Westminster Insider

ChatG-MP: Inside Westminster's AI revolution 

20 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

From ChatGPT-written speeches to constituents flooding MPs with AI-generated emails, artificial intelligence has arrived in Westminster. In this epis...

The Battle for Labour's oldest stronghold:  Wales

13 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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, fi...

Inside the fight to fix Parliament

06 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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. ...

Gorton and Denton by-election: Labour vs everyone else

27 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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, ...

The strange death of the long-term prime minister

20 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Is Starmer really "Never Here Keir"?

13 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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...

A handy guide to Labour regicide

06 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 West...

2026: The year ahead in 40 minutes

19 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 a...

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

12 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 not...

Russia raises the stakes: how can Starmer shape Ukraine’s endgame?

05 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The latest round of peace talks in Moscow between the Americans and the Russians has ended without agreement. As President Vladimir Putin talked of be...

“Lawless” Britain: Rhetoric and reality

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Politicians in Westminster are always falling all over themselves to sound tough on crime. But with so-called “low level” crimes like shoplifting...

How to raise taxes and get away with it

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As Rachel Reeves' budget approaches, Westminster is braced for tax hikes. The political manoeuvring necessary may just be one of the greatest politica...

Inside No. 10: The creaky house that runs Britain

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 cobb...

Who really cares about Britain's farmers?

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Does anyone care about British farmers? Those ploughing the fields and harvesting crops certainly don't feel Westminster pays attention to them. So t...

How (not) to start a political party

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With Jeremy Corbyn's Your Party suffering some teething problems, host Patrick Baker delves into the art of starting a new political outfit. Corbyn h...

What Liz Truss wants Britain to learn from Trump

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 Brita...

Starmer ally: Come clean on relations with China after spy row

17 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 backsla...

Inside Party Conference: Where next for the Tories?

10 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With dire poll ratings and Reform UK in the ascendancy, Kemi Badenoch’s well-received speech at party conference provided a rare moment of optimis...

Postcard from Liverpool: is Starmerism over already?

03 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

What do Gen Z want?

26 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 corru...

Inside the fight to stop migrants crossing the Channel

19 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Just this week, Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, has made a fresh effort to remove migrants arriving from the English Channel with the Government'...

Secrets of a state visit

12 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Can Britain have a proper Green Party?

05 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Zack Polanski, the self-confessed eco-populist, won the leadership of the Green Party in a landslide this week. So Westminster Insider Host Sascha O'S...

How to reset your government

29 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With a very busy autumn of politics just around the corner, many in the government are looking at the polls and wondering how they turn their fortunes...

Commons people: when politics and music collide

22 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From Glastonbury performers to classical music buffs, Westminster has always been packed full of music obsessives. But the music industry has not alwa...

Can Tory defections take Reform UK toward power?

11 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Reform UK has claimed its biggest scalp so far with Sir Jake Berry, close friend and ally of Boris Johnson and former Conservative Cabinet minister, j...

Can Keir Starmer survive the next 6 months?

04 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Keir Starmer's authority is under question following a humiliating series of U-turns and a restless parliamentary Labour Party. In this Westminster In...

Westminster's half-term score card

27 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Even as Keir Starmer faces the threat of all-out rebellion over his welfare bill, Westminster can feel the summer recess approaching. So six months in...

An SW1 pub crawl: What makes the perfect political pub?

20 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week on Westminster Insider, host Patrick Baker takes a pint-fueled tour through some of Westminster's best-known watering holes in his bid to fi...

What's the point of political satire?

13 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the midst of spending reviews, rows of migration and fights about water bosses' bonuses, everyone could do with a laugh. So this week on Westminste...

Inside Westminster's Musk-inspired DOGE wars

06 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As Reform UK sends its Elon Musk-style Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team into its new councils to assess "wasteful spending", host Patri...

