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch ditched her party's commitment to make Britain a 'net zero' carbon emitter by 2050, a policy first introduced by Theresa May's government in 2019. Conservative MP and former Cabinet minister, David Davis, and former Conservative adviser, Salma Shah, debate the merits of the plan.Crossbench peer, Minette Batters, who is the former President of the National Farmers Union, joins Ben from her farm in Wiltshire to discuss whether Labour can mend its relationship with farmers.And, following the visit of the new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to Britain, Ben speaks to the former UK High Commissioner to Canada, Susan le Jeune d'Allegeershecque, and Labour MP Matt Western, who chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group on Canada.

With the stench of rebellion hanging around the tearooms of SW1 after ministers announced fresh welfare cuts, this week host Patrick Baker explores the backbench revolts of years past, asking how disobedient MPs really plan and plot against their own parties. Veteran Tory MP David Davis describes how he and other rebels defeated David Cameron's plans to bomb Syria almost by accident — and offers tips on shutting down confrontational government enforcers, or chief whips. Christopher Howarth, a secretive member of the European Research Group of Eurosceptic Tory MPs, was instrumental in defeating Theresa May's EU deal during the Brexit wars. He describes countering the cunning tactics of a Downing Street operation desperately trying to quell rebellions, and how he spotted a loophole in Tory rules that led to May's resignation.  POLITICO senior political correspondent Annabelle Dickson has been gauging the mood among angry would-be Labour rebels — and hearing why some are feeling disillusioned with the direction of their party.  One of those certain to rebel in a Commons vote on welfare is the Labour MP for Alloa and Grangemouth in Scotland, Brian Leishman, who explains why he's appalled at the cuts to benefits.  But rebels beware: Tony Blair's former no-nonsense chief whip Hilary Armstrong recalls threatening badly behaved MPs with being sent to work on obscure infrastructure committees unless they toed the line. But she insists the best way to deal with rebels — who Blair called his "little darlings" — is a "softly, softly" approach. And Blair's former political secretary John McTernan, sets out why he believes the huge new intake of Labour MPs might be more prone to rebellion and says the current rancor poses a bigger question for the party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They may have both been leading Brexiteers but Dominic Cummings and Nigel Farage were once fierce rivals, vying to be the top campaign of the referendum. As recently as last year Cummings accused Farage of ‘surrounding himself with useless characters' – so why are we now hearing of a secret meeting between the two before Christmas? Ed Balls and George Osborne pick apart the significance of this rendezvous at a time when Reform are contending with a senior bust up, as well as an imminent by-election in Runcorn where polling has them out in front. In a week where Diane Abbott and Andy Burnham backed Ed's criticisms of the government's welfare reform, Liz Kendall has been in the Commons to announce further detail of Labour's plan. And they reflect on what options Chancellor Rachel Reeves will have in her Spring Statement (or mini-budget) next week. Can she create a reset moment?Plus, in London this week was the new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. With rumours swirling about an imminent Canadian election, George and Ed debate the merits of calling a vote early into your premiership, reminiscing about the examples of Gordon Brown's ‘the election that never was' and Theresa May's disastrous loss of a majority in 2017. You could have been listening to this episode of EMQs early and ad-free with a Political Currency Gold subscription! And not only that… you could have been in the room asking a question as a member of Political Currency's KITCHEN CABINET, along with early and ad-free listening, and exclusive Political Currency merchSubscribe now: patreon.com/politicalcurrency or on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/politicalcurrency. Please note Kitchen Cabinet subscriptions are only available through Patreon.Technical Producer: Daniel PapeProducer: Miriam Hall and Jarek ŻabaExecutive Producers: Ellie Clifford Political Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Subscribe now on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There's nothing sweeter than being reintroduced to yourself, with the belief that your introversion is a superpower." — Richard EtienneIn this insightful episode ofQuietly Visible, Carol Stewart welcomes Richard Etienne, an award-winning personal branding consultant and founder ofThe Introvert Space. Richard, a former official photographer for Prime Minister Theresa May, shares his journey as an introvert navigating professional spaces and his mission to amplify the voices of quiet leaders.Richard's passion for storytelling was sparked by advice from his father, encouraging him tocreate what he wanted to see. His background in filmmaking, journalism, and branding has led him to help introverted leaders find their voice. He shares strategies for drawing out stories from introverts. Early in his career, Richard struggled with self-doubt, overthinking job applications, and avoiding dominant personalities in meetings. He reflects on how introverts are often overlooked in fast-paced, extraverted environments and how workplace structures do not always support quiet thinkers.Seeing a lack of tailored resources for introverts in the workplace, he createdThe Introvert Space to provide support, training, and community. The platform aims to be adata-led initiative, supporting both introverts and the organisations that manage them.

Have you ever wondered about COBRA? Not the snake or the yoga pose — but Cabinet Office Briefing Room A, the place at the heart of Whitehall where a highly sensitive, critical government committee meets when a crisis hits the U.K. This week, host Patrick Baker takes you inside these mysterious meetings to find out how those in charge take crucial decisions — often on matters of life and death. One of the original architects of COBRA, David Omand, who went on to become director of spy agency GCHQ, explains how the Munich Olympics hostage crisis triggered alarm in the U.K. and highlighted the need to build COBRA. Lucy Fisher from the Financial Times explains how to access the secret bunker under the Ministry of Defense that would be home to its duplicate in case of nuclear attack. Tony Blair's former Cabinet Secretary Richard Wilson describes how he convened what was a very busy COBRA on 9/11, a day that exposed the U.K.'s own vulnerabilities and led to rapid changes to the UK's guidebook for handling terror attacks. In an age of heightened tensions, Susan Scholefield, a former COBRA director, recalls how drills and exercises became more common and how it was her job to make sure the Pope was safe, monitoring his state visit from the U.K.'s version of the Situation Room. Former Defence Secretary Michael Fallon describes being in COBRA in response to multiple atrocities on U.K. soil in 2017, and recalls how ministers scrambled to work out whether more attacks were on the way. Fallon also reveals the person he wouldn't trust to chair a COBRA meeting (or anything, really). Katie Perrior, ex-No 10 comms chief under Theresa May, remembers rushing into COBRA after the Westminster Bridge attack amid fears that offices in Parliament might be unsafe.   With the arrival of the pandemic, a crisis of a wholly different order, emergency planner Lucy Easthope sets out some of COBRA's pitfalls. Easthope, who co-founded the After Disaster Network at Durham University, believes too much emphasis is put on state-of-the-art nerve centers rather than simple honesty, in the midst of crises for which ministers are generally not very well prepared. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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George Parker of the Financial Times assesses the latest developments at WestminsterTo assess the impact of two completely contrasting Oval Office meetings between President Trump and Sir Keir Starmer and then the US president and President Zelensky this week, George is joined by Peter Ricketts, crossbench peer and Britain's first National Security Adviser. And Labour's Baroness Cathy Ashton, who was the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, leading its response to Russia's annexation of Crimea back in 2014. To discuss Sir Keir Starmer's plans to increase defence spending to 2.5% of national income by cutting the foreign aid budget, George spoke to the Labour MP for Hartlepool, Jonathan Brash and the Greens' Ellie Chowns, who represents North Herefordshire, and spent her career before Parliament working in overseas development.David Gauke, who was Justice Secretary in Theresa May's government and is now leading a review into prisons for Keir Starmer, has been in Texas this week to look at what the UK can learn from prisons there. Rishi Sunak's former chief whip, Simon Hart has just published his diaries spanning his fifteen years in the Commons - in which he saw five prime ministers, four general elections, and plenty of scandals. He discusses this era with The Spectator's Isabel Hardman.

