Best Backbench Podcasts (2025)

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Could sacking Rayner make her a ‘backbench martyr’? 1:11:29

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25d ago1:11:29

1:11:29

Politics is back with a bang, and so are Ed Balls and George Osborne. As Keir Starmer declares "phase two" of his government, he's immediately engulfed by a scandal that threatens his Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner. In this episode, Ed and George dissect her complicated tax affairs, the accusations of hypocrisy, and the difficult choice facin…

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What REALLY goes on at party conference? 37:03

7h ago37:03

37:03

When does a party conference go well? And when does disaster strike? Ahead of the main party conferences, Ed Balls and George Osborne dive into their memories to reveal what really happens behind the scenes. From George's first job as a Tory 'observer' faxing Tony Blair's speeches to No. 10, to Ed staying up so late he saw the breakfast TV crews se…

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BONUS EPISODE: Netanyahu at the UN blasts "weak-kneed" leaders backing Palestine as Trump team presents Gaza peace plan 46:21

1d ago46:21

46:21

Help Jonny and buy him a coffee here. Benjamin Netanyahu has called the recognition of a Palestinian state led by western nations 'sheer madness' - it shows 'murdering Jews pays off.' he added in defiant disgust. All this as the United Nations General Assembly disgraced itself again as scores of so-called diplomats walked out en masse jeering, soun…

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Lib Dem conference lowdown 35:32

3d ago35:32

35:32

This week the focus is on the Liberal Democrats after the party held their annual conference in Bournemouth. Which despite still giving off a celebratory mood at becoming the third-largest party in the Commons last year, was beset by questions over whether Ed Davey’s stunt-based leadership style is wearing a little thin. And a discussion whether th…

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Is Andy Burnham coming for Keir Starmer’s job? 1:00:37

4d ago1:00:37

1:00:37

Donald Trump's wild speech at the UN General Assembly has done more than just cause a diplomatic headache; it's exposed the deep tensions simmering just below the surface of Keir Starmer's government. His attack on Sadiq Khan saw senior ministers like Wes Streeting and Shabana Mahmood scrambling to respond, raising the question: in a party rife wit…

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Ep 071 "The Devil's Thermostat: Turning Up the Heat on American Civil War" 1:00:43

7d ago1:00:43

1:00:43

This episode examines civil war manifesting itself in the US and the world over the next few years and makes a forecast on how close we are on the doomsday clock of civil war on American soil. The probability and possibility of civil kinetic conflict in the US is closer than in decades.. My Storming America Series covers the gamut of what a spontan…

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EMQs: Is there room for optimism in politics? 38:00

7d ago38:00

38:00

Richard Curtis, rom-com extraordinaire who put Notting Hill on the map is asking a question this week: he wants to know what areas Ed Balls and George Osborne are seeing progress and hope. Doom, gloom and cynicism are on hold - for a week, at least - for the pair to consider some more optimistic matters. Ed is hopeful about advancements on taking o…

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BONUS EPISODE: Starmer declares for Palestine 19:35

8d ago19:35

19:35

Subscribe to Jonny's writing and podcasts on his Substack As Jews prepared for Rosh Hashanah around the world, the leaders of the UK, Canada and Australia declared for Palestine. Rounding up the reaction from London and Jerusalem on a day millions feared would come, here's a bonus episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoi…

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Unmasking the 'dark arts' of political whipping 46:48

10d ago46:48

46:48

This week the so-called ‘dark arts’ of politics are being demystified, with a look inside the system known as whipping, where MPs are corralled by fair means or foul into voting with their party’s leadership in Parliament. But in the modern era have things moved more from threats of punishment to pastoral care? And have the days of the 'little blac…

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A looming coup for Starmer? 1:01:29

11d ago1:01:29

1:01:29

President Donald Trump is in town, so it’s back to Windsor Castle for our Ed Balls! A podcast recording the morning after a lavish state banquet? Not a problem, it’s all par for the course for Ed, who has apparently been catching up on Downton Abbey in preparation. He brought George Osborne up to speed on the events of the evening; who sat where an…

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EMQs: Lasagna plots and Shakespearean AI bots 44:59

14d ago44:59

44:59

What really happens in the frantic first 24 hours of a new government job? This week on Ex-Ministers’ Questions, Ed Balls and George Osborne lift the lid on the art of political survival. From the scramble of last-minute briefings to the insider secrets government drivers know before their ministers do, they swap stories on navigating the chaos of …

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Is Keir committed to cleaning up politics? 46:24

18d ago46:24

46:24

This week is a look under the bonnet of British politics, and shining a light into the dark corners of how Westminster’s finances operates, and seeing if the endless pledges to close loopholes and tighten regulations after every scandal have actually led to a crackdown on illegal lobbying and undue influence on democracy. Or whether the UK remains …