A boozy lunch with Jo Coburn

30 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Host Sascha O'Sullivan goes for lunch with Jo Coburn as she leaves her position as presenter of Politics Live, the BBC's lunchtime political programme...

How to run your Cabinet: Lessons for Starmer

23 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With tensions simmering in Keir Starmer’s top team over Labour’s approach to the economy, this week host Patrick Baker looks at what the PM might...

Can Labour still own the North?

16 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With Nigel Farage's Reform UK muscling in to key parts of the country, Westminster Insider Host Sascha O'Sullivan speaks to politicians through the No...

How to survive the morning broadcast round

09 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Politicians of all stripes will tell you that the slog of breakfast time interviews constitutes the morning ritual from hell. So this week on Westmin...

War and Peace in Europe

28 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With Ukraine and Russia in the throes of attempting to negotiate a ceasefire, Westminster Insider Host Sascha O’Sullivan talks to some of the leadin...

How to launch a backbench rebellion

21 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With the stench of rebellion hanging around the tearooms of SW1 after ministers announced fresh welfare cuts, this week host Patrick Baker explores ...

When politicians fight the law and the law wins

14 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As Mike Amesbury bows out of his career as a Labour MP after being caught on tape assaulting a constituent, this week’s episode of Westminster Insid...

Inside COBRA

07 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever wondered about COBRA? Not the snake or the yoga pose — but Cabinet Office Briefing Room A, the place at the heart of Whitehall where a...

How to survive No 11 Downing Street

28 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With Keir Starmer recently forced to promise his Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, would stay on until the next election, Westminster Insider Host Sascha O'S...

When MPs defect: The art of changing party

21 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Turncoats, opportunists … or just idealists whose bosses lost their way?  Defecting to a new party is one of the momentous decisions an MP could ev...

How Westminster goes viral (without Elon Musk)

14 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For years, Westminster has been addicted to Twitter (now called X). Host Sascha O'Sullivan looks at how the site – and SW1's reliance on it – ha...

How to be a UK Ambassador to the US

07 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Peter Mandelson, the new British ambassador to the United States, has finally taken up the daunting challenge of being the U.K.’s Trump whisperer. A...

The year ahead in 45 minutes

20 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 w...

Westminster's class war over private schools

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For centuries, Westminster has been dominated by politicians who attended some of the most prestigious schools in the country. This week on Westminste...

What really happened in the 2024 general election?

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

What really happens when MPs vote with their conscience?

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As the House of Commons agonizes over legalizing assisted dying, host Sascha O'Sullivan looks back at previous votes of conscience to find out what ha...

Inside the Downing Street spin room

22 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Host Jack Blanchard speaks to some of the most powerful Downing Street spin doctors of the past decade — and asks whether they're really as angry as...

What's the secret to a great political lunch?

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week on Westminster Insider, host Sascha O'Sullivan lifts on the curtain on the best political lunches — who to invite, where to go, and what t...

One crazy night in Washington

08 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Westminster Insider heads to Washington to capture a historic election night that changed America — and the world. Host Emilio Casalicchio takes us ...

How to deliver a great budget

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel Reeves' first budget was a historic moment — for her, for the Labour Party ... and for the nation's tax burden. So this week Westminster Insi...

Does Westminster do God?

11 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Alistair Campbell famously once proclaimed of Tony Blair's government: "we don't do God." Two decades on, this week on Westminster Insider, host Sasch...

A boozy lunch with Sir Graham Brady

04 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Host Jack Blanchard goes for a long lunch with Sir Graham Brady, the former chairman of the 1922 committee of backbench Conservative MPs — and the m...

How to choose a Tory leader

27 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This year’s Conservative Party conference will be a beauty pageant for would-be leaders, with each one setting out their stall as to why they’re t...

Inside Labour Together: the project behind Keir Starmer

20 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The red half of Westminster will shortly decamp to Liverpool for the first Labour conference since the party's general election landslide. Host Sascha...

What's it like to cover a US election?

