The New Statesman | UK politics and culture

This conversation was recorded at the Cambridge Literary Festival. To watch an extended version or to find out more about Cambridge Literary Festival please head to cambridgeliteraryfestival.com-The New Statesman’s business editor Will Dunn sat down with Torsten Bell, Labour MP for Swansea West, and former chief executive of the Resolution Foundation - a think tank which aims to improve the standard of living of low-to-middle income families. Torsten Bell also worked as Labour’s Director of Policy under Ed Milliband’s leadership. His first book Great Britain?: How We Get Our Future Back, was published earlier this year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First conceived in 1956 by Michael Bond, the marmalade-loving immigrant from Peru has become an iconic British cultural figure – treasured for his chaotic nature, impeccable manners, and proximity to royalty.So, how did Paddington become the spokesbear for Britain, crossing political divides in the country, and one of the most commercially successful characters in the world?Tom Gatti is joined by New Statesman contributor Amelia Tait, and Paddington screenwriter Jon Foster.Read: The triumph of Paddington Inc Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The team answer listener questions on the appointment of Heidi Alexander to transport secretary and whether the UK's mainstream centrist politics are at risk from the far-right.Hannah Barnes is joined by Andrew Marr and George Eaton. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will his history as a human rights lawyer play a part? Will Shamima Begum be able to return? And why have all Syrian asylum claims been suspended?Hannah Barnes is joined by Andrew Marr and George Eaton to discuss Britain's reaction to the collapse of the Syrian regime and also Britain's trade talks with the EU. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Sunday Morning the sound of gunfire filled the air in Damascus. The noise, not of fighting, but celebrations. President Bashar al-Assad and his family had fled to Russia. A family which ruled for more than 50 years, brought down by a rebel offensive which had begun less than two weeks earlier. Kate Lamble is joined by Rajan Menon, Marcel Dirsus, and John Jenkins to discuss what's next for Syria, Assad, and the wider region.Read: The fall of Assad represents a revolution in the Middle East, by Rajan Menon; Bashar al-Assad will find no peace in Moscow, by Marcel Dirsus; The Syrian crucible, by John Jenkins Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is the Church experiencing an existential crisis? And what is the role of Christianity in modern Britain? Tom Gatti is joined by Pippa Bailey, David Sexton, and Madeleine Davies. Read: Conclave: this papal power struggle is high entertainment Read: The race for Lambeth Palace Read: The rise of cultural Christianity  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hannah Barnes is joined by Will Dunn and Katie Stallard to answer your economics questions AND try to make sense of some big world events this week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former Labour strategist and architect of the Labour missions, Peter Hyman, joins the New Statesman podcast to discuss Keir Starmer’s “plan for change” speech on Thursday. Hyman discusses the difficulties Labour will face in implementing their missions and is scathing about Whitehall, saying resistance from staffers is stifling innovation: “Three permanent secretaries I've heard in the last month have been resisting having outsiders come in to help,” he says.  “I don't blame civil servants, particularly individual civil servants… What I do blame is the system. At the moment, there is a culture that is not geared towards innovation. It is geared to business as usual… a lot of civil servants are incredibly paranoid about taking any risks because they fear they'll be called in front of a select committee.”Read: Starmer’s pledges leave his government exposed, by Rachel Cunliffe; Keir Starmer must remember his mission, by Peter Hyman Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Labour’s white paper on how further devolution might work is due to be released in the next few weeks. It has been reported that the government is considering a reorganisation of local councils including abolishing some councils and replacing them with larger unitary authoritiesHowever, there have been suggestions Labour’s plans to bring power to the people, could actually make it more distant than ever.Kate Lamble is joined by Matthew Engel, Megan Kenyon and Jack Shaw. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Artificial intelligence is fast becoming a part of life.The UK strives to become a global AI superpower.But do we have the talent, skills and regulatory framework to deliver on that?The New Statesman were media partners in a fascinating discussion hosted by 3M with technology and business leaders to explore how Britain can accelerate AI-driven innovation.Chair:Jane WakefieldPanellists:Paul Cardno, Global Digital Innovation Leader, 3MHannah Russell, CEO, British Science AssociationSarah Armstrong, Senior Sales Director - Modern Work and Generative AI, Microsoft EMEAWill Dunn, Business Editor, the New StatesmanThis episode is sponsored by 3M. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Banquet Records, in Kingston South-West London, are probably the most influential record store in the UK right now at helping an artist or a band secure a number one. How did they do it?Tom Gatti is joined by Hannah Barnes to discuss the kingmakers of the UK album charts, and also as December is upon us, how to get a Christmas number one.Read: Kingmakers of the album chartsRead: Forty years ago, Band Aid brought mad excitement to my generation Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wes Streeting is "a man in a hurry".In this episode, recorded in front of a live audience at the Labour party conference, the health secretary discusses his actions in government so far and his plans for NHS reform.Wes Streeting spoke to Hannah White, director of the Institute for Government, for this episode which is sponsored by the Institute for Government. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

They're terrified of the whips - and of their tiny majorities.From a “fresher’s fair” with free sweets to the struggles of finding a place to live, joining parliament is a lot like starting at University - but with the fate of the country in your hands.Andrew Marr and Rachel Cunliffe have been speaking to the new intake of MPs and join Hannah Barnes to answer a listener question on what life is like for new Members of Parliament.Andrew, Hannah and Rachel also answer your questions on how long Labour will be able to “do the unpopular things”.🙋‍♀️ ASK a question: We answer listener questions every Friday. Submit your by commenting here, or at www.newstatesman.com/youaskus💷 SAVE Become a New Statesman subscriber:Get access to all our reporting at newstatesman.com and receive your copy of our weekly magazine. Podcast listeners can get the first two months for just £2 at https://www.newstatesman.com/save📧 FREE get our daily politics emailhttps://morningcall.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

