The New Statesman Podcast, Subscriber Only Edition

Eric Schlosser is one of America's foremost investigative journalists, writing about everything from the prison system to nuclear weapons, exploring the hidden systems underpinning modern life.   25 years ago, he set out to investigate the economic model behind one of America's most recognisable industries: a system built on low-paid workers, dangerous conditions and the exploitation of migrant labour.   He joins Oli Dugmore to discuss America's complicated relationship with McDonald's, the rise of fast food as both a cultural symbol and an economic system, and how Britain seeks to replicate this.  

Over 80 MPs are calling for Keir Starmer's resignation, reaching the threshold required for a contender to mount a leadership challenge, with ministers - including Jess Philips - resigning from government too.   After a high stakes meeting this morning, several cabinet members voiced their support for the Prime Minister, as he defiantly vowed to "get on with governing".   Will the Prime Minister survive the week?

Keir Starmer has pledged to "prove the doubters wrong" as he tries to head off a leadership challenge after the disastrous local election results last week.   Fighting for his political life, the PM announced plans for stronger ties with the EU, powers to nationalise British steel and a scheme to help young people find work. But will it be enough?   Many of his own party don't seem to think so, with his former Deputy PM Angela Rayner calling for Andy Burnham to come back to Parliament.   Backbench MP Catherine West even threatened to mount a leadership challenge against Starmer, but has now backed down and called on him to go by September.

Spies - and stories about spies - are one of Britain's greatest cultural exports. From Ian Fleming's James Bond, to the works of John le Carré and Graham Greene, it seems that in the world's eyes there is something quintessentially English about the double agent and his, or her, deadly deceptions.  Novelist and screenwriter William Boyd shares this fascination. He first explored the theme of espionage in his 2002 novel Any Human Heart and went on to pen a James Bond continuation novel called Solo. His latest trilogy explores what happens when a travel writer becomes entangled in Cold War Espionage. He joins culture editor Tanjil Rashid.  

Results from the local and devolved are coming in. It has been, as many expected, a disappointing result for the Labour Party. Meanwhile, the insurgent parties, the Green Party to an extent, but especially Reform, have delivered on their promise of snowballing momentum. Anoosh Chakelian is joined by senior data journalist Ben Walker, political editor Ailbhe Rea and editor-in-chief Tom McTague. READ: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/may-2026/2026/05/live-results-map-wales-scotland-and-local-elections

The UK is gearing up for local and devolved elections on Thursday.   As Keir Starmer looks increasingly isolated as Prime Minister, much is being made of a potentially disastrous few days for the Labour Party. If results go as badly for Labour as some are predicting, this could be the end for the PM.   Meanwhile, the insurgent Reform and Green parties are looking to continue their surging momentum.

Rather than a relic of the past, Mary Beard sees the classical world as a powerful tool for understanding the present. It's an idea she has explored in over twenty books on ancient history and numerous documentaries on the BBC and elsewhere, all of which have made her Britain's best known classicist. She joins culture editor Tanjil Rashid in the studio.

Crowds of young people chant his name but the Green leader is "nervous", says Ailbhe Rea. -- A year ago, Zack Polanksi was relatively unknown. Now, he's leading an "eco-populist" movement that has revitalised the Green Party and looks likely to propel a left-wing surge in the May local elections. Ailbhe Rea profiled the Green leader for the New Statesman, meeting him shortly after he'd been addressing young activists. She found a "sweet, slightly nervous" man who admits he still has much to learn about running a political party. Here Ailbhe speaks to Anoosh Chakelian about Zack Polanski's political position, his unusual background, and the lessons he might learn from Jeremy Corbyn.   LISTEN NEXT: Attacks on Jews are an indictment of Keir Starmer's Britain   READ: Zack Polanski is still learning

Parliament boozers, Morgan McSweeney vs Emily Thornberry, and King Charles' stand-up routine.   Will and Anoosh discuss another big week.

