Westminster Insider

POLITICO

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.

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193 episodes
Updated July 3

Episodes193

Newest first

Mar 17, 2023 · 45 min
How to U-turn and get away with it
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 changes of heart.
Mar 10, 2023 · 48 min
Meet Fiona Hill: Inside the collapse of Theresa May’s government
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 May's first government.
Mar 3, 2023 · 52 min
The secrets of TV news
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.
Feb 24, 2023 · 53 min
What's the point of the House of Lords?
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.
Feb 17, 2023 · 58 min
49 days of Liz Truss: The inside story
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 where it happened.
Dec 23, 2022 · 50 min
The year ahead in 49 minutes
For the final episode of the year, host Jack Blanchard looks ahead to the biggest political stories coming down the track in 2023.
Dec 16, 2022 · 57 min
Who really cares what the pundits say?
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 comedian Joe Lycett.
Dec 9, 2022 · 49 min
A very British energy crisis
Host Jack Blanchard speaks to former U.K. energy ministers and policy experts about the chequered history of British energy policy over recent decades — and how the nation was left so vulnerable to Vladimir Putin's energy price war.
Dec 2, 2022 · 53 min
Life in the whips' office
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.
Nov 25, 2022 · 50 min
A boozy dinner with Labour MP Wes Streeting
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 wine at an exclusive Westminster restaurant.
Nov 18, 2022 · 42 min
Did austerity work?
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 still haunting the current debate: the austerity of the early 2010s.
Nov 11, 2022 · 50 min
Great political comebacks
Following Rishi Sunak's unprecedented 50-day turnaround from defeated leadership candidate to U.K. prime minister, Westminster Insider host Jack Blanchard looks back at some of the great political comebacks of our times.
Nov 4, 2022 · 53 min
Who is Rishi Sunak?
Host Ailbhe Rea profiles the U.K.'s new prime minister, with the help of those who know him best.
Oct 28, 2022 · 18 min
SPONSORED CONTENT: Can Britain become an energy exporter?
Sponsored by SSE.
Oct 14, 2022 · 47 min
Trussonomics and the 1972 ‘Dash for Growth’
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 and considers the parallels with Truss' chaotic first month as prime minister.
Oct 7, 2022 · 51 min
Diary of a Tory conference meltdown
Host Ailbhe Rea goes behind the scenes at this week's chaotic Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, with newly-installed leader Liz Truss already on the ropes.
Sep 30, 2022 · 45 min
Meet Laura Kuenssberg: the most famous face in British political journalism
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's flagship Sunday politics show.
Sep 23, 2022 · 44 min
Why we secretly love party conferences
It's time for the weirdest few weeks of the British political calendar: conference season.
Sep 16, 2022 · 44 min
The Queen: The ultimate Westminster Insider
Behind the scenes, the late Queen Elizabeth II was the ultimate Westminster Insider.
Sep 2, 2022 · 42 min
After Boris: What now for the Tories?
With days to go until Boris Johnson’s replacement is announced, host Ailbhe Rea considers whether the Conservatives are now on their way out of office — or whether this is just one more clever shape-shift.