The Times Red Box Podcast

Matt is joined by Daniel Finkelstein and Henry Zeffman to discuss whether Rishi Sunak's wealth is a problem after it was revealed he's being investigated by the ethics watchdog, and whether Peter Mandelson was right to tell us there's a 50-50 chance of a hung parliament.Plus: As the government announces plans to get machetes and 'zombie knives' off the streets, Matt takes a look at the wider issue of knife crime. He speaks to to Conservative MP Anna Firth, whose predecessor Sir David Amess was stabbed to death in 2021, and to two parents who both lost their children to knife crime. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the 1980 presidential election, Ronald Reagan asked "Are you better off than you were four years ago?"With the economy likely to define the next general election here in the UK, Matt looks at who will win the voters' trust with former cabinet minister Peter Mandelson, Paul Johnson from the IFS, YouGov's Lukas Paleckis, and former Treasury adviser Poppy Trowbridge.Plus: Columnists Rachel Sylvester and Libby Purves discuss the cost of harm in maternity care and the new name for the Brecon Beacons, before thinking of a number with maths legend Johnny Ball. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Have I Got News For You one of the last satirical comedy shows still standing, Patrick Maguire asks why satire on our screens seems to be dying a slow death.He speaks to John O'Farrell, former writer on Spitting Image and HIGNFY, Matt Forde, co-writer of Spitting Image the Musical, and TV critic Siobhan Synnot.Plus columnists India Knight and James Marriott on the nurses' strikes, whether we are living too much in the virtual world, and how many Tories does it take to fill a pothole? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When it comes to holding a general election, timing is everything. With Rishi Sunak reportedly hoping to pull off a surprise win late in 2024, Patrick Maguire is joined by historian Phil Tinline and former advisers Ayesha Hazarika and Giles Kenningham to discuss when to go early, and when to go late.Plus columnists Manveen Rana and Matthew Syed on Liz Truss' speech to a US think-tank, why a former Tory party chair has said Suella Braverman's rhetoric is racist, and Kirstie Allsop's call to cut stamp duty for the elderly. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is Humza Yousaf done before he even gets started? Patrick Maguire looks at the SNP leader's chances after two weeks in office and a series of revelations about the party's finances. He speaks to Times columnist Alex Massie - who thinks it's all over - and the journalist Ruth Wishart, who thinks he can recover.Plus: Columnists Alice Thomson and Robert Crampton discuss the junior doctors' leader going on holiday, Alice defends the Dalai Lama, and can the high street be saved? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Patrick Maguire discusses political advertising - does going negative deliver, or do we all suffer when the parties get down in the gutter? He speaks to Steve Parker, former Head of Strategy at M&C Saatchi, author Ali Goldsworthy and campaigner Peter Tatchell.Plus columnists Henry Zeffman and Oliver Kamm discuss Keir Starmer's aggressive new approach, whether the Conservatives can win on the economy, and Joe Biden's visit to Belfast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Carole Walker, sitting in for Matt Chorley, speaks to key figures that drafted the deal including Mark Durkan, assistant to SDLP leader John Hume, and Irish diplomat David Donoghue. Journalist Denis Murray joins the discussion too as he relives what it was like to report on the historic event.Plus Lord Howard and Lord Forsyth discuss Margaret Thatcher's legacy, 10 years after her death. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt is joined by James Johnson of JL Partners who leads a panel of undecided voters giving their verdict on the government, Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer.Find out who their ideal Prime Minister would be and who reminds them of Hugh Grant and Desperate Dan.Plus columnists Manveen Rana and Matthew Parris discuss the Conservative MP who offered to lobby for gambling investors, sewage, farming and Matthew being awarded Freedom of the City of London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Suella Braverman faces losing her seat in a reselection battle with Flick Drummond. Matt speaks to journalist Michael Crick and local councillors Caroline Brook and Roger Bird about who will come out on top. Plus columnists Janice Turner and Robert Crampton on same-sex spaces, and whether they know their journalistic jargon. And two Stevenage women take the Stevenage Woman test. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt revisits the last night of the Conservative party conference in 1984 when the IRA bombed the Grand Hotel in Brighton in an attempt to kill Margaret Thatcher. Author Rory Carroll explains how the attack was carried out and journalist Philip Webster remembers what it was like reporting at the scene.Columnists Danny Finkelstein and Henry Zeffman discuss Starmer's lack of vision, the ramifications of Trump's indictment and the legacy of Nigel Lawson, who died aged 91. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt shares the five things you need to know about British politics right now by looking at what's happening behind the headline polls with opinion experts Robert Hayward and Tanya Abraham. Plus columnists Rachel Sylvester and Libby Purves on what Sanna Marin's defeat in Finland shows about young, liberal, female leaders. The government's plan to tackle grooming gangs and why theatres are a hotbed of bad behaviour. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the first camera to take aerial pictures over Everest to documents from the day the paper's offices were bombed during World War Two, the Times archives are home to decades of photography, cuttings and artefacts.Matt takes a look at historic items including a handwritten letter from Winston Churchill and Henry Zeffman's Brexit flowchart.Plus James Marriott and Lara Spirit attempt to list all the announcements the government tried to sneak out before recess, and what it's like to be the first ever Generation Z government minister. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's 50 years since Value Added Tax was introduced, and it's been a political football ever since. Matt discusses Jaffa Cakes, the pasty tax and the omnishambles budget with experts, campaigners and the former boss of Greggs.Plus: Columnists Manveen Rana and Matt Dathan discuss food fraud, when to get a heat pump and why there are so many parking apps. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's Deputy Prime Minister's questions with Dominic Raab and Angela Rayner standing in for Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer.Matt, Tim Shipman and Lara Spirit pause and unpack the exchanges as Rayner compares Raab to a thug, and Raab reminds her she once labelled Tories 'scum'.Plus: Columnists Alice Thomson and Robert Crampton discuss the damage caused by gambling, being nasty about former party leaders, before Matt takes a test set by his old shorthand teacher. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Jeremy Corbyn is barred from standing as a Labour MP, Momentum founder Jon Lansman accuses Keir Starmer of behaving like 'Putin of the Labour Party'.Matt is also joined by veteran MP Dame Margaret Hodge and Times Red Box Editor Patrick Maguire to discuss Corbyn's future, and what's left of the Labour left.Plus columnists Daniel Finkelstein and Henry Zeffman on what Humza Yousaf's election means for Scottish independence, the power of protest, and whether fans of Rishi Sunak are Rishologists or Sunaketeers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this day 60 years ago Dr Richard Beeching wielded the axe, closing thousands of miles of railway and thousands of stations. Matt talks to the music mogul Pete Waterman, who lost his job on the railways thanks to the cuts, author Charles Loft, and campaigners who want lines around the country to be reopened.Plus columnists Libby Purves and Tom McTague discuss Keir Starmer comparing himself to a football manager, claims that Suella Braverman is a 'sock puppet', and the risks of raising the state pension age. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Chorley delves into the history of the iconic Red Box, the symbol of power given to every cabinet minister and prime minister.We find out what's in them, hear from the man behind the company that makes them, and what they meant to David Cameron, Ed Balls and George Osborne.Plus: Columnists James Marriott and India Knight discuss Nicola Sturgeon’s farewell speech, how good is artificial intelligence at impersonating a prime minister, and an elaborate practical joke in the Tory MP WhatsApp group. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Swing voters from across England say they prefer Rishi Sunak to Keir Starmer as prime minister in the latest Times Radio Focus Group.Matt is joined by James Johnson of JL Partners to discuss their views on the party leaders, the Budget, and whether Boris Johnson is a 'liar liar pants on fire'.Plus columnists Manveen Rana and Matthew Parris discuss Johnson's partygate evidence, Rishi Sunak's decision to publish his tax return, and Keir Starmer's habit of making big promises. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt is joined by Patrick Maguire and Lara Spirit to pause and unpack the exchanges at Prime Minister's Questions. Rishi Sunak claims Labour is 'soft on crime, soft on criminals', while Keir Starmer says the prime minister is out of touch and needs 'to get out of Westminster'.Plus: Columnists Alice Thomson and Robert Crampton discuss when you should get the state pension, whether Louise Casey should run the Metropolitan Police, and Boris Johnson's grilling over 'partygate'. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt speaks to Leon co-founder Henry Dimbleby, who has just resigned as the government's 'food tsar'. He explains why he's quit, what's wrong with our supply chains and why it's so difficult to persuade the Government to change Britain's diet.Plus columnists Daniel Finkelstein and Henry Zeffman on Boris Johnson's Partygate defence, and whether Nicola Sturgeon's social media warning echoes Tony Blair's 'feral beasts' speech. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.