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PODCAST

Westminster Insider

POLITICO’s weekly political series lifts the curtain on how Westminster really works, offering in-depth insight into the political issues which typically only get broad-brush treatment in the wider media.

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All Episodes

30:56

Nick Thomas-Symonds: Don't panic, my EU reset plan...

Westminster Insider ·

2026/04/02

Despite the war in Iran and its economic consequences preoccupying ministers, much work is going on behind closed doors in Whitehall to strike a closer relationship with Brussels.Nearly a decade after Britain voted to leave the EU, Keir Starmer has tasked his ministers with negotiating a post-Brexit reset that aims for closer alignment with the bloc in a bid to bring down prices and cut regulations on businesses. In this interview episode of Westminster Insider, host Anne McElvoy talks to one

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37:39

How to fix British politics — with help from around...

Westminster Insider ·

2026/03/27

As Westminster rolls into recess, host Sascha O'Sullivan looks at some of the problems which bedevil SW1 from voter disengagement to constant reshuffles to find out if political systems from Australia to Italy might have the solutions.Sascha speaks to Australian-raised Labour MP Lauren Edwards about the push for compulsory voting here in Britain and how it makes Australians more involved in the democratic processes which run their country. Italian journalist Marco Varvello explains the polling

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40:33

ChatG-MP: Inside Westminster's AI revolution

Westminster Insider ·

2026/03/20

From ChatGPT-written speeches to constituents flooding MPs with AI-generated emails, artificial intelligence has arrived in Westminster.In this episode of Westminster Insider, host Patrick Baker explores how politicians and ministers are scrambling to respond, balancing fears about deepfakes, bias and online harms with a determination to harness AI for economic growth. The UK’s first AI minister, Kanishka Narayan, says he believes that an artificial intelligence more capable than humans

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40:08

The Battle for Labour's oldest stronghold: Wales

Westminster Insider ·

2026/03/13

On May 7, Labour faces losing some of its oldest heartlands. In Wales, the party has dominated elections for 104 years, but is, according to polls, fighting for third or fourth place against powerful forces on the left and right – Plaid Cymru and Reform.Host Sascha O'Sullivan and POLITICO's political editor Dan Bloom took the train to Newport and drove through South Wales, where the fight is fiercest, to find out how the parties are vying for the top spot in the Senedd, the Welsh Parliament.

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48:19

Inside the fight to fix Parliament

Westminster Insider ·

2026/03/06

The Palace of Westminster towers over the River Thames as a symbol of British democracy. But look a little closer and the building is falling apart. From fire risks and asbestos to crumbling stonework and miles of aging wiring, experts warn the U.K. Parliament is becoming an increasingly dangerous place to work for MPs, peers and staff. The Restoration and Renewal Programme has spent years trying to work out how to fix it. But now, the politics of repairing Parliament may be even more complicated

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32:22

Gorton and Denton by-election: Labour vs everyone else

Westminster Insider ·

2026/02/27

The Green Party have won their very first by-election. Westminster Insider Host Sascha O’Sullivan goes inside the Greens’ effort to win the seat, and finds out how the battle for this seat will inform the three-way fights between the Greens, Labour and Reform UK.She speaks to Hannah Spencer on the election trail – and on the night itself. And she speaks to the other candidates, Angeliki Stogia for Labour and Matt Goodwin for Reform to find out what worked – and what didn’t. As Labour licks its

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46:53

The strange death of the long-term prime minister

Westminster Insider ·

2026/02/20

Keir Starmer may have survived a political near-death experience last week. But with a perilous by-election looming and punishing May elections on the horizon, few in Westminster think the prime minister is truly in the clear.With fresh jeopardy ahead, could Starmer become the fifth prime minister in a decade to fall short of a full term? This week on Westminster Insider, host Patrick Baker asks: why don’t UK prime ministers last anymore? Political historian and host of the Past, Present, Future

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39:51

Is Starmer really "Never Here Keir"?

Westminster Insider ·

2026/02/13

As Keir Starmer flies to Germany for the Munich Security Conference, Westminster Insider Host Sascha O'Sullivan finds out if the Prime Minister's time abroad has damaged him here at home – and if it has, if it's been worth it. Sascha spoke to half a dozen current or former Labour advisors or government insiders about Starmer's approach to foreign policy. With the help of POLITICO Foreign and Defense Correspondent Esther Webber, she pieces together Starmer's legacy on the world stage. Olivia

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39:08

A handy guide to Labour regicide

Westminster Insider ·

2026/02/06

After the most difficult week of Keir Starmer's premiership, with mounting speculation over how long he can last as Prime Minister, this week on Westminster Insider, host Patrick Baker explores Labour's long and not-too-illustrious history of failed coups and botched insurrections.Former Home Secretary Alan Johnson remembers the "curry house plot" in 2006 that forced Tony Blair to bring forward his departure from office and urges Starmer "not to let himself be forced out". One of those at the

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42:11

2026: The year ahead in 40 minutes

Westminster Insider ·

2025/12/19

As another year of political mayhem beckons, host Patrick Baker dusts off the crystal ball to see what’s in store in 2026, both in Westminster and around the world.POLITICO's Dan Bloom and Annabelle Dickson explain what's at stake at the crucial May elections in Scotland and Wales — and how dire results for Labour could lead to a very real leadership challenge against the prime minister. Dan and Annabelle set the scene for the King's Speech, scheduled for mid-May, and set out the massive

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44:42

Spin, half-truth or deceit? How political lies really...