For decades, James Baldwin has stood as one of the most piercing moral voices of the 20th century, But Baldwin himself has remained, in his own words, elusive.   A new biography by Nicholas Boggs - Baldwin: A Love Story - sets out to change that.   Drawing on newly uncovered archives and decades of research, Boggs reframes Baldwin's life through an intimate and sometimes unsettling lens: love.   Luke O'Reilly sits down with Nicholas Boggs to discuss Baldwin's loves and contradictions, the relationship between intimacy and politics, and why Baldwin's insistence that "love is the only reality" might matter more now than ever.

"It makes me furious," says New Statesman editor Tom McTague. An attack in Golders Green, London, yet again exposes the rise of antisemitism in Britain. Anoosh Chakelian has been reporting from the borough, where local Jews fear for their safety, volunteer security guards patrol the streets and Jewish children have to pass through heavy security cordons to get to school. She tells editor Tom McTague about what she found. Meanwhile, the rise of anti-Jewish hate is putting more pressure on a government still mired in the Peter Mandelson scandal. The Prime Minister has become deeply unpopular, the Iran War continues, and local elections loom. Westminster has concluded Keir Starmer has two options: fight or flight. The New Statesman's political editor, Ailbhe Rea, says the Prime Minister has made a decision and raised his fists.    READ: Terror in Golders Green, by Anoosh Chakelian https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/society/2026/04/terror-in-suburbia We are under attack, by Rachel Cunliffe https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/society/2026/04/we-are-under-attack  

In 2011, Ben Lerner stormed onto the scene with his debut novel, Leaving the Atocha Station, a winning blend of low comedy and high art. He has since firmly established himself as one of America's most acclaimed novelists and is a leading voice in so-called autofiction. Now he returns with his fourth novel, and it may be his most profound yet.    In Transcription, Lerner turns his mind to the nature of art, and of ageing. It's a novel about generations, of growing children, and dying forebears, and the way the secrets and gifts of life and art move from one era to the next.    It's also a novel about technology, and our increasing reliance on it, the way it shapes our speech, our thoughts, our memories and even our conceptions of ourselves.   In this episode, Tanjil Rashid sits down with Ben Lerner to talk about how we record our conversations, why novels may matter even more in the age of AI, and - in his words - the bankruptcy of political speech.

The inevitability of the Peter Mandelson scandal, Jacob Rees-Mogg's live show, and the rising cost of condoms… Will Dunn and Anoosh Chakelian round up the stories of the week. READ: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2026/04/whos-afraid-of-olly-robbins https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/the-sketch/2026/04/jacob-rees-mogg-relishes-the-limelight  

The Resistible rise of Arturo Ui, Bertolt Brecht's darkly comic allegory of authoritarianism is a play that straddles past and present. Written in 1941, it was conceived as a warning; a grotesque gangster-inflected retelling of the rise of Adolf Hitler. It holds out the warning that such a rise is not, in fact, inevitable – it can be resisted.   In a new production, Mark Gatiss steps into the role of Arturo Ui, a character who is at once absurd, ridiculous, sinister, and terrifying. It's a part that delicately walks the tightrope between satire and menace.   So how does a play rooted in 20th century politics land in Britain today? What does it mean to stage breath in an era saturated with political performance and media spectacle? And can satire still function as a warning rather than just a mirror?   Tanjil Rashid speaks with Mark Gatiss in this fascinating and wide-ranging interview.

