Politics Without The Boring Bits

Matt sits down with MPs leaving Parliament at the next election to find out their highs and lows, their best and worst bosses, and the lessons they've learned from politics.Conservative Edward Timpson remembers arriving in Westminster after a by-election circus where he was characterised as a Tory toff, his achievements as a minister, and he explains why he never went into the family business.Plus: Columnists Rachel Sylvester and Libby Purves discuss whether other potential defectors will be put off following the example of Natalie Elphicke, the link between obesity and sick-not culture, and whether we're too quick to blame technology for our own failings.

It's been 30 years since the sudden death of Labour leader John Smith, a man many expected would go on to be prime minister. Matt hears from some of the people who knew him best, including the recollections of Tony Blair, Margaret Beckett and Neil Kinnock.Plus: Columnists India Knight and James Marriott discuss Dominic Cumming's idea for a new political party, James' trip to a pro-Palestinian protest, and the ethics behind the hit show Baby Reindeer.Columnists (02:48)The Prime Minister That Never Was (23:19)

It's the Times Radio Focus Group, where Matt steps outside the Westminster bubble to hear the opinions of ordinary voters. This month it's a group who all voted for the Conservatives in 2019 but now want to vote for Labour or haven't made their mind up. They tell Matt and James Johnson of J.L. Partners that Rishi Sunak's trainers look "stupid" and Keir Starmer makes their "skin crawl". PLUS: Columnists Manveen Rana and Matthew Syed discuss whether Keir Starmer made a mistake when he welcomed the defecting MP Natalie Elphicke, and whether Matthew's manifesto for the next government will work.Columnists (03:33)Focus Group (22:29)

Matt Chorley and Patrick Maguire pause and unpack the action from the Commons chamber, as Tory MP for Dover Natalie Elphicke defects to Labour moments before PMQs.Plus: Columnists Alice Thomson and Robert Crampton discuss never-ending Tory plots, whether the police do enough to tackle stalking, and whether cycling can be cool.Columnists: (01:24) PMQs Unpacked: (23:00)

Mortgage costs went up after Liz Truss' mini-budget in 2022, and are yet to come down. As new analysis of the local election results suggests that support for the Conservatives dropped more sharply in areas where there are more mortgage holders, Matt tries to get to the bottom of who is really to blame.PLUS: As the Liberal Democrats table another motion of no-confidence in the government to try and trigger an election, Matt asks The Times' Tom Peck - what's the point? No-confidence (08:31)Did Liz Truss Really Screw Your Mortgage? (14:52)

Matt sits down with MPs leaving Parliament at the next election to find out about their highs and lows, their best and worst bosses, and the lessons they've learned from politics. Conservative MP Craig Whittaker tells Matt about being deputy chief whip in Liz Truss's government, what it's been like having stalkers, and the ‘rot’ inside the Tory party.Plus: Columnists Rachel Sylvester and Libby Purves discuss the return of the 'coalition of chaos' and whether student protests are effective.The Columnists: (01:50)The Big Thing: (20:22)

After a difficult set of election results for the Conservatives, including a by-election defeat in Blackpool South, Matt looks at what they mean for the parties and for Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer as elections expert John Curtice says that losing is the government's "habit".Plus: Columnists India Knight and James Marriott discuss why neither of them voted, whether they sympathise with Boris Johnson who forgot his ID at the polling booth, and what it means for politics that young people are becoming more religious.

In half a century just three opposition leaders have become prime minister. 45 years after Margaret Thatcher arrived in Downing Street, Matt hears from the people who knew her best - including Conservative colleagues Ken Clarke, Jonathan Aitken, and David Howell, aide turned author Michael Dobbs, her biographer Charles Moore, and her daughter Carol Thatcher.Plus: Manveen Rana and Matthew Parris discuss the SNP's leadership struggles, is noise in the Commons a good thing, and whether you should trust attractive politicians. The Columnists: (01:00)The Big Thing: (22:27)

Tim Shipman and Kait Borsay join Matt Chorley to pause and unpack the action from the Commons chamber as Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak clash over pensions and how to fund them, and one Tory gets a ticking-off from the Speaker.Plus: Columnists Alice Thomson and Robert Crampton discuss the violence on American University campuses, whether sports stars make good politicians and the policing of domestic violence. Columnists (02:30)PMQs Unpacked (23:05)