13 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Days after the drama of the first U.S. presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, host Jack Blanchard asks senior journalists on both...

SPONSORED CONTENT: Homes for all: A strategy to end homelessness in Britain 

11 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

More than 300,000 people in Britain — from individuals to whole families — do not have a safe and secure home. Some live on the streets. Others ar...

Can Labour make the trains run on time?

06 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As the new Labour government introduces its landmark legislation to nationalize the railways, host Emilio Casalicchio asks: How do we get the trains t...

Back to school briefing: A whirlwind guide to British politics in autumn 2024

30 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As Westminster heads back to work after the summer recess, host Jack Blanchard talks to six political experts about what’s coming up in the months a...

Meet the new MPs taking on Westminster

23 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Host Sascha O'Sullivan meets a few of the new parliamentarians slowly figuring out their way through Westminster. New Labour MPs — and soon-to-be of...

From the archive: What ex-prime ministers do next

16 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Our next season of Westminster Insider is gearing up with new episodes next week. To whet your appetite, we’ve reached into our extensive back catal...

14 hours that changed Britain

05 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As Keir Starmer enters 10 Downing Street on the back of a landslide election victory, host Sascha O'Sullivan takes us inside the night power shifted i...

The last 10 days of an election campaign 

28 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As the general election reaches its final week, host Sascha O'Sullivan takes us inside the last push of the campaign. She explores how parties use eve...

Westminster's photographers: a politician's best friend or worst enemy?

21 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As we approach the final lap of the 2024 general election, host Sascha O'Sullivan discovers what life is like for the photographers who trail hot on t...

Inside Nigel Farage's Reform party

14 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As Reform teeters close to overtaking the Conservative in the polls, Aggie Chambre goes inside Nigel Farage’s party and asks if he will could actual...

What's the point of a manifesto?

07 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer prepare to launch their manifestos, host Sascha O’Sullivan takes a look at what goes into the making of the crucial ...

The art of the TV debate

31 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Days before this general election's first television debate, host Aggie Chambre looks back at the history of debates in this country and asks how pol...

The media and the UK election: Can Fleet Street still win it?

24 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Will the Sun win it? After Rishi Sunak called a shock general election, host Aggie Chambre set out to discover just how much influence newspapers will...

Is the Bank of England really a secret political player?

17 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Just how much power do the economists of Threadneedle Street really wield? As the Bank of England grapples with whether to keep interest rates at an a...

How to prepare a secret Tory leadership campaign

10 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Inside the Westminster honey trap scandal

03 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the first episode of season 14, host Aggie Chambre tells the inside story of how POLITICO broke the Westminster honey trap story, and goes in searc...

The secrets of the pollsters

22 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Host Sascha O'Sullivan delves into the secrets of the polling industry and asks — if the polls were wrong before, could they be wrong again? David C...

Leak inquiry: what happens when Westminster's secrets are spilled

15 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Aggie Chambre looks at the art of the leak and asks — why do people do it, and what happens when your political secrets are exposed? For...

How Westminster fell in love with Australian politics

08 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

New host Sascha O'Sullivan explores Westminster's obsession with all things Australia — and considers the lessons British politics might learn from ...

How to prepare for opposition

01 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

By now, surely everyone in Westminster knows how to get ready for government — but have enough considered how to prepare for opposition? In this wee...

How a small town in England opened its arms to Ukraine

23 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine approaches, Jack Blanchard returns home to the north of England to hear the stories of th...

Diary of a by-election

16 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As the people of Wellingborough headed to the polls for a historic vote, hosts Aggie Chambre and Sascha O'Sullivan took a train to the East Midlands ...

A boozy lunch with Tim Shipman

09 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Host Jack Blanchard goes for lunch with the Sunday Times' chief political commentator, Tim Shipman, as the deadline for his new Brexit tome approaches...