The Mandelson affair has become less about Peter Mandelson's alleged wrongdoing, and all about Keir Starmer's ability to run the country. This week Olly Robbins, former chief civil servant at the Foreign Office, insisted the Prime Minister pressured him into clearing Peter Mandelson for the US ambassador post. Yesterday, Starmer was forced to admit his former spin doctor Matthew Doyle, who was suspended from the Labour Party over campaigning for a convicted child sex offender, was also considered for a diplomatic role.  Labour MPs and even cabinet ministers no longer seem able to defend the Prime Minister. But the frontrunners to replace Starmer are also, according to reporting by our editor Tom McTague, biding their time. How long can they wait? How long can the country wait? Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Tom McTague in the studio. READ: Keir Starmer is all alone https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/labour/2026/04/keir-starmer-is-all-alone

Anthony Seldon, historian, educator and one of Britain's leading political biographers, has been for a long walk.   His new book, The Path of Light, recounts his extraordinary 1300 kilometre passage to Auschwitz.   Tracing stories of courage, resistance and moral clarity across a continent once consumed by darkness - it's a journey that speaks not only to the past, but powerfully to the world we're living in today.    Anthony joins Tom McTague to discuss his journey, as well as his biographer's perspective on Britain's recent Prime Ministers.

Does Keir Starmer deserve more credit for keeping us out of a third Gulf war? Is Farage's relationship with Trump hurting Reform's polling? And who are the bright young things in British politics?   Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Tom McTague and Ailbhe Rea to answer your questions.

Criticism of Labour's response to the global threat, Trump's AI Jesus and parliament's "summer of sex". Will Dunn and Anoosh Chakelian round up this week's stories. Any suggestions for next week's categories, please comment below. 📚 READ: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/the-sketch/2026/04/at-a-defence-conference-tech-execs-haggle-over-reducing-the-cost-to-kill

Or has the term lost its meaning?   It's a label that's everywhere now: used by political commentators, thrown around on social media, and increasingly a part of everyday conversation. In recent months it's been used to describe matters including Indian cricket, Sainsbury's use of facial recognition, the 'Dubai Dream'.   But what did George Orwell actually warn us about, and how closely does our modern world resemble it?   Nick Harris speaks to acclaimed Haitian filmmaker Raoul Peck, whose latest film Orwell: 2+2=5 revisits Orwell not as a distant, dystopian novelist, but as a deeply political thinker, shaped by his own life experience: his birth in colonial India, his immersion in the working class, his wartime fight against fascism.

For years, we have wrung our hands about the manosphere: the misogynist influencers like Andrew Tate exploiting a generation of disillusioned and impressionable lost boys. But what about radicalised young women? New, exclusive polling for the New Statesman has uncovered a huge difference in the political, economic and social outlook of women and men under 30 in Britain, created largely by women turning to the left.  Should we be worried about the "femmosphere"? Joining me to discuss is Scarlett Maguire, founder and director of polling and research company Merlin Strategy, and our online editor Emily Lawford, whose brilliant report about this phenomenon will be out in this week's issue of the New Statesman. Meet the Angry Young Women https://www.newstatesman.com/cover-story/2026/04/meet-the-angry-young-women-why-young-women-dont-want-to-date-me  Revealed: the new radicalism among young women https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/polling/2026/04/revealed-the-new-radicalism-among-young-women

Fatima Bhutto was born into exile - and into one of the most powerful political dynasties in South Asia.   Her life has been shaped by both privilege and profound personal tragedy.   Born in Afghanistan, she spent her early years displaced, after her grandfather, former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was executed under General Zia-ul-Haq's military regime.   Her childhood was marked by instability and violence. Her father, Murtaza Bhutto, became involved in militant activism linked to acts including a political assassination and a plane hijacking.   When the family returned to Pakistan, tensions deepened. Though it was his own sister Benazir Bhutto in power, Murtaza was killed in a police encounter - a death that Fatima has long held her aunt responsible for.   In 2007, Benazir Bhutto herself was assassinated.   Today, the Bhutto name still carries political weight in Pakistan. Her uncle is currently the president. But Fatima Bhutto has chosen a different path, as a writer - exploring her family's turbulent history as well as the emerging popular culture of the global south, and moving between memoir, fiction, and reportage. Now, she returns with her most personal story yet...

