The news to look out for this week: Why did Sue Gray have to go and what will her departure mean for Starmer and his government? And the Tory leadership contest rolls on… should we care? Plus, is there any end in sight to conflict in the Middle East, one year on from October 7th? Ros Taylor and Gavin Esler discuss the stories to pay attention to in the week ahead. 

• “Running a political campaign is not the same as running a government.”

• “The Tory leadership contest is performative politics at its worst… the membership do not represent the 68 million of us.” 

• “The situation in Gaza is one of the greatest human catastrophes of our time.”

We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.

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Written and presented by Ros Taylor with Gavin Esler. Audio production: Tom Taylor. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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Starmer and his Cabinet caught hell for accepting donations of clothes, accommodation, tickets to see Taylor Swift and Arsenal, and more. But as historian Seth Thévoz explains, this is peanuts compared to the largesse afforded to past political generations. Listen up for jaw-dropping tales of free holidays, yachts and stately homes… how Churchill barely owned the clothes he stood up in and fought the Second World War while catastrophically overdrawn at the bank… and where Boris Johnson fits into the Great Nose-in-Trough League of British politics. 

• Get tickets for Levitation, the annual festival of electronic music and ideas presented by friends of the pod Castles In Space, at Bedford Esquires on Sat 5 Oct. And here’s a taster playlist of who’s on. 

• We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.  

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Presented by Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Tom Taylor. Art by James Parrett. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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After the fall of the Soviet Union, a new Russia emerged – one that was open for business. Over the next 30 years, huge international companies took advantage of this new global Russia and found immense success. But Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine changed everything. Charles Hecker has been a journalist and geopolitical risk consultant involved with Russia for around 40 years. In his new book – Zero Sum: The Arc of International Business in Russia, he highlights the choice international businesses had to make, stay in Russia and face huge reputational backlash or leave and risk financial loss. He Joins Chris Jones in The Bunker.

Buy Zero Sum: The Arc of International Business in Russia through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.  

• Get tickets for Levitation, the annual festival of electronic music and ideas presented by friends of the pod Castles In Space, at Bedford Esquires on Sat 5 Oct. And here’s a taster playlist of who’s on.

www.patreon.com/bunkercast 

Written and presented by Chris Jones. Producer: Eliza Davis Beard. Audio production: Tom Taylor. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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The death penalty is a fixture of the American penal system – with 27 states still implementing it. Since it was reinstated in 1976, there have been 1,600 prisoners and counting executed as a punishment. Robin Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, joins Gavin Esler to discuss the use of capital punishment in the United States. What is the history of this penalty – and what is its future?

We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.  

• Get tickets for Levitation, the annual festival of electronic music and ideas presented by friends of the pod Castles In Space, at Bedford Esquires on Sat 5 Oct. And here’s a taster playlist of who’s on.

www.patreon.com/bunkercast  

Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Audio production by Tom Taylor. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Art by James Parrett. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production  

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Who ensures that dictators and oligarchs get good press? Who feeds the media fake stories that serve the ends of the powerful? Phil Elwood was a PR operator who worked for authoritarian regimes, manipulating the media to support his controversial clients. In his book All The Worst Humans he opens the lid on the dark arts of PR and news management, from “kneecapping” the US bid for the 2022 World Cup to getting positive press for Libya during the release of the Lockerbie bomber. “I carry a lot of regret for my career,” he tells Jacob Jarvis. But why did he stop?

Buy All The Worst Humans: How I Made News for Dictators, Tycoons and Politicians from our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. 

We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.

• Get tickets for Levitation, the annual festival of electronic music and ideas presented by friends of the pod Castles In Space, at Bedford Esquires on Sat 5 Oct. And here’s a taster playlist of who’s on. 

• The Pension Confident Podcast from PensionBee aims to improve listeners’ understanding of personal finance – whether that’s helping you to navigate the cost of living crisis, exploring the impact of your relationship status on your finances or discussing how to teach kids about money. Listen to the latest episode here https://link.chtbl.com/FSF2Yu6y

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Presented by Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Audio production by Tom Taylor. Art by James Parrett. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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Tory conference is upon us and the leadership candidates are trying to outdo each other with audacious comments and weird merchandise. What should we look out for as they gather in Birmingham? Plus, Labour donation outrage continues – will the media keep going with this story? And is Starmer able to get a grip of it? Plus, we look ahead to the VP debate in the USA and discuss the escalation in the Middle East. Ros Taylor joins Jacob Jarvis to discuss the week ahead. 