Keir Starmer has returned from his whirlwind meeting with Donald Trump in Washington DC, and it seems as though the trip was at least a partial success for the PM. Some papers have even gone so far as to describe a new political bromance...Trump cautiously backed the Chagos plan and suggested the UK could avoid tariffs, although there was less clarity on security guarantees for Ukraine.In the room as it all unfolded was Telegraph political editor Ben Riley-Smith, who got off the Prime Minister's plane and straight into the Daily T studio to bring us up to speed.Also in the studio is new Daily T co-host Cleo Watson, who advised Theresa May and Boris Johnson and helped both prepare for meetings with Trump, and Sir Simon Fraser, a former diplomat who has worked behind the scenes on countless leaders' summits.Read: Trump gives verdict on Starmer after PM's five-month campaign to woo himOur political editor Ben Riley Smith's full coverage of the Trump-Starmer meetingProducer: Lilian FawcettSenior Producer: John CadiganPlanning Editor: Venetia RaineyExecutive Producer: Louisa WellsSocial Media Producer: Rachel DuffyVideo Editor: Andy MackenzieEditor: Camilla TomineyOriginal music by Goss Studio Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the Prime Minister in Washington this week the Labour MPs Steve Yemm and Chris Evans, as well as Professor Sam Edwards from Loughborough University, and Lord John Alderdice, Liberal Democrat peer, join host Alain Tolhurst to look at the so-called ‘special relationship'. From its history, to why the close bilateral partnership between the UK and America is so enduring, but why it might now be under threat as Keir Starmer tries to deal with the Donald Trump White House. Elsewhere in the episode Katie Perrior, Downing Street director of communications under Theresa May, also talks about what is was like to deal with the first Trump administration. To sign up for our newsletters click herePresented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot

Sir Keir Starmer's announcement that he is increasing defence spending to 2.5% of GDP has defence experts taking a sigh of relief, whilst humanitarian workers are left despairing. Nick and Amol are joined by former US military strategist Rachel Ellehuus, the new director general of defence think-tank RUSI, to explore how the UK – and Europe – will contain Russia without so much American support.Plus, Theresa May's former chief of staff Fiona Hill remembers an awkward first meeting between the PM and a newly elected President Trump.To get Amol and Nick's take on the biggest stories and insights from behind the scenes at the UK's most influential radio news programme make sure you hit subscribe on BBC Sounds. That way you'll get an alert every time we release a new episode, and you won't miss our extra bonus episodes either.GET IN TOUCH: * Send us a message or a voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 4346 * Email today@bbc.co.ukThe Today Podcast is hosted by Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson who are both presenters of BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Amol was the BBC's media editor for six years and is the former editor of the Independent, he's also the current presenter of University Challenge. Nick has presented the Today programme since 2015, he was the BBC's political editor for ten years before that and also previously worked as ITV's political editor.This episode was made by Tom Smithard with Nadia Gyane and Grace Reeve. Digital production was by Gabriel Purcell-Davis. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The editor is Louisa Lewis. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.

Pippa Crerar, the Political Editor of The Guardian, assesses the latest developments at Westminster.Following President Trump's announcement of his plans for peace in Ukraine, Pippa brings together Lord West, the former Head of the Navy and Labour peer and Lord Dannatt, the former head of the Army and a now crossbench peer to discuss what this means for Ukraine and Europe.This week, the government made numerous announcements on its housing policy, including its plans for the next generation of new towns. To discuss the Prime Minister's promises to build more homes, Pippa was joined by the chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee, Labour MP Florence Eshalomi and Conservative peer Lord Gavin Barwell, who is a former Housing Minister and was Downing Street Chief of Staff to Theresa May.To discuss the challenges that Reform UK poses for the government and the Conservative Party, Pippa is joined by Gawain Towler, Reform UK's former director of communications and Scarlett Maguire, director of the polling firm JL Partners. And, are political slogans such as 'Take Back Control', 'Fix the NHS' and 'Smash the Gangs' effective in delivering their messages? Pippa asks to political commentator and former Conservative government adviser Salma Shah and Jonathan Ashworth, the former shadow cabinet minister, now chief executive of Labour Together for their take.

We're visiting March 2019 now, and Prime Minister Theresa May was grappling with her Brexit deal. Alice Fraser joined Andy from Australia for a live Bugle titled Mature Grown Up Politics.Hear more of our shows, buy our book, and help keep us alive by supporting us here: thebuglepodcast.com/This episode was produced by Chris Skinner and Laura Turner Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode, we're joined by the incredibly talented Jenny Griffin, who's had a pivotal impact on Robbie Williams' career in two major ways. As the assistant choreographer on Better Man, Jenny worked alongside choreographer Ashley Wallen and director Michael Gracey, helping bring unforgettable moments to life, like the epic Rock DJ scene on Regent Street with 500 dancers and the stunning She's The One sequence.Jenny's also been a part of Robbie's dance team since 2016, debuting in the Party Like A Russian video. She went on to become the dance captain for his Heavy Entertainment Show and XXV tours, and even portrayed Theresa May in the Can't Stop Christmas video! Tune in as she shares her journey, insights, and behind-the-scenes stories from these iconic projects.======If there is an advert in this episode details will appear below:============**About Robbie Williams Rewind**Join husband and wife Matt and Lucy, as they rewind through legendary pop star Robbie Williams' solo career. Each episode, they have a guest fan to help us relive Robbie's incredible music and tours.Visit: robbiewilliamsrewind.com to discover more episodes, track listings & photos!Follow: @rewindrobbie on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter & TikTok.

The prime minister has rejected the idea that Britain will have to choose between Brussels and Washington, but with the US president threatening the European Union and other allies with tariffs, how should Keir Starmer deal with him?And what should he do about Donald Trump saying he wants the US to “take over” Gaza and turn it into “the Riviera of the Middle East”, which would mean resettling the almost two million Palestinians who live there.Nick and Amol are joined by the senior Labour MP and chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee Emily Thornberry, and Raoul Ruparel who was a special advisor to Theresa May on trade and Brexit.To get Amol and Nick's take on the biggest stories and insights from behind the scenes at the UK's most influential radio news programme make sure you hit subscribe on BBC Sounds. That way you'll get an alert every time we release a new episode, and you won't miss our extra bonus episodes either.GET IN TOUCH: * Send us a message or a voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 4346 * Email today@bbc.co.ukThe Today Podcast is hosted by Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson who are both presenters of BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Amol was the BBC's media editor for six years and is the former editor of the Independent, he's also the current presenter of University Challenge. Nick has presented the Today programme since 2015, he was the BBC's political editor for ten years before that and also previously worked as ITV's political editor.This episode was made by Lewis Vickers with Nadia Gyane and Hugo Chambre. Digital production was by Nadia Gyane. The technical producer was Annie Smith. The editor is Louisa Lewis. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.

Caroline Wheeler, political editor of The Sunday Times, assesses the latest developments at Westminster.To discuss whether there should be a national inquiry into grooming gangs, Caroline is joined by Labour MP Paul Waugh who represents Rochdale, and former Conservative MP Laura Farris, who served as Safeguarding Minister in Rishi Sunak's government. Following the announcement of the government's plans to reducing waiting lists in England, Caroline speaks to surgeon and former Labour Health Minister Ara Darzi who now sits in the House of Lords as an independent peer. He is the author of the recent government review into the NHS in England. As the Chancellor Rachel Reeves visits China, Caroline brings together the chair of the business and trade select committee, Liam Byrne, and Conservative MP, Tom Tugendhat, who is a former Security Minister. And, finally, the beginning of the Westminster week was dominated by political interventions made by the owner of the social media platform X. To discuss how the Prime Minister should handle such interventions, Caroline brought together Katie Perrior, former Downing Street Director of Communications for Theresa May and David Yelland, a former newspaper editor who is co-presenter of Radio 4's ‘When It Hits the Fan'.

