Westminster Insider
Episodes
Can Rishi Sunak ‘Stop the Boats’?
09 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Host Ailbhe Rea explores how and why dealing with migrants crossing the English Channel has shot to the top of the prime minister’s to-do list — a...
Westminster WAGs: Who'd marry an MP?
02 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Host Aggie Chambre speaks to Westminster spouses from across the political spectrum about the ups and downs of life married to a British MP. Felicity ...
The art of the political interview
26 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
POLITICO’s Ailbhe Rea takes us inside the art of the political interview. In a rare conversation on the other side of the microphone, Today programm...
Why the hell would you work for an MP?
19 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In a special episode, host Aggie Chambre gathers a group of 20-something politicos who spent years working as aides and researchers for some of Britai...
Inside the room: The Good Friday Agreement 25 years on
07 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In a special anniversary episode 25 years on from the agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland, host Ailbhe Rea heads home to Belfast to retel...
How to become an MP
31 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the week Jeremy Corbyn was blocked from running again as a Labour MP, host Aggie Chambre takes a look at the secretive world of MPs' selections —...
Meet Rachel Reeves — Britain's next chancellor?
24 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Westminster Insider profiles the woman who could be running Britain alongside Keir Starmer in a year's time. Host Ailbhe Rea sits down with Labour Sha...
How to U-turn and get away with it
17 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Host Aggie Chambre explores the best and worst political U-turns of recent times — and ponders how and why certain politicians get away with abrupt ...
Meet Fiona Hill: Inside the collapse of Theresa May’s government
10 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Co-host Aggie Chambre sits down for a rare interview with former Downing Street chief of staff Fiona Hill to talk about her central role in Theresa Ma...
The secrets of TV news
03 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
New host Aggie Chambre takes us inside the world of TV News, and asks how the advent of 24-hour rolling coverage has shaped British politics. Sky News...
What's the point of the House of Lords?
24 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Host Ailbhe Rea takes you inside the weird and wonderful world of the House of Lords, and explores the increasingly bitter battles over its future. Pa...
49 days of Liz Truss: The inside story
17 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Host Ailbhe Rea tells the inside story of Liz Truss' chaotic, historic 49 days in No. 10 Downing Street, via candid interviews with those in the room ...
The year ahead in 49 minutes
23 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For the final episode of the year, host Jack Blanchard looks ahead to the biggest political stories coming down the track in 2023. Guests include Paul...
Who really cares what the pundits say?
16 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Host Ailbhe Rea looks at the world of political punditry with the help of some of Westminster's best-known commentators and producers, and the comedia...
A very British energy crisis
09 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Host Jack Blanchard speaks to former U.K. energy ministers and policy experts about the chequered history of British energy policy over recent decades...
Life in the whips' office
02 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 Do...
A boozy dinner with Labour MP Wes Streeting
25 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Host Jack Blanchard sits down with Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, to discuss life, politics and the Labour Party over a bottle of red win...
Did austerity work?
18 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As U.K. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt unveils huge spending cuts and tax hikes in his Autumn Statement, host Ailbhe Rea looks back at the economic program st...
Great political comebacks
11 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Following Rishi Sunak's unprecedented 50-day turnaround from defeated leadership candidate to U.K. prime minister, Westminster Insider host Jack Blanc...
Who is Rishi Sunak?
04 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Host Ailbhe Rea profiles the U.K.'s new prime minister, with the help of those who know him best. From his early years in Southampton and his lifelong...
SPONSORED CONTENT: Can Britain become an energy exporter?
28 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As the world grapples with the energy crisis stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, energy security has climbed to the top of the political age...
Trussonomics and the 1972 ‘Dash for Growth’
14 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As Liz Truss considers another humiliating budget U-turn, host Jack Blanchard looks back at the U.K.'s infamous 1972 'Dash for Growth' budget — when...
Diary of a Tory conference meltdown
07 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Host Ailbhe Rea goes behind the scenes at this week's chaotic Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, with newly-installed leader Liz Truss alrea...
Meet Laura Kuenssberg: the most famous face in British political journalism
30 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
POLITICO's Ailbhe Rea meets the ultimate Westminster Insider, Laura Kuenssberg, until recently the BBC's political editor and the new host of the BBC'...
Why we secretly love party conferences
23 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's time for the weirdest few weeks of the British political calendar: conference season. Host Ailbhe Rea takes us on a whistle-stop tour of the spee...
The Queen: The ultimate Westminster Insider
16 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Behind the scenes, the late Queen Elizabeth II was the ultimate Westminster Insider. Host Ailbhe Rea and POLITICO's Annabelle Dickson uncover how th...
After Boris: What now for the Tories?
02 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
With days to go until Boris Johnson’s replacement is announced, host Ailbhe Rea considers whether the Conservatives are now on their way out o...
What's the point of Prime Minister's Questions?
