• Kemi Badenoch wins Conservative race but can she really beat Labour?
    Nov 2 2024

    Kemi Badenoch is the new leader of the Conservative Party after beating Robert Jenrick in what is an historic moment - the first black female leader of one of the UK’s main political parties. But does she have any chance of winning the next election? Will she even hang on that long with the Tories’ history of ditching leaders who don't deliver? Are the Labour Party the real winners here?

    On this episode of the Political Fourcast, Cathy Newman is joined by former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, former Conservative MP Laura Farris, who lost her seat to the Liberal Democrats in July, and Luke Tryll, Executive Director of the polling firm More in Common.

    Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Ka Yee Mak, Rob Thomson.

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    28 mins
  • US election: how Kamala Harris can still beat Donald Trump | The American Fourcast
    Nov 1 2024

    Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are out trying to salvage their US election campaigns after a series of gaffes started by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe calling Puerto Rico an ‘island of garbage’, followed by President Joe Biden appearing to say Trump’s supporters are garbage.

    Will any of these missteps change the course of the race?

    In this episode of the American Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Democrat state representative Dr Jasmine Clark and Republican strategist Eric Tanenblatt.

    Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson, Ed Gove, Ka Yee Mak, Dani Isdale.

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    24 mins
  • Budget 2024: will Labour’s £40bn tax hike backfire?
    Oct 30 2024

    After months of speculation, leaks, and endless criticism, Rachel Reeves has finally delivered Labour’s first budget in 14 years and it had £70 billion more in spending, £40 billion more in tax along with a lot more borrowing and a lot more debt. So, will it define this government? Will it deliver growth and fix public services? Is it what people voted for?

    In this week’s episode of the Political Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by KPMG's chief economist Yael Selfin, Jonathan Ashworth, chief executive of Keir Starmer's favoured think tank, Labour Together, and Matthew Lesh of the Institute of Economic Affairs, the think tank most closely associated with the last prime minister to go for growth - Liz Truss.

    Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson, Ka Yee Mak.

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    29 mins
  • Harris v Trump latest: should the Democrats be panicking? | The American Fourcast
    Oct 28 2024

    As the US election heats up Kamala Harris and Donald Trump remain neck and neck in the polls, but even as the Democrats have the likes of Beyoncé and Taylor Swift backing them, the mood music is not sounding so good in this crucial presidential election.

    So how did we get here, what are the key issues motivating voters and can Kamala Harris or Donald Trump finally pull ahead in the final week?

    In this week’s episode of the American Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Democrat state representative Andre Carroll and Dennis Powell, a Republican strategist and author.

    Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson, Ed Gove, Dani Isdale.

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    31 mins
  • MPs go head-to-head in assisted dying debate
    Oct 16 2024

    Assisted dying could very soon be legalised in the UK, with MPs being given a free vote by Prime Minister Keir Starmer on a bill that’s just been introduced by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater.

    It’s a controversial issue with passionate feelings on both sides that has been debated - and rejected -by parliament before, but campaigners think this time they could get it over the line. So, is this bill a humane and logical step to relieve those in unbearable agony, or is it a slippery slope that distorts the value of life in the UK?

    In this week’s episode of the Political Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Conservative MP Danny Kruger, who fronted a documentary on the subject with his mother Prue Leith, Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine, a long-time campaigner for assisted dying, and Channel 4 News’ Health and Social Care editor Victoria MacDonald.

    Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson.

    If you've been affected by any of the issues raised please contact our support page: www.channel4.com/support

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    26 mins
  • How Keir Starmer's next 100 days could be worse than his first
    Oct 10 2024

    The Morgan McSweeney-Sue Gray saga, endless stories about freebies and gloomy economic forecasts ahead of Rachel Reeve’s first budget - so, how badly have Keir Starmer’s first 100 days gone and could the next 100 actually be worse?

    On this week’s episode of the Political Fourcast, Cathy Newman is joined by Thangam Debbonaire, who was set to be a leading cabinet minister in Starmer’s government before she lost her seat in a shock result at the election, Faiza Shaheen, who was a rising star in the Labour Party before a public spat led to her running as an independent in July, and Channel 4 News’ senior political correspondent Paul McNamara.

    Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson.

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    31 mins
  • Sayeeda Warsi on Gaza, Islamophobia and ‘disturbing’ Conservative Party
    Oct 4 2024

    Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, Britain's first Muslim cabinet minister, has long been an outspoken critic of her own party over its attitudes towards Islam.

    Last week, after an investigation was launched against her over a post on social media, she resigned the whip saying it is a reflection of ‘how far right’ the Conservative Party has moved since her time in office.

    Warsi has just released a book, “Muslims Don’t Matter”, which is an impassioned polemic setting out her views on the hypocrisy and double standards applied to British Muslims.

    In this episode of The Political Fourcast, she speaks to Cathy Newman about the Israel-Gaza war, Islamophobia in the UK and the Conservative Party's "disturbing" shift to the extremist right.

    Produced by Silvia Maresca and Calum Fraser.

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    26 mins
  • Can anyone save the Conservative Party from oblivion?
    Oct 1 2024

    Conservative Party leadership favourites Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick have found themselves embroiled in controversy over comments they’ve made during the Tory Party conference, while rivals Tom Tugendhat and James Cleverly haven’t missed a beat to capitalise.

    Meanwhile, the latest polling show’s Badenoch’s lead over Jenrick amongst party members has narrowed. And so the future of the UK’s most successful political party remains up in the air.

    In this special episode of the Political Fourcast from Birmingham, Cathy Newman is joined by former Deputy Prime Minister and Liz Truss ally Thérèse Coffey, former Education Secretary Gillian Keegan and Channel 4 News’ political editor Gary Gibbon.

    Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson

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    25 mins