The New Statesman Podcast

This evening one of the remaining five candidates to be the next prime minister will be eliminated in a vote of MPs. Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Rachel Cunliffe, Ben Walker and Rachel Wearmouth, our new deputy political editor, to discuss who came out of the two debates over the weekend best and why Labour has enjoyed watching the candidates tear strips out of each other on live TV.Then, in You Ask Us, they answer a listener’s question on what Boris Johnson might do next.If you have a question for You Ask Us, emailpodcasts@newstatesman.co.ukPodcast listeners can subscribe to theNew Statesmanfor just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visitnewstatesman.com/podcastoffer. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Rory Stewart, the former international development secretary and Conservative leadership candidate, speaks to Rachel Cunliffe about the lessons he learned from running for leader in 2019. They talk about whether this year’s candidates show growing diversity in the party, why our political culture has got so bad at argument and debate, and what he got wrong when he was in government.Stewart’snew series,The Long History of Argument, starts on BBC Radio 4 on 19 July at 9am.Podcast listeners can subscribe to theNew Statesmanfor just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visitnewstatesman.com/podcastoffer. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Nadhim Zahawi, Jeremy Hunt and Suella Braverman have been eliminated from the Conservative leadership election, with Penny Mordauntclimbing to second placebehind Rishi Sunak.Anoosh Chakelian, Freddie Hayward and Harry Lambert discuss the remaining candidates in this unpredictable race, the latest polling on front-runners Penny Mordaunt and Rishi Sunak, and whether being a “fresh face” will ultimately decide the contest.Then in You Ask Us, NS Environment Correspondent India Bourke joins the podcast to answer a listener's question on which of the Conservative candidates wouldbe best and worstfor the environment and why.If you have a You Ask Us question, emailpodcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.Podcast listeners can subscribe to theNew Statesmanfor just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visitnewstatesman.com/podcastoffer. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

At the time of recording, 11 Conservative MPs had launched official bids to replace Boris Johnsonas prime minister. Anoosh Chakelian, Freddie Hayward and Ben Walker discuss the candidates'prospects, promises and pitfalls– as well as how the leadership election couldreshapethe Conservative Party.Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks which Tory candidate would pose the biggest threat to the Labour Party.If you have a question for You Ask Us, emailpodcasts@newstatesman.co.ukPodcast listeners can subscribe to theNew Statesmanfor just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visitnewstatesman.com/podcastoffer. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After a dramatic twenty-four hours in which over fifty ministers and advisors resigned from government, Boris Johnson has finally admitted defeat and announced he will step down as prime minister and leader of the Conservative Party.In his speech to the public at lunchtime today, he set out his desire to remain in post as a caretaker PM until the party elect his replacement. Indeed he continues to appoint new ministers to cabinet to fill the vacuum left by those who quit.In this episode of the New Statesman podcast, Anoosh Chakelian is joined by New Statesman editor Jason Cowley and colleagues Rachel Cunliffe and Freddie Hayward to discuss what happens next. They explore the likely candidates to replace Boris Johnson as Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative party, and discuss whether he will be allowed to stay on until the autumn.They also answer a listener question on whether “Johnsonism” will continue to define the Conservative party beyond Boris Johnson’s tenure.If you'd like to ask a question for You Ask Us, please email podcasts@newstatesman.co.ukSubscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week, using our special podcast offer: www.newstatesman.com/podcastoffer See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After a torrid 24 hours in Westminster for Boris Johnson, in which Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid both resigned, Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Harry Lambert, Ben Walker and Rachel Cunliffe to discuss whether this, finally, is a mess that the Prime Minister can't get out of. Is this the straw that broke the camel’s back? And what is going to happen next?Podcast listeners can subscribe to theNew Statesmanfor just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visitnewstatesman.com/podcastoffer. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This special episode was recorded live at theNew Statesman’s Politics Live event.Keir Starmer speaks to Rachel Wearmouth, currently the senior political correspondent at theMirror, but soon to join theNew Statesmanas deputy political editor. They discuss the radical views of his youth, his promise for economic growth, and why he is scrapping the 2019 Labour Party manifesto.If you have a question for You Ask Us, emailpodcasts@newstatesman.co.ukPodcast listeners can subscribe to theNew Statesmanfor just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visitnewstatesman.com/podcastoffer. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s First Minister and leader of the SNP, has announced that she wants to hold a second independence referendum on 19 October 2023. The constitutional debate was widely seen to be at a political deadlock, but now it enters a new phase.Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Chris Deerin, theNew StatesmanScotland editor, to discuss themotivationsbehind this latest bid for independence and the means of securing it. They also touch on how Scots have said they would vote in recent polls, and whether plans to fight the next general election on this single issue couldbackfire, presenting an opportunity for Scottish Labour.Then in You Ask Us, Anoosh is joined by theNew Statesman’s political reporter Freddie Hayward to answer a listener’s question on whether,byrejecting Corbynism, Keir Starmer has dropped the party’s most appealing policies.If you have a question for You Ask Us, emailpodcasts@newstatesman.co.ukPodcast listeners can subscribe to theNew Statesmanfor just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visitnewstatesman.com/podcastoffer. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As the official measure of inflation in the UK hits 9.1 per cent, Anoosh Chakelian is joined by theNew Statesmanbusiness team, Will Dunn and Emma Haslett, to discuss why inflation is hitting the country so badly.How much is Brexit making matters worse, and is inflation simply a worldwide problem? And what can the government do about it?Then in You Ask Us, the panel answer a listener’s question on Labour’s lack of a clear response to the rail strikes.If you have a question for You Ask Us, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.ukPodcast listeners can subscribe to theNew Statesmanfor just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visitnewstatesman.com/podcastoffer. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In a major blow to Boris Johnson, the Conservatives have lost the seats of Tiverton and Honiton and Wakefield to the Liberal Democrats and Labour respectively, by double-digit margins. In the wake of the results, Oliver Dowden, the co-chairman of the Conservative Party, became the first cabinet minister to resign (if implicitly) over the PMs leadership.Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Harry Lambert and the New Statesman’s polling expert Ben Walker to discuss the crushing Tory defeat, the power of tactical voting, fatigue among Tory activists and Keir Starmer’s strategy, or lack thereof, as Labour leader.If you have a question for You Ask Us, emailpodcasts@newstatesman.co.ukPodcast listeners can subscribe to theNew Statesmanfor just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visitnewstatesman.com/podcastoffer. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.