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Westminster Insider

Westminster Insider

By: POLITICO
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 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.POLITICO Political Science Politics & Government Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Inside Party Conference: Where next for the Tories?

    Inside Party Conference: Where next for the Tories?
    Oct 10 2025
    With dire poll ratings and Reform UK in the ascendancy, Kemi Badenoch’s well-received speech at party conference provided a rare moment of optimism for the Conservatives. But where are they headed next? Host Patrick Baker has been behind-the-scenes of Conservative Party conference in Manchester, on a mission to find out. From the control center – A.K.A. the Politico Pub at the heart of the conference arena – Patrick challenges Shadow Housing Secretary James Cleverly on whether the party’s new hardline immigration policies represent a shift away from moderate, center-ground conservatism. Members of the old guard, ex-cabinet ministers Penny Mordaunt, Grant Shapps and Robert Buckland, share their views on how the Tories can win back a sceptical electorate. POLITICO’s Annabelle Dickson joins Patrick for a conversation about what Conservatives on the ground are saying about the party’s future. Kemi Badenoch pays a visit to the pub, where her pint-pulling skills are put to the test and assessed in real time by POLITICO’s Emilio Casalicchio. Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride sits down with Patrick to explain why he’s confident the Tories can win back trust on the economy and how the party can avoid becoming Reform-lite. Patrick tours the conference gatherings to see how the party faithful are warming to the man many believe wants to succeed Kemi Badenoch next May, Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick. And Tory grandee Michael Heseltine expresses fears that his party is paying too much attention to Nigel Farage at the expense of the wider electorate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    36 mins
  • Postcard from Liverpool: is Starmerism over already?

    Postcard from Liverpool: is Starmerism over already?
    Oct 3 2025
    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 for Keir Starmer's ideology – once dubbed "Starmerism". She tracks down Andy Burnham as the threat of a leadership challenge from the Manchester Mayor fades into the distance. And she speaks to Lucy Powell as she runs to be deputy leader of the Labour Party. Outside the POLITICO Pub, Sascha interviews Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy about what he thinks Starmerism means. And Sascha speaks to head of policy at Labour Together Morgan Wild and former senior advisor to the Prime Minister Peter Hyman about why finding a philosophical direction for the party is so important. Financial Times journalist Stephen Bush and Labour MP Alistair Strathern give Sascha their analysis on the all-important speech from the Prime Minister – and what it says about the future of Keir Starmer's Labour Party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    39 mins
  • What do Gen Z want?

    What do Gen Z want?
    Sep 26 2025
    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 corruption and nepotism. The uprising, led by online influencers harnessing the power of AI and Tik Tok, has sent shockwaves through South Asia. So, this week on Westminster Insider, host Patrick Baker decides it’s time to look at U.K. politics through the eyes of Gen Z — generally regarded as those born between 1997 and 2012. Luke Tryl, UK director of polling company More in Common, sheds light on the concerns of a generation that has only ever known constant crisis — from the 2008 financial crash to Brexit paralysis and then the Covid-19 pandemic. A Gen Z focus group describes what matters to them, and which political parties are grabbing their attention. Gen Z MPs — Sam Carling, the Labour MP known as the ‘Baby of the House’, Keir Mather, who recently became the youngest Government minister in 200 years, and Lib Dem MP Joshua Reynolds — set out their plans to restore their generation’s faith in mainstream Westminster politics. ‘Your Party’ co-leader Zarah Sultana, which has polled well with young people, speaks to Patrick at a grassroots party meeting in North London, where we hear from Gen Z about their hopes for the future, and why they still back Jeremy Corbyn. With a big increase in Gen Z men voting for Reform UK, Owain Clatworthy, a 21-year-old Reform UK councillor in Bridgend in Wales, explains why he stood for Nigel Farage’s right-wing populist party at such a young age. And following the recent killing of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk on a U.S.college campus, Patrick attends his memorial in London to speak to young men inspired by Kirk’s ultra-conservative brand of right-wing politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    46 mins
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