Last night, the Artemis II crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after a 10-day mission to space and a lunar flyby. The voyage, which included the first woman and a non-US citizen to take part in a lunar mission, is part of a program to place humans once again on the Moon by 2028, a return after 56 years apart.   But why do we bother? Where does this fascination come from?   Can the moon teach us something about ourselves? Is it a hunger for something different?   Tanjil Rashid is joined by Rebecca Boyle, science writer and author of Our Moon: A Human History.

AI is embedded in the machinery of the British state: drafting legislation, shaping spending decisions, informing interest rate policy and writing speeches delivered in parliament.   Has Britain handed over political power without ever really deciding to, and without fully understanding to whom?   Tom McTague is joined by Will Dunn to discuss.

For decades, George Saunders was known for his short stories. In 2013, in a Time Magazine 100 most influential people listing, he was described as "the best short-story writer in English".   In 2017, he released his first novel, Lincoln in the Bardo, a reimagining of President Abraham Lincoln's grief in the aftermath of his son Willie's death. It's a genre-defying piece of literature, narrated by no less than 166 ghosts.    The bardo is a concept borrowed from Saunders ' adopted faith, Buddhism—an "intermediate state" between death and reincarnation.   In his latest novel, Vigil, Saunders returns to the in-between - this time through a dying oil barron, grappling with his morality at the 11th hour in a burning world.   Tanjil Rashid sat down with George Saunders to discuss faith: in his writing, as a means of optimism, and as a political weapon in today's world.

It's almost impossible to separate how we think about modern life from the phenomenon that is capitalism, and to think, what would life look like without it? Tanjil Rashid is joined by Sven Beckert, Professor of History at Harvard University and author of Capitalism: A Global History, to trace the long emergence of capitalism, and to ask what the world looked like before it took hold.

The pollution of Britain's waterways is well known, but the full extent of the carelessness and vandalism of Britain's biggest water company, Thames Water, is a catalogue of wrongdoing on an industrial scale.   Will Dunn speaks to the MP with the dubious honour of representing the constituency that is worst affected by sewage spills - Liberal Democrat MP, Charlie Maynard.

As the war in Iran enters its second month, President Trump has delivered a prime time address promising, simultaneously, that the conflict will be over "very shortly" and that the United States is preparing to hit Iran "extremely hard". Thousands more US troops have arrived in the region in recent days, including a marine expeditionary unit as the president is reportedly weighing options for a potential ground assault, such as an attempt to seize the Iranian oil export hub on Kharg Island, which Trump has said the US could take  "very easily." But what options does the President actually have and what would be involved in an attempt to forcibly re-open the strait of Hormuz?  Katie Stallard is joined by Ruben Stewart, senior fellow for land warfare at the IISS think tank and a former infantry officer and UN peacekeeper.  

Keir Starmer delivered one of his routine updates on the war in Iran in a press conference from Number 10 this morning - but this one was a little meatier than usual.   Will Lloyd is joined by Ailbhe Rea to discuss

Last week Yanis Varoufakis, the former Greek finance minister and darling of the European left, turned 65.   He celebrated his birthday on stage in London, gathering figures from across the left together. Zack Polanski was there, so was Jeremy Corbyn.   Varoufakis' mission? To explore what resistance means today across the left.   In this episode of The Exchange Oli Dugmore sits down with Varoufakis to speak about resistance, his childhood in a fascist dictatorship, how this shaped him, whether he uses that word to describe the climate today, and the strategic importance of Cyprus for the war in the Middle East - for Britian, the US, Israel, Iran, Greece and Turkey.

Green Party support is surging after its by-election victory in Gorton and Denton last month.   But is Zack Polanski's party leaving its environmental principles behind?    Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Megan Kenyon to discuss.

As ministers and backbenchers criticise Shabana Mahmood's immigration plans, is Labour about to water them down? And what is behind the splits over the policy? Anoosh Chakelian and Ailbhe Rea go behind the scenes of Labour's battle over immigration reform.