In the one-hundred-and-sixty-fifth episode, we explore the Truth Rejection Fallacy, starting with Trump advocating torture (again).In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Theresa May on free market capitalism, Jeremy Kyle on refugees, and Nigel Farage on the NHS and gravy trains.In the Fallacy in the Wild section, we check out examples from Only Murders in the Building, Barney Miller, an unknown flat earther, and The Grand Tour.Jim and Mark go head to head in Fake News, the game in which Mark has to guess which one of three Trump quotes Jim made up.Then we talk about the MAGA civil war over H1B visas.And finally, we round up some of the other crazy Trump stories from the past week.The full show notes for this episode can be found at https://fallacioustrump.com/ft165 You can contact the guys at pod@fallacioustrump.com, on BlueSky @FallaciousTrump, Discord at fallacioustrump.com/discord or facebook at facebook.com/groups/fallacioustrumpCreate your podcast today! #madeonzencastrSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/fallacious-trump/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Reading the runes for 2025Nick Cohen reads the runes for 2025 with fellow Substackers and writers - Tim Walker @ThatTimWalker and Nick Tyrone @NicholasTyrone.Early reviews for 2025 are already in, and they're not looking great!2025 promises to be full of nasty surprises - particularly following the inauguration of Donald Trump as the U.S.'s 47th presidents. Pardons for the thugs and insurrectionists of January 6th looks baked in and the impacts on Ukraine could b deadly.Read all about itRead Tim Walker's Substack column A Point of View. Tim, an established Fleet Street columnist and journalist, has written several plays including Bloody Difficult Woman about Gina Miller's brexit legal battle with Theresa May. He has a new political play in the new year on BBC Radio 4.Nick Tyrone is an author, activist, policy advisor and commentator and keen observer of the Tory party whose Substack column as Neoliberal Centrist Dad - nick.tyrone.substack.com - is a must read for those of us desperate for the return of sanity to our national political discourse.Nick Cohen's @NickCohen4 latest Substack column Writing from London on politics and culture from the UK and beyond. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2024 - That was the year that was!For a moment, tune out of Cliff Richard and Slade Christmas hits and Fairytale of New York, and instead tune into The Lowdown from Nick Cohen as he chats over the shitshow that was 2024 with Lowdown stalwarts Nick Tyrone @NicholasTyrone & Tim Walker, @ThatTimWalker on a whole list of topics including Trump, Gaza, Ukraine, Brexit, the bungling of a new new Labour government.Lowdown awards for key people and events of 2024Guests Tim and Nick hand out special Lowdown awards for the key people and events of the year including Biggest Bore of the Year, Hero of the Year, Worst event of the Year, Happiest event of the Year and Biggest disappointment of the YearRead all about itRead Tim Walker's Substack column A Point of View. Tim, an established Fleet Street columnist and journalist, has written several plays including Bloody Difficult Woman about Gina Miller's brexit legal battle with Theresa May. He has a new political play in the new year on Radio 4.Nick Tyrone is an author, activist, policy advisor and commentator and keen observer of the Tory party whose Substack column as Neoliberal Centrist Dad - nick.tyrone.substack.com - is a must read for those of us desperate for the return of sanity to our national political discourse.Nick Cohen's @NickCohen4 latest Substack column Writing from London on politics and culture from the UK and beyond. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christmas is just days away now, so Ed Balls and George Osborne are getting into the season by reflecting on Christmas-time political emergencies that have interrupted the festivities over the years. Meanwhile, Claudia Winkleman makes a guest appearance to ask the pair to weigh in on important matters: Should one read the joke first or place the crown after pulling a Christmas cracker? She also asks – mince pies or ice cream? And, of course, traitor or faithful? The pair also consider which political figure they would want to cover in a political biography. And George reveals whether he and Theresa May still exchange Christmas cards … You could have been listening to this episode of EMQs early and ad-free! And not only that… join Political Currency's KITCHEN CABINET to enjoy early and ad-free listening, access to live EMQs recordings, and exclusive Political Currency merch.Subscribe now: patreon.com/politicalcurrencyProduction support: Caillin McDaidProducer: Rosie Stopher, James Shield and Miriam Hall Executive Producers: Ellie CliffordPolitical Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Subscribe now on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

L'édito politique: Brexit means Brexit Le Brexit c'est le Brexit, vous vous souvenez de ce slogan de Theresa May, ancienne première ministre britannique censé couper les ponts avec l'Union européenne... Il semble que ce ne soit plus tout à fait vrai aujourd'hui. Le nouveau premier ministre Keir Starmer cherche au contraire à renouer les liens avec les Européens Merci pour votre écoute N'hésistez pas à vous abonner également aux podcasts des séquences phares de Matin Première: L'Invité Politique : https://audmns.com/LNCogwPL'édito politique « Les Coulisses du Pouvoir » : https://audmns.com/vXWPcqxL'humour de Matin Première : https://audmns.com/tbdbwoQRetrouvez tous les contenus de la RTBF sur notre plateforme Auvio.be Retrouvez également notre offre info ci-dessous : Le Monde en Direct : https://audmns.com/TkxEWMELes Clés : https://audmns.com/DvbCVrHLe Tournant : https://audmns.com/moqIRoC5 Minutes pour Comprendre : https://audmns.com/dHiHssrEt si vous avez apprécié ce podcast, n'hésitez pas à nous donner des étoiles ou des commentaires, cela nous aide à le faire connaître plus largement.