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Peter Mandelson OUT. George Osborne… IN? 57:05

18d ago57:05

57:05

Peter Mandelson, the so-called “Prince of Darkness” got sacked this morning, thanks to fresh revelations of his lengthy friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Now all eyes are turning to his replacement … Could George Osborne himself be getting the call up for US Ambassador? He and Ed Balls consider what this sudden, inglorious end for Mande…

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Ep 070 "Bolivar's Revenge: The Venezuelan Tar Pit and American Ambition" 1:02:11

21d ago1:02:11

1:02:11

We examine the emerging Venezuelan kerfuffle. There are many currents and undercurrents in the latest incipient war debacle in America history. This will be a disaster for America if it clacks off and; expect the American government to make this a preamble to go kinetic on the drug war generally and the following catastrophes. I covered this in det…

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EMQs: Car doors, pole dancers and Diary columns 46:17

21d ago46:17

46:17

How should a politician respond when a voter blames all their problems on immigration? In this week's Ex-Ministers' Questions, Ed Balls and George Osborne offer competing strategies for handling difficult conversations on the doorstep. They also tackle a stark warning from a Gen Z listener: is the political establishment's failure to listen pushing…

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Labour's Autumn of discontent 48:58

25d ago48:58

48:58

As MPs returned to Westminster after the summer recess, this week we’re looking ahead to a crucial autumn for this government, packed full of potential pitfalls as they hope year two in office is an upgrade from a tricky first 12 months. But after a clunky internal Downing Street reset and distracting revelations about Angela Rayner’s tax affairs, …

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EMQs: Could David Miliband have defeated the Tories in 2015? 52:01

28d ago52:01

52:01

What if the great 'what if' moments of recent British history had turned out differently? Ed Balls and George Osborne dive into the political sliding doors that could have rewritten the last three decades. They debate whether Margaret Thatcher would have won the 1992 election if she hadn't been ousted, and how her legacy would have been transformed…

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Helen Miller on Labour's economic record 37:42

1M ago37:42

37:42

This week is the sixth and final episode in our series over Parliament’s summer recess, speaking to experts and looking at how Labour have performed in their first year in office in some of the big policy areas, and the biggest has been saved until last; the economy. Fixing the country’s finances was their number one priority when Keir Starmer came…

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Emily Thornberry on the Corbyn era, being left out of government and Starmer’s first year 1:08:25

1M ago1:08:25

1:08:25

Political Currency’s summer specials continue! This week, while Ed Balls is away, George Osborne is joined by one of Labour's longest-serving and most compelling figures, Dame Emily Thornberry. Thornberry takes George inside the Corbyn-era shadow cabinet and explores the tantalising 'what if' of 2017: what would a Prime Minister Corbyn really have …

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189: Tanya Gold: "Shameless: Exploiting the Holocaust". How the brutality of the Shoah is being whitewashed 39:26

1M ago39:26

39:26

Follow Jonny's podcasts and writings on his Substack. Tanya Gold’s provocative article, Shameless: Exploiting the Holocaust is in the Autumn 2025 edition of the Jewish Quarterly, the magazine of stories, ideas, and debates shaping Jewish culture and history. Tanya takes aim at the state of Holocaust fiction — think Schindler’s List, The Boy in the …

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EMQs Political Craft Special: Speeches, diaries and the art of politics 43:11

1M ago43:11

43:11

What are the essential skills for a life in politics? In an age of TikTok soundbites, can a single speech in Parliament still change minds and topple a government? Ed Balls and George Osborne dive into the art of political craft, taking questions on the real-world impact of parliamentary debates, the secrets to managing a ministerial diary, and the…

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Paul Nowak on Labour's workers' rights record 36:01

1M ago36:01

36:01

In the latest episode in a series over Parliament’s summer recess, speaking to experts looking at how Labour have performed in their first year in office, this week the focus is on the world of work, from employment rights, public sector pay, and the government’s relationship with trade unions. Host Alain Tolhurst is joined by Paul Nowak, general s…

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Wes Streeting on battling the Treasury, his plan for the NHS, and the reality of power 1:06:46

1M ago1:06:46

1:06:46

What is it really like to go from nine years in the political wilderness to running one of the most challenging departments in government? For Wes Streeting, Labour's Secretary of State for Health, it's a challenge he has been visibly relishing this past year, after a long, frustrating period fighting from the opposition benches. With Ed Balls away…

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EMQs Young People Special: Why won’t politicians listen to the next generation? 40:08