Morgan McSweeney's stolen phone, Kemi Badenoch's council tax claims and the UAE defence attache, Group Captain Sandy Sandilands.    Will Dunn and Anoosh Chakelian round up their stories of the week.

Michael Pollan, a writer best known for his work on the effect of psychedelics, has taken a journey into the inner mind.   For much of modern history, we've understood the mind in comparison to our most advanced machines. Once it was clockwork, then looms, now computers. Each metaphor promises clarity - the ability to be mapped and modelled - but each, in its own way, falls short.   Drawing on philosophy, literature and his own experiments with altered states, in Michael Pollan takes aim at this habit of thinking.    

What does the Instagram and YouTube verdict mean for the UK's proposed social media ban?   A California jury has found Meta and Google liable in a case that accused them of building intentionally addictive platforms.   Here in the UK, the government is consulting on whether to ban children from using social media. Australia and Spain have already implemented similar bans, and France has backed a ban for under-15s.   So, are the social media giants facing a reckoning? And should the government intervene in our kids' social media use?   Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Hannah Barnes.

Ed Miliband, everyone would agree, is a central part of the Labour government. The ex-Labour leader is a hugely popular figure within the party.   Is his power and influence greater than we realise?   Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Will Lloyd to discuss.

Since leaving politics, Rory Stewart has become one of Britain's most prominent political commentators.   In this episode, the former diplomat and cabinet minister reflects on his upbringing, his unconventional path into politics, and what he learned from Westminster. He also discusses the Middle East, arguing that Western countries continue to misunderstand the region's history and dynamics.   The conversation turns to Britain, including growing intolerance towards Muslims and how that shapes political debate. Finally, Stewart shares his view on why Westminster often feels disconnected from the public and what needs to change.

Donald Trump is grappling with the consequences of staging a military intervention in Iran without a clear plan. Modern conflicts are often driven less by coherent national interest than by the instincts and ambitions of powerful leaders. From the Strait of Hormuz, to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, to the tension between China and Taiwan - miscalculation, overconfidence, and the enduring unpredictability of war are reshaping global power.  Katie Stallard is joined by Philips O'Brien, American historian and professor of strategic studies at the University of St Andrews.

Earlier this month, a meningitis outbreak in Canterbury, Kent, led to the tragic death of two young people. So far there have been 29 confirmed or suspected cases in total. It's thought that a "super-spreader" event at a nightclub is the source of the outbreak. Since then, there has been a mass rollout of vaccines for Meningitis B and preventative antibiotics. Thousands of students and contacts have been treated. Cases now appear to be slowing or stabilising, however, some questions have been raised over the speed of the response from the government.  Post-Covid, fear amongst the public of the spread of infectious diseases is heightened. This meningitis outbreak has served as a test, not just of public health response and communication, but of how the public understands risk in a post-pandemic Britain.  Anoosh Chakelian is joined by investigations editor, Hannah Barnes. READ: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/health/2026/03/was-kent-prepared-for-meningitis  

Anoosh and Will are back with this week's round up of the politics stories you might have missed. This week: Housing Secretary Steve Reed has the perfect opportunity to "build, baby, build" Misinformation powerhouse InfoWars is officially over - just like the Metaverse Pete Hegseth seems to encourage the US army to commit war crimes Rachel Reeves takes a gamble on building "an army of Burnhams" READ: Anoosh's Thomas Hetherwick interview Will's sketch on Pete Hegseth - "the boss of tough men in hot places"    

In 2025, Elon Musk took on an extraordinary role inside Washington, leading something called the Department of Government Efficiency - or Doge.   What followed was a radical experiment: an attempt to remake the machinery of the state using the logic of Silicon Valley and the language of memes.   To understand that moment, it helps to understand Musk himself. This is a figure shaped by his upbringing in apartheid South Africa and by coming of age alongside the early internet. He built his reputation by disrupting entire industries -  even extending his reach beyond Earth -  by moving fast, ignoring convention, and pushing his teams to extremes.   So what happens when you apply that philosophy to the state?   Tanjil Rashid is joined by Ben Tarnoff and Quinn Slobodian.