Westminster Insider ·

2025/12/12

Surfball was supposed to be the sport of the next generation – but it instead it was a fiction created by Peter Mandelson.Lying in politics is nothing new, but after the budget, Rachel Reeves' extraordinary pitch-rolling was viewed by some as an outright lie and others as justifiable spin. Inspired by this grey area, host Sascha O'Sullivan tries to find out the difference. BBC Radio 4 Presenter Nick Robinson tells Sascha how he can spot when a politician is lying and explains the difference

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39:53

Russia raises the stakes: how can Starmer shape...

Westminster Insider ·

2025/12/05

The latest round of peace talks in Moscow between the Americans and the Russians has ended without agreement. As President Vladimir Putin talked of being ready to fight a war with Europe, attention in Westminster turned to whether the U.K. has the capability and the will to help protect Ukraine in all scenarios.While Keir Starmer flew to Scotland to announce a joint maritime operation with Norway to ward off prowling Russian submarines in the North Atlantic, defense chiefs and MPs asked why there

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33:46

“Lawless” Britain: Rhetoric and reality

Westminster Insider ·

2025/11/28

Politicians in Westminster are always falling all over themselves to sound tough on crime.But with so-called “low level” crimes like shoplifting and phone snatching now at record levels, the rhetoric on “lawless” Britain has been growing ever louder. This week, host Patrick Baker has been to Dagenham in outer London where the Labour MP Margaret Mullane says she fears parts of her local area are being overrun with street crime. After speaking to local residents and shop owners about their fears,

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38:09

How to raise taxes and get away with it

Westminster Insider ·

2025/11/21

As Rachel Reeves' budget approaches, Westminster is braced for tax hikes. The political manoeuvring necessary may just be one of the greatest political challenges of her career.So on this week's episode of Westminster Insider, Sascha speaks to those who have been there, and compiles some golden rules on how to raise taxes – and get away with it. Social Market Foundation Director and former Gordon Brown advisor Theo Bertram walks Sascha through Brown's 2002 decision to raise National Insurance,

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45:00

Inside No. 10: The creaky house that runs Britain

Westminster Insider ·

2025/11/14

After a wild week in No.10 Downing Street, host Patrick Baker takes listeners on a podcast tour of the famous building to find out how the hell a cobbled-together Georgian townhouse is meant to run a modern state. Patrick asks how the rabbit warren layout influences those who govern the country, for better or worse.In one of his first interviews since stepping down, former Cabinet Secretary Simon Case opens up on how the building is less-than-ideal for the demands of modern government — with

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39:14

Who really cares about Britain's farmers?

Westminster Insider ·

2025/11/07

Does anyone care about British farmers? Those ploughing the fields and harvesting crops certainly don't feel Westminster pays attention to them.So this week Westminster Insider finds out how the relationship between politics and farming – from post-Brexit trade deals to inheritance tax. She speaks to NFU President Tom Bradshaw about how Keir Starmer set up the promise of hope for farmers, before swiftly letting them down. Michael Gove, editor of the Spectator and former Conservative

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44:03

How (not) to start a political party

Westminster Insider ·

2025/10/31

With Jeremy Corbyn's Your Party suffering some teething problems, host Patrick Baker delves into the art of starting a new political outfit.Corbyn himself speaks to POLITICO's Bethany Dawson at one of the many Your Party regional assemblies happening across the country. With tensions between Corbyn and co-leader Zarah Sultana simmering as the duo try to get their start up off the ground, Labour insider Sienna Rodgers of The House magazine explains the roots of the discord and how rival factions

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41:18

What Liz Truss wants Britain to learn from Trump

Westminster Insider ·

2025/10/24

Liz Truss is never far from the shores of the United States, hobnobbing with the folk seeking to "Make America Great Again." What does she think Britain can learn from the second Trump era?Anne McElvoy travels to Washington to talk to the former Conservative Prime Minister Liz Truss, who’s on a self-proclaimed “mission” to remake the U.K. in the image of MAGA-land. It’s exactly three years since she left Downing Street after just 49 days in office following a mini-budget that sent the markets

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31:34

Starmer ally: Come clean on relations with China...

Westminster Insider ·

2025/10/17

It’s been a week where the politics of the Middle East and Britain’s relations with China have loomed large over Westminster.For all the backslapping and goodwill of Sharm el-Sheikh, will the ceasefire and exchange of hostages and prisoners in Gaza pave the way for a political solution? What part could Britain play? And how will the row over the collapsed Chinese spy case play out at home as the blame game between the government, opposition and prosecutors continues to rumble on? What impact will

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35:58

Inside Party Conference: Where next for the Tories?

Westminster Insider ·

2025/10/10

With dire poll ratings and Reform UK in the ascendancy, Kemi Badenoch’s well-received speech at party conference provided a rare moment of optimism for the Conservatives. But where are they headed next?Host Patrick Baker has been behind-the-scenes of Conservative Party conference in Manchester, on a mission to find out. From the control center – A.K.A. the Politico Pub at the heart of the conference arena – Patrick challenges Shadow Housing Secretary James Cleverly on whether the party’s new

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