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Show 350. James Frith
James Frith
JUST ANNOUNCED:
Come and see The Political Party LIVE at the Edinburgh Festival with the following guests:
13 August: Anas Sarwar
18 August: Jacob Rees-Mogg
19 August: Sarah Brown
Tickets: https://www.mattforde.com/live-shows
James won the Bury North seat for Labour in 2017. He lost it in 2019 by just 105 votes.
A few weeks ago James won the seat for a second time with a majority of nearly 7000.
So what is going on in Bury and how much of a role, if any, did Reform play in the result?
Why hasn't Bury seen rioting by the hard right when other places have?
And more importantly, will James ever go to Glastonbury again?
SEE Matt on tour at the Edinburgh Festival and nationwide
2024
31 July - 25 August: Edinburgh, The Pleasance
2 October: Norwich Playhouse
3 October: Maidenhead, Norden Farm
9 October: Middlesbrough, The Crypt
10 October: London, Leicester Square Theatre
24 October: Hull, Truck Theatre
6 November: Exeter, Phoenix
8 November: Tunbridge Wells, Trinity Theatre
14 November: Basingstoke, The Haymarket
15 November: Colchester Arts Centre
20 November: York, The Crescent
21 November: Chorley, Little Theatre
22 November: Salford, The Lowry
27 November: Chipping Norton Theatre
28 November: Leicester, Y Theatre
29 November: Eastleigh, The Berry
31 November: Faversham, The Alexander Centre
2025
4 February: Leeds, City Varieties
5 February: Sheffield, The Leadmill
6 February: Chelmsford Theatre
7 February: Bedford, The Quarry Theatre
12 February: Bath, Komedia
13 February: Southend, Palace Theatre
16 February: Cambridge, The Junction
20 February: Nottingham, Lakeside Arts
23 February: Brighton, Komedoa
25 February: Cardiff, Glee Club
26 February: Bury St Edmunds, Theatre Royal
2 March: Bristol, Tobacco Factory
11 March: Aberdeen, Lemon Tree
12 March: Glasgow, Glee Club
More episodes
View all episodes
Show 398. Ben Judah
01:01:28|This is a top level briefing from one of the best minds in foreign policy. Ben was Special Adviser to David Lammy when he was Foreign Secretary. He's been in the room for some of the most important meetings of the last few years, including face-to-face meetings with JD Vance. In this gripping episode he answers some of the biggest questions about global instability. What should the UK do to mitigate the shift in American policy? How terrifying is the future? What do these changes mean for politics in the UK? How can the British state be changed to work better? How radical do we need to be when it comes to racial and religious integration at home? Big questions with big answers from one of the most compelling voices in modern politics. THE POLITICAL PARTY LIVE 20 April: Shabana Mahmood 11 May: Lewis Goodallhttps://nimaxtheatres.com/shows/the-political-party-with-matt-forde/SIGN UP to Matt's mailing list to get free audience tickets to his Radio 4 series:https://www.mattforde.com/mailing-list SEE Matt's brand new stand-up tour 'Defying Calamity' across the UK:https://www.mattforde.com/live-showsShow 397. Claire Coutinho
49:54|Claire is the Shadow Secretary of State for Energy, Climate Change and Net Zero, having been Secretary of State in the last Conservative government... and she's changed her position on Net Zero. In this candid and entertaining interview, she tells us why she's changed her mind and her frustrations with the system. Claire also talks about having to confront her own mortality after the traumatic birth of her son and what it's done for her outlook on life. Plus, freedom of speech, class, race and everything else going on in politics at the moment. It's a classic. THE POLITICAL PARTY LIVE 20 April: Shabana Mahmood 11 May: Lewis Goodallhttps://nimaxtheatres.com/shows/the-political-party-with-matt-forde/SIGN UP to Matt's mailing list to get free audience tickets to his Radio 4 series:https://www.mattforde.com/mailing-list SEE Matt's brand new stand-up tour 'Defying Calamity' across the UK:https://www.mattforde.com/live-showsShow 396. Lisa Nandy LIVE
