Episodes

  • Can Labour still own the North?

    Can Labour still own the North?
    May 16 2025
    With Nigel Farage's Reform UK muscling in to key parts of the country, Westminster Insider Host Sascha O'Sullivan speaks to politicians through the North of England, where Labour has an uphill battle to convince their heartlands they can be trusted. Sascha speaks to Labour MP Josh Simons, whose seat of Makerfield had one of the highest proportion of votes for Reform without actually voting in one of the party’s MP. Simons tells Sascha about his plans to convince his voters that Westminster – and the Labour Party – speak for them, and how finally building one road, first earmarked as necessary in 1949, could be a symbol for this. And Sascha heads to Darlington, in the North East of the country, where Labour MP Lola McEvoy has competition from Reform, who took over the council in County Durham just 5 miles south, and the Tory stronghold of Tees `Valley, led by Mayor Ben Houchen. Labour MP and member of the Blue Labour group Jonathan Hinder explains why Labour has become disconnected from it's working class roots in the North and how practical initiatives and investment will only go so far. Zoe Billingham, director of the IPPR North, tells Sascha why Boris Johnson's "levelling up" agenda spoke to these voters and how the failure to deliver on many of these promises made Labour's challenge harder. Former Tory MP for Boston and Skegness Matt Warman explains how Reform UK managed to win his constituency – and what it will take for some of these Labour MPs to fend them off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    49 mins
  • How to survive the morning broadcast round

    How to survive the morning broadcast round
    May 9 2025
    Politicians of all stripes will tell you that the slog of breakfast time interviews constitutes the morning ritual from hell. So this week on Westminster Insider, host Patrick Baker speaks to those who’ve spent more time than anyone trying to master the art form that is the “morning round” — and is given an exclusive broadcasting lesson from Scarlett MccGwire, a media trainer currently working with ministers in the Labour government to help them hone their messaging. Former Tory Cabinet minister Grant Shapps explains the late night prep with his team, who were told to be as rude to him as possible in anticipation of tough interviews with Kay Burley et al. The inimitable Richard Madeley, presenter of Good Morning Britain, voices his hatred of the so-called “pivot”, a tactic used by politicians to evade questions they don’t want to answer, and recalls throwing a defence secretary off the airwaves after one pivot too many. Former Labour shadow minister Jonathan Ashworth describes how to overcome questions like “how much is the price of a pint of milk?” and the fear induced by sudden breaking news while on the round. And Jack Sellers, former No. 10 deputy press secretary under Rishi Sunak, remembers the cabinet ministers who slept in, forgot the geography of the Middle East and how, when it all went wrong on air, it was left to him to try to clean it all up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    45 mins
  • War and Peace in Europe

    War and Peace in Europe
    Mar 28 2025
    With Ukraine and Russia in the throes of attempting to negotiate a ceasefire, Westminster Insider Host Sascha O’Sullivan talks to some of the leading figures on the frontline of the war with Russia. She speaks to Finnish Minister for Nordic Co-Operation Anders Adlercreutz, who told her Finland has never stopped buying tanks and building bomb shelters, for fear of a Russian invasion, and builds resilience at every level through initiatives like media literacy to protect from ‘hybrid threats’ such as misinformation. Lithuania Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė told Sascha Russia could be ready for a full scale invasion into her country – and NATO territory – in less than a decade. And she said Lithuanian’s were prepared for what this means: “prison, torture and deportation”. Former NATO director of Planning and Policy Fabrice Pothier explains the risk of NATO losing it’s relevance without the U.S. as a reliable ally, and warns it could undermine any security guarantees put in place in the event of a ceasefire. Ukrainian journalist at the Spectator Svitlana Morenets reflects on what it’s like covering a war in her own homeland – and where Ukraine’s redlines would be. Back home in the U.K., Sascha speaks to Denzil Davidson, a former Foreign Office and No10 advisor, about Britain’s willingness to warm up it’s relationship with the E.U. and how the lack of support from U.S. President Donald Trump could open up “a serious opportunity” for British politicians to step up in Europe. And Arminka Helic, another former Foreign Office advisor, tells Sascha that everyone in the country should stock up on enough basic supplies to last them 72 hours without electricity or water. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    43 mins
  • How to launch a backbench rebellion