Inside GB News

02 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For the first episode of the year, host Aggie Chambre goes inside right-wing TV channel GB News and investigates the role it might play in shaping the...

The year ahead in 54 minutes

22 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For the final episode of the year, host Jack Blanchard and a series of expert guests look ahead to 2024 and what is certain to be an extraordinary yea...

How did Britain's prisons go so wrong?

15 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Host Aggie Chambre explores the crisis in Britain's prison system and asks what can be done to fix it.  She goes inside a prison riddled with drugs a...

The art of the political apology

08 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the week Boris Johnson finally said sorry for the mistakes made by his government during the COVID-19 pandemic, host Aggie Chambre explores the a...

How to get ready for government

01 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

With opposition parties starting to dream about life in Whitehall as the next election looms, host Aggie Chambre takes a look at how politicians actua...

Is Westminster ready for the return of Donald Trump?

24 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

With opinion polls showing Donald Trump beating President Joe Biden in key battleground states a year out from the next U.S. election, podcast host Ja...

How to get sacked from government

17 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the week U.K Home Secretary Suella Braverman was finally sacked, host Aggie Chambre asks what you actually have to do to get fired from the govern...

Revenge of The Blob

10 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Britain's civil service is under fire like never before — criticised as an obstructionist "blob" by ministers and castigated for a "terrifyingly sh*...

Meet Alf Dubs: The child refugee who became a UK parliament grandee

03 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As war rages in the Middle East, host Jack Blanchard sits down with Alf Dubs, the 91-year-old Labour peer who arrived in Britain on the Kindertranspor...

Is the Labour left finished in Britain?

13 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

With Labour Party leader Keir Starmer dragging his party onto the center ground, host Aggie Chambre asks what remains of the left in Britain — and w...

How did free-market think tanks take over Westminster?

06 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

One year on from Liz Truss’ chaotic premiership, host Ailbhe Rea takes on what remains a controversial topic: the role free-market think tanks reall...

What's the point of party conferences?

29 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

With Conservative Party conference about to commence, host Aggie Chambre asks the question on everyone's lips: What the hell is the point of the confe...

The Battle for Scotland

22 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Host Ailbhe Rea hits the campaign trail in the greater Glasgow constituency of Rutherglen and Hamilton West, where a high-profile by-election battle b...

Meet Robert Peston — ITV's political editor on friendship, loss and being the face of a crisis

15 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week host Aggie Chambre sits down with her old boss Robert Peston, the TV journalist who shot to fame during the last financial crash.  Almost t...

What ex-prime ministers do next 

08 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the week we marked the first anniversary of Liz Truss taking office — and Boris Johnson leaving Downing Street — host Aggie Chambre explores wh...

Back to school briefing: A whirlwind guide to UK politics this autumn

01 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As MPs return to parliament after the summer break, host Ailbhe Rea and an array of expert guests provide an essential briefing on everything that’s...

I know what MPs did last summer

25 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

With Westminster largely empty during the summer recess, host Aggie Chambre heads out of London to watch MPs in different parts of the country meet th...

Westminster Insider trailer

18 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Westminster Insider will be back next Friday! Hosts Aggie Chambre and Ailbhe Rea chat about what to expect from season 11 of the weekly podcast from P...

The dark arts of politics

07 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the final episode of the season, host Aggie Chambre explores the clandestine operations, secretive briefing wars and campaign stunts that make up t...

The real Keir Starmer: Part II

30 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the second half of a two-part profile, hosts Ailbhe Rea and Aggie Chambre take a closer look at the man hoping to become Britain's next prime minis...

The real Keir Starmer: Part I

23 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the first part of a major profile of Labour leader Keir Starmer, podcast hosts Ailbhe Rea and Aggie Chambre take a deeper look at the man hoping to...

Harassment and bullying: What is wrong with British politics?

16 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Two weeks ago, POLITICO revealed Geraint Davies was accused of sexual harassment by 5 different women. The Labour MP said he did not recognize the all...