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Artwork for The Politics Show

The Politics Show

The New Statesman
Labour Party
Keir Starmer
Reform UK
Andy Burnham
Green Party
Nigel Farage
Cost Of Living
UK Politics
Rachel Reeves
Donald Trump
Conservative Party
Ukraine
Peter Mandelson
UK Economy
Russia
Brexit
Jeffrey Epstein
Wes Streeting
Kemi Badenoch
United Kingdom

Helping you make sense of politics – every week.

Anoosh Chakelian and the New Statesman team bring you sharp reporting, clear analysis and thoughtful conversations to help you understand what’s really going on in Westminster and beyond.

The New Statesman is Britain’s leading source of news and commentary on politics and culture with a progressive perspective. On The Politics Show, our journalists ... more

PublishesDailyEpisodes1489Founded14 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
PoliticsNewsSociety & Culture

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Artwork for The Politics Show

Latest Episodes

The Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is unveiling sweeping new rules to Britain’s immigration system, which would force some migrants to wait as long as ten to 15 years for the right to settle in the UK.

While she has made a concession on care workers... more

YouTube

The Goggleboxification of British politics, Liz Truss’s bonkers new book and Andy Burnham’s pickle over gherkin prices.

Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Oli Dugmore to discuss the stories of the week.

READ: www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-pol... more

YouTube

John Healey has delivered his first Budget as Chancellor, promising "breathing space" for households and businesses as the war in the Middle East drives up energy and borrowing costs.

Anoosh Chakelian is joined first by journalist and economist Dunc... more

YouTube

On 3 November, Americans will head to the polls for the midterms.

We will be publishing an episode for the next two Wednesdays, analysing the results.

In this second episode, we ask: will voters use the midterms to punish Donald Trump? His net app... more

Key Facts

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Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Recent Guests

Duncan Weldon
Journalist and economist.
Episode: Budget 2026: Cautious or radical?
Ailbhe Rea
Political editor at the New Statesman.
New Statesman
Episode: Budget 2026: Cautious or radical?
Julia Azari
Political scientist
Episode: US midterms: Is this a referendum on Trump?
Shawn McCreesh
White House reporter for The New York Times
The New York Times
Episode: US midterms: Is this a referendum on Trump?
Will Marshall
President of the Progressive Policy Institute
Progressive Policy Institute
Episode: US midterms: Is this a referendum on Trump?
Will Dunn
New Statesman journalist writing about economics and fiscal policy
New Statesman
Episode: Should we scrap the Budget?
Megan Kenyon
Political correspondent covering the Jackdaw approval and Labour politics
New Statesman
Episode: Labour split over Jackdaw
Ben Walker
Senior data journalist at the New Statesman
New Statesman
Episode: US midterms: Where are the key battlegrounds?
Lisa Bryant
Professor of political science at California State University, Fresno
California State University, Fresno
Episode: US midterms: Where are the key battlegrounds?

Hosts

Anoosh Chakelian
Host of The Politics Show; regular contributor and co-host; affiliated with The New Statesman
Tom McTague
Regular contributor and co-host; Editor-in-chief, The New Statesman
Ailbhe Rea
Political editor and regular contributor

Reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars from 2.5k ratings
  • Self promotion

    I have just listened to the politicians on TikTok of the politics show. I was disappointed to hear your presenter and guest laugh and giggle repeatedly at their own comments. Also, guest repeatedly heaps praise on the presenters‘ own articles. I would have thought the quality should shine through without incestuous promotion. For me, it devalues the podcast and becomes flippant and unserious. Humerous comment should support your work, not devalue it.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    AnnaGasse5
    Austria18 days ago
  • Best and most fun political podcast out there

    I love the New Statesman podcasters and the whole tone - informed but informal, funny, bouncing off each other and sounding like good friends as well as top reporters. I always learn something new too

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    SNOCampus
    United Kingdoma month ago
  • My favourite