1M ago40:08

40:08

Why do the concerns of young people barely register in political debate? Ed Balls and George Osborne take questions on the widening gap between the careers young people dream of and the jobs actually available, and why debt, unaffordable housing and the loss of defined benefit pensions leave the next generation feeling shortchanged. They discuss wh…

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Labour's bill of health one year in 55:12

2M ago55:12

55:12

In the fourth episode of a series over Parliament’s summer recess, speaking to experts and looking at how Labour have performed in their first year in office, host Alain Tolhurst is joined by not one but two brilliant guests to discuss probably the single most important policy area outside of the economy for this government; health. Labour has long…

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Sarah Vine on Michael Gove, the Camerons, and why she's done with "toxic" politics 1:02:31

2M ago1:02:31

1:02:31

While George Osborne is away “stirring the pot” (this time with JD Vance),Ed Balls is joined by author and columnist Sarah Vine for a powerfully candid conversation about her explosive memoir, How Not to Be a Political Wife. Sarah gives the unfiltered story of her marriage and divorce from Michael Gove, revealing how the "toxic culture" of Westmins…

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EMQs Books Special: Do politicians make good writers? 40:34

2M ago40:34

40:34

Why haven’t Ed Balls or George Osborne written political memoirs? Broadcaster Iain Dale puts the question to them, asking what’s stopping them, what they’d reveal if they did, and whether political history is incomplete without their accounts. And another listener digs into a moment of political tension between Ed and Tony Blair over the Euro. Did …

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188: Sharon Hodgson MP and Joani Reid MP: There IS decency on Labour's backbenches. Let's meet two women of valour 43:01

2M ago43:01

43:01

Sign up to Jonny's substack. The Labour government has a super majority in Britain’s House of Commons, the sixth biggest of all time, similar to Tony Blair’s in 1997 - but that makes it prone to backbench rebellion. Even within its first year of government. As we’ve seen. And as Sir Keir Starmer failed to win support to get his original welfare bil…

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Chris Skidmore on Labour's green record 36:00

2M ago36:00

36:00

The latest in a series over Parliament’s summer recess, looking at how Labour have performed in their first year in office, this episode features Chris Skidmore, the former Conservative MP, who as Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth, signed the UK's Net Zero pledge into law in 2019. Later asked to chair a review of the government's net-ze…

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Kwasi Kwarteng on the Liz Truss meltdown, getting sacked and Kemi Badenoch’s future 58:11

2M ago58:11

58:11

Kwasi Kwarteng reflects on what went wrong. The former Chancellor joins Ed Balls to talk through the decisions behind the Truss mini-budget - from bypassing the OBR to what he now calls its “real intellectual failing.” He explains why the Bank of England’s intervention “killed the government,” and why he believes his sacking was no coincidence. Kwa…

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Ep 069 "The CG Mailbag: Question Time and the Backbenchers Lament" 1:04:06

2M ago1:04:06

1:04:06

It's been quite some time since I have responded to "mail" so I have curated five questions to address:. What are your personal weapons of choice: rifle or pistol? How do you fix the defense acquisition system? Is the American military really in terminal collapse? Storming America; is it still coming to the US? Is America headed to civil war? I'll …

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EMQs: Is a two-state solution still possible? 47:57

2M ago47:57

47:57

The future of a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine comes into question this week, as Ed Balls and George Osborne respond to a listener asking whether Israeli public opinion has shifted irreversibly after the October 7th attacks. Is peace still possible, or has that hope died with the victims? Another listener shares a devastating story…

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Sarah Owen on Labour's equalities record 38:31

2M ago38:31

38:31

In the second episode of a series over Parliament’s summer recess looking at how Labour have performed in their first year in office, this week's guest on The Rundown is Sarah Owen, Labour MP for Luton North and the chair of the Commons select committee on women and equalities. Speaking to host Alain Tolhurst, she discusses how this government is d…

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Could the UK spiral into a ‘debt doom loop’? 1:06:56

2M ago1:06:56

1:06:56

The IMF has upgraded its global growth forecast - so things aren’t quite as bleak as we feared. Still bleak, though. Ed Balls and George Osborne dig into what the numbers mean for Chancellor Rachel Reeves. With spending cuts ruled out and the Autumn Budget on the horizon, the question looms: can the government afford all it has promised? George thi…

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EMQs: Was HS2 a complete waste of money? 35:50

2M ago35:50

35:50

The UK’s high speed railway has been plagued with cost blowouts, delays and scale-backs - so Ed Balls and George Osborne consider: has it all just been a big waste of money? Couldn’t those funds have been put to better use? Perhaps for the NHS, for example? The pair also consider the concept of age limits on voting. We’ve got a minimum age - recent…

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Justine Greening on Labour's social mobility record 44:04

2M ago44:04

44:04

With Parliament now into its summer recess, The Rundown is going to spend the next few weeks assessing how the Labour government is performing after a year in office in a number of key areas, with the help of some top experts and those with experience of having facing the same problems staring back at Keir Starmer and his Cabinet. Starting this wee…

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Is Labour reaching a breaking point on Palestine? 1:06:24

2M ago1:06:24

1:06:24

Parliament has broken up for summer, but politics shows no sign of cooling down. Ed Balls and George Osborne run through the latest from every party - the Tories’ frontbench reshuffle, Labour’s mounting tensions over Gaza, Reform’s approach to protests worries - all while the Greens and Lib Democrats make their moves. What’s really going on as MPs …

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EMQs: Can we really fund everything in the NHS? 47:46

2M ago47:46

47:46

What should the NHS pay for, and what should it not? In this week’s episode, Ed Balls and George Osborne tackle one of the toughest political questions: how do you decide what’s “reasonable” for the state to fund when it comes to healthcare? As medical advances multiply and the public expects more from the NHS, is a national conversation about rati…

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187: 🎗️Keith and Aviva Siegel, Hamas hostage survivors: "This is the worst thing that can happen to a human being". 42:44

2M ago42:44

42:44

Jonny's podcasts rely entirely on your generous support. Buy Jonny a coffee, so he can keep making them. Thank you. Today, we’re honoured to share the agonising recollections of Keith and Aviva Siegel, survivors of Hamas captivity in Gaza. They came to London and addressed the media at the Israeli Embassy in Kensington. Abducted from their Kibbutz …

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What Can Starmer Learn From May? 53:23

2M ago53:23

53:23

This week marks nine years since Theresa May entered Downing Street, after David Cameron’s resignation the morning after the EU referendum, but while Brexit was the reason she became Prime Minister, ultimately it was the thing that ended her premiership too, after she was unable to get a deal through Parliament. Consequently most look back on her t…

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Could the Epstein files cost Trump his MAGA base? 59:26

2M ago59:26

59:26

Donald Trump wants to know why everyone won’t just forget about the Epstein files already. As he keeps pointing out, the disgraced financier has been dead for years. But Trump himself stirred up fresh interest in a trove of documents that many hoped would reveal explosive new details. Now it looks like they won’t be released after all - and the MAG…

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What Are You Still Doing Here?! 2:16

2M ago2:16

2:16

The Backbench has moved! Episodes of The Backbench have been available on the Canadaland feed for a few months now, alongside lots of other great content — from original reporting to media criticism to our brand-new support-only show. Starting now, The Backbench feed (this one!) will no longer be publishing new episodes, but the show lives on! You …

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186: Mandy Yachad: I played international cricket wearing tzitzis and a yarmulke 32:23

3M ago32:23

32:23

Find all of Jonny's podcasts, recorded since 2018 and his writing by following his Substack. You can help support him with a coffee here! It's the third year of Jonny Gould's Jewish State Schools Podcaster of the Year, presented with Dangoor Education. Our winner from Year 6 is 10-year-old Meira Masher from Independent Jewish Day School in Hendon, …

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EMQs: Is Labour the new party of the monarchy? 39:05

3M ago39:05

39:05

Which side of politics loves the monarchy more? Conventional wisdom says Conservatives are the monarchy’s biggest fans. But are Ed Balls and George Osborne the exceptions to that rule? The pair explore how royalist sentiment plays out across the political spectrum, how long this current reign might last, and whether we’ll ever see a King George. Th…

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Macron and Starmer Revive ‘Entente Cordiale' 36:26

3M ago36:26

36:26

With this week’s state visit to Britain by Emmanuel Macron, we’re looking at the state of UK-Franco relations, and how important a new ‘entente cordiale’ is to Keir Starmer as he deals with political problems both home and abroad. Joining host Alain Tolhurst to discuss why the French president is open to a rapprochement after a pretty frosty few ye…

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Can the UK-France deal solve the migrant crisis? 59:53

3M ago59:53

59:53

There was a lot of ceremony and back-patting this week as Emmanuel Macron visited the UK. But behind the smiles, thorny issues like migration and post-Brexit power dynamics are back on the table. George and Ed ask what this renewed Franco-British ‘friendship’ really means, and whether it signals a serious reset or just more political theatre. Also …

1
Looking for The Backbench? We’ve moved! 2:58

3M ago2:58

2:58

Since the end of last year, episodes of The Backbench have been available on the Canadaland feed, alongside lots of other great content — oftentimes featuring voices you may be familiar with from The Backbench. Starting in July 2025, The Backbench feed (this one!) will no longer be publishing new episodes, but you can still find new episodes of thi…