Listen to Jam Tomorrow here.

We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.  

• Get tickets for Levitation, the annual festival of electronic music and ideas presented by friends of the pod Castles In Space, at Bedford Esquires on Sat 5 Oct. And here’s a taster playlist of who’s on.

www.patreon.com/bunkercast  

Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis with Ros Taylor. Audio production by Tom Taylor. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Art by James Parrett. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production  

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What’s the feeling been like in the White House since Biden dropped out of the race? And how is Harris juggling both distancing herself from Biden and running on his record? In a teaser for our sibling podcast American Friction, The Bunker’s very own Jacob Jarvis and Rolling Stone’s Nikki McCann Ramirez, speak to the New York Times’ chief White House correspondent Peter Baker to discuss the feeling around the race, where it’s headed and much more. 

Want to know more about the race for the White House? On American Friction, you’ll find out everything you need to know, in plain English. Listen here.  

• Get tickets for Levitation, the annual festival of electronic music and ideas presented by friends of the pod Castles In Space, at Bedford Esquires on Sat 5 Oct. And here’s a taster playlist of who’s on: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4EBQbDcgPFEf9Bx5AJvvrX?si=a572a2d92dd24231

We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.  

www.patreon.com/bunkercast 

Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis and Nikki McCann Ramírez. Audio editor: Simon Williams. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Executive producer: Martin Bojtos. Artwork by James Parrett. AMERICAN FRICTION and the Bunker are Podmasters productions. www.podmasters.co.uk 

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If Donald Trump wins in November, the Republican Party will remain his plaything. But what if he loses? Can the party regain its bearings and return to a pre-Trump era of relative sanity – or is it too far gone, and its supporters too radicalised? To find out, Dorian Lynskey talks to McKay Coppins, staff writer at The Atlantic and author of two books about the GOP. 

Click here to read McKay Coppins’ Atlantic article.

We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. 

• Get tickets for Levitation, the annual festival of electronic music and ideas presented by friends of the pod Castles In Space, at Bedford Esquires on Sat 5 Oct. And here’s a taster playlist of who’s on.

www.patreon.com/bunkercast 

Written and presented by Dorian Lynskey. Produced by Eliza Davis Beard. Audio production by Tom Taylor. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Art by James Parrett. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production 

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The problems with our rail network are clear to anybody who’s been on a train lately. It’s a colossal challenge for Labour – so how will they handle the issues? And could our rail systems ever rival those of Japan, Switzerland and Germany? To find out, Ros Taylor talks to rail engineer and writer Gareth Dennis, whose upcoming book How the Railways Will Fix the Future: Rediscovering the Essential Brilliance of the Iron Road offers a deep dive into the British rail system.

We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. 

• Get tickets for Levitation, the annual festival of electronic music and ideas presented by friends of the pod Castles In Space, at Bedford Esquires on Sat 5 Oct. And here’s a taster playlist of who’s on: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4EBQbDcgPFEf9Bx5AJvvrX?si=a572a2d92dd24231

www.patreon.com/bunkercast 

Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Produced by Eliza Davis Beard. Audio production by Simon Williams and Tom Taylor. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Art by James Parrett. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production 

www.podmasters.co.uk 

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Donald Trump and his allies are clearly motivated by money just as much as politics. How did these chancers go from exploiting a movement, to basically taking complete control of it? Joe Conason, author of The Longest Con: How Grifters, Swindlers, and Frauds Hijacked American Conservatism, joins Jacob Jarvis to discuss.

Buy The Longest Con: How Grifters, Swindlers, and Frauds Hijacked American Conservatism through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

• Get tickets for Levitation, the annual festival of electronic music and ideas presented by friends of the pod Castles In Space, at Bedford Esquires on Sat 5 Oct. And here’s a taster playlist of who’s on: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4EBQbDcgPFEf9Bx5AJvvrX?si=a572a2d92dd24231

We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.

www.patreon.com/bunkercast

Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis. Audio production by Tom Taylor. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Art by James Parrett. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

www.podmasters.co.uk

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The small boat crisis isn’t going away. Keir Starmer says he wants to solve the problem by stopping the gangs who organise the crossings – but will that work, and what do we do with the thousands of migrants who’ve already made it here? To find out, Ros Taylor talks to immigration barrister and author of the Free Movement blog, Colin Yeo.

We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.

www.patreon.com/bunkercast

Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Produced by Eliza Davis Beard. Audio production by Tom Taylor. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Art by James Parrett. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

www.podmasters.co.uk

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