The Times Red Box Podcast

As Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer trade blows over housing statistics, Matt pauses and unpacks the action with the help of Peter Dickson, the voice of the X Factor and Britain's Got Talent.Plus: Columnists Alice Thomson and Robert Crampton discuss the degree marking fiasco, the death of the "good chap" system and whether Elton John is brilliant or terrible. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Swing voters from across England give their verdict on Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer and explain why they'd rather have consumer expert Martin Lewis at Number 10. The good news for the prime minister is they've heard of his five pledges, the bad news is they don't think he can deliver on them - and are in a mood for change. Matt is joined by James Johnson of J.L. Partners to analyse their verdict.Plus: Columnists Daniel Finkelstein and Henry Zeffman discuss whether Conservatives should ever intervene to make things cheaper, why there hasn't been a Labour reshuffle, and whether the Tory path to victory is now improbably narrow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sir Ben Bradshaw spent almost a decade as a junior minister before reaching the cabinet under Gordon Brown. In the latest episode of our series talking to MPs leaving Parliament at the next election, he tells Matt about forming a 'council of elders' to advise the current shadow cabinet on how to be in government, and the importance of doing yoga in the office.Plus columnists Jane Merrick and Matt Bell discuss public sector pay, Prince William's plan to tackle homelessness, and we see what happens when you take apart an e-cigarette. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As defence secretary when the Falklands were invaded, John Nott had to check the globe in his office and was horrified to see how far away the islands were.He talks to Matt about the conflict that defined Margaret Thatcher's legacy, and why he walked out of a TV interview when Robin Day called him a 'here-today, gone-tomorrow politician'. He also reveals his connection to the Peppa Pig song.PLUS: Columnists India Knight and James Marriott discuss whether they feel reassured when Rishi Sunak says "I'm totally, 100% on it", and why James is worried about righteous anger from centrist populists. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Labour Leader Keir Starmer joins Matt in the studio to discuss help for homeowners, travelling by helicopter, whether Tony Blair should be in the Lords - and he has a go at the quiz, Can You Get To Number 10.Plus: We look at exclusive new polling by YouGov showing the Conservatives may have lost the countryside, and columnists Carol Lewis and Matthew Bell discuss house prices and things they'd ban in restaurants. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer argue over whether there's a "Tory mortgage penalty", Matt is joined by special guests Jane Garvey and Fi Glover to pause and unpack the exchanges from Prime Minister's Questions.Plus: Columnists Alice Thomson and Robert Crampton on whether homeowners should expect the state to help with mortgages, why we look down on people who want to get into politics, and why Robert is a cinnamon roll... and proud of it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Daniel Finkelstein and Henry Zeffman discuss what we we learned from the MPs defending Boris Johnson during the debate over the Privileges Committee report, and why is Keir Starmer planning to fill the Lords with new Labour peers?Plus: Does Britain care about freedom? New research by US Pollster Frank Luntz shows how important freedom is to the UK public, and how political parties can use the concept to win their votes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sir Gary Streeter started out in the SDP, defected to the Tories, was an aide to John Major after his general election defeat and was sacked by Iain Duncan Smith after telling him he was 'unelectable'.He joins Matt for the latest episode of the Exit Interviews - our series talking to MPs leaving Parliament at the next election.Plus columnists Rachel Sylvester and Iain Martin enter the 'no Boris zone' to discuss Labour's green energy promises, the SNP slumping in the polls, and has a mathematician invented a new swear word? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week in 1983 one of the great political schemers, Edmund Blackadder hit TV screens for the first time. Matt chart's the politics of the classic sitcom, from the power plays to the by-elections, speaking to Tony Robinson, who played Baldrick, and Miriam Margolyes who was a regular on the show. Plus Columnists India Knight and James Heale discuss whether partygate would have blown over had Boris Johnson fessed up at the very start and whether today's softer work culture is destroying ambition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After the Privileges Committee finds that Boris Johnson misled the Commons, Matt considers his future career options with Times sketchwriter Quentin Letts, biographer Andrew Gimson, the Spectator's Katy Balls and Johnson supporter David Campbell Bannerman.Plus: Columnists Manveen Rana and Matthew Parris on the former prime minister's relationship with the truth, the migrant boat disaster in Greece, and should we take more responsibility for being scammed?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Keir Starmer takes aim at Rishi Sunak over Boris Johnson's resignation honours list, while Sunak attacks Labour for picking peers like Tom Watson.Matt, Tim Shipman, Isabel Hardman and Patrick Maguire pause and unpack the exchanges from the House of Commons.Plus: Columnists Alice Thomson and Robert Crampton discuss whether being in the Lords is all it's cracked up to be, whether abortion laws are fit for purpose and as a council moves to ban ice-cream vans, Robert tells his best ice cream joke.