Episodes
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For decades the holy grail of election night has been swing - the method of comparing support for the parties between general elections invented back in 1955. Matt finds out what kind of swing Keir Starmer needs to get a majority in the Commons and remembers the 'sultan of swing', David Butler, with expert voices in including David Dimbleby, Jeremy Vine, Jon Snow and James Kanagasooriam.
Plus: Libby Purves and Rachel Sylvester talk about politics on both sides of the channel after that extraordinary result in France, and asks are there similarities between Nigel Farage and Jeremy Corbyn?
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Being prime minister doesn't come with a job description - in our political system after a gruelling six-week assault course of an election campaign, a newly-elected PM is thrown straight into the job and expected to hit the ground running.
Over the years Matt has spoken to the people who've been there and done it - prime ministers and advisers including Tony Blair, David Cameron, Peter Mandelson, Angie Hunter, Katie Perrior, Gabby Bertin, Stewart Wood, Sir Alex Allan and Sir Gus O'Donnell. This is his guide to make sure you're ready to become prime minister.
Are You Ready To Be Pm? (04:15)
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Missing episodes?
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In the latest Times Radio Focus Group, 2019 Conservative voters explain why they have switched to Labour, but have very low expectations of Keir Starmer as PM.
James Johnson from JL Partners tells Matt how this could present an opportunity to an incoming government,.
PLUS: Columnists Manveen Rana and Matthew Parris discuss the state of the election race so far, Labour luvvies and Rishi Sunak as the voice of self service tesco checkouts.
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The party leaders have been on the campaign trail day in, day out - but what seats have they been visiting, and what does it tell us about the kind of campaign they're fighting? Matt looks at whether an appearance by Rishi Sunak or Keir Starmer can help swing a seat, and speaks to former Number 10 adviser Cleo Watson about the dos and don'ts of planning political events.
Plus: Columnists Robert Crampton and Alice Thomson discuss the ethics of political betting, and why Rishi Sunak should reform the rules for electing his successor.
The Columnists: (04:00)
The Big Thing: (25:15)
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The Conservative party is facing one of its biggest ever challenges, but how did they get into this mess? And what does the future of the party look like?
Matt speaks to Paul Goodman, Conservative peer and former editor of Conservative Home, about what will happen if it loses the election, and hears from William Hague about what it is like being ignored in opposition.
Plus: A selection of some of the best moments from How To Win An Election as it reaches 1 million downloads.
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Matt sits down with the MPs leaving Parliament to find out their highs and lows, their best and worst bosses, and the lessons they've learned from politics.
Tory MP Craig Mackinlay lost his hands and feet after suffering a life-threatening episode of sepsis, and Rishi Sunak's snap election came too soon for him to run for his seat again. He talks to Matt about how he kept working from his hospital bed, dreaming about his colleagues while he was in a coma, and adjusting to life with prosthetic limbs.
Plus: Columnists Rachel Sylvester and James Marriott discuss whether Nigel Farage's call for peace talks with Putin could halt Reform UK's surge in the polls, whether political interviewers should treat politicians with more respect and what Barcelona's ban on AirBnB means for tourism.
Columnists (03:20)
The Exit Interviews (24:34)
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From Rishi Sunak calling the election in the rain to Ed Davey falling off his paddleboard, what are the images that define a general election campaign? Matt speaks to the photographers who have had a ring-side seat.
Plus: Benedict Pringle and Sam Jeffers discuss the best of the week's campaign adverts (and the ones that had to be deleted).
What We Learned This Week (00:47)
Mad Men (02:44)
The Pictures That Define The Election (11:31)
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It's the Times Radio Focus Group, where Matt steps outside the Westminster bubble to hear the opinions of ordinary voters.
This week it's a group who plan to vote for the Conservatives on July the 4th. Matt is joined by James Johnson from JL Partners to find out why.
PLUS: Columnists Manveen Rana and Matthew Syed discuss whether building houses is a credible plan for economic growth and whether Matt should follow sports stars in drinking pickle juice for his health.
Columnists (04:20)
Focus Group (33:18)
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In a special election edition of Disunited Kingdom where Matt hears from journalists from the four corners of the UK, we look at which seats to keep an eye ahead of polling day.
Plus: Columnists Robert Crampton and Alice Thomson discuss whether good economic news comes too late for the Conservatives, and whether constituency names are getting too long.
The Columnists: (03:20)
The Big Thing: (22:45)
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Today Matt asks the question on everyone's mind - have we got too many polls, and do they dominate too much of our political coverage? He hears from experts from the polling industry and journalism, and looks at what it's like in a country where reporting the polls is against the law.
Plus: After a cabinet minister admits the Conservatives are unlikely to win, would a small Tory rump in Parliament be able to hold a Labour government to account?