15 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As Boris Johnson prepares for his final session of Prime Minister's Questions, Ailbhe Rea takes a look inside the weekly showdown at the heart of Brit...
Through the lens of Twitter: Watching a government collapse in real time
08 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As the jaw-dropping downfall of Boris Johnson plays out on Twitter feeds across Westminster and far beyond, Jack Blanchard looks at how the social med...
Labour's Tom Watson on political plots, weight loss and living with ADHD
01 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Co-host Ailbhe Rea sits down with the Labour Party's charismatic former deputy leader Tom Watson to discuss his life in politics and much beyond. Wats...
Why Britain always hates its leaders in the end
24 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the wake of Thursday's crunch by-election results, Jack Blanchard considers why Britain always seems to turn against even its most popular prime mi...
A boozy dinner with David Davis MP
17 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week Jack Blanchard sits down for dinner with former Brexit Secretary David Davis to discuss his 35-year career in politics. Over ribeye steak an...
Casinos, coups and life on the breadline with Labour’s Jon Ashworth
10 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Co-host Jack Blanchard speaks to Jon Ashworth, Labour’s pugnacious shadow work and pensions secretary about his extraordinary childhood and his 20-p...
Victims of The Troubles: A year of turmoil in Northern Ireland
03 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Host Ailbhe Rea takes us on her year-long journey covering the British government’s contentious efforts to find peace and reconciliation within Nort...
Inside the Lobby: Westminster's political journalists
27 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
New host Ailbhe Rea explores the quirks and the controversies of the pack of journalists who inhabit Westminster, known universally as 'the lobby.' We...
Westminster Insider Trailer
21 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
POLITICO’s weekly narrated story, hosted by Ailbhe Rea, lifts the curtain on how Westminster really works, and looks in-depth at political issues...
Coming soon: Westminster Insider returns
20 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Westminster Insider is back ... with a twist. In this sneak preview, Jack Blanchard meets the new voice of Westminster Insider, Ailbhe Rea. Together, ...
The road to Brexit — 30 years since the Maastricht Treaty
18 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Jack Blanchard speaks to some of the key U.K. players involved in the passage of the Maastricht Treaty and ponders whether this was the moment which s...
How to avoid a nuclear war
11 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine continues, Jack Blanchard speaks to diplomats, nuclear experts and historians about how we can best hope to av...
Bar room talk with Labour’s Andy Burnham
04 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week Jack Blanchard heads north to Manchester to talk music, football, history and politics with Mayor Andy Burnham. In his favored city centre b...
Russia and Britain — A brief history, from Navarino to Ukraine
25 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As Vladimir Putin's brutal invasion of Ukraine plunges Russia's relations with the West into crisis, Jack Blanchard talks to the historian and former ...
Cold water swimming with Johnny Mercer MP
18 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week Jack Blanchard heads to Plymouth to meet Johnny Mercer, the ex-soldier who as a Tory MP has proved one of the government's fiercest critics....
How to topple a prime minister
11 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
With questions swirling about Boris Johnson's future, Jack Blanchard looks into the murky world of leadership challenges and asks what it's like to to...
Why there's nothing new about Leveling Up
04 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As Boris Johnson publishes his much-delayed plan to "Level Up" the country, Jack Blanchard explores the long history of the North/South divide in Engl...
Notes on a scandal
28 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As the "party-gate" controversy rocks Boris Johnson's premiership, Jack Blanchard takes a look at the history and the nature of political scandals. Fo...
The year ahead in 53 minutes
24 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As another eventful year in U.K. politics draws to a close, Jack Blanchard is joined by 10 special guests to predict the big stories we'll be talking ...
From opium wars to cyberattacks: 200 years of UK-China friction
17 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As Hong Kong goes to the polls for a highly controversial election, Jack Blanchard is joined by politicians, historians and diplomats to reflect on 20...
Two years on: What the hell happened in the 2019 general election?
10 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In a special anniversary episode, Jack Blanchard looks back at the seminal general election of December 2019, with help from experts and insiders from...
Meet Mayor Sadiq Khan: Boxing, knives and curryhouses on the streets of south London
03 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week Jack Blanchard ventures out of the studio to meet Mayor Sadiq Khan on the streets of south London. Khan takes us back to his old stomping gr...
The next pandemic
26 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Westminster — like much of the world — was caught napping by the deadly new coronavirus which emerged from China in 2019. This week Jack Blanchard...
How British towns got left behind
19 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week Jack explores whether Britain's provincial towns — like the town he grew up in and many places he has lived since — have been "left behi...
The government vs the BBC: A Hundred Year War
12 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week Jack picks through the long and turbulent relationship between the government and the BBC, and asks why these two great pillars of British p...
The history of climate change — from the Great Ice Age to COP26 and beyond
05 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As the COP26 summit continues in Glasgow, Jack Blanchard looks back at the history of climate change, from the dramatic shifts at the end of the Ice A...
How do you write a great political speech?
08 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As Britain's political parties finish their annual conferences, Jack Blanchard invites a selection of top speechwriters from both sides of the Atlanti...
Meet Lee Cain: Three chaotic years as Boris Johnson's closest aide
01 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week Jack Blanchard sits down with Lee Cain, who spent three years at Boris Johnson's side as his spin doctor and closest aide. In his first majo...
From Bismarck to Merkel: Why German chancellors always matter more than we expect
24 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As Germany goes to the polls for an historic election this weekend, Jack Blanchard looks back at some of the great pre- and post-war German chancellor...
Why doesn't Britain ever build enough homes?
17 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As Michael Gove is appointed Britain's new housing secretary, Jack Blanchard investigates the crisis gripping the sector and asks why Britain seems fo...
'Every phone started ringing' — Remembering 9/11
10 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In a special edition to mark the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, Jack Blanchard asks the most senior officials in Tony Blair's government...
Why do politicians tell so many lies?
03 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jack Blanchard explores the thorny topic of political lying, and considers whether dishonesty is really getting worse in the so-called 'post-truth' er...
MPs' postbags: How we're failing the kids who need us most
27 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jack abandons Westminster politics for a week to hear about the struggles families in Sheffield face to get the support their children need. Sheffield...
Postcards from Afghanistan
20 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As the chaos unfolds in Afghanistan, Jack Blanchard speaks to three politicians who devoted many months of their lives to trying to secure and rebuild...
How to spin a referendum: The inside story of the Brexit campaign
18 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In a special episode marking the fifth anniversary of the Brexit referendum, Jack Blanchard interviews the two men behind the crucial spin campaigns f...
What's the point of the G7 summit?
11 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As the G7 summit gets underway in Cornwall, Jack Blanchard speaks to Tony Blair and a host of former senior government officials about what it's like ...
One year on — Owen Paterson on life after his wife's suicide
04 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jack sits down with the Tory MP and former Cabinet minister Owen Paterson, whose wife Rose killed herself last summer. Owen talks about the shock of l...
How special advisers took over Westminster
28 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the week of Dominic Cummings' jaw-dropping testimony to Parliament, Jack Blanchard takes a closer look at the role special advisers play within gov...
The art of political drinking
21 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As pubs and restaurants finally reopen across Westminster after lockdown, Jack Blanchard takes a closer look at the centuries-old drinking culture tha...
Meet Angela Rayner — Labour's deputy leader on winning back the North
14 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
After a tumultuous week for the U.K. Labour Party, Jack Blanchard sits down with deputy leader Angela Rayner to discuss where the party goes from here...
Why by-elections matter
07 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As the dust settles after the Hartlepool by-election, Jack Blanchard looks back at some of the great by-election contests of recent years — and pond...
A short history of Scottish separatism
30 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
With the Scottish parliament election less than a week away, Jack Blanchard looks back at the history of the Scottish nationalist movement and explain...
Coming soon: POLITICO's Westminster Insider season 2
23 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The new season of Jack Blanchard’s weekly podcast on how Westminster really works kicks off on April 30. Subscribe now and never miss an episode. Ho...
A year of lockdowns — How the pandemic changed Westminster
18 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jack Blanchard heads back to Westminster on the anniversary of the first coronavirus lockdown to hear how the pandemic has changed British politics fo...
Meet: Chancellor Rishi Sunak — beyond the Budget
12 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jack Blanchard sits down with Rishi Sunak to discuss his whirlwind first year as U.K. Chancellor, and hear more about his Hindu faith, his fears for t...
Cabinet secretaries ... and why Sir Humphrey always wins
04 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jack speaks to Richard Wilson, Cabinet secretary under Tony Blair, about his years as Whitehall's top official, and his memories of crises including t...
When Budgets go wrong
25 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer, finalizes his speech ahead of next week's Budget, Jack Blanchard looks back at the pitfalls and disasters...
MPs’ postbags: The hidden costs of lockdown
18 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jack Blanchard abandons Westminster for a week and explores the hidden costs of lockdown, by delving into the postbags of two MPs in different parts o...
Meet: Prof Neil Ferguson — life after the coronavirus pandemic
12 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jack sits down with Britain's top epidemiologist, Professor Neil Ferguson, to discuss how the next few months of the coronavirus pandemic are likely t...
How to charm a US president
04 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As Boris Johnson ponders how to woo the newly-elected President Joe Biden, Jack Blanchard looks back at how past prime ministers have tried to charm t...
Westminster's morning newsletter revolution
28 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jack hears from former Chancellor George Osborne about how these morning memos are devoured by senior politicians and newspaper editors alike; and fro...
Pilot: The history of pandemics — and how politicians always react the same way
08 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's striking how few political leaders across the Western world can claim to have handled the coronavirus pandemic especially well. Throughout large ...
Westminster Insider Trailer
15 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Westminster Insider is a weekly narrated story which lifts the curtain on how Westminster really works, and looks in-depth at political issues which...