Kemi Badenoch just became the first black woman to lead the UK's Conservative Party, the oldest in British politics, colloquially known as “the Tories.” She's also 44, has three children, grew up in Nigeria, actually worked at McDonald's (unlike some American politicians who have claimed to), didn't go to Oxford or Cambridge, and has a master's degree in computer engineering. Not exactly your typical Tory party leader profile. But it's Kemi Badenoch who has just inherited a Conservative Party that has dominated British politics for decades until Labour Party leader Keir Starmer became prime minister earlier this year. The Britain that Starmer inherited—the Britain that Conservatives like David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, and Rishi Sunak left behind—is a country with enormous debt, a shrinking GDP, a huge immigration challenge, and arguably a national identity crisis. Or as Free Press columnist and British historian Niall Ferguson has bleakly put it, “it seems that the UK has a national suicide wish.”  Can Kemi Badenoch, the woman who has been compared to Margaret Thatcher, turn her party—and ultimately, her country—around? How will the rising star in British politics offer something different than the past five Tory leaders who served before her? And can she beat out not just the Labour left but also the growing threat from a very energized hard right?  If you liked what you heard from Honestly, the best way to support us is to go to TheFP.com and become a Free Press subscriber today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Wednesday, December 4th, A.D. 2024. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 125 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Jonathan Clark 1,500 people loot harvest of Christians in India Christian Solidarity Worldwide reports eight villages in India's central state of Chhattisgarh  banned Christians last month. The village resolutions told Christians to either leave or renounce their faith in Christ. Otherwise, the believers would have their property and fields looted. The resolutions affect about 100 Christians. Soon after, a mob of 1,500 people, many of them Hindus, looted the harvest of the Christians who received little assistance from local police. Forty villagers had to leave their homes following the looting. In Luke 18:29-30, Jesus said, “There is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.” South Korean president declares Martial Law (audio of South Korean protestors) South Korea  erupted in chaos on Tuesday after President Yoon Suk Yeol issued a martial law declaration. Yoon claimed he was trying to eliminate “anti-state” forces at work among his political opponents in the country. He accuses them of sympathizing with communist North Korea.  It's the first martial law declaration since 1980. The military attempted to enter the Parliament building, and hundreds of people gathered to protest the move. South Korea's parliament quickly voted that the martial law declaration was invalid. Yesterday morning, President Yoon rescinded the declaration after the tense standoff, reports Reuters. 23 Conservative Party members voted for British euthanasia bill After the British Parliament voted for the euthanasia bill in a 330-275 vote, let the record show that 23 Conservative Party members joined 234 Labor Party members who voted for the bill. Conservative Party leader, and former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak,  a Hindu, voted in favor of the bill. However, previous Prime Ministers Boris Johnson, Theresa May, and Liz Truss had publicly stated opposition to the bill. Pro-death euthanasia laws have been incorporated into the ex-Christian nations of Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, and Australia; as well as Columbia and Ecuador. Trump picks reformer Kash Patel to lead FBI In the United States, President-elect Donald Trump announced last Saturday that Kash Patel is his pick to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Patel served during Trump's first administration as Chief of Staff for the Department of Defense and wrote the book entitled Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy.  In his endorsement of Patel's book, Trump wrote, “We will use this blueprint to help us take back the White House and remove these Gangsters from all of Government!” Appearing on CBS' Face the Nation, Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas commented on the pick. CRUZ: “He has a serious, professional background. He was a prosecutor. He was a public defender. He was a senior intelligence staffer on Capitol Hill. He was a senior intelligence staffer in the White House. He was the Chief of Staff of the Department of Defense. He was the deputy director of National Intelligence.  "And I got to say, all of the weeping and gnashing of teeth, all of the people pulling their hair out are exactly the people who are dismayed about having a real reformer come into the FBI and clean out the corrupted partisans who sadly have burrowed into senior career positions at the FBI.  "The FBI and the Department of Justice are two institutions incredibly important to the rule of law in the United States. I revere both. And one of the most tragic consequences of four years of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris is both the DOJ and the FBI have been politicized and weaponized. And I think Kash Patel is a very strong nominee to take on the partisan corruption in the FBI."   Guttmacher: Abortions up 10% between 2020 and 2023 The U.S. Center for Disease Control has issued a report  indicating that the number of abortions in the U.S. had decreased by 2% between 2021 and 2022, and a 1% decrease between 2020 and 2022.  However, earlier this year, another report from the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute concluded the number of abortions in 2023 of 1,027,000 was a 10% increase between 2020 and 2023.  Medication abortions, which include those issued by "virtual clinics" through the mail, were up 31% in just three years. Today, 63% of abortions in the U.S. are medication abortions, and 37% are surgical abortions.  Office mortgage delinquency hit 10.4% The delinquency rate of office mortgages has spiked to 10.4%, just about where the index was in 2010, during that last great recession. Vacancy rates are higher than ever, causing defaults on these commercial loans. Visual Capitalist tracks the survival rate of U.S. businesses over the last 10 years. 35% are still functioning, with farming businesses touting the highest survival rate of 51%. Mining and technology companies were the lowest at 25% and 29% respectively. Bible sales grew 22% And finally, the sale of printed Bibles is up this year. U.S print book sales increased only 1% from January through October this year compared to last year. Meanwhile, printed Bible sales grew by 22% over the same period! In 2023, 14.2 million Bibles were sold in the U.S. During the first 10 months of this year alone, 13.7 million were sold. It's not clear what all is behind the increase in Bible sales. One theory was offered by Amy Simpson with Tyndale House Publishers who noted a growing interest in the Bible among Gen Z and college students. She said, “You have a generation that wants to find things that feel more solid.” Psalm 119:160 says, “The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.” Close And that's The Worldview on this Wednesday, December 4th, in the year of our Lord 2024. Subscribe by Amazon Music or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

We're going back to September 2018 now. Alice Fraser and Nish Kumar joined Andy as Theresa May's Brexit nightmare continued. Fortunately there was also mollusc news to distract us. It's issue 4081 - Octopuses on drugs.Hear more of our shows, buy our book, and help keep us alive by supporting us here: thebuglepodcast.com/This episode was produced by Chris Skinner and Laura Turner Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After weeks of speculation, and many rounds of interviews, Sir Chris Wormald has been confirmed as the UK's new cabinet secretary. But who is Chris Wormald, why has Keir Starmer appointed him, and how can he succeed as the country's top civil servant? David Lidington, the former minister for the Cabinet Office and Theresa May's one-time de facto deputy prime minister, joins the IfG team to make sense of someone who is both the conventional pick and yet also the surprise choice for the job of the country's top civil servant. What does Wormald bring to the role? What is waiting in his in-tray? How exactly could he set about that big rewiring job? And what steps he can take to ensure the civil service can deliver Keir Starmer's priorities?   Presented by Emma Norris. With Cath Haddon and Alex Thomas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To discuss the increasingly fraught state of world affairs, Jack speaks to Sir David Liddington, who was deputy to Prime Minister Theresa May, and now chairs the defence and security think tank RUSI and the Labour MP and chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Emily Thornberry. As thousands of farmers attend a rally in Westminster to protest against last month's budget, Jack speaks to Labour MP, Jeevan Sandher, who sits on the Treasury Select Committee and the former Conservative MP and environment minister Rebecca Pow, who comes from a long line of farmers in Somerset. Children's rights campaigner and crossbench peer, Beeban Kidron discusses whether social media should be banned for under-16s. And to reflect on the life of John Prescott, who died this week, Jack speaks to two people who knew him well from his years in government, the associate editor of the Mirror, Kevin Maguire, and a former minister and chief whip in Tony Blair's government, Hilary Armstrong, who now sits in the House of Lords.

Host Jack Blanchard speaks to some of the most powerful Downing Street spin doctors of the past decade — and asks whether they're really as angry as the 'Malcolm Tucker' stereotype suggests. James Slack, the prime minister's official spokesman between 2017 and 2021, gives a rare insight into the brutal experience of chairing the Downing Street Lobby briefing — going head to head with dozens of hostile political journalists every day. Lee Cain recalls the "insane" experience trying to spin for a newspaper-obsessed Boris Johnson — during a global pandemic — and explains why the No. 10 director of communications job is too big for any one person. Another former No. 10 director of comms, Katie Perrior, recalls her own challenges trying to spin for a media-shy Theresa May, and explains why it's so important that communications is given top billing by any prime minister. And Craig Oliver, who held the No. 10 director of comms job longer than anyone else, recalls the triumphs and the failures of trying to set the media narrative for David Cameron's government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

