How To Win An Election

Times Radio Politics

The Times brings together some of the most experienced strategists in British politics to discuss what's really going on behind the big stories, and elections taking place here and around the world.

Daniel Finkelstein, Sally Morgan and Polly Mackenzie join Hugo Rifkind for an intelligent, adversarial and witty conversation every week.

Follow the podcast now to never miss an episode.

Send questions, comments and voicenotes to: howtowin@thetimes.co.uk

Executive Producer: Andrew Alexander

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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140 episodes
Updated July 23

Episodes140

Newest first

March 26 · 39 min
How To Shut Down A Political Conspiracy
Sally, Polly, Danny and Hugo discuss the conspiracies swirling around the theft of Morgan McSweeney's mobile phone. How did government work in the pre-smartphone era, when Tony Blair refused to use one? They also explore how political language is evolving (and whether it’s becoming dangerously loose), and imagine what’s more likely - a Lab-Lib coalition or a Tory-Reform alliance. Plus, the team settle a debate you didn't even know existed - chilled vs super-chilled. Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
March 19 · 41 min
How To Run A Shadow Leadership Campaign
Angela Rayner has fired the opening shot in the leadership race to succeed Keir Starmer, warning that Labour is 'running out of time'. We discuss the art of being on manoeuvres without being caught doing it - from Michael Portillo installing the phone lines, to Rishi Sunak's team secretly registering 'readyforrishi.com'. And, will any of the potential candidates - including Angela Rayner, Wes Streeting, Andy Burnham or even John Healey - actually be ready to go if the party suffers a heavy defeat in the local elections in May? We also give (unsolicited) reading suggestions for Keir Starmer: Sally: The Choice Before the Labour Party, RH Tawney Polly: The Man Who Planted Trees, Jean Giono Danny: Get In: The Inside Story of Labour Under Starmer, Patrick Maguire and Gabriel Pogrund Hugo: Guards! Guards! Terry Pratchett Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
March 14 · 19 min
How Starmer Became The Passive Prime Minister
In this special crossover episode with our colleagues at the Times podcast The State Of It, Hugo is joined by Patrick Maguire and Gabriel Pogrund to discuss the new edition of their book Get In: The Inside Story of Labour Under Starmer. Morgan McSweeney was the man credited with rescuing Labour from electoral oblivion and propelling Keir Starmer to power. How did it all go so wrong, and how did Keir Starmer end up running a 'passive premiership'? The paperback edition is available to order at the Times Bookshop where Times Plus members can get a 20% discount. Artwork: Russel Herneman for the Sunday Times Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
March 12 · 40 min
How The Mandelson Files Weigh On The PM
Sally, Polly, Danny and Hugo look at what the Mandelson files say about decision making in Keir Starmer's Downing Street. Is there a comparison with Boris Johnson's handling of the Chris Pincher scandal, which led to Johnson's resignation as prime minister? With Starmer's cost of living agenda in trouble, we ask if lessons can be learned from Edward Heath and the 1973 oil crisis, and from Tony Blair taking on the tanker drivers in the 2000 fuel protests. The team give their ideas for rewiring the nation, including moving Parliament to York and swapping the older person's bus pass for electric bikes. Send your questions, comments and feedback to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
March 5 · 41 min
How Trump's War Is Upending British Politics
We're looking at the implications of the American-Israeli attacks on Iran for British politics - has the prime minister been constrained by a near-religious belief in international law, by cabinet divisions, or by party politics? We also discuss whether the Green Party's bounce in the polls can be sustained, and whether Labour's new migration policy shows the party has made a decisive strategic choice. Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
February 27 · 38 min
How Labour's By-Election Hammering Damages Starmer
The Green Party crushes Labour at the Gorton and Denton by-election, knocking Keir Starmer's party into third place in one of their safest seats. The political masterminds discuss whether the prime minister can find a new strategy to survive, whether the Green Party can replicate the victory across the country, and what the fracturing of the traditional two-party system means for the next General Election. Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
February 19 · 20 min
How Government Responds To Andrew's Arrest
As we assembled the How To Win An Election team to talk about Robert Jenrick, Rupert Lowe and Danny's quest for the point of Ed Davey, news broke that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He denies wrongdoing. Sally, Polly, Danny (and Hugo) look at how the news would have been received in Downing Street, and whether republicanism has a future in British politics. Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
February 12 · 41 min
How To Survive In The Number 10 Bunker
Keir Starmer has seen off the threat to his leadership - for now. What happens inside Downing Street when things get really, really bad for a prime minister? We also discuss whether the Labour Party will swing to the left with Morgan McSweeney's departure, and Zack Polanski's singing at Liberal Democrat conference. Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
February 8 · 17 min
Emergency Episode: McSweeney Resigns
Morgan McSweeney has resigned as Keir Starmer's chief of staff. With Number 10 in survival mode, can the prime minister find a new strategy, and how long will potential leadership challengers wait? Hugo, Danny and Polly respond to the emergency podcast bell and react to the news. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
February 5 · 39 min
How Mandelson's Downfall Threatens Starmer