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Matt sits down with the MPs leaving Parliament to find out their highs and lows, their best and worst bosses, and the lessons they've learned from politics.
Serving Conservative minister and former leadership contender Dame Andrea Leadsom reflects on her time in Westminster, her difficult relationship with former Commons Speaker John Bercow, and explains why she would work for a potential Labour government.
Plus: Columnists Sir Trevor Phillips and Rachel Sylvester discuss cross-party working, populist politicians, and whether Boris Johnson might make a comeback.
Columnists (01:31)
The Exit Interviews (24:35)
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Every local journalist has had a member of the public pitch them a news story by turning up to the newsroom reception. Sometimes these can lead to national headlines, but often they're funny, bizarre or plain mad. Matt speaks to Alex Morrison who has collected his favourite stories in a new book, and friends of the podcast send in their most memorable experiences too.
PLUS: As Conservative ministers all but give up on winning the general election, Matt asks John Major's former Political Secretary Howell James how he kept fighting for every vote in the face of a Labour landslide in 1997.
Tories Fighting On (02:44)
There's Someone In Reception (13:52)
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It's the Times Radio Focus Group, where Matt steps outside the Westminster bubble to hear the opinions of ordinary voters.
This week it's a group who all voted for the SNP in 2019 but are now backing Labour, even though Keir Starmer reminds them of 'weak tea'. Matt is joined by Tom Lubbock of J.L. Partners to find out why.
Plus: Columnists Manveen Rana and Matthew Parris discuss whether Rishi Sunak has given up, and The Sunday Times' Gabriel Pogrund explains what we learnt from Labour's manifesto launch.
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Public trust and confidence in government and the people who govern us is at a record low. Polling expert Sir John Curtice tells Matt what's behind the worrying decline, and a raft of big thinkers explain what can be done to fix it.
Plus: Columnists Alice Thomson and Robert Crampton discuss Rishi Sunak growing up without Sky TV, a young, inexperienced parliament, and whether climbing walls should be in the office.
The Columnists (02:55)
Why Politics Is Broken (22:59)
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As dozens of politicians prepare to enter high office for the first time, Matt speaks to former top civil servants Sir Alex Allan and Alun Evans, alongside former ministers Dame Margaret Beckett and Sir Alan Duncan, to find out what pitfalls they need to avoid when they're given the keys to government.
Plus: The Times' Political Editor Steve Swinford explains what we learnt from Rishi Sunak's Conservative manifesto launch.
Conservative Manifesto (03:17)
The Secret Life Of A Minister (09:03)
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Matt sits down with MPs leaving Parliament at the next election to find out their highs and lows, their best and worst bosses, and the lessons they've learned from politics.
Conservative Brandon Lewis reflects on his time in Parliament, explains why he thinks Rishi Sunak is 'managerial', and why he hosted a radio show with Eric Pickles.
Plus: Columnists Rachel Sylvester and James Mariott discuss the march of the right in European elections, and Labour's tangle over plans for VAT on private schools.
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Times Columnist and The Rest Is History co-host Dominic Sandbrook joins Matt to talk about how this election campaign compares to others throughout the post-war period, and how our current crop of politicians will be remembered in the history books.
Plus: Former Number 10 adviser Cleo Watson tells Matt about her latest political 'bonkbuster', Cleavage, and 'Liz Truss' reads out some of the naughtiest bits.
Cleo Watson: (03:30)
Dominic Sandbrook: (12:30)
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It's the Times Radio Focus Group, where Matt steps outside the Westminster bubble to hear the opinions of ordinary voters.
This month it's a group who all voted for the Conservatives in 2019 but are now thinking of backing Reform UK. They tell Matt and James Johnson of J.L. Partners that Nigel Farage is the "Donald Trump of the UK" and their advice to Rishi Sunak is to "pack your suitcase".
Plus: Columnists Manveen Rana and Tom McTague discuss whether lying is new in politics.
Columnists (02.43)
Focus Group (21:22)
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Matt is joined by Tim Shipman to unpack the action from Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer's first head-to-head debate of the campaign. Starmer talks up his father's toolmaking career while Sunak accuses Labour of planning a £2,000 tax on working households.
Plus: Alice Thomson and Robert Crampton discuss whether there's more to the Lib Dems than meets the eye, misogyny in Young Farmers groups and whether Robert can make it as a London tour guide.
Columnists (03:28)
The Debate Unpacked (23:41)
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Would former Tory minister Rory Stewart make another foray into politics? The podcaster, author and ex-diplomat tells Matt how he'd fix Westminster, why he'd much rather be PM than host a podcast, and what keeps him up at night.
Plus: Comedian Al Murray takes us back to 2015, when he ran against Nigel Farage in Thanet South.
Al Murray vs Nigel Farage: (5:10)
The Big Thing - Rory Stewart: (8:50)
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