The best political podcasts to listen to ahead of party conference season
With a new Labour government after 14 years of Conservative rule, this year’s party conference season will be more interesting than ever - here are the must-listen-to podcasts to keep you in the know
The Rest Is Politics
Featuring the unlikely pairing of former firebrand Labour director of communication and strategy Alastair Campbell and former Tory MP Rory Stewart as hosts, The Rest Is Politics aka TRIP is deservedly one of the most popular political podcasts in Britain and regularly in the most-listened to charts. That’s because of the sparky chemistry between the pair, their natural bonhomie, shared love of politics and ability to dissect the major political stories of the day into easily understandable insights from both sides of the political divide. It adds up to an engaging, entertaining and informative twice-weekly deep dive into the British political landscape.
The News Agents
Few people thought that when BBC News presenting stalwarts Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel jumped ship a hit podcast for media behemoth Global would be their destination – but The News Agents has proved to be an invaluable way to navigate the often choppy political waters here in the UK. Along with former BBC Newsnight policy editor Lewis Goodall, this trio of top journalists provide daily analysis and explanation of the day’s most important political stories – but most importantly, it’s a fun listen too, with welcome doses of sarcasm and humour now the BBC impartiality shackles have been shaken off.
Oh God, What Now?
Formerly known as Remaniacs, Oh God, What Now?, is twice-weekly and dubs itself “the no-bulls**t politics podcast, making the unbearable bearable with top quality guests and analysis, plus poor quality jokes”. Presented by The Guardian's Dorian Lynskey, journalist Ros Taylor, actor and columnist Alex Andreou, with regulars including Rachel Cunliffe of the New Statesman, writer and host of This Is Not A Drill Gavin Esler and Hannah Fearn of the i newspaper, guests have included the likes of Tony Blair and Nick Clegg. Intelligent and interesting, Oh God, What Now provides unique insights and hot takes that sets it apart from many other political podcasts.
Newscast
One of the BBC’s flagship podcasts, Newscast features daily bite-sized analysis from Auntie’s top political journalists Laura Kuenssberg, Adam Fleming and Chris Mason. While naturally staying within the BBC’s impartiality remit, Newscast has a welcomingly informal feel and majors in intelligent discussion and lively banter in what's often a surprisingly funny and very listenable take on the day’s political stories and events. Plus, the show has the advantage that all the presenters are actually still being involved in the areas they’re commenting on.
Political Fix
The weekly politics podcast from The Financial Times, Political Fix had a massive rise in listeners in the run up to the general election - no surprise when business, finances and money were some of the most important issues on people’s minds as they headed to the ballot box. Political Fix features a regular lineup of FT correspondents including columnist and associate editor Stephen Bush and Whitehall editor Lucy Fisher, along with informed guest commentators to unwrap, analyse and debate the latest in British politics, as you’d expect from such an esteemed news publication. Fascinating, entertaining and full of smart thinking, to many people, not least in the corporate world, this is their one indispensable political pod.