labourconservatives

The local elections in England are on 4 May, with more than 8,000 council seats across the country up for grabs. It is the first major electoral test for Rishi Sunak since becoming Prime Minister and a sign of how things could go in the general election next year. What should we watch out for? 

Anoosh Chakelian, Rachel Wearmouth and Freddie Hayward are joined by the New Statesman’s senior data journalist Ben Walker – founder of State of the Nation, a data site for understanding Britain – to discuss the electoral map and how key wards voted last time. The team assess whether Labour can make a definitive recovery in so-called Red Wall England and how the Tories are managing expectations.

Then, in You Ask Us, the New Statesman’s Scotland editor, Chris Deerin, joins the podcast to answer a listener’s question: what on Earth’s going on with the SNP?

If you have a question for You Ask Us, go to newstatesman.com/youaskus

Subscribers can get an ad free version of the NS Podcast on the New Statesman app 

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer. 

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Petty crime is emerging as a central battleground of the next election. The Prime Minister has announced headline-grabbing plans to ban laughing gas (nitrous oxide), which the Levelling Up Secretary, Michael Gove, has described as an “increasing scourge”. This swiftly followed a big speech on law and order from the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, which unveiled ambitions to reverse rising crime rates.

Anoosh Chakelian, Rachel Wearmouth and Zoë Grünewald discuss Rishi Sunak’s big idea of “immediate justice” and whether this would win immediate votes in the local elections – or is even possible at all.

They also analyse Labour’s ambitious “tough on crime” agenda, the damning findings of the Casey report into the Met’s toxic culture, and why tackling crime is easier than tackling austerity.

In You Ask Us, they chat about Jeremy Corbyn’s future in answer to a question from a listener: should the Labour Party be a broad church?

If you have a question for You Ask Us, go to newstatesman.com/youaskus

Subscribers can get an ad free version of the NS Podcast on the New Statesman app 

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.