Angela Rayner has called Shabana Mahmood's immigration plans un-British. Is this the beginning of the dilution of these reforms and even of a leadership campaign?   Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Ailbhe Rea to discuss.

At the beginning of this year, Keir Starmer vowed to bring down the cost of living.  But as other PMs learned before him, this is often out of the government's control. The Iran war is threatening to ruin his strategy and Starmer now finds himself in a bind. Anoosh Chakelian is joined by political editor, Ailbhe Rea. READ: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2026/03/keir-starmer-is-struggling-to-keep-his-new-years-resolution

When Amia Srinivasan published The Right to Sex: Feminism in the Twenty-First Century in 2021, it sparked widespread debate about the politics of desire, consent, and sexual justice.   In this episode of The Exchange, the Oxford academic joins Tanjil Rashid to discuss how philosophy can illuminate some of the most contentious questions in contemporary culture: from incels and pornography to whether our desires are shaped by society.   Find more from Amia Srinivasan here

The Treasury Select Committee has announced an inquiry into Student Loans. It comes after Rachel Reeves announced a freeze on repayment thresholds meaning more graduates will start repaying once they earn just over the living wage. It's an issue that doesn't just affect today's students and graduates but is increasingly becoming a political issue the government cannot ignore. Tom McTague is joined by Rachel Cunliffe to discuss what the inquiry might achieve - and what the student loans issue means for graduates, the economy and Britain's future.

Yesterday, Keir Starmer met Volodymyr Zelensky to sign a new defense partnership. The Ukrainian President said he faced a missile shortage due to the war in Iran and Keir Starmer resolved to remain focused on the fight against Russia.  But is the war in Eastern Europe only the first act of a much wider conflict? Oli Dugmore is joined by Will Lloyd, who visited Ukraine last month.  Read: https://www.newstatesman.com/international-content/2026/03/the-new-world-war

Oil prices have spiked following the outbreak of war in Iran, with crude oil jumping to over £75 a barrel. This is having a huge impact around the world, and is set to get worse. Megan Gibson is joined by Rory Johnston, oil market researcher and author of the Commodity Context newsletter, who argues that this scenario could lead to a global depression.  

Hereditary peers scrapped, tech overlord villainy, Tory hypocrisy and camel pageant botox cheating.   It's another weekly round up from Anoosh Chakelian and Will Dunn.

Despite KPop Demon Hunters becoming Netflix's most-watched film in history and dominating music charts for months, it's also the kind of cultural phenomenon many people might never have encountered.   The animated musical feature has been cleaning up at awards season and this weekend it could pick up two Oscars.   In this episode of the New Society, we discuss how the film became a global hit and the rise of K-pop and fandom culture.

Keir Starmer apologised for appointing Peter Mandelson as US ambassador. Is it enough? After a vote by MPs forced its hand, the government has released the first batch of files relating to Mandelson's appointment. They revealed that the Prime Minister was told the Labour peer posed a "reputational risk" because of his relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and that his national security adviser raised concerns about the appointment. The so-called "Mandelson files" also exposed a number of facts about the vetting process that were already reported by the New Statesman in February and have angered Labour MPs all over again, and prompted further calls for Keir Starmer's resignation. Will the Prime Minister go? Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Rachel Cunliffe - who has read through every word of the files - do discuss what they contain, what they reveal, and what Keir Starmer must do now. 📚 READ Starmer, Mandelson and the missing puzzle piece

Is the UK going through the "fourth great disruption" to its geopolitical position? In this unprecedented moment, we take a look at how history can shed light on the current conflict, and which politician is best placed to handle the crisis.  Editor-in-chief Tom McTague is joined by John Bew, professor of history at King's College London and former foreign policy adviser to four different British governments, and our political editor Ailbhe Rea.