Share
Daily Politics from the New Statesman
As crisis looms, where are Britain’s leaders?
Against the backdrop of a predicted massive increase in energy bills and the coming recession, the Tory leadership contest grinds grimly on. There is a palpable feeling that the country is adrift, with Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss focused on personal attacks and appealing to the Tory party membership.
Rachel Cunliffe, Freddie Hayward and Ben Walker discuss the damage the campaigns are doing to the Conservative brand as the “blue-on-blue” bickering dominates the contest. They also talk about Keir Starmer’s notable absence from the limelight, and whether Truss’s campaign is gaining momentum after a video leaked to the New Statesman showed Rishi Sunak boasting to members of taking money from “deprived urban areas” to help wealthy towns.
Then, in You Ask Us, a listener asks whether the winner of the leadership contest, whether Sunak or Truss, will pivot and come out with some meaningful policies on the cost of living – or are they just running scared and hoping for a miracle?
If you have a question for You Ask Us, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk
Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.
SAVE £££ THIS CHRISTMAS:
⭐️ Gift big ideas, bold politics, and proper journalism from just £2
LISTEN AD-FREE:
📱Download the New Statesman app
MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:
❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday
⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning
✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday
More episodes
View all episodes
Starmer's top two aides quit
23:11|Less than 24 hours after Starmer's chief of staff Morgan McSweeney resigned, Tim Allan, director of communications, has quit. Is this a rutheless clearout by the PM, or signs of an entire system collapse? Ailbhe Rea joins Anoosh Chakelian.
Elon Musk asked to attend Epstein's "wildest party"
37:45|Elon Musk’s Epstein lies, Draco Malfoy as a Chinese mascot and two Reform MPs “accidentally” voting to scrap the two child benefit cap.Anoosh Chakelian and Will Dunn explore their stories of the week.Including the woman who just can’t stop stealing chocolate…
What did Starmer already know about Mandelson and Epstein?
38:03|The Labour government is fighting for its life as the Peter Mandelson scandal continues to unfold. Yesterday, Keir Starmer apologised for believing Mandelson's "lies" and appointing him as US ambassador when his friendship with the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein was public knowledge.Now, senior government figures are preparing to hand over private messages between Mandelson and Starmer’s top team. Editor Tom McTague is joined by Jim Pickard, deputy political editor at the Financial Times, whose reporting cracked open this shocking story.
Labour MPs are turning on Starmer over Mandelson
18:30|Keir Starmer has been grilled in the Commons on his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as US ambassador, despite knowing his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein continued after the financier’s conviction in 2008.Starmer pledged to release the vetting documents relating to Mandelson’s appointment, but argued that some details would need to be redacted on national security grounds.This angered backbench MPs who, along with former deputy leader Angela Rayner, forced the PM into another humiliating climb down. Will anger in the party force Keir Starmer out?Anoosh Chakelian is joined by political correspondent Megan Kenyon.
Will Mandelson be Starmer's downfall?
25:21|Keir Starmer knew about Peter Mandelson's friendship with the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein – but still appointed him US ambassador.After a bruising Prime Minister's Questions for Keir Starmer, Ailbhe Rea joins Anoosh Chakelian to discuss whether the Mandelson affair could be the downfall of the Prime Minister – or his closest aide, Morgan McSweeney, who championed Mandelson.Ailbhe shares her exclusive reporting on the process which led to Mandelson's appointment, and the impact this scandal will have on the Labour Party and the Prime Minister.READThe Mandelson Affair: inside the scandal of a century
Mandelson’s leaks to Epstein “a disgrace”
35:47|On Friday, the US Justice Department released millions of pages of the Epstein files.Dan Neidle, journalist and tax lawyer, used his investigative skills to uncover some of the most controversial details. In particular, damning emails suggesting ex-Labour business secretary Peter Mandelson shared highly sensitive UK government tax plans with Jeffrey Epstein. Dan joins Oli Dugmore to discuss.
Revealed: Jeffrey Epstein's direct line to Downing St
26:29|Peter Mandelson has resigned from the Labour Party following further revelations about his friendship with the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.The access Epstein had to the British government marks a serious breach and existential questions for the Labour Party.Oli Dugmore is joined by Rachel Cunliffe.
Did China hack the British government?
27:03|If Chinese hackers accessed the government's private messages, maybe they could share the missing 5,000 text messages the Covid inquiry was looking for.Will Dunn and Anoosh Chakelian discuss their stories of the week, including: Border breach of the week: China accused of hacking Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss aides.Lee Anderson can't find the right constituency to campaign in.Do the Fabians secretly run the world? (spoiler: no.)Planning objection of the week: Greens and Reform unite in an unlikely alliance to block new homes.
Student loans: Should graduates sue the government?
27:38|Britain faces a looming student loan crisis. What can graduates do?Last week's episode on student loans prompted a flurry of questions. How did it get this bad? Should students sue over mis-sold loans?Rachel Cunliffe and Anoosh Chakelian answer your questions.Also in this episode:Labour's internal factions explainedWhat does Nigel Farage really believe?Local government changes: what's really going onMentioned in this episode: Meet the Blue Labour bros, by Morgan Jones