    How to launch a backbench rebellion
    Mar 21 2025
    With the stench of rebellion hanging around the tearooms of SW1 after ministers announced fresh welfare cuts, this week host Patrick Baker explores the backbench revolts of years past, asking how disobedient MPs really plan and plot against their own parties. Veteran Tory MP David Davis describes how he and other rebels defeated David Cameron's plans to bomb Syria almost by accident — and offers tips on shutting down confrontational government enforcers, or chief whips. Christopher Howarth, a secretive member of the European Research Group of Eurosceptic Tory MPs, was instrumental in defeating Theresa May's EU deal during the Brexit wars. He describes countering the cunning tactics of a Downing Street operation desperately trying to quell rebellions, and how he spotted a loophole in Tory rules that led to May's resignation. POLITICO senior political correspondent Annabelle Dickson has been gauging the mood among angry would-be Labour rebels — and hearing why some are feeling disillusioned with the direction of their party. One of those certain to rebel in a Commons vote on welfare is the Labour MP for Alloa and Grangemouth in Scotland, Brian Leishman, who explains why he's appalled at the cuts to benefits. But rebels beware: Tony Blair's former no-nonsense chief whip Hilary Armstrong recalls threatening badly behaved MPs with being sent to work on obscure infrastructure committees unless they toed the line. But she insists the best way to deal with rebels — who Blair called his "little darlings" — is a "softly, softly" approach. And Blair's former political secretary John McTernan, sets out why he believes the huge new intake of Labour MPs might be more prone to rebellion and says the current rancor poses a bigger question for the party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    43 mins
  • When politicians fight the law and the law wins

    When politicians fight the law and the law wins
    Mar 14 2025
    As Mike Amesbury bows out of his career as a Labour MP after being caught on tape assaulting a constituent, this week’s episode of Westminster Insider goes inside politicians’ wrangles with the law. Host Sascha O’Sullivan finds out if winding up in front of a judge can ever be survivable for a politician — high-profile or not. She talks to former Lib Dem advisor Sean Kemp about how the case of Chris Huhne, climate secretary during the coalition years, triggered a by-election which almost threatened the leadership of Nick Clegg. Fergus Mutch, former director of communications to the Scottish National Party, recalls being a witness in the trial of his former boss, Alex Salmond, who was eventually acquitted of charges of sexual assault in 2020. Mutch says the Salmond trial and the internal warfare it triggered did huge amounts of damage to the SNP. And Sascha turns to the sensational hush money trial of Donald Trump in the midst of the 2024 presidential election campaign. She talks to Michael Martins, a former senior advisor to the US embassy in the U.K., and Sarah Elliot, the spokesperson for Republicans overseas about how Trump eventually used the trial to his advantage. Sascha looks at how Marine Le Pen is using a similar playbook to Trump, with a trial against her helping galvanise her support base. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    41 mins
  • Inside COBRA