And what can Keir Starmer learn from Theresa May's relationship with Trump? (keep hands firmly in pockets)Read: Andrew Marr's weekly column Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As hospital medics battle to save the first victims of the Salisbury poisonings, police hunt the perpetrators. And while they're searching, the spy war between Russia and the West heats up, with an eventful call between Prime Minister Theresa May and President Donald Trump.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, we're huddling with Toby Hadoke in a tent in a cave set somewhere on Mars, wondering what that massive gun is for and trying to decide which terrifying Imperial Majesty to give our fealty to. It's Empress of Mars. Notes and links Lucifer Box is the protagonist of three spy novels by Mark Gatiss set in the early twentieth century, The Vesuvius Club (2004), The Devil in Amber (2006) and Black Butterfly (2008). Empress of Mars first aired on 10 June 2017. Two days earlier, there was a general election, in which Theresa May's Conservative government was returned to power with a slightly reduced majority. May had become prime minister of the UK in July 2016 and had begun the process of leaving the EU by triggering Article 50 in March 2017. The UK formally left the EU on 31 January 2020, just two days before Praxeus aired. One of the clear inspirations for the premise here is H G Wells's novel The First Men in the Moon (1901), in which a penniless writer and his eccentric inventor neighbour travel to the moon and meet its indigenous inhabitants, who are unimpressed with what they hear about our social and political systems on earth. A film adaptation First Men in the Moon (1969) was co-written by Quatermass's Nigel Kneale and featured music by Laurie Johnson, who will be familiar to fans of The Three Handed Game. There was also a television adaptation in 2010, written by Mark Gatiss and starring both him and Rory Kinnear. Other inspirations include Edgar Rice Burroughs's John Carter novels, starting with A Princess of Mars in 1912, in which a Civil War veteran from Virginia is transported to Mars and becomes involved in various wars and areopolitical struggles. There are eleven books in the series, culminating in John Carter of Mars in 1964. And just one more possible inspiration: She (1887), by H Rider Haggard, about the search for a white sorceress who rules a tribe in a remote part of Africa. Katy Manning played an Ice Warrior queen for Big Finish, in a box set called The Second Doctor Adventures: Beyond the War Games, released in 2020. According to Toby, Anthony Calf, who plays Godsacre here, was also in The Visitation. He played Charles, the son of John Savident's Squire in the opening scenes of Part 1, and it was indeed his first television role. Follow us Nathan is on Bluesky at @nathanbottomley.bsky.social and Todd is at @toddbeilby.bsky.social; Richard is on X as @RichardLStone, and Toby is @TobyHadoke. The Flight Through Entirety theme was arranged by Cameron Lam. You can find out everything about Toby Hadoke at his website tobyhadoke.com, and you can catch up with his podcasts at Toby Hadoke's Time Travels. A publication date for the first volume of Toby's book series on Quatermass will be announced very soon. You can follow Flight Through Entirety on Mastodon and Bluesky, as well as on X and Facebook. Our website is at flightthroughentirety.com. Please consider rating or reviewing us on Apple Podcasts, or we'll invade your backyard, set up some tents, and start insistently ordering you to make us cups of tea. And more You can find links to all of the podcasts we're involved in on our podcasts page. But here's a summary of where we're up to right now. 500 Year Diary is our latest new Doctor Who podcast, going back through the history of the show and examining new themes and ideas. Its first season came out early this year, under the title New Beginnings. Check it out. It will be back for a second season early in 2025. The Second Great and Bountiful Human Empire has broadcast our hot takes on every new episode of Doctor Who since November last year, and it will be back again in 2025 for Season 2. Last weekend, a new episode of Maximum Power was released, in which Pete and Si interviewed two of the people involved in the creation of the new Blakes 7 Series 1 blu-ray box set — filmmakers Chris Chapman and Chris Thompson. We'll be back to cover Series D next month. And finally there's our Star Trek commentary podcast, Untitled Star Trek Project, featuring Nathan and friend-of-the-podcast Joe Ford. This week, we raised the occasional eyebrow as a shapeshifting red octopus ran amok on the Enterprise in an episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series called The Survivor.

Kingmaker: Secrets, Lies, and the Truth about Five Prime Ministers (Ithaka, 2024) by Sir Graham Brady provides an insider's look at the power struggles, leadership challenges, and inner workings of the UK's Conservative Party, especially during the upheaval of Brexit. Brady, as Chairman of the influential 1922 Committee, reveals how the party's leadership dynamics and strategic decisions have shaped British politics in recent years. One of the central themes is leadership and power. Brady examines Conservative leaders like David Cameron, Theresa May, and Boris Johnson, exploring their unique approaches to leadership and the challenges each faced, particularly around Brexit. The book highlights the role of the 1922 Committee, which often acts as a gatekeeper in leadership transitions and plays a critical role in maintaining—or challenging—party unity. Brexit is a major focus, illustrating how the referendum and subsequent negotiations divided the party and redefined its priorities. Brady provides an inside look at the differing strategies of May and Johnson, from May's struggles to secure a deal to Johnson's assertive push to “Get Brexit Done.” The book also explores party unity and division, revealing how internal conflicts, factionalism, and ideological rifts tested the party's cohesion, especially during Brexit. Brady explains how these tensions influenced not only party policies but also public perception. Additionally, Brady shares personal reflections from his time in a key leadership position, offering readers a behind-the-scenes view of critical decisions and events. He also discusses the impact of media and public opinion, emphasizing how they shape the strategies and images of political leaders. Overall, Kingmaker provides a comprehensive view of the Conservative Party's recent history, giving readers a unique perspective on political leadership, the challenges of Brexit, and the often-hidden forces influencing British politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Kingmaker: Secrets, Lies, and the Truth about Five Prime Ministers (Ithaka, 2024) by Sir Graham Brady provides an insider's look at the power struggles, leadership challenges, and inner workings of the UK's Conservative Party, especially during the upheaval of Brexit. Brady, as Chairman of the influential 1922 Committee, reveals how the party's leadership dynamics and strategic decisions have shaped British politics in recent years. One of the central themes is leadership and power. Brady examines Conservative leaders like David Cameron, Theresa May, and Boris Johnson, exploring their unique approaches to leadership and the challenges each faced, particularly around Brexit. The book highlights the role of the 1922 Committee, which often acts as a gatekeeper in leadership transitions and plays a critical role in maintaining—or challenging—party unity. Brexit is a major focus, illustrating how the referendum and subsequent negotiations divided the party and redefined its priorities. Brady provides an inside look at the differing strategies of May and Johnson, from May's struggles to secure a deal to Johnson's assertive push to “Get Brexit Done.” The book also explores party unity and division, revealing how internal conflicts, factionalism, and ideological rifts tested the party's cohesion, especially during Brexit. Brady explains how these tensions influenced not only party policies but also public perception. Additionally, Brady shares personal reflections from his time in a key leadership position, offering readers a behind-the-scenes view of critical decisions and events. He also discusses the impact of media and public opinion, emphasizing how they shape the strategies and images of political leaders. Overall, Kingmaker provides a comprehensive view of the Conservative Party's recent history, giving readers a unique perspective on political leadership, the challenges of Brexit, and the often-hidden forces influencing British politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

Kingmaker: Secrets, Lies, and the Truth about Five Prime Ministers (Ithaka, 2024) by Sir Graham Brady provides an insider's look at the power struggles, leadership challenges, and inner workings of the UK's Conservative Party, especially during the upheaval of Brexit. Brady, as Chairman of the influential 1922 Committee, reveals how the party's leadership dynamics and strategic decisions have shaped British politics in recent years. One of the central themes is leadership and power. Brady examines Conservative leaders like David Cameron, Theresa May, and Boris Johnson, exploring their unique approaches to leadership and the challenges each faced, particularly around Brexit. The book highlights the role of the 1922 Committee, which often acts as a gatekeeper in leadership transitions and plays a critical role in maintaining—or challenging—party unity. Brexit is a major focus, illustrating how the referendum and subsequent negotiations divided the party and redefined its priorities. Brady provides an inside look at the differing strategies of May and Johnson, from May's struggles to secure a deal to Johnson's assertive push to “Get Brexit Done.” The book also explores party unity and division, revealing how internal conflicts, factionalism, and ideological rifts tested the party's cohesion, especially during Brexit. Brady explains how these tensions influenced not only party policies but also public perception. Additionally, Brady shares personal reflections from his time in a key leadership position, offering readers a behind-the-scenes view of critical decisions and events. He also discusses the impact of media and public opinion, emphasizing how they shape the strategies and images of political leaders. Overall, Kingmaker provides a comprehensive view of the Conservative Party's recent history, giving readers a unique perspective on political leadership, the challenges of Brexit, and the often-hidden forces influencing British politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/european-studies

