How To Win An Election

Epizódy

• 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.
• How To Run A Shadow Leadership Campaign 19.03.2026 41min

  Angela Rayner has fired the opening shot in the leadership race to succeed Keir Starmer, warning that Labour is 'running out of time'.We discuss the art of being on manoeuvres without being caught doing it - from Michael Portillo installing the phone lines, to Rishi Sunak's team secretly registering 'readyforrishi.com'.And, will any of the potential candidates - including Angela Rayner, Wes Streeting, Andy Burnham or even John Healey - actually be ready to go if the party suffers a heavy defeat in the local elections in May?We also give (unsolicited) reading suggestions for Keir Starmer:Sally: The Choice Before the Labour Party, RH TawneyPolly: The Man Who Planted Trees, Jean GionoDanny: Get In: The Inside Story of Labour Under Starmer, Patrick Maguire and Gabriel PogrundHugo: Guards! Guards! Terry PratchettSend your questions, comments and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• How Starmer Became The Passive Prime Minister 14.03.2026 19min

  In this special crossover episode with our colleagues at the Times podcast The State Of It, Hugo is joined by Patrick Maguire and Gabriel Pogrund to discuss the new edition of their book Get In: The Inside Story of Labour Under Starmer.Morgan McSweeney was the man credited with rescuing Labour from electoral oblivion and propelling Keir Starmer to power. How did it all go so wrong, and how did Keir Starmer end up running a 'passive premiership'?The paperback edition is available to order at the Times Bookshop where Times Plus members can get a 20% discount.Artwork: Russel Herneman for the Sunday Times Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• How The Mandelson Files Weigh On The PM 12.03.2026 40min

  Sally, Polly, Danny and Hugo look at what the Mandelson files say about decision making in Keir Starmer's Downing Street. Is there a comparison with Boris Johnson's handling of the Chris Pincher scandal, which led to Johnson's resignation as prime minister?With Starmer's cost of living agenda in trouble, we ask if lessons can be learned from Edward Heath and the 1973 oil crisis, and from Tony Blair taking on the tanker drivers in the 2000 fuel protests.The team give their ideas for rewiring the nation, including moving Parliament to York and swapping the older person's bus pass for electric bikes.Send your questions, comments and feedback to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• How Trump's War Is Upending British Politics 05.03.2026 41min

  We're looking at the implications of the American-Israeli attacks on Iran for British politics - has the prime minister been constrained by a near-religious belief in international law, by cabinet divisions, or by party politics?We also discuss whether the Green Party's bounce in the polls can be sustained, and whether Labour's new migration policy shows the party has made a decisive strategic choice.Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• How Labour's By-Election Hammering Damages Starmer 27.02.2026 38min

  The Green Party crushes Labour at the Gorton and Denton by-election, knocking Keir Starmer's party into third place in one of their safest seats.The political masterminds discuss whether the prime minister can find a new strategy to survive, whether the Green Party can replicate the victory across the country, and what the fracturing of the traditional two-party system means for the next General Election.Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• How Government Responds To Andrew's Arrest 19.02.2026 20min

  As we assembled the How To Win An Election team to talk about Robert Jenrick, Rupert Lowe and Danny's quest for the point of Ed Davey, news broke that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He denies wrongdoing.Sally, Polly, Danny (and Hugo) look at how the news would have been received in Downing Street, and whether republicanism has a future in British politics.Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• How To Survive In The Number 10 Bunker 12.02.2026 41min

  Keir Starmer has seen off the threat to his leadership - for now. What happens inside Downing Street when things get really, really bad for a prime minister?We also discuss whether the Labour Party will swing to the left with Morgan McSweeney's departure, and Zack Polanski's singing at Liberal Democrat conference.Send your questions, comments and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• Emergency Episode: McSweeney Resigns 08.02.2026 17min

  Morgan McSweeney has resigned as Keir Starmer's chief of staff. With Number 10 in survival mode, can the prime minister find a new strategy, and how long will potential leadership challengers wait?Hugo, Danny and Polly respond to the emergency podcast bell and react to the news. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.