MPs are about to vote on arguably the biggest social change since abortion.***If you enjoyed this, listen to our previous episode, "Is the UK ready for Assisted Dying?"***Listen here: https://pod.fo/e/274d9c--Kim Leadbeater’s private members bill proposing to legalise assisted dying faces a free vote on Friday November 29. In a free vote, MPs are not whipped by their party to vote in a particular way.This means the debate between MPs has taken an unusual course, with seemingly unlikely alliances being formed across party lines.Andrew Marr, Hannah Barnes and Rachel Cunliffe discuss the politics of this extraordinary vote, and the impact it could have on both the UK and Keir Starmer’s Labour government.They also discuss the shock immigration statistics released Thursday, and a petition calling for another general election which has attracted two million signatures.--READBen Walker's must-read analysis of the general election petitionhttps://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2024/11/general-election-petition-should-worry-conservatives-not-labourFREEGet politics news and analysis in your inbox every day with our Morning Call newslettermorningcall.substack.comSAVEPodcast listeners can save 25% on a New Statesman subscription for yourself or a loved onewww.newstatesman.com/pod24 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week, the US and the UK gave permission for long-range missiles to be used by Ukrainian forces against military facilities inside Russia for the first time. In response, Putin announced Russia had fired a new hypersonic intermediate-range missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. Meanwhile the rhetoric from the Russian government and the western media has escalated, but what does this mean in reality for the conflict? And how does all of this fit in with the return of Donald Trump in January?Kate Lamble is joined by Ian Garner, Lawrence Freedman, and Peter Ricketts.Read: The dark reality of Putin’s nuclear rhetoricMedia used: DW, BBC, CBS, Sky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

50 years ago this month the German band Kraftwerk released Autobahn – an album that not only marked a dramatic departure in their sound, but went on to change the entire course of contemporary music. With the title track, a 22-minute ode to the German motorway, Kraftwerk’s founding members Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider forged a modern musical language, using electronics to articulate a new and optimistic vision of the future.To discuss Autobahn’s genesis and enduing legacy Tom Gatti is joined by Jude Rogers, journalist and author of The Sound of Being Human: How Music Shapes Our Lives, and Uwe Schütte, author of Kraftwerk: Future Music from Germany.Read: How Kraftwerk’s Autobahn remade pop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

And what's behind the global "incumbency curse" which has seen so many incumbent leaders ousted in 2024 elections?Hannah Barnes is joined by political editor Andrew Marr, and associate political editor Rachel Cunliffe to answer listener questions.Read Andrew's column: The UK’s broken system makes losers of us all Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andrew Marr pays tribute to "an extraordinary character" - the former Labour deputy Prime Minister and titan of Blair-era New Labour, who died on Thursday.Also, George Eaton interviews the David Lammy in New York.The foreign secretary opened his appearance at the UN security council with a declaration of "shame on Putin". In an interview with George Eaton, Lammy explains why he believes Donald Trump will pursue "peace through strength" rather than giving way to Putin over Ukraine. George joins Hannah Barnes and Andrew Marr to discuss whether this is, in fact, the case.British farmers are protesting against what they see as punitive changes to inheritance tax laws by Rachel Reeves. Will Dunn and Andrew Marr both attended the protests and give their analysis of both the proposed changes and the government's extremely difficult position.READAndrew Marr: Labour will always need a John Prescotthttps://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2024/11/labour-will-always-need-a-john-prescottGeorge's David Lammy interviewhttps://www.newstatesman.com/politics/politics-interview/2024/11/david-lammy-interview-donald-trump-doesnt-want-vladimir-putin-winThe farmer's revolt is coming for Labour, by Will Dunnhttps://www.newstatesman.com/business/economics/2024/11/farmers-revolt-protest-coming-labour-jeremy-clarksonGet our political analysis in your email inbox every weekday morning: sign up to the free Morning Call newsletter: morningcall.substack.comClaim your 25% discount on a subscription to the New Statesman: newstatesman.com/pod24 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2020, Sinn Féin, a left-wing party born out of Ireland’s nationalist movement, claimed victory. At the time Ireland’s two major parties, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, went into coalition with each other, preventing Sinn Fein from forming a government. Sinn Fein’s leader, Mary-Lou McDonald proudly claimed that she would be the first female Taoiseach.Four years later, support for the left-wing has markedly dropped, scandals have surrounded them on both sides of the border, and party political identities have become blurred.But when Ireland heads to the polls next week, what will be at the forefront of voter's minds? And how will issues of economy, housing, and immigration decide trajectory of the country's future?Kate Lamble is joined by Eoin O'Malley, Finn McRedmond, Conor Kelly, and Dan O'Brien. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The author of Orbital says Elon Musk's "individualistic" future is "problematic in all sorts of ways".Samantha Harvey, winner of the 2024 Booker Prize for fiction speaks to Nicholas Harris in this episode of Culture from the New Statesman.She discusses how her novel portrays the politics and powers of the world from orbit, and why the de-orbiting of the ISS marks the end of an era of "peaceful co-operation between nations".📚 READ Nicholas Harris's write up of this conversationhttps://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/2024/11/samantha-harvey-booker-prize-2024-winner-interview-orbital🙋‍♀️ ASKWe answer listener questions every Friday. Submit yours at www.newstatesman.com/youaskus📧 FREEGet our daily politics emailhttps://morningcall.substack.com💷 SAVE Give a loved one a year's subscription to the New Statesman for just £49 https://www.newstatesman.com/pod24 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.