Back again from Spotify, Owen Blackhurst, Seb White, Tommy ‘Friend of the Stars' Stewart, and Matt O'Connor-Simpson discuss Hall Owen, Halloween, Mischief Night, Goose Night, Banter Night, Theresa May, Garrincha's Goat, E.T., Keith Laird, yellow cards, Matt the Referee, mental career decisions, speeding tickets, the relegation zone, knock-door run, Sebby on the Spot, skeletons, Scream masks, Francesco Totti, Borat, Raging Bull, Sacha Baron Cohen, Oscars for banter, 24, Prison Break, Alejandro Garnacho, Reece James, bad tattoos, Johnny Marr, The Smiths, Steve Wright, Kwik Save, Ian Wright, Burnley, Jimmy Anderson, Mattchin, Felix White, Greg James, Roy Keane, Stan Ternent, Tony Livesey, Tommy's Rolodex, Trevor McDonald, Nasser Hussain, Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen, Yeovil, England, Steph Houghton, The Woke League, cysts, surgeons, Bupa, Poopa, Park FC, Privet Eye, Tayler Wilson, Pass-A-Ball project, Alan Carr, Life's a Beach, Mark Lawrenson, Hull, Sam Davy, Peter O'Toole, SpongeBob ShitHead, segregation at non-league, Gosport Town, the Wealdstone Raider, the Hampton Fridge Raider, Vinnie Jones, FC United, Scott McTominay, McFred, McRib, Napoli, Blackbeard, Sir Alex Ferguson, Seb's sick day, Antonio Conte, Big Sexy, Star-Spangled Yanners, Peter Carey, Jack Maggs, Shell Island, Sud Light, Stephen Merchant, 4G, 5G, Germany, L/XL/XXL, Jacamo, Rik Waller, Mr Wu in Chinatown, on the day pull outs, three week bans, and so much more.Get the latest issue of MUNDIAL Mag hereFollow MUNDIAL on Twitter - @mundialmagFollow MUNDIAL on Instagram - @mundialmag Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nick Cohen chats to The Guardian's celebrated and much loved Guardian parliamentary sketch-writer John Crace about the pitiful state of UK politics over the last 14 years - dominated by the interminable shitshow of Brexit - a calamitous epoch that's seen John stick his pen into a line of Tory duds from Cameron to Sunak.It's been such a dog's breakfast that John has long come to the conclusion that even his dog Herbie could have done a much better job of running the country! So John @JohnJCrace has a new book out from Herbie's point of view - Taking the lead - a dog at Number 10 published by Constable. Herbie's political career starts with a chance encounter with Sadiq Khan's Labrador which lands our hound hero landed Herbie a job working as a special advisor to Ed Miliband in 2014. He then goes on to work with Cameron, the "Maybot" (aka Theresa May), Bunter Johnson and is then rewarded with a ringside seat for the Liz Truss clown car & Truss's blink-and-you'll miss it premiership.In a highly entertaining interview, John even posits the perhaps rather ungenerous theory that Liz Truss may well have been responsible for the demise of Queen Elizabeth II - having visited Her Majesty at Balmoral just two days before her death. That may be a tough rap even for Truss! Or did the Queen have a premonition of the Kwarteng-Truss mini budget and associated follies and simply come to the conclusion - at her age and stage - that it was as good a time as any to shuffle off the mortal coil? You decide!Nick Cohen's @NichCohen4 regular Substack column Writing from London on politics and culture from the UK and beyond is another must-read. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, One Decision's Julia Macfarlane and Sir Richard Dearlove, the former head of Britain's MI6, sit down with Sir Michael Fallon, the former United Kingdom Defence Minister. They discuss how today's global conflicts mirror those from ten years ago when Sir Fallon oversaw British defense during the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, as well as Russia's invasion and subsequent annexation of Crimea. Sir Michael, who served under Prime Minister Theresa May, told One Decision that it is not "morally right" for Russian tourists to travel across Europe and supports a travel ban so the middle class can feel the impact of Vladimir Putin's war. They also talk about the dangers of military underspending and the growing threat of social media disinformation.

For generations of women and girls, glossy magazines have been a guide to clothes, lifestyles, relationships and, of course, sex. Titles like Cosmopolitan, Woman's Own and Sugar were pored over by thousands of us and now there is a podcast that celebrates those beloved back issues. Every week the hosts of Mag Hags, Lucy Douglas and Franki Cookney, read a different issue of a magazine from the 70s, 80s or 90s. As well as revelling in the 20th Century fashions, features and lifestyle advice, Lucy and Franki join Nuala McGovern to uncover a fascinating insight into the way we lived then, and the way we live now.A public inquiry begins today which will explore the circumstances of the death of Dawn Sturgess, the woman from Wiltshire killed by a 2018 poisoning blamed on Russian agents. Her death came four months after Sergei and Yulia Skripal were found unconscious on a bench in Salisbury. At the time Prime Minister Theresa May said the Skripals were poisoned with the military grade nerve agent, Novichok and that it was "highly likely" that Russia was responsible - a claim Russia denies. Dawn Sturgess died after coming in to contact with the nerve agent which had been hidden inside a perfume bottle. Nuala is joined by BBC Wiltshire's Marie Lennon, one of the voices behind the new BBC Podcast, Salisbury Poisonings.Black Box Diaries is a feature-length documentary that follows the director Shiori Itō's investigation into her own alleged sexual assault in an attempt to prosecute her high-profile offender. Opening up questions around the #MeToo movement in Japan, Shiori explains how her quest became a landmark case exposing the country's outdated judicial and societal systems.Death is a subject many people still shy away from, but one woman is determined to change that. Funeral director Inez Capps is on a mission to challenge the taboos around death and demystify an industry often shrouded in mystery. Since the age of 19, she's been working with the deceased, and she's using social media to give people a glimpse behind the scenes — from the care a loved one receives, to tours of the hearse and the embalming suite. Inez runs a funeral business with her parents in the East Midlands.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Kirsty Starkey

Host Jack Blanchard goes for a long lunch with Sir Graham Brady, the former chairman of the 1922 committee of backbench Conservative MPs — and the man who helped bring down multiple Tory prime ministers. Over a meal of rare roast beef and Argentine malbec, Sir Graham picks through his 14 years at the helm of the 1922 committee, and his run-ins with the five different prime ministers who occupied Downing Street through his period in office. Sir Graham recalls the topics which really made David Cameron angry; Theresa May's rage at being betrayed by her own MPs; Boris Johnson's time-wasting tricks and Liz Truss' final words to him before she stepped out of No. 10 Downing Street to resign. And he reflects on an archaic Westminster system by which Tory prime ministers' power ultimately relies upon the size of a pile of secret letters locked in a safe in the parliamentary office of one backbench MP. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This year's Conservative Party conference will be a beauty pageant for would-be leaders, with each one setting out their stall as to why they're the right person to head up the party. So this week Westminster Insider host Sascha O'Sullivan dives into what it's really like to be a contender in a Tory leadership campaign — and how candidates can appeal to both MPs and party members alike.  Andrea Leadsom, who made it through to the final two leadership candidates in 2016 before dramatically dropping out at the 11th hour, recalls the intense pressure on her at the time — and tells Sascha why she really decided to pull out of the race and concede to Theresa May.   Sascha also speaks to the Tories' former deputy leader, Peter Lilley, about his own failed run for the leadership back in 1997, and to former party leader Michael Howard about why Tory members were given more of a say at that time over who should be in charge. Tory peer Daniel Finkelstein, a former adviser to William Hague, explains how this new role for the membership led to the election of unpopular leaders like Iain Duncan Smith and Liz Truss.  And former campaign chiefs Tim Loughton, who ran Leadsom's campaign, and James Starkie, who ran Priti Patel's recent leadership bid, give a behind-the-scenes view of how candidates battle to win Tory MPs over to their side.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some notable pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2022: Five years after the fire that killed 72, the inquiry is nearing a close. Over 300 days of evidence, what have we learned about the failings that led to disaster? By Robert Booth. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

