U.S. President Donald Trump is in town next week for an unprecedented second state visit to the U.K.
The sacking of Peter Mandelson as Britain’s Ambassador to Washington, following the revelations about the extent of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, could not have provided a more awkward backdrop for the visit.
Shorn of his “Trump whisperer,” and badly bruised by recent events, the prime minister needs to make the most of the opportunity after deploying the ultimate diplomatic move.
The U.K. is looking to make progress on a whole host of thorny issues, including trade and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
This week on Westminster Insider, host Patrick Baker explores what the British state has up its sleeve when it comes to charming foreign dignitaries into giving the U.K. what it wants.
Theresa May’s former Chief of Staff Gavin Barwell explains the jeopardy attached to Trump’s dealings with the press when he’s abroad, and the stress involved in trying to minimize the U.S. president’s exposure to any protests.
Esther Webber, POLITICO’s senior foreign and defense correspondent, takes us through what’s at stake with this Trump visit, and reveals how the royal family are set to be deployed to woo a U.S. president known for his love of pomp and pageantry.
Robert Hardman, the royal historian and author of “King Charles III: The inside story,” reveals the U.K.’s long and storied history of inviting controversial world leaders on state visits, leveraging the mesmerizing power of the monarchy as the ultimate diplomatic weapon.
Grant Harrold, a former royal butler to King Charles, explains the importance of etiquette to the royals, and takes us through what Trump can expect at the glittering state banquet.
Former Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell lifts the lid on what it’s like to be entrusted as guardian of the Government’s vast wine cellar, and how the finest claret is served up to heads of state to lubricate potentially difficult political discussions.
And Kate Fall, former deputy chief of staff to David Cameron, recounts her former boss taking China’s President Xi for pints at the pub on a 2015 state visit.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
--------
33:22
--------
33:22
Can Britain have a proper Green Party?
Zack Polanski, the self-confessed eco-populist, won the leadership of the Green Party in a landslide this week. So Westminster Insider Host Sascha O'Sullivan finds out why the Green Party have often struggled to be taken seriously in SW1.
Sascha speaks to the man himself – Polanski – who tells her he is a vegan, who doesn't drive and wants to tell "similar stories as Nigel Farage" but his will be "the truth".
She speaks to Jonathon Porritt, a Green Party veteran and former chair, who says he isn't "completely comfortable with eco-populism".
And Natalie Bennett, Green Party peer and former leader, tells Sascha the party will have to "stir the hornet's nest" to start to get their message across.
Jürgen Klockner, senior policy reporter for POLITICO Europe, based in Berlin, takes Sascha inside the troubles of the Green Party in Germany and issues a warning to their compatriots back in the UK.
"They would promise a Mercedes but turn up with an empty wallet", he says.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
--------
40:40
--------
40:40
How to reset your government
With a very busy autumn of politics just around the corner, many in the government are looking at the polls and wondering how they turn their fortunes around. This week, host Patrick Baker explores how Labour might use the coming months to try and reset the narrative.
Speaking for the first time since he left Number 10, Ravinder Atwhal, Labour’s former head of policy and author of its election-winning manifesto, takes us inside the government’s difficult first year of power and explains what he thinks Keir Starmer needs to do to get back on track.
With the autumn bringing plenty of reset opportunities, Scotland Office minister and Gordon Brown’s former speechwriter Kirsty McNeill reveals the secret to a barnstorming conference speech and offers her advice to the PM about how to make a success of his own Labour conference address in Liverpool.
Poppy Trowbridge, former Treasury comms director under Theresa May and someone with no shortage of experience working on tricky budgets, offers her advice to Chancellor Rachel Reeves on how to turn this autumn’s big fiscal event into a political success (spoiler: it might not be possible).
And former government chief whip under Rishi Sunak, Simon Hart, lifts the lid on the art of the government reshuffle and sets out why, in his view, they rarely provide the reset moment governments hope they might.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
--------
40:48
--------
40:48
Commons people: when politics and music collide
From Glastonbury performers to classical music buffs, Westminster has always been packed full of music obsessives. But the music industry has not always been so obsessed with politicians. Who could forget Stormzy calling out Theresa May over Grenfell or Elton John calling Keir Starmer's government "absolute losers"?
So this week on Westminster Insider, host Sascha O'Sullivan finds out what how important the cultural capital of the music industry is to SW1. She talks to boss of music lobby PRS organisation and former Longpigs frontman Crispin Hunt about Tony Blair being buoyed to success during the Britpop era.
Corbyn advisor James Schneider reflects on Grime4Corbyn in 2017 and explains how important Stormzy leading the "Oh Jeremy Corbyn" chant was as a cultural moment.
James Frith, Labour MP and former frontman of Finka, who once performed Glastonbury, takes Sascha inside the political scene at the music festival.
Caroline Dinenage, chair of the culture select committee and former Tory culture minister, told Sascha the music industry was often ungrateful to Conservative politicians, saying they probably said "f*** the Tories" under their breath even after billions of pounds in pandemic-era support.
And she takes Sascha inside the current row over artificial intelligence and the music industry. She said Technology Secretary Peter Kyle was initially "arrogant" and "swallowed the A.I. kool-aid".
Lord Brennan, Labour peer who was part of the Lord's recent rebellion over AI and is currently leading a fan-led review into music, says the intervention of top musicians can help move the dial and he tells a story of teaming up with Billy Bragg to exact policy change over guitars in jails.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
--------
42:04
--------
42:04
Can Tory defections take Reform UK toward power?
Reform UK has claimed its biggest scalp so far with Sir Jake Berry, close friend and ally of Boris Johnson and former Conservative Cabinet minister, joining its ranks. Can Reform break the mould of British politics and vie for power at the next election?
In this week's episode of Westminster Insider: Summer Interviews, Anne McElvoy talks to MP Richard Tice, deputy leader of Reform. He led the party before Nigel Farage decided to return to frontline politics at last year's general election.
Despite rising in the polls, gaining Tory defectors and emerging victorious in the local elections, Reform has had to contend with several high-profile resignations and personnel disputes. Now in power in 10 councils across England, can it prove that it can be a party of power as well as disrupting the status quo?
They discuss French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to the U.K., the small boats crisis and Reform's policies on the economy, education and social issues.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
POLITICO’s weekly political series lifts the curtain on how Westminster really works, offering in-depth insight into the political issues which typically only get broad-brush treatment in the wider media.
UK