The lobbying scandal rumbles on, enveloping senior civil servants as well as MPs – and Labour are determined to make this a story about “Tory sleaze”.
In this episode Stephen Bush, Anoosh Chakelian and Ailbhe Rea discuss whether public outrage over the story is at a tipping point, and what damage it might do to the Conservative establishment.
Then, in You Ask Us, they take your questions on the local authority mayoral elections.
Further reading
Ailbhe Rea asks if Boris Johnson’s Tories can keep themselves free of the lobbying scandal.
John Gray discusses why the humiliation of the former prime minister is a fitting end to an era of politics that turned the state into a business.
Richard Seymour explores why the British system is so easily gamed by reckless opportunists.
How to listen to the New Statesman podcast
1. In your browser
You can use the player above to listen in your browser right now. The New Statesman podcast publishes twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Fridays. All episodes are published to newstatesman.com/podcasts on the day of release. Subscribers to the New Statesman can access episodes a day early, in our subscriber edition.
2. In a podcast app
The New Statesman podcast is available on all major podcast apps including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Acast, Google Podcasts, and more. Search ‘New Statesman podcast’ in your favourite podcast app, and subscribe or follow to make sure you receive episodes as soon as they publish. While you’re there, please leave a review for the podcast – it helps others find the show, which in turn makes it possible for us to keep making it.
3. On your smart speaker
If you have an Amazon Echo, Google Home or Apple HomePod smart speaker, ask it to “play the latest episode of the New Statesman podcast”. The same command also works with virtual assistants on mobile devices.