01:36:58|How does Labour defeat Reform and the Greens? What would count as success in the local, Holyrood and Cardiff elections for Labour? PLUS, The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport talks CultureMedia and... Peroni, AI and Britney Spears. It's a classic. THE POLITICAL PARTY LIVE 20 April: Shabana Mahmood 11 May: Lewis Goodallhttps://nimaxtheatres.com/shows/the-political-party-with-matt-forde/SIGN UP to Matt's mailing list to get free audience tickets to his Radio 4 series:https://www.mattforde.com/mailing-list SEE Matt's brand new stand-up tour 'Defying Calamity' across the UK:https://www.mattforde.com/live-showsShow 395. Chris Curtis
52:36|Chris is 32 and was elected in 2024. Despite that, he's already made a name for himself as the co-chair of the Labour Growth Group. But who are they and what would they do differently? A former pollster, what's his take on Labour's position and can it be saved? More importantly, what is the most nutritious item on the Wetherspoons menu? THE POLITICAL PARTY LIVE30 March: Lisa Nandy 20 April: Shabana Mahmood 11 May: Lewis Goodallhttps://nimaxtheatres.com/shows/the-political-party-with-matt-forde/SIGN UP to Matt's mailing list to get free audience tickets to his Radio 4 series:https://www.mattforde.com/mailing-list SEE Matt's brand new stand-up tour 'Defying Calamity' across the UK:https://www.mattforde.com/live-showsShow 394. Karl Turner
01:02:08|Strap in for an energetic hour of raw analysis from Labour's Karl Turner. He's been going viral lately and you're about to discover why. Karl is forthright but fair in assessing Labour's issues and what the PLP actually want from the leadership. His perspective my surprise you. He's also had his fair share of health issues in the last few years and is open and honest about it all. THE POLITICAL PARTY LIVE30 March: Lisa Nandy 20 April: Shabana Mahmoodhttps://nimaxtheatres.com/shows/the-political-party-with-matt-forde/SIGN UP to Matt's mailing list to get free audience tickets to his Radio 4 series:https://www.mattforde.com/mailing-list SEE Matt's brand new stand-up tour 'Defying Calamity' across the UK:https://www.mattforde.com/live-showsShow 393. Zack Polanski - LIVE
01:45:11|Zack Polanski has catapulted The Green Party into the national conversation like no-one else before him. So how have The Greens captured so much attention? What do they actually stand for? Can his policies survive until the election? And more importantly, what was his favourite meat? THE POLITICAL PARTY LIVE30 March: Lisa Nandy 20 April: Shabana Mahmood 11 May: Lewis Goodallhttps://nimaxtheatres.com/shows/the-political-party-with-matt-forde/SIGN UP to Matt's mailing list to get free audience tickets to his Radio 4 series:https://www.mattforde.com/mailing-list SEE Matt's brand new stand-up tour 'Defying Calamity' across the UK:https://www.mattforde.com/live-showsShow 392. Christopher Snowdon
58:04|What is lifestyle economics and why does it matter? The IEA's Christopher Snowdon is a fun-loving political thinker and explains his opposition to puritanism, why we should have more freedom and what that would mean for our policies on smoking, alcohol, gambling and the very existence of the NHS. Also... what are ultra-processed foods and are they necessarily bad? THE POLITICAL PARTY LIVE9 March: Zack Polanski30 March: Lisa Nandy 20 April: Shabana Mahmoodhttps://nimaxtheatres.com/shows/the-political-party-with-matt-forde/SIGN UP to Matt's mailing list to get free audience tickets to his Radio 4 series:https://www.mattforde.com/mailing-list SEE Matt's brand new stand-up tour 'Defying Calamity' across the UK:https://www.mattforde.com/live-showsShow 391. Mick Lynch - REPLAY
01:19:41|A classic from 2022... was it really four years ago?In his pomp as RMT's General Secretary, Mick Lynch was on sparkling form. THE POLITICAL PARTY LIVE9 March: Zack Polanski30 March: Lisa Nandy 20 April: Shabana Mahmoodhttps://nimaxtheatres.com/shows/the-political-party-with-matt-forde/SIGN UP to Matt's mailing list to get free audience tickets to his Radio 4 series:https://www.mattforde.com/mailing-list SEE Matt's brand new stand-up tour 'Defying Calamity' across the UK:https://www.mattforde.com/live-showsShow 390. David Miliband - Live
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