Westminster Insider

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 ban in Italy which makes it illegal to forecast the result 15 days before an election. Mark Paul, London correspondent for the Irish Times, gives Sascha the run-down on citizens assemblies which might be trialled in the UK on digital ID, but have been used in Ireland for decades now. And Jack Blanchard, managing editor and author of POLITICO's Playbook in the US, reflects on how an American-style Cabinet prevents the reshuffles British politics is so accustomed to. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. They spoke to first minister Eluned Morgan as she launched the Welsh Labour campaign in Newport Market. And newly-appointed Welsh leader of Reform Dan Thomas explained why the party there differs from the one led by Nigel Farage. Westminster Insider speaks to Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth about how the party has ditched their message on independence in a bid to scoop up voters on the left disillusioned with Labour. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 wounds, director of the Labour Growth Group Mark McVitie talks Sascha through how the party machine have been thinking about the Greens and what needs to change. Pollster and director of More in Common Luke Tryl examines what the curious combination of voters can tell us about the future fights Labour will shake out. And deputy political editor of the Spectator James Heale explains why Reform’s Matt Goodwin didn’t win here in Gorton and Denton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 O'Sullivan, director of UK in a Changing World at Chatham House, says the Prime Minister has managed to secure "the least worst option" with Donald Trump. And Peter Ricketts, former head of the U.K.'s diplomatic service, said the shift towards “a hyper-personalized world” demands Starmer’s presence. “Unless you are in the room with Donald Trump, you're not influencing him," Ricketts added. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 challenges the Government faces on a host of domestic fronts including immigration and welfare. Jack Blanchard, POLITICO Playbook managing editor and author in Washington D.C., paints a picture of what we can expect in Trump's America in 2026; highly-charged midterms, crucial Supreme court decisions, multiple foreign policy skirmishes and …. a UFC fight on the White House lawn. Russia expert Mark Galeotti of Mayak Intelligence describes how the war in Ukraine might play out in 2026 and weighs in on the likelihood of a peace agreement both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy can swallow. POLITICO's Sarah Wheaton, host of the EU Confidential podcast, looks ahead to elections in Hungary in April, which could spell the end for President Viktor Orbán. Middle East expert and author Kim Ghattas, who writes for The Atlantic, explains what could be in store for the next phase of the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. And football writer Henry Winter looks ahead to the FIFA World Cup next summer. Could 2026 be the year it finally comes home? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 was so little mention of the spending commitments in the Budget — and what that means for Britain's preparedness. This week, Anne McElvoy talks to John Foreman, who was Britain’s military attaché in Moscow between 2019 and 2022 having previously performed the same role in Kyiv; and with Esther Webber, POLITICO’s Senior Foreign and Defense Correspondent. Both have been keeping a close eye on the talks. Later she's joined by two influential MPs to discuss Starmer's options. James Cartlidge is the Shadow Defence Secretary, and Labour’s Calvin Bailey sits on the influential Defence Select Committee and served in the RAF for 24 years, including in Afghanistan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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, and how he kept voters onside while he did it. And Rishi Sunak's former advisor James Nation explains why Sunak's health and social care levy was such a difficult tax rise to announce – and how he tried to mitigate the political blowback. Jeremy Hunt, former Conservative Chancellor, defends not bringing back this tax rise and tells Sascha why freezing income tax thresholds – as Reeves is expected to do – was "less visible" than a hike to the basic rate of income tax, but still "very politically painful". And Sascha, with the help of Bloomberg journalist and author of Can You Run the Economy Joe Mayes, puts herself in the shoes of Rachel Reeves and goes through the options available to her to fill what is expected to be a £20bn blackhole in the budget. Helen Miller, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, warns Britain is in for a productivity down-grade, and if she were Rachel Reeves, she would worry about whether or not the budget will "drag down growth". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra) Secretary, admits the Australia trade deal did betray Britain's farmers. Emma Pryor, former special advisor to Defra Secretary George Eustice, explains how subsidies, which mean farmers can make a profit on producing food, changed after Brexit. And Sascha heads to rural South West Norfolk, where she speaks to Terry Jermy, the Labour MP who ousted Liz Truss. He tells her the new rules on inheritance tax are "unfortunate" and he hopes they are changed. Sascha gets on a tractor harvesting potatoes and speaks to farmers Danielle and Richard Gott. And she visits a farm run by Ed Pope which has turned 170 acres of the property into wildlife conservation. This episode was produced by Robert Nicholson and Artemis Irvine at Whistledown Productions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 into freefall — and has haunted her party ever since. In a wide-ranging interview, Truss tells Anne that the Green Party might end up being the official opposition party after the next general election and argues that voters are sick of "technocratic managerial crap" in politics. She insists that she will foreseeably not be joining Reform UK, despite criticizing her own party’s record in office. Truss also pours scorn on both Kemi Badenoch’s leadership of her old party and the Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves, whom she blames for an impending economic crisis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 hardline immigration policies represent a shift away from moderate, center-ground conservatism. Members of the old guard, ex-cabinet ministers Penny Mordaunt, Grant Shapps and Robert Buckland, share their views on how the Tories can win back a sceptical electorate. POLITICO’s Annabelle Dickson joins Patrick for a conversation about what Conservatives on the ground are saying about the party’s future. Kemi Badenoch pays a visit to the pub, where her pint-pulling skills are put to the test and assessed in real time by POLITICO’s Emilio Casalicchio. Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride sits down with Patrick to explain why he’s confident the Tories can win back trust on the economy and how the party can avoid becoming Reform-lite. Patrick tours the conference gatherings to see how the party faithful are warming to the man many believe wants to succeed Kemi Badenoch next May, Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick. And Tory grandee Michael Heseltine expresses fears that his party is paying too much attention to Nigel Farage at the expense of the wider electorate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 South Asia. So, this week on Westminster Insider, host Patrick Baker decides it’s time to look at U.K. politics through the eyes of Gen Z — generally regarded as those born between 1997 and 2012. Luke Tryl, UK director of polling company More in Common, sheds light on the concerns of a generation that has only ever known constant crisis — from the 2008 financial crash to Brexit paralysis and then the Covid-19 pandemic. A Gen Z focus group describes what matters to them, and which political parties are grabbing their attention. Gen Z MPs — Sam Carling, the Labour MP known as the ‘Baby of the House’, Keir Mather, who recently became the youngest Government minister in 200 years, and Lib Dem MP Joshua Reynolds — set out their plans to restore their generation’s faith in mainstream Westminster politics. ‘Your Party’ co-leader Zarah Sultana, which has polled well with young people, speaks to Patrick at a grassroots party meeting in North London, where we hear from Gen Z about their hopes for the future, and why they still back Jeremy Corbyn. With a big increase in Gen Z men voting for Reform UK, Owain Clatworthy, a 21-year-old Reform UK councillor in Bridgend in Wales, explains why he stood for Nigel Farage’s right-wing populist party at such a young age. And following the recent killing of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk on a U.S.college campus, Patrick attends his memorial in London to speak to young men inspired by Kirk’s ultra-conservative brand of right-wing politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

U.S. President Donald Trump is in town next week for an unprecedented second state visit to the U.K. The sacking of Peter Mandelson as Britain’s Ambassador to Washington, following the revelations about the extent of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, could not have provided a more awkward backdrop for the visit. Shorn of his “Trump whisperer,” and badly bruised by recent events, the prime minister needs to make the most of the opportunity after deploying the ultimate diplomatic move. The U.K. is looking to make progress on a whole host of thorny issues, including trade and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. This week on Westminster Insider, host Patrick Baker explores what the British state has up its sleeve when it comes to charming foreign dignitaries into giving the U.K. what it wants. Theresa May’s former Chief of Staff Gavin Barwell explains the jeopardy attached to Trump’s dealings with the press when he’s abroad, and the stress involved in trying to minimize the U.S. president’s exposure to any protests. Esther Webber, POLITICO’s senior foreign and defense correspondent, takes us through what’s at stake with this Trump visit, and reveals how the royal family are set to be deployed to woo a U.S. president known for his love of pomp and pageantry. Robert Hardman, the royal historian and author of “King Charles III: The inside story,” reveals the U.K.’s long and storied history of inviting controversial world leaders on state visits, leveraging the mesmerizing power of the monarchy as the ultimate diplomatic weapon. Grant Harrold, a former royal butler to King Charles, explains the importance of etiquette to the royals, and takes us through what Trump can expect at the glittering state banquet. Former Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell lifts the lid on what it’s like to be entrusted as guardian of the Government’s vast wine cellar, and how the finest claret is served up to heads of state to lubricate potentially difficult political discussions. And Kate Fall, former deputy chief of staff to David Cameron, recounts her former boss taking China’s President Xi for pints at the pub on a 2015 state visit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices