As we head towards Christmas and look back at the political year, this week's episode features the author of the most explosive and controversial political book of 2025, Ungovernable, the diaries of the former Chief Whip Simon Hart.
Now known as Lord Hart of Tenby having been promoted to the House of Lords, he drew criticism from his own former colleagues after lifting the lid on his time inside the Whips office during the dying days of the Conservative government.
He spoke to host Alain Tolhurst about the anger he faced for breaking the omerta of the whipping system, what the Labour government can learn from his time in office, and insights from a new political life in the upper chamber and in opposition.
Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot
With more leadership speculation swirling around Keir Starmer and claims he is seen as a ‘caretaker Prime Minister’, this week the podcast takes a look at things from the other end of the telescope; asking how do you protect the person in charge if you’re working inside Number 10? What can you do to defend your principal and neutralise any threats they face?
Well to answer that three people who worked at the coalface in different Downing Street administrations and faced a litany of internal threats join host Alain Tolhurst. First up is Beatrice Timpson, who was deputy press secretary to two prime ministers, Liz Truss and then Rishi Sunak, and is now a director at Sanctuary Counsel.
Alongside her is Guto Harri, who was Downing Street Director of Communications in the final year of Boris Johnson’s premiership, and also Paul Harrison, press secretary to Johnson’s predecessor Theresa May for three years, and now an Executive Director at Lexington.
Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot
This week Britain’s newest party - Your Party - finally got going in earnest, after a difficult birth to say the least. Over the past few months since its unexpected launch there have been legal threats , accusations of misogyny, boycotts, expulsions, resignations, and at the heart of it all acrimony between its two leading figures; Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, and that’s all before they’d even held a conference to decide on a permanent name and leadership structure.
But last weekend several thousand members put all that aside, well mostly, to meet in Liverpool, and both The House magazine's deputy editor Sienna Rogers, and PolHome reporter Tom Scotson, were up there to cover it. They join host Alain Tolhurst to talk it all over, and discuss where the party goes now, alongside Andrew Fisher, director of policy for the Labour Party under Corbyn.
Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot
After another momentous tax-raising fiscal event from Rachel Reeves, this week we’re running the rule over the 2025 Budget, with its further freezes to tax thresholds, the scrapping of the two-child limit on benefits, reforms to savings, pensions and ISAs, as well motoring and property taxes, and a host of cost-of-living measures too.
Oh and the fact the whole thing was leaked by the OBR half an hour before the Chancellor stood up in the Commons to deliver the thing...
To discuss all that and much more on this bumper episode we’re going to hear from the Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride, Treasury minister Lucy Rigby, economists James Smith from the Resolution Foundation and Carsten Jung from the IPPR think tanks, as well as Labour MP Yuan Yang, who sits on the Treasury select committee.
Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot
As Reform UK continue to top the polls, this week we’re looking at why so many voters are turning away from the two main parties and looking in Nigel Farage’s direction, and what they need to do to convert the curious into an election-winning majority.
So PoliticsHome has teamed up once again with the polling and strategy gurus at Thinks Insight, who have conducted focus groups with a host of Labour and Conservative voters thinking of backing Reform next time round, asking why they are ditching their previous party.
So to help host Alain Tolhurst assess the results of this work and look at how and why the political landscape of the UK is changing, he is joined by Allie Jennings, director at Thinks, along with leading academic Paula Surridge, Professor of Political Sociology at Bristol University, and PolHome editor Adam Payne.
Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot
As the Budget finally looms into view, this week the panel takes a look at one of the potential tax reforms suggested to Chancellors year-in, year-out, that could transform the Treasury coffers, but is one that this government, and every previous one stretching back decades, has refused to touch - council tax.
While economists and tax experts all agree it is an unfair, outdated and regressive levy, nobody has the political will to change it, so to look at why that is, and what it could be replaced with, host Alain Tolhurst is joined by Labour MP Jonathan Brash, chair of the APPG on council tax, along with Dan Neidle, founder of Tax Policy Associates, and two members of the Treasury select committee - Conservative former minister Harriett Baldwin, and Labour’s Catherine West.
Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot
There is a crisis in higher education, as financial woes threaten the UK’s world-renowned university sector, with dozens of institutions in serious financial difficulties with fears of cuts, closures and collapse.
Joining host Alain Tolhurst to discuss what is causing such strain on universities, how it can be solved, and what may happen if it doesn’t, are the former universities minister, Conservative peer Lord Jo Johnson, as well as Vivienne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK, Jess Lister, director at the strategy consultancy Public First, as well as Sarah Stevens, director of strategy at The Russell Group of leading universities, and Matilda Martin, reporter at PolHome.
Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot
With the Autumn Budget looming, this week The Rundown takes a look at one of the key players in shaping the government’s fiscal policy, but one that we know little about.
The forecast on the future health of the British economy delivered to Rachel Reeves by the Office for Budget Responsibility will have more impact on shaping what the Chancellor announces next month than almost anything else, but who are the unelected panjandrums who sit on the independent body known as the OBR, how reliable are their economic estimations, and why do they hold so much sway over the Treasury?
Joining host Alain Tolhurst to discuss whether the OBR really runs Britain, and if it needs reform, or perhaps abolition all together as some have suggested, is the Conservative former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, and Ben Zaranko, associate director at the think tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies, and Jeevun Sandher, a Labour MP and former member of the Treasury Select Committee.
Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot
As the storms roll in and all memories of summer recede, for the health service this only means one thing; the start of the annual winter pressures faced by the NHS.
After record waits in A&E last year, sharp increases in corridor care and waiting lists spiralling further beyond long-missed targets, this week host Alain Tolhurst looks at what the government is doing to prevent another crisis this winter.
Joining him are Helen Morgan, Liberal Democrat MP and her party’s spokesman on health and social care, along with Rosie Beacon, research manager and head of health at the Re:State think tank, and Siva Anandaciva, director of policy at the King’s Fund, a health sector charity.
Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot
After the collapse of the Chinese spying case, host Alain Tolhurst looks at the state of the Anglo-Sino relationship, how it has evolved over the years, where UK-China relations are now under this current government, and what should be done to improve them.
On the panel are Tony Vaughan, Labour MP for Folkestone and Hythe, and chair of the all-party parliamentary group on China, along with Mark Field, former minister for Asia and author of The End of an Era: The Decline and Fall of the Tory Party, with Dr Kerry Brown, Professor of Chinese Studies and director of the Lau China Institute at Kings College London, and Luke de Pulford, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China.
Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot
Something a little bit different again this week, as host Alain Tolhurst and the PolHome team head up to Manchester for the Conservative Party’s annual conference, and return with a despatch from the four-day event, finding out what the mood is like among the Tories as they settle into the slog of opposition.
Featuring MPs, pollsters and academics, including Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride, Shadow Housing Secretary James Cleverly, shadow transport minister Greg Smith, pollsters Allie Jennings from ThinksInsight and Patrick English from YouGov, politics professor Rob Ford, and economist Tom Pope from the Institute for Government, they assess whether there is still life left in the party, what their plan is to get back into office, and whether it will be Kemi Badenoch who tries to lead them there...
Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot
This week's episode is a little different, as listeners are taken deep within Labour’s annual party conference, giving you the inside track on how things unfolded in Liverpool over the past few days, from Andy Burnham's leadership challenge, Cabinet ministers taking on Nigel Farage, as well as the less serious moments such as a charity rugby league game and the infamous Mirror party on the final night.
Host Alain Tolhurst spoke to a number of MPs, including transport minister Keir Mather, Charlotte Nichols, Josh Dean, Peter Swallow, Ben Goldsborough and Josh Fenton-Glynn, as well as West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker, former MP and Manchester deputy mayor Kate Green, and pollsters Scarlett Maguire of Merlin Strategy and Patrick English from YouGov, plus the rest of the PolHome team, about the story of this year’s event.
Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot
This week the focus is on the Liberal Democrats after the party held their annual conference in Bournemouth.
Which despite still giving off a celebratory mood at becoming the third-largest party in the Commons last year, was beset by questions over whether Ed Davey’s stunt-based leadership style is wearing a little thin.
And a discussion whether they are punching below their weight in the political discourse 12 months on from their biggest electoral success, as Reform and Nigel Farage continue to pull Westminster and the media’s focus.
The episode starts with some despatches from the south coast, recorded by PolHome reporter Zoe Crowther at the event, who spoke to a number of the party’s MPs about the big themes of conference, and where the Lib Dems are positioning themselves in our fractured political system.
She spoke to Jess Brown-Fuller, former leader Tim Farron, and James MacCleary, before joining host Alain Tolhurst alongside another Lib Dem MP, Alison Bennett, her party’s spokesman on care and carers, as well as Sophie Church, reporter on our sister title The House magazine.
Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot
This week the so-called ‘dark arts’ of politics are being demystified, with a look inside the system known as whipping, where MPs are corralled by fair means or foul into voting with their party’s leadership in Parliament.
But in the modern era have things moved more from threats of punishment to pastoral care? And have the days of the 'little black book' filled with politicians misdeeds ready to be used against them, as made famous by Francis Urquhart, the fictional chief whip in the classic TV show House of Cards, been banished to a bygone era, or do whips still hold sway over their flock?
Joining host Alain Tolhurst to discuss all that - and also the changes made by Keir Starmer to his whipping operation last week- are Seb Whale, journalist and author of a new book - The Usual Channels - which unpicks the mysterious world of political whips, as well as Lord Mark Harper, the Conservative peer and former Cabinet minister, who served as Chief Whip in the Commons under David Cameron’s premiership.
Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot
This week is a look under the bonnet of British politics, and shining a light into the dark corners of how Westminster’s finances operates, and seeing if the endless pledges to close loopholes and tighten regulations after every scandal have actually led to a crackdown on illegal lobbying and undue influence on democracy.
Or whether the UK remains vulnerable to illicit wealth, cronyism and financial corruption, despite Keir Starmer’s pledge to clean up politics if he got into power last year.
Joining host Alain Tolhurst to discuss all that are Lloyd Hatton, the Labour MP for South Dorset, as well as Sue Hawley, executive director at Spotlight on Corruption, Daniel Bruce, Transparency International UK's chief executive, and the investigative journalist Peter Geoghegan, author of the Democracy for Sale website.
Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot
As MPs returned to Westminster after the summer recess, this week we’re looking ahead to a crucial autumn for this government, packed full of potential pitfalls as they hope year two in office is an upgrade from a tricky first 12 months.
But after a clunky internal Downing Street reset and distracting revelations about Angela Rayner’s tax affairs, things have not got off to the best start, with a high-risk Donald Trump visit, party conference season, the ongoing smalls boats crisis and Rachel Reeve’ sophomore Budget to deliver, things don’t get any easier for Keir Starmer and his team in the coming weeks.
Joining host Alain Tolhurst to discuss how Labour navigates its way through all of this are two of the party’s MPs; Antonia Bance, the member for Tipton and Wednesbury, and Jess Asato, the MP for Lowestoft.
Alongside them are Chris Hopkins, Political Research Director at the pollsters Savanta, along with Adam Payne, editor of PoliticsHome.
Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot
This week is the sixth and final episode in our series over Parliament’s summer recess, speaking to experts and looking at how Labour have performed in their first year in office in some of the big policy areas, and the biggest has been saved until last; the economy.
Fixing the country’s finances was their number one priority when Keir Starmer came into office last year, promising to kickstart economic growth after a decade of stagnation and austerity, followed by post-pandemic inflation and the chaotic fallout from the Liz Truss ‘mini-Budget’.
But after announcing there was a so-called £22billion ‘black hole’ in the country’s finances once she arrived in the Treasury, Rachel Reeves announced £40billion of tax increases in her first Budget as Chancellor, and despite saying it would be a ‘one off’, this year’s sluggish growth figures mean she finds herself in a similarly difficult position as she heads towards her second Budget this autumn.
So joining host Alain Tolhurst to discuss how well the government has managed the economy after being handed an undoubtedly difficult inheritance, and whether they will chart a path towards economic growth this parliament, is Helen Miller, the new director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the UK’s most-respected economic think tank.
Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot
In the latest episode in a series over Parliament’s summer recess, speaking to experts looking at how Labour have performed in their first year in office, this week the focus is on the world of work, from employment rights, public sector pay, and the government’s relationship with trade unions.
Host Alain Tolhurst is joined by Paul Nowak, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, which represents 48 unions with a total of about 5.5 million members, to discuss how well Labour have done so far, having come into office promising an end to the strikes in a number of sectors, repairing the relationship with public services, as well as sweeping changes to workers rights.
Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot
In the fourth episode of a series over Parliament’s summer recess, speaking to experts and looking at how Labour have performed in their first year in office, host Alain Tolhurst is joined by not one but two brilliant guests to discuss probably the single most important policy area outside of the economy for this government; health.
Labour has long staked its reputation as being the defenders of the NHS and made big promises ahead of last year’s election about fixing a broken system of healthcare in this country, but 12 months on, have they lived up to those pledges?
Later in the episode Siva Anandaciva, director of policy at the King's Fund think tank, discusses the government’s new 10-year plan to reform the health service, and how Wes Streeting is faring as health secretary, but first up in Dame Jennifer Dixon, the chief executive of the Health Foundation charity, to assess Labour’s overall performance on health and social care so far.
Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot
The latest in a series over Parliament’s summer recess, looking at how Labour have performed in their first year in office, this episode features Chris Skidmore, the former Conservative MP, who as Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth, signed the UK's Net Zero pledge into law in 2019.
Later asked to chair a review of the government's net-zero strategy, he resigned from the Commons in January last year over the introduction of the government's Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill, calling it "the greatest mistake" of Rishi Sunak's premiership, and he now chairs the Climate Action Coalition launched by former US Secretary of State John Kerry.
He spoke to host Alain Tolhurst about how Labour have got on with the country’s climate commitments and its progress on Net Zero, what he makes of GB Energy, whatever happened to the party's promise of £28 billion of green Investment, and where the Tory party finds itself on all of these issues.
Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot