Westminster Insider

By: POLITICO
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  • Summary

  • 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.
    POLITICO
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History Political Science Social Sciences
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Episodes
  • The year ahead in 45 minutes

    The year ahead in 45 minutes
    Dec 20 2024
    For the final episode of the year, new host Patrick Baker and a selection of expert guests take you through 2025 — a year that looks like it might well be even crazier than the last. The FT’s Stephen Bush sets out the prime minister's daunting in-tray in 2025, while the Spectator’s Katy Balls explains what’s in store for the Tory party under new leadership — as well as the threat to both parties from Nigel Farage and Reform UK. Sarah Calkin – an expert on local government — discusses what May’s local elections could bring. Further afield, the Times’ Washington Correspondent Alistair Dawber talks us through what we can expect from the second Trump presidency and its implications for the wider world. Professor Lina Khatib —from Chatham House — mulls the possible impact of Trump on conflicts in Middle East, and offers her take on what could lie ahead in Syria and Iran. POLITICO’s Berlin Playbook host Gordon Repinski discusses what could happen in the German elections in February and POLITICO’s Senior UK Energy Correspondent Charlie Cooper tells us what’s at stake at COP 30 in Brazil in November — ahead of what’s set to be a crucial year for the climate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    50 mins
  • Westminster's class war over private schools

    Westminster's class war over private schools
    Dec 13 2024
    For centuries, Westminster has been dominated by politicians who attended some of the most prestigious schools in the country. This week on Westminster Insider, host Sascha O'Sullivan finds out whether public schools still dominate or if state educated Rachel Reeves and Bridget Phillipson's move to tax fees reflects the end of the era of Etonians. Sascha visits Eton College and takes a tour around the art school and the theater, hears from an old boy about the kind of education children receive there — and discovers why our prime ministers are far more likely to have been attended this school than any other. Former Labour adviser and old Etonian Patrick Hennessey tells Sascha the confidence a school such as his alma mater instills can easily slip into arrogance. FT journalist and author Simon Kuper explains why privately educated politicians have always tended to banded together in Westminster — and how that can leave those that attended less prestigious institutions out in the cold. Keir Starmer's former adviser Donjeta Miftari describes coming to work in SW1 as a former comprehensive pupil and immediately noticing the networks which the independent sector fosters beyond the school itself. Former David Blunkett adviser Conor Ryan recalls the fights with private school heads when the Blair government axed the state-funded assisted places scheme. Sam Freedman, education expert and former adviser to Michael Gove, explains how the former education's secretary's background informed his attitude to education reform. And Sascha travelled to Brentwood, a private school in Essex, where headteacher Michael Bond tells her Reeves' decision to put VAT on private schools was "punishing" them unfairly, as the private sector was making strides towards making fee-paying schools less exclusive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    48 mins
  • What really happened in the 2024 general election?

    What really happened in the 2024 general election?
    Dec 6 2024
    Host Jack Blanchard takes a deep dive into the momentous U.K. general election of July 2024, which saw Labour sweep back into power after 14 years in opposition. Lifting the lid on a historic campaign are journalists Tim Ross and Rachel Wearmouth, whose new book — "Landslide: The Inside Story of the 2024 Election" — offers the most detailed account so far of a moment of generational change in British politics. Ross and Wearmouth take us inside the rival campaign teams and explain how all the crucial decisions were taken, from Rishi Sunak's fateful choice to leave a D-Day commemoration service early to Keir Starmer's famous "Ming vase" strategy that would ultimately secure Labour's victory. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    49 mins

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Essential Listening

Been a listener since 2021, and remains one of the best sources for a regular dive into new aspects of UK politics.

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