    Inside COBRA
    Mar 7 2025
    Have you ever wondered about COBRA? Not the snake or the yoga pose — but Cabinet Office Briefing Room A, the place at the heart of Whitehall where a highly sensitive, critical government committee meets when a crisis hits the U.K. This week, host Patrick Baker takes you inside these mysterious meetings to find out how those in charge take crucial decisions — often on matters of life and death. One of the original architects of COBRA, David Omand, who went on to become director of spy agency GCHQ, explains how the Munich Olympics hostage crisis triggered alarm in the U.K. and highlighted the need to build COBRA. Lucy Fisher from the Financial Times explains how to access the secret bunker under the Ministry of Defense that would be home to its duplicate in case of nuclear attack. Tony Blair's former Cabinet Secretary Richard Wilson describes how he convened what was a very busy COBRA on 9/11, a day that exposed the U.K.’s own vulnerabilities and led to rapid changes to the UK's guidebook for handling terror attacks. In an age of heightened tensions, Susan Scholefield, a former COBRA director, recalls how drills and exercises became more common and how it was her job to make sure the Pope was safe, monitoring his state visit from the U.K.’s version of the Situation Room. Former Defence Secretary Michael Fallon describes being in COBRA in response to multiple atrocities on U.K. soil in 2017, and recalls how ministers scrambled to work out whether more attacks were on the way. Fallon also reveals the person he wouldn't trust to chair a COBRA meeting (or anything, really). Katie Perrior, ex-No 10 comms chief under Theresa May, remembers rushing into COBRA after the Westminster Bridge attack amid fears that offices in Parliament might be unsafe. With the arrival of the pandemic, a crisis of a wholly different order, emergency planner Lucy Easthope sets out some of COBRA's pitfalls. Easthope, who co-founded the After Disaster Network at Durham University, believes too much emphasis is put on state-of-the-art nerve centers rather than simple honesty, in the midst of crises for which ministers are generally not very well prepared. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    46 mins
  • How to survive No 11 Downing Street

    How to survive No 11 Downing Street
    Feb 28 2025
    With Keir Starmer recently forced to promise his Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, would stay on until the next election, Westminster Insider Host Sascha O'Sullivan talks to former Chancellors and advisors who have worked in No 10 and No 11 Downing Street over the last 30 years to find out how to survive one of the toughest gigs in politics. She talks to former Chancellor Norman Lamont about the aftermath of the Black Wednesday financial crisis in 1992 and what lead to John Major sacking him less than a year later. Former advisor to Blair and Brown Theo Bertram tells Sascha the Chancellor-turned-PM Gordon Brown struggled to relinquish control over the Treasury to his new neighbour in No11, Alistair Darling. Sam White, who worked for Darling during his time as Chancellor, explains how an ideological wedge pulled the two apart before and after the 2008 financial crash. George Osborne, former Chancellor and now host of the Political Currency podcast, explains his unusual closeness with David Cameron through their shared belief in the merits of austerity. But he tells Sascha how their closeness may have risked a form of 'groupthink' during their time in office. Osborne also sets out why he thinks Rachel Reeves current economic plans have more in common with his economic agenda in the 2010s that people might realise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    49 mins
  • When MPs defect: The art of changing party

    When MPs defect: The art of changing party
    Feb 21 2025
    Turncoats, opportunists … or just idealists whose bosses lost their way? Defecting to a new party is one of the momentous decisions an MP could ever make. Years of loyalties, backroom deals and deep friendships are lost in an instant. Patrick Baker speaks to MPs who have wrestled with the decision to switch party, to discover what it is really like. Shaun Woodward, who left William Hague’s Conservative party to join Blair’s New Labour in 1999, recalls the dirty tricks used try to prevent his defection and how the move precipitated a huge media storm. Former Ipswich MP Dan Poulter, who defected from the Tories to Labour last April, explains how he lost faith in the Conservatives (just before an election) and solicited advice from those on the other side of the aisle, including veteran MP Jon Cruddas. Helen Pidd, host of The Guardian’s Today in Focus podcast, was given special access to defector Christian Wakeford in Parliament, and witnessed first-hand the reaction from Tory MPs furious at his perceived betrayal after the Bury South MP crossed the floor to join Labour. Brexit stalwart Douglas Carswell recounts his decision to join UKIP, which helped to pave the way for the EU referendum — while David Cameron’s former communications chief Craig Oliver sets out his strategy for spinning a subordination in the ranks. And Libby Wiener, who spent twenty years as a political correspondent for ITV News, looks back at the Westminster drama of multiple defections. She explains how these rare events are becoming more common, in an era where voters’ own party allegiances are less secure. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    42 mins
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