    The only politics and current affairs podcast that regularly makes me laugh (that isn’t explicitly a comedy take, of course). Love the analysis, love the variety of topics.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    josephine wy
    United Kingdom2 months ago
  • Clacton Circus

    Terrific reporting from Anoosh and Ben at 6:00 a.m. in Clacton. And Farage doesn’t show up. He’d rather attend his InFest.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Miche Havisham
    Canada3 months ago
  • Great work

    Stellar work on the by-election special by Anoosh and Ethan - great to see the commitment to get this up and out so quickly. Anoosh is the best host around.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    the_ears
    United Kingdom5 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Some listeners note uneven pacing or laughter during episodes but still find the analysis solid.
Listeners praise sharp political analysis and engaging hosts, with strong opinions and few guests.
Fans appreciate accessible policy breakdowns and daily Westminster context.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Spotify
#26
United Kingdom/News
Apple Podcasts
#242
United Kingdom/Top Podcasts
Apple Podcasts
#21
United Kingdom/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#49
United Kingdom/News
Apple Podcasts
#134
Australia/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#228
Italy/News/Politics

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Should we scrap the Budget?
Q: Could the economy almost ironically perform better if we didn't have the budget in the way that we do them today?
Dunn says it could. He points to business activity data showing a pronounced dip during the previous year's extended Budget speculation, when businesses waited to learn what policies would be announced.
Should we scrap the Budget?
Q: Who are the budgetarians and what is budgetarianism?
Dunn describes budgetarianism as relying on imagined fiscal numbers and headroom to present politically convenient plans, while treating small sums as decisive within a much larger state budget.
Budget 2026: Cautious or radical?
Q: Is there enough evidence to back up this Burnham idea that devolution is the route to growth?
Weldon says devolution is a reasonable model but doubts it will materially boost UK growth in the short term. He points instead to the need for global conditions to improve and describes devolution and closer EU relations as medium-term measures.
Budget 2026: Cautious or radical?
Q: Does that really make sense to reduce the amount of wiggle room you have in the future when you yourself are admitting the world is so unpredictable?
Weldon says the outlook has roughly equal chances of improving or worsening. Allowing headroom to fall could prove prudent if conditions improve, but could leave the government facing difficult choices at its next fiscal event.
US midterms: Is this a referendum on Trump?
Q: How would you characterise the Democratic strategy these midterms? What are they trying to achieve and what's their message?
Will Marshall says Democrats aim to maximize gains by focusing on dissatisfaction with Trump and his policies, particularly inflation, affordability, healthcare and corruption, rather than presenting a broad new agenda.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About The Politics Show

What is The Politics Show about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show delivers brisk UK political analysis with a focus on Westminster dynamics, leadership shifts, and policy detail across Labour, the Conservatives, and minor parties. Regular hosts dissect current events, strategy, and communications, weaving in policy threads from climate, housing, and technology to finance and public services. Notable strengths include sharp hosts who balance policy insight with accessible storytelling, and a habit of tying national debates to concrete places and everyday life. The format works well for listeners who want clear takes on who is driving policy, how parties position themselves, and what to watch in the weeks ahead.

Where can I find podcast stats for The Politics Show?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Politics Show. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to The Politics Show and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does The Politics Show get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The Politics Show, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for The Politics Show?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The Politics Show, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does The Politics Show have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The Politics Show has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to The Politics Show?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Politics Show:

1. Political Fix
2. Politics Weekly UK
3. Politics Unpacked
4. The News Agents
5. Rock & Roll Politics with Steve Richards

How many episodes of The Politics Show are there?

The Politics Show launched 14 years ago and published 1489 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The Politics Show?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for The Politics Show?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Politics Show from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for The Politics Show?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Politics Show. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on The Politics Show?

Recent guests on The Politics Show include:

1. Duncan Weldon
2. Ailbhe Rea
3. Julia Azari
4. Shawn McCreesh
5. Will Marshall
6. Will Dunn
7. Megan Kenyon
8. Ben Walker

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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