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Daniel Finkelstein and Henry Zeffman are back to discuss the battle over Boris Johnson's honours list, why the former prime minister annoys Rishi Sunak so much, and whether there's any chance of Labour winning all four by-elections on the horizon.Plus: As the Covid inquiry public hearings get underway, Matt looks at the big questions to be answered with a line-up of experts from the Times and the Sunday Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Labour veteran Dame Margaret Hodge sits down for The Exit Interviews, our new series featuring MPs leaving Parliament at the next election.She talks to Matt about her 30-year career in the Commons including being neighbours with Tony Blair, her battles with the BNP, and what she really said to Jeremy Corbyn when she confronted him over antisemitism.Plus: Columnists Iain Martin and Libby Purves discuss whether Keir Starmer is the luckiest man in politics after a weekend of Conservative and SNP chaos, and will Boris Johnson shut up and go away? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former US President Donald Trump has been criminally charged for the second time in three months, but is still the favourite to secure the Republican nomination in the race for the White House. Can any of the other candidates stop him? Matt speaks to Trump's former Press Secretary Sean Spicer.Plus, columnists India Knight and James Marriott talk about how to have a barbecue in a heatwave, why India hates emails, and should we leave beaches covered in seaweed? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Daniel Finkelstein, Times columnist and friend of the podcast, tells the story of his parents' remarkable journey from the Soviet Gulags and the Nazi concentration camps of World War II to safety in north London.Matt joins him at the Wiener Holocaust Library, home to his grandfather's archive documenting the Nazi rise to power, to discuss his book Hitler, Stalin, Mum & Dad: A Family Memoir of Miraculous Survival.Plus Manveen Rana and Matt Frei discuss what Rishi Sunak achieved on his trip to Washington, what Caroline Lucas achieved as the only Green MP, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan explains what it's like throwing a pitch at a baseball game. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Rishi Sunak away in America, deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden faces off against Labour's number two, Angela Rayner. Matt, Patrick Maguire and Lara Spirit pause and unpack the exchanges as the two trade blows over the Covid inquiry, and Rayner tells Dowden his punchlines are 'dire'.PLUS: Columnists Hadley Freeman and Oliver Kamm discuss weight loss drugs, Oxfam's controversial new advert, and Libby Purves reviews the actors reconstructing Prince Harry's courtroom evidence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rishi Sunak is off to meet Joe Biden at the White House for the first time and will hope to make a big impression (or at least get the President to pronounce his name correctly). Matt discusses the the diplomatic dos and don'ts in Washington D.C. with a former ambassador and hears from advisers who learned the hard way what happens when a trip goes wrong.Plus Columnists Quentin Letts and Henry Zeffman discuss how to solve a problem like Ed Milliband, and whether George Eustice was right when he told Matt that Sunak shares David Cameron's ability to think on his feet in front of the media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt is back with the first episode in a new series, The Exit Interviews, sitting down with MPs leaving Parliament at the next election to talk about their highs and lows, their best and worst bosses, and the lessons they've learned from politics. Former cabinet secretary George Eustice worked on his family farm, stood for election for UKIP and went on to be press secretary to David Cameron. He talks about Brexit, trade deals, and why Liz Truss didn't listen to him.Plus: Columnists Rachel Sylvester, Libby Purves and Paul Johnson discuss Rishi Sunak's speech about channel migrants, whether universities should have a legal duty of care for students, and how fair is our system of taxes? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Patrick Maguire is in for Matt, looking at Labour's 1983 manifesto - 'the longest suicide note in history' - 40 years on, with historian Phil Tinline. He also finds out how to write a modern manifesto with two people with first-hand experience, Ayesha Hazarika and Robert Colvile.PLUS: Timandra Harkness and Jimmy McLoughlin discuss Boris Johnson's WhatsApps, whether MPs who are under police investigation should be barred from Parliament, and whether AI is an existential threat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Whether it's a love of Kylie, cricket or beer, Australia and Britain have plenty in common when it comes to popular culture - and politics, with a new wave of strategists from down under stirring things up in Westminster.Patrick Maguire in for Matt Chorley speaks to Senator James McGrath, who worked on Boris Johnson's mayoral campaign, John McTernan, who worked for Labor Prime Minister Julia Gillard, and Kathy Lette, Australian-British author and comedy writer.Plus: Columnists Manveen Rana and Matthew Parris discuss Boris Johnson's WhatsApps, a campaign against the 'death tax', free speech tsars and why Spain doesn't want to go to the polls in the middle of the summer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.