As the 335 new MPs elected at the last election continue to deliver their first speeches to Parliament, Ed Vaizey asks what is the secret to standing out from the crowd. He takes a look at some of the best (and worst) from the past, including Boris Johnson, Theresa May.... and Ed Vaizey. Plus: Columnists India Knight and James Marriott discuss whether shutting libraries is cultural vandalism, if life's greatest moments can be purchased, and we find out how James is getting on without a smartphone six months on. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit andrewsullivan.substack.comThe best political reporter in Britain returns to the Dishcast to discuss the election on July 4. Tim has been a chief political commentator at The Sunday Times since 2014, after serving eight years as political editor. His first two books, All Out War and Fall Out, are indispensable to understanding the politics of Brexit, and his new book is No Way Out: Brexit: From the Backstop to Boris.For two clips of our convo — on the fall of Rishi Sunak, and Nigel Farage entering the “clusterfuck,” as Tim puts it — pop over to our YouTube page. Other topics: 14 years of Tory power; George Osborne's austerity; Boris the cosmopolitan liberal Tory; how he screwed up Brexit; his common touch overshadowed by breaking his own Covid rules; deep spending during the pandemic; his bromance with Zelensky; vowing to cut migration but legislating mass, unskilled migration; Theresa May unable to right the ship; the Liz Truss disaster; her naive libertarianism and supply-side shock therapy; Rishi Sunak sweeping in from a smoke-filled room; coming in as a technocratic problem-solver but lacking the political skill; surrounded by Yes Men and “surprisingly brittle”; his rolling series of campaign blunders this month — starting with his election announcement in the pouring rain; the D-Day disaster; Nigel Farage entering the “clusterfuck” and splitting the Tory base; losing all his previous seven races for Parliament; how Reform will get one, maybe two seats; how Farage is close with Trump and “more jovial”; how Farage had to backtrack on Putin ; why Keir Starmer is not proposing radical change (like Thatcher did); how he's touting “stability” and “competence”; his policy is thin; my reflections on befriending and debating Keir during our school days; how he was a class-war leftist in his youth, with swagger; the depth of his ambition (even more than Rishi); how he outmaneuvered Jeremy Corbyn and distanced the party from anti-Semitism; the Cass Review; China policy; Blairism; how old party allegiances are mostly gone; and how July 4 could see the worst election loss since 1906.Browse the Dishcast archive for an episode you might enjoy (the first 102 are free in their entirety — subscribe to get everything else). Coming up: Erick Erickson on the left's spiritual crisis, Anne Applebaum on autocrats, Lionel Shriver on her new novel, Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy on animal cruelty, Van Jones, and Stephen Fry! Send any guest recs, dissents, and other comments to dish@andrewsullivan.com.

