logo
episode-header-image
May 2024
46m 31s

How to prepare a secret Tory leadership ...

POLITICO
About this episode
After the Tories' drubbing in the local elections and the many, many rumors about efforts to unseat Rishi Sunak, Aggie Chambre talks us through how to prepare a secret Conservative leadership campaign. Former No. 10 head of political comms Adam Jones takes us inside Liz Truss's "fizz with Liz" soirees, explains why she took *that* picture in the tank, and sa ... Show More
Up next
Dec 19
2026: The year ahead in 40 minutes
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 Wal ... Show More
42m 11s
Dec 12
Spin, half-truth or deceit? How political lies really work
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 justif ... Show More
44m 42s
Dec 5
Russia raises the stakes: how can Starmer shape Ukraine’s endgame?
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 ... Show More
39m 53s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2017
Secrets of the Spin Doctors: Part One
Matt Chorley is joined by three former spin doctors for a two part special on the reality behind the images they helped to create. On the Panel:Jo Tanner worked on two Boris Johnson mayoral campaigns, Lord Wood of Anfield spent a decade advising Gordon Brown before running Ed Mi ... Show More
26m 47s
Aug 2015
Should the Labour Party press the panic button?
Tim Montgomerie is joined by Daniel Finkelstein, Lucy Fisher and Ed Conway. Daniel Finkelstein:The prospect of Jeremy Corbyn as leader is not a problem for the labour Party. It is a calamity, a disaster, a debacle. It doesn't mean having an leader who can’t win an election. A par ... Show More
34m 40s
Jun 2024
Election ’24 Update – Stella Creasy on Labour’s tightrope walk
In our latest Election update: If Labour are set for a massive majority, why are they still so cautious on policy? Labour’s Stella Creasy tells Andrew Harrison why the party refuses to over-promise – why Starmer won’t talk about rejoining the EU – where she stands on the controve ... Show More
48m 30s
Oct 2022
What caused the turmoil in British politics?
After the resignation of Liz Truss the UK will soon have its third prime minister this year. Britain has long been considered a politically stable nation. So has something changed? The governing Conservative Party is divided on many issues, including the country’s future directio ... Show More
49m 11s
Jul 2022
The fall of Boris Johnson
<p>In this week’s bumper episode, we’ll be taking you behind the scenes on a week that brought Boris Johnson’s time as prime minister to a rather bitter close. We’ll take you through his handling of the Chris Pincher affair, the dramatic Cabinet resignations and the moments the p ... Show More
41m 20s
Feb 2017
Secrets of the Spin Doctors: Part Two
In the second part of this spin doctor special, we hear how to deal with leadership crisis of all shapes and sizes.Matt Chorley is joined by:Jo Tanner who worked on two Boris Johnson mayoral campaigns, Lord Wood of Anfield spent a decade advising Gordon Brown before running Ed Mi ... Show More
17m 56s
May 2021
Elections ’21: Nothing Breaks Like A Hartlepool
On the eve of what looks like a not-great election day for everyone who isn’t Boris Johnson, the SNP, a Labour metro mayor or Count Binface, are we witnessing the final mopping up of the 2019 General Election? The Independent’s sketchwriter TOM PECK joins us for Election Doomwatc ... Show More
55m 55s
Jan 2022
The row over Number 10 parties during the 2020 lockdown
<p>This week we’re devoting the episode to the “partygate” row which has blown up in Westminster. After the prime minister revealed he attended a party, calls for his resignation grew in and outside of the Tory party. Can he survive? Does his fate lie in the hands of a senior civ ... Show More
35m 9s
May 2024
The Exit Interviews: Sir Bob Neil
<p>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.</p><br><p>Conservative Sir Bob Neil reflects on the challenges of the job by saying he wouldn't recomme ... Show More
51m 37s
Aug 2023
Dorries Seems to be the Hardest Word – plus guest Stella Creasy MP
Nadine Dorries has finally gone (we think), but her behaviour will stick in our minds forever. She’s not the only Tory MP to have let us all down over the last 13 years. So why are the parliamentary standards of this government so abysmal? Plus, a closer relationship with Europe ... Show More
1h 4m