logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2022
53m 4s

Life in the whips' office

POLITICO
About this episode
Host Ailbhe Rea takes a closer look at the shadowy world of the whips — the sinister party enforcers whose job it is to keep MPs in line. Michael Dobbs, the creator of "House of Cards" and one-time chief of staff to Margaret Thatcher, lifts the lid on the murky world of whipping that inspired his novels and the hit TV dramas, while Jacqui Smith, a chief whip ... Show More
Up next
Yesterday
Inside Party Conference: Where next for the Tories?
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 conferenc ... Show More
35m 58s
Oct 3
Postcard from Liverpool: is Starmerism over already?
Host Sascha O'Sullivan goes behind-the-scenes of Labour Party conference in Liverpool, talking to senior politicians and advisors as she tries to hunt for Keir Starmer's ideology – once dubbed "Starmerism". She tracks down Andy Burnham as the threat of a leadership challenge from ... Show More
38m 48s
Sep 26
What do Gen Z want?
Four and a half thousand miles away in Nepal, Gen Z protestors recently brought down their government in just 48 hours, amid roiling anger over corruption and nepotism. The uprising, led by online influencers harnessing the power of AI and Tik Tok, has sent shockwaves through Sou ... Show More
46m 20s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2014
1984
Martha Kearney uncovers the secrets within the Government files of 1984.Margaret Thatcher's government faced some formidable adversaries. The long-anticipated battle with the National Union of Mineworkers and its leader, Arthur Scargill, finally erupted, dominating the political ... Show More
56m 29s
Jan 2022
Prime Ministerial, from the New Statesman | Margaret Thatcher
Welcome to Prime Ministerial. In each episode Jonn Elledge and Stephen Bush will look at the legacy of the previous six prime ministers and ask whether they achieved success on their own terms. This final episode examines Margaret Thatcher’s premiership. The first woman to be pri ... Show More
48m 15s
Nov 2020
Episode 5: Fagan
It’s 1982 and ordinary citizens are suffering under Thatcher’s economic policies. One such person is Michael Fagan, who decides to break into Buckingham Palace to ask the Queen to step in and help people like himself. Elizabeth is left feeling more remote from her subjects than e ... Show More
41m 24s
Sep 2023
Michael Heseltine on Suella, Enoch Powell and saving Liverpool
Michael Heseltine is a politician with a long political memory. He heard Neville Chamberlain declare war on Germany in 1939. He saw Suez unfold. He attended Churchill’s funeral. He’s served Conservative prime minister after Conservative prime minister and became the man who event ... Show More
38m 3s
Sep 2018
The case for Tony Blair
Matt Chorley is joined by Daniel Finkelstein, who argues only one person can lead a new Blairite party, and that’s Tony Blair. Sam Coates, The Times deputy political editor, tackles the most contentious issue in politics: trans rights. And Anne Ashworth, The Times money editor, w ... Show More
36m 12s
Dec 2020
Episode 8: 48:1
The Queen finds herself at odds with her Prime Minister as Margaret Thatcher refuses to join the 48 other Commonwealth nations in backing sanctions on Apartheid South Africa. The Queen and Thatcher come to blows over the issue, and their fallout becomes public knowledge after the ... Show More
38m 28s
Nov 2019
Episode 2: Margaretology
At a low point for the ‘Special Relationship’, the Queen is forced to ask unpredictable Princess Margaret to charm American President Lyndon B. Johnson into saving Great Britain from financial ruin. Helena Bonham Carter shines as the dazzling Princess Margaret in episode two of t ... Show More
31m 17s
Dec 2021
In conversation with Andrew Mitchell
Andrew Mitchell went through many of the UK's most established institutions, from public school to the army to the City of London and parliament, the Whips Office and the cabinet. His new book, “Beyond A Fringe”, refers not only to his distinctive hairstyle but also his insider’s ... Show More
30m 22s
May 2024
Beth Rigby interviews Labour’s Angela Rayner
Labour's Angela Rayner speaks to Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby in an extended interview for the Daily podcast. The party’s deputy leader says that she believes Diane Abbott should be able to stand as an MP - and she denied leader Sir Keir Starmer was acting "in a factiona ... Show More
22m 46s