This morning the PM announced that the state is overstretched and unfocused. The solution? NHS England has been scrapped, quangos are to be slashed, and the civil service shrunk. Do we finally have a vision of Starmerism?

Hannah Barnes is joined by the New Statesman's political editor Andrew Marr, and later in the episode by business editor Will Dunn to discuss Britain's work and benefits problem.

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In recent weeks President Trump’s foreign policy pronouncements have been loud and abrasive.

American allies watched in barely concealed dismay as the US president shouted at Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval office.

Since then Trump has halted military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine and embarked on trade wars with Canada, Mexico, China - and perhaps next, the EU.

In this episode Katie Stallard reports on America First - the Trumpian turn in US foreign policy and the end of the world as we knew it.

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Lady Gaga rewrote the rules of female pop stardom. Now she's back with a new album. Can she do it again?

Kate Mossman reviewed Lady Gaga's latest album, Mayhem, for the New Statesman and joins Tom Gatti on the Culture podcast