This week we talk about the Tories, Labour, and the UK Parliament.We also discuss the House of Commons, the House of Lords, and Rishi Sunak's gamble.Recommended Book: Like, Literally, Dude by Valerie FridlandTranscriptThe government of the United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy led by a Prime Minister and their cabinet, the Prime Minister attaining their position through the primacy of their party in the country's key legislation-passing body, its Parliament.So the Prime Minister runs day-to-day operations in the country, they are technically appointed by the monarch, who is currently Charles III, as of 2022, though that appointment is generally determined by other factors, like who has the most support within Parliament—the most seats held by their party, and in many cases seats held by allies and allies of convenience, as well; when this happens, the resulting government is called a coalition government, because while the Prime Minister is from one party, usually the one with the most seated MPs, Members of Parliament, they're only able to govern because they have one or more other parties working with them as part of a coalition.Now, the UK government has two houses in its Parliament, the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and the names of these houses tell you a lot about them: the House of Lords consists of folks who have been granted Lordships by government higher-ups, alongside those who have inherited Lordships from their parents, but it also includes experts in various fields who have been granted that status by the Prime Minister—economists, for instance.The House of Commons, in contrast, is voted upon by the people, so when there are Parliamentary elections in the UK, that's what we're talking about, votes for MPs who represent a region, a parliamentary constituency—of which there are 650 across the UK's constituent countries, England, Scotland, Wales, and North Ireland.Within the UK, political parties have to be officially registered to participate in governance and votes, though folks who want to run solo can register as independent or label-less candidates for voting purposes.As of late-May 2024, there were 393 officially registered political parties in the UK, though only 13 of them currently have representatives in the House of Commons, and only four of those have more than 10 seated representatives—the Conservative and Unionist Party, often called the Tories or Conservatives, the Labour Party, which is the main center-left party in the UK, the Scottish National Party, which is also generally center-left, but tends to be focused on Scottish politics and priorities, and the Liberal Democrats, who are generally seen as a sort of blend of the Tories and Labour.General elections, during which MPs are voted upon, are held every five years or so, but elections can also be held sooner if the current Prime Minister asks the monarch to dissolve parliament, which in practice means the Prime Minister is calling for a general election, generally scheduled for a specific date in the future, usually because the House of Commons has lost faith in the current government, which makes passing law and overall getting things done difficult; they don't have enough votes to pass anything, basically, though in some cases it's because of more general political circumstances that indicate calling for an election, now, might be better than holding an election sometime later in the future.That latter case seems to be the impetus for what I'd like to talk about today, which is the recently called and now upcoming UK general election, and the state of political play in this, one of the world's wealthiest and most influential countries.—On May 22, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that he was calling for a snap election on July 4 of this year, just a half-dozen weeks in the future, surprising many analysts who expected he would wait as long as possible before committing to a date.That expectation was predicated on the reality of how Sunak's party, the Tories, have been doing in the polls in recent years; pretty abysmally.Labour has been crushing the Conservatives in these polls, of late; the Tories have been in power since 2010, which means purely by virtue of having been governing that long, a lot of people will tend to blame them for a lot of things, their party having been in charge all that time, but they also catalyzed and oversaw the secession of the UK from the European Union, which is a move that was initially pushed by many on the further right wing of the party, but the populist nature of the movement eventually claimed the majority of Tory politicians who changed their vote to support it, rewiring politics in the UK, similar to how former President Trump rewired the Republican Party in the US—a lot of power changing hands, a lot of previously top people being elbowed aside or pushed into retirement, a lot of new policies ascending to the front-burner, while previous priorities were relegated to the back-burner.Not quite a decade after the referendum that led to the passage of Brexit, back in mid-2016, polls from from this month, May of 2024, show that 55% of British people think leaving the EU was the wrong choice, while only 31% think it was a smart move.So while some of the tarnishing of the Tory party's reputation is likely the result of simply having been in power for a long time, and during some really unusual global happenings, like COVID and the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, some of it is directly attributable to specific things they've done which turned out not to be very popular, once implemented.Many of the non-Brexit complaints the majority of British citizens have about how the Tories have governed are related to their austerity policies—the idea that they need to shrink the government and its spending as much as possible, because that will, according to their theories, at least, make the country wealthier, more efficient, and more secure.This has led to dramatic cutbacks on incredibly popular programs and agencies focused on or related to health, housing, and education, alongside the bankrupting of civil services, the privatization of previously public assets like highways and waste systems, and the concomitant spending—while claiming there's not enough money for healthcare and public services—on pet projects for Conservative lawmakers and their constituents, many of which ended up being money pits.All parties in all countries are of course periodically staggered by scandals, spending-related and otherwise, but over their long period in control, the Tories have racked up a huge number and a large variety of scandals, and some of them led to very public embarrassments for the party, including the Tories' seeming inability to keep a Prime Minister in office following the Brexit referendum, then-PM David Cameron making way for Theresa May, who handed things over to Boris Johnson, who was ousted and replaced by Liz Truss, who was Prime Minister for a record-setting 49 days before resigning and being replaced by current PM Rishi Sunak.That's five prime ministers in the six years between 2016 and 2022, all of them from the same party, that party seemingly unable to govern with enough popularity to maintain the confidence of parliament.So the situation right now, following all that, is that Labour has a 17-point lead over the Conservatives and is, and has been for a while, broadly expected to wipe the floor with the Tories in the next election; and a few minor elections leading up to this point seem to support that assumption.This is why Sunak was expected to delay scheduling the next election as long as possible, because as soon as that election is held, his party is expected to be pushed out of power, and that expectation is leading to an exodus amongst Tory lawmakers, 121 of them stepping down instead of running for reelection as of late-May, surpassing a similar wave of quitting in 1997, when 117 of them declined to run again, leading up to a landslide victory for the Labour Party and their popular leader, Tony Blair.This isn't an unusual phenomenon: being part of the government is very different from being part of the opposition party, and back in 2010, after Labour had been in control for 13 years, and was expecting to lose in the next election, 149 politicians decided to step down rather than running again—100 of them Labour MPs, and 35 of them Conservatives; that later group ostensibly because while the Tories won, they didn't take a majority, and had to form a coalition with the Liberal Democrats, which is also a very different situation from being in a government that has complete control, rather than shared control; some MPs just don't want to deal with that kind of negotiated leadership.Sunak's reasoning here, then, might be that while things are bad for his party now, they could get even worse if he waits to hold an election; so it's better to act at a moment in which some economic numbers are actually starting to look a little bit better, after a long period of the opposite, and at a moment in which announcing an election would catch his Labour opposition off-guard, possibly providing his party the benefit of surprise and better preparation.This announcement has led to a scramble, though, for all UK parties, seemingly, to try to get some actual governing done—work they thought they'd have several more weeks to finish up, at least, before going into full campaign-mode, suddenly needing to be accomplished yesterday.That's meant a lot of important legislation has been dropped or permanently back-burnered, including some of the policies, like a smoking ban, an end-to no-fault evictions, and a plan that would allow the government to ship asylum-seekers to Rwanda, which Sunak had wanted to serve as fundamental elements of his prime ministerial legacy—those have now been completely dropped.This has led to a situation in which the Tories seem to be scrambling to put new ideas out into the ether—future-facing stuff to replace all the things they had to drop or backtrack on—hoping that something they propose in this way appeals broadly enough to earn them the votes they require to hold their own in the upcoming election; to maybe still lose, but not as much, and in such a way that they're in a good spot when the next election is called.One such idea is mandatory national service for 18-year-olds, which would require that folks either serve in the military or volunteer for one weekend a month, beginning on their 18th year—a policy that's reportedly meant to compete with a proposal from Labour leader Keir Starmer, that 16- and 17-year-olds should be able to vote.The degree to which any of these new plans will catch the public imagination is up in the air, though,  as again, a lot of what's happening now, in terms of campaigning, is somewhat half-baked, all involved parties scrambling to prepare for what seems to have been a somewhat last-minute decision on Sunak's part to upend expectations about the timing of the next election in order to attain some kind of advantage for his party, which seems to be entering this round with a losing hand.And all of this is important, of course, if you live in the UK, but it's also important globally, even standing out amongst the many other important elections that are occurring around the world this year, because the UK, even battered and bruised in the aftermath of Brexit and a COVID crisis that it weathered somewhat less-well than its world-leading peers, is still an incredibly powerful, influential, and wealthy entity of global significance.It has the sixth largest economy in the world, after only the US, China, Japan, Germany, and India.It's incredibly powerful geopolitically, out of proportion with its population and military strength, in part because of the role it plays within the Commonwealth, a group of 53 nations that the UK previously ruled, and in part because it has long-lived, tight alliances and relationships with governments and other entities that it's been maintaining for centuries, in some cases.The UK is a nuclear power, and is the seventh largest exporter of arms in the world—though it's especially vital to the global aircraft market, military and non-military.The UK is home to the second-largest financial center in the world, London, and it's culturally very powerful, exporting all sorts of norms and pop culture and creative products; a sort of soft-power that plays a huge role in beliefs, behaviors, and understandings, worldwide.Whomever wins this election, then, and how they win, and to what degree they control Parliament, will have a major impact not just on the UK, but on the world, and at a moment in which there are several major military conflicts ongoing, in which new technologies are simultaneously threatening and enlivening entire industries and economies, and in which the global order that has set the tone and guardrails for the world since WWII is being challenged—all variables the UK may influence in substantial ways, and over which the folks running the UK government will thus have outsized sway.Show Noteshttps://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/may/23/rishi-sunak-rwanda-smoking-policies-election-conservativeshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_prime_ministers_of_the_United_Kingdomhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Records_of_prime_ministers_of_the_United_Kingdomhttps://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c844x1xp05xohttps://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zqhvmnb/revision/6https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/more-uk-conservative-lawmakers-set-quit-than-before-1997-election-defeat-2024-05-24/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-05-22/labour-finally-has-uk-election-it-craves-but-traps-lie-in-waithttps://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2024-05-23/uk-election-sunak-has-the-weight-of-history-against-himhttps://wsj.com/world/uk/british-leader-sunak-calls-snap-election-as-his-party-trails-in-polls-e234bdc0https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/may/25/how-rishi-sunaks-early-election-backfired-on-pmhttps://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/general-election-labour-starmer-sunak-tory-gove-b2551518.htmlhttps://www.reuters.com/world/uk/lagging-polls-uk-conservatives-pitch-national-service-18-2024-05-26/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c288xxvrdz7ohttps://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2jjvpxxgr5ohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalition_governmenthttps://www.gov.uk/government/how-government-workshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_the_United_Kingdomhttps://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/Search/Registrations?currentPage=1&rows=10&sort=RegulatedEntityName&order=asc&et=pp&et=ppm®ister=gb®ister=ni®ister=none®Status=registeredhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_the_United_Kingdom This is a public episode. 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Super Tuesday, the end of Theresa May, Quantum Computers and bees all in the news this week. It's a long way from a family show, with Neil Delamere and Nato Green in Birmingham and Alice Fraser and Josh Gondelman in Cambridge.Send thoughts and questions for Andy at hellobuglers@thebuglepodcast.com. Click follow to make sure you get every episode and please drop us a nice review or rating wherever you choose.PLUS: Become the owner of an exclusive episode of The Bugle, on 12 inch vinyl! Become a premium member NOW! https://www.thebuglepodcast.com/donateThis episode was presented and written by:Andy ZaltzmanAlice FraserJosh GondelmanNeil DelamereNato GreenAnd produced by Laura Turner and Chris Skinner Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.