How To Win An Election

How To Launch Your Premiership In Downing Street 16.07.2026 43min

Andy Burnham will soon be making his first speech from Downing Street as prime minister - how will he introduce himself to the nation?The team discuss striking the right balance between optimism and acknowledging the scale of the challenge, and look back at their role in preparing speeches for Tony Blair, David Cameron and Nick Clegg. And, does the choice of lectern actually matter?We also answer a question from a listener who asks whether Nigel Farage could lose the Clacton by-election.Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Burnham Risks Being All Things To All People 10.07.2026 34min

This week the political masterminds are answering more of your questions.Does Andy Burnham risk becoming all things to all people, and will that inevitably result in disappointment? What jobs would Sally, Polly and Danny have in No 10 North? Have former military figures seized the agenda over defence spending, and is Labour worrying enough about a possible Tory revival?Send your voicenotes, questions and comments to howtowin@thetimes.co.ukAnd you can watch the podcast on YouTube here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Farage Triggered A By-Election 07.07.2026 20min

Nigel Farage has announced his resignation as an MP, saying he will fight a 'people versus the establishment' by-election in Clacton.Is it a high risk stunt by the Reform UK leader? When have by-elections backfired in the past, and will it make questions about his finances, and his future, go away?Hugo, Sally, Polly and Danny analyse Farage's gamble.Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How To Read Burnham's Blueprint For Government 02.07.2026 41min

What have we learned so far about Andy Burnham's plan for government? Danny has been reading his book, Head North, and thinks he's proposing a clear left turn when it comes to the economy and public services.Does Burnham's vision of a more devolved United Kingdom add up to an electoral strategy, or is that actually coming from Morgan McSweeney's playbook?Plus: We're joined by comedian and host of the How To Win The World Cup podcast Matt Forde to discuss whether success on the football pitch can give a boost at the ballot box.Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How To Pick Your Chancellor And Cabinet 25.06.2026 42min

The team bring their years of experience inside Downing Street to the question of how Andy Burnham will construct his cabinet, and who he could pick as chancellor.After the return of James Purnell as chief of staff, is there a risk of having too many veterans of the Blair and Brown years back in power?And - Polly sets out her vision for replacing Chequers with a Mar-a-Lago-style resort in Blackpool.Send your questions, voicenotes and views on Polly's policy to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Keir Went, And Andy Arrived 23.06.2026 22min

Sally and Danny join Hugo for this extra episode to examine the Keir Starmer legacy - if there is one - and ask whether Andy Burnham could be a more consequential leader than the consensus gives him credit for.And, how will Reform UK attack Burnham - can they make the label 'Captain Flip-flop' stick?Send your comments, questions and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How The By-Election Result Changes Everything 19.06.2026 41min

Andy Burnham has won, and won big in the Makerfield by-election - what happens next in Downing Street and the Labour Party, and what does it all mean for the next general election?Sally, Polly, Danny and Hugo discuss Keir Starmer's insistence he won't walk away from No 10, the reaction of the cabinet, who will get the top jobs in a Burnham government, and whether Reform UK will need to change strategy.Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Will The Days After The By-Election Play Out? 11.06.2026 40min

We're only a week away from the Makerfield by-election, when voters could choose the next prime minister.If Andy Burnham wins, what happens in the hours and days after he arrives in Westminster? Will he seize the moment and try to challenge Keir Starmer immediately, or wait until he has a plan for running the country?And if he wins, what does it mean for Reform UK's electoral strategy?We also look at Steve Hilton's journey from David Cameron's modernising adviser to the race to be the next governor of California.Send you messages, voicenotes and questions to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Burnham Is (Or Isn't) Defining Himself 04.06.2026 40min

How is Andy Burnham defining his vision for the country as he tries to win the Makerfield by-election?Sally, Polly, Danny and Hugo discuss whether the (possible) next prime minister can really wind back the clock back 40 years, whether Nigel Farage has taken a risk in his response to the murder of Henry Nowak, and whether Kemi Badenoch can define Labour as the party of welfare.Send your messages, voicenotes, praise and criticism to howtowin@thetimes.co.ukA full list of the candidates in the Makerfield by-election is available here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How... The Elections Were Won And Lost: Michael Heseltine 28.05.2026 43min

Former cabinet minister, former deputy prime minister, big beast of the Tory jungle - Lord Heseltine joins us for our series looking at how the most significant elections of our lifetimes were won, and how they were lost.He takes us back to the 1983 general election. Margaret Thatcher was fresh from victory in the Falklands, Labour offered voters the 'longest suicide vote in history', and the polls suggested the SDP-Liberal Alliance could break the old two-party system.If you enjoyed this episode, listen to more in the series:Nick Clegg and 2010William Hague and 2005Neil Kinnock and 1992 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How The By-Election Will Be Seismic 21.05.2026 40min

The Makerfield by-election is going to be huge - if Andy Burnham wins, Labour will believe it has a route to beating Reform UK at a general election. If Reform wins, then it will clear Nigel Farage's path to power and plunge the government into (further) chaos.Sally, Polly, Danny (and Hugo) weigh up who is the underdog, whether Wes Streeting will run against Burnham, and whether a victorious Burnham could even think about going to the country.Also, Danny explains why the best parallel for this contest is probably William Gladstone in 1876.Send you questions, comments and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How The Labour Leadership Challenge Could Play Out 14.05.2026 40min

The struggle for the future of the Labour Party, and the country, has begun, even as Keir Starmer tries to hang on.The political masterminds look at the potential pitfalls for Wes Streeting, Angela Rayner and Andy Burnham - and discuss whether Labour should give up on its working class roots and try instead to unite liberal Britain.Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emergency Episode: How Long Can Starmer Cling On? 12.05.2026 22min

Sally Morgan, Polly Mackenzie, Danny Finkelstein (and Hugo) explain what's behind a chaotic day at Westminster - where Keir Starmer vows to carry on, despite a growing number of MPs and ministers calling for him to go.Why didn't the cabinet speak out, is government continuing to function, and does Wes Streeting need to move within 24 hours or miss out on the leadership?Send you questions, comments and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Labour Suffered An Historic Defeat 08.05.2026 41min

Labour has taken a hammering at elections in England, Scotland and Wales, with Nigel Farage calling it an ‘historic shift in British politics’ - does this add up to the end of the two-party system, and does it add up to the end of Keir Starmer?Sally, Polly, Danny and Hugo explain why things went so badly for the party, how Starmer will respond, and whether the Reform UK leader is going to be the next prime minister.Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How The Elections Could Be Existential for Labour 30.04.2026 39min

Ahead of the local elections in England and parliamentary elections in Scotland and Wales, the political masterminds ask: just how bad can it get for the Labour Party?If predictions of huge losses come to pass, how will the cabinet, MPs and councillors react, and can Downing Street come up with a plan to circle the wagons around Keir Starmer?We also discuss what impact the terror attacks in Golders Green, north London, will have on political campaigning.Send your questions, comments, and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How To Decide When (And If) The PM Will Be Challenged 23.04.2026 40min

As regular listeners know, Danny likes to say there is a market failure in political coups - but does Keir Starmer's handling of the Peter Mandelson vetting crisis mean we're entering a period of maximum danger for the PM?How will Labour MPs react if their party does as badly in May as the polls predict, and what do they think about Starmer's potential replacements?Sally, Danny and Hugo are joined by pollster Luke Tryl to discuss focus groups - how much the parties rely on them, and how Phillip Gould used them to help Tony Blair change the Labour Party.Send your messages, questions and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How To Defeat The Populists 16.04.2026 41min

In the wake of Viktor Orbán's election defeat in Hungary, can we draw conclusions about the limits of populism - and the chances of a recovery by the centre here in the UK?Sally, Polly, Danny and Hugo also discuss how government prepares for disaster - from foot-and-mouth disease to fuel protests to looming shortages caused by the war in Iran.And, Polly has a plan to rescue sad, empty historic buildings on our high streets.Send your comments, questions and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How To Sell Starmer The Statesman 09.04.2026 42min

The prime minister is trying to appeal to voters ahead of May's elections by talking about conflict overseas - can branding him as a global statesman rescue his premiership, in the same way Gordon Brown tried to survive after the financial crash?With Danny away, we turn to the next generation - Simon Finkelstein, former adviser to Jeremy Hunt and Dominic Raab (and Danny's nephew) joins Sally, Polly and Hugo.We also discuss whether MPs know enough about the real world - would we be better off with a House Of Commons full of Ed Milibands or Angela Rayners?And, we answer a listener who worries we're too flippant about the remarkable rise of Zack Polanski's Green Party.Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How The Energy Shock Helps Starmer Survive 02.04.2026 40min

There's an arms race under way as the parties make competing offers to help with the rising cost of living. Is anyone cutting through to the voters?And as Keir Starmer's rivals consider whether to move against him after May's elections, Danny argues that the looming economic crisis makes it a bad time for them to act.We also find out why Sally introduced 'garish posters and loud music' to Downing Street, and Polly holds forth about barbecues.Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How To Shut Down A Political Conspiracy 26.03.2026 39min

Sally, Polly, Danny and Hugo discuss the conspiracies swirling around the theft of Morgan McSweeney's mobile phone. How did government work in the pre-smartphone era, when Tony Blair refused to use one?They also explore how political language is evolving (and whether it’s becoming dangerously loose), and imagine what’s more likely - a Lab-Lib coalition or a Tory-Reform alliance.Plus, the team settle a debate you didn't even know existed - chilled vs super-chilled.Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.