Politics from the New Statesman

The Mandelson affair has become less about Peter Mandelson’s alleged wrongdoing, and all about Keir Starmer’s ability to run the country.This week Olly Robbins, former chief civil servant at the Foreign Office, insisted the Prime Minister pressured him into clearing Peter Mandelson for the US ambassador post.Yesterday, Starmer was forced to admit his former spin doctor Matthew Doyle, who was suspended from the Labour Party over campaigning for a convicted child sex offender, was also considered for a diplomatic role. Labour MPs and even cabinet ministers no longer seem able to defend the Prime Minister.But the frontrunners to replace Starmer are also, according to reporting by our editor Tom McTague, biding their time.How long can they wait? How long can the country wait?Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Tom McTague in the studio.READ: Keir Starmer is all alonehttps://www.newstatesman.com/politics/labour/2026/04/keir-starmer-is-all-alone

Does Keir Starmer deserve more credit for keeping us out of a third Gulf war? Is Farage's relationship with Trump hurting Reform's polling? And who are the bright young things in British politics?Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Tom McTague and Ailbhe Rea to answer your questions.

Criticism of Labour's response to the global threat, Trump's AI Jesus and parliament's "summer of sex".Will Dunn and Anoosh Chakelian round up this week's stories.Any suggestions for next week's categories, please comment below.📚 READ: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/the-sketch/2026/04/at-a-defence-conference-tech-execs-haggle-over-reducing-the-cost-to-kill

For years, we have wrung our hands about the manosphere: the misogynist influencers like Andrew Tate exploiting a generation of disillusioned and impressionable lost boys.But what about radicalised young women?New, exclusive polling for the New Statesman has uncovered a huge difference in the political, economic and social outlook of women and men under 30 in Britain, created largely by women turning to the left. Should we be worried about the “femmosphere”?Joining me to discuss is Scarlett Maguire, founder and director of polling and research company Merlin Strategy, and our online editor Emily Lawford, whose brilliant report about this phenomenon will be out in this week’s issue of the New Statesman.Meet the Angry Young Womenhttps://www.newstatesman.com/cover-story/2026/04/meet-the-angry-young-women-why-young-women-dont-want-to-date-me Revealed: the new radicalism among young women https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/polling/2026/04/revealed-the-new-radicalism-among-young-women

Trump’s "demented" Easter announcement, Britain’s squeezed middle and getting “the ick” for Zack Polanski…Anoosh Chakelian and Will Dunn round up the stories of the week.READ: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/the-sketch/2026/04/the-trumps-wish-the-world-a-very-demented-easter https://www.newstatesman.com/international-politics/economy-international-politics/2026/04/britains-vanishing-middle-class

AI is embedded in the machinery of the British state: drafting legislation, shaping spending decisions, informing interest rate policy and writing speeches delivered in parliament.Has Britain handed over political power without ever really deciding to, and without fully understanding to whom?Tom McTague is joined by Will Dunn to discuss.READ Will's piece: https://www.newstatesman.com/technology/2026/04/the-silent-coup

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The pollution of Britain’s waterways is well known, but the full extent of the carelessness and vandalism of Britain’s biggest water company, Thames Water, is a catalogue of wrongdoing on an industrial scale.Will Dunn speaks to the MP with the dubious honour of representing the constituency that is worst affected by sewage spills - Liberal Democrat MP, Charlie Maynard.

As the war in Iran enters its second month, President Trump has delivered a prime time address promising, simultaneously, that the conflict will be over “very shortly” and that the United States is preparing to hit Iran “extremely hard”.Thousands more US troops have arrived in the region in recent days, including a marine expeditionary unit as the president is reportedly weighing options for a potential ground assault, such as an attempt to seize the Iranian oil export hub on Kharg Island, which Trump has said the US could take “very easily.”But what options does the President actually have and what would be involved in an attempt to forcibly re-open the strait of Hormuz? Katie Stallard is joined by Ruben Stewart, senior fellow for land warfare at the IISS think tank and a former infantry officer and UN peacekeeper.