The Mandelson-Epstein scandal has left Keir Starmer's authority over his party, perhaps his future as prime minister, dangling by a thread. In this week's episode we discuss the huge impact of the downfall of Peter Mandelson - who says he has not acted criminally in any way or acted for financial gain - and we also have a frank discussion about his time on the How To Win An Election team, his political talents and his weaknesses. Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
January 29 · 42 min
How To Go To The Polls - If Labour Ditches Starmer
Danny argues that if Labour wants to ditch Keir Starmer and pick a new leader, his replacement should immediately go to the polls. Have we switched to a presidential system without realising it, and would the party ever actually risk letting Reform into Downing Street? The team also discuss whether No 10's handling of Andy Burnham has parallels with Tony Blair's opposition to Ken Livingstone becoming mayor of London, and Danny's ongoing beef with Reform's Danny Kruger. Send your comments, questions and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
January 22 · 34 min
How To Reshape The Right
This week we're discussing the shape of the right of British politics - are we witnessing a landmark moment in the journey of Reform UK, and is Kemi Badenoch worried the Conservative Party is now seen as less right wing? The political masterminds also consider whether anyone is making political capital from Donald Trump's diplomatic chaos, and whether Ed Davey is offering his MPs thin gruel. Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
January 15 · 50 min
How To Sack Robert Jenrick
Kemi Badenoch has sacked Robert Jenrick, saying he was plotting to defect to Reform UK. Hugo and Danny discuss the return of the Tory psychodrama, and what it means for the future of the right in British politics. Also in this week's episode: Sally, Polly and Danny talk about Lynton Crosby's famous commandment to 'scrape the barnacles off the boat', the death of the party political broadcast, and make some strangely prescient comments about Robert Jenrick's social media. Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to: howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
January 8 · 39 min
How To Get Some Swagger (Like Donald Trump)
Can Keir Starmer learn from Donald Trump and get some swagger? Hugo, Polly and Danny are joined by former Labour strategist Peter Hyman to discuss whether the government can stop looking anxious, and whether the prime minister is right to keep talking about the next election as a straight fight with Reform UK. We also look at whether Nigel Farage is right to say he'd return PMQs to twice-weekly, and has Polly always been known as Policy Mackenzie? Send your questions, voicenotes and comments to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 18, 2025 · 42 min
How To Predict Whether Starmer Will Survive 2026
What are the chances that the elections in May 2026 in Scotland, Wales and England will lead to a leadership challenge against Keir Starmer? That's one of the questions answered by the political masterminds in our Christmas episode. We also find out about their favourite political memorabilia, why the parties import advisers from America and Australia, and whether we've been stuck in a political timewarp since 2019. Send questions, comments and voicenotes to: howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 11, 2025 · 54 min
How... The Elections Were Won And Lost: Nick Clegg
We're joined by former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg for the latest in our series looking at how the most significant elections in our lifetimes were won, and how they were lost. He takes us inside the 2010 Liberal Democrat campaign - from the first TV leaders' debate in British history, to Cleggmania and 'bigotgate' - ending in the first hung parliament since the 1970s and the frenzied days of negotiation that led to the coalition government. Send your comments, questions and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 4, 2025 · 40 min
How Labour Could Reverse Brexit
The prime minister has been increasingly critical of Brexit this week, and says he wants a closer relationship with the EU - without rejoining key parts of the club. But will Labour inevitably have to go further, and if they do will they be falling into a Reform UK trap? We also discuss the role of the Downing Street 'maverick genius' - and what that's got to do with My Little Pony. Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nov 27, 2025 · 38 min
How To Survive A Tax-Raising Budget
Was the Budget aimed at short-term political survival, or did it form part of a coherent electoral strategy? Sally, Polly, Danny (and Hugo) discuss Rachel Reeves' statement - does it make it more likely that she and the prime minister will stay in their jobs, but more likely to lose the next election? What could she have learned from Gordon Brown's budgets? And does Kemi Badenoch's success in the Commons chamber mean anything in the world outside? Send your questions, comment, voicenotes and weird food suggestions for Polly to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nov 20, 2025 · 38 min
How To Make Your MPs Like You
Can Keir Starmer persuade his backbenchers to back his tough new migration reforms - and stop them openly plotting his downfall? We discuss how prime ministers have tried to keep their MPs on side, Alex Ferguson's advice for Tony Blair, and whether Andy Burnham could be heading back to Westminster (via Norfolk). Send your comments, questions and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nov 13, 2025 · 38 min
How To Plot Against A Prime Minister
Keir Starmer has vowed to fight any plot to oust him - but has Downing Street's briefing operation against the plotters actually made his downfall more likely? Sally, Pollly, Danny and Hugo discuss the prime minister's survival, and look at past plots that have succeeded - and those that haven't. From the curry house conspiracy against Tony Blair to doomed attempts to bring down David Cameron and Nick Clegg, how do they compare with the civil war in the Labour Party? Send your comments, questions and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.