The Two Matts

A special episode of the podcast today with real depth of thinking on where Keir Starmer has gone wrong… and why right now is NOT the right time to replace him. Tom Baldwin is the journalist who knows Starmer best. He’s studied him at close range for years. He’s still very much got the inside track on how he’s thinking. In a totally candid conversation, Tom talks to Matt Kelly about the core of Starmer’s problems as PM, what has gone wrong in Downing Street and what the next two years of government look like. It’s frank, honest and insightful. And, we hope, it’s scrupulously fair to this embattled PM. Enjoy!Produced by Matt WithersOFFER: Get The New World for just £1 for the first month. Head to https://www.thenewworld.co.uk/2matts/

Hot from the two-and-a-half hours of select committee evidence, the Matts digest the evidence of Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and his role in the Peter Mandelson affair. It was engrossing testimony - giving a rare insight into how this Labour government operates (and which probably explains why they are in a state of permacrisis). In part two the Matts play out a few scenarios on the assumption that Labour lose big in the local elections next week… and there are reasons to be hopeful. Enjoy!Produced by Matt WithersOFFER: Get The New World for just £1 for the first month. Head to https://www.thenewworld.co.uk/2matts/

The Matts answer listeners' questions including when Starmer should go; why we don’t vet our politicians; how to fund the NHS; why the news is relentlessly grim; whether banning social media for children is a good thing; and are The Matts looking forward to having robots provide unmentionable services to them in their dotage? Enjoy!Produced by Matt WithersOFFER: Get The New World for just £1 for the first month. Head to https://www.thenewworld.co.uk/2matts/

Indecision’s bugging the Two Matts… should Keir Starmer stay or should he go? If he stays there will be trouble. But if he goes it will be double. What is the right timing for a deeply disappointing premiership to end? It’s a clash of considerations - what’s right for the country, what would a successor look like, how do we get out of the cycle of endlessly dumping PMs? No easy answers but a difficult and nuanced debate about the mess we’re in. Also: why are the King and Queen not meeting the Jeffrey Epstein survivors in the States? The Matts have strong views. Enjoy!Produced by Matt WithersOFFER: Get The New World for just £1 for the first month. Head to https://www.thenewworld.co.uk/2matts/

Journalist and author John Kampfner joins the Matts to discuss his stunning new book Braver New World - a global travelogue of bold solutions to some of the world’s thorniest problems. Over three years of globetrotting to see for himself what can be done has given John a sense of belief in the future… but with some important caveats. So if you’re feeling pessimistic about the future, tune in and get a dose of realistic optimism that things can get better… but only with the right spirit and culture of political risk. Enjoy! And PS… new subscribers to The New World get a signed hardback copy of Braver New World while stocks last. Go to www.thenewworld.co.uk/2Matts now!Produced by Matt Withers

The Matts tackle listeners' questions, including how positive should we be about the fall of Orbán, why is Corbyn polling zero percent, is the collapse of the Wireless Festival a good thing, would they welcome Nicole Kidman at their deathbed… and what opinions do they hold which would alienate the most Two Matts listeners?Produced by Matt WithersOFFER: Get The New World for just £1 for the first month. Head to https://www.thenewworld.co.uk/2matts/

The Matts assess Péter Magyar’s spectacular ousting of Viktor Orbán in Hungary and what it means for the fight against right-wing populism worldwide. It’s an encouraging moment but no time for complacency. In part two, they catch up with events in Iran and the deepening humiliation being visited upon Donald Trump as his strategy-free war continues. Enjoy!Produced by Matt WithersOFFER: Get The New World for just £1 for the first month. Head to https://www.thenewworld.co.uk/2matts/

The Matts fall out spectacularly and unexpectedly over NASA’s moon shot, Artemis 2. How is this even possible, you ask? They’re not even sure… but the topic quickly descends into a brutal space war of words. In part two, common ground is regained as they analyse the latest Trump position on Iran and ask whether this war is going to push the UK back into the arms of the EU faster than anyone could have hoped.Produced by Matt WithersOFFER: Get The New World for just £1 for the first month. Head to https://www.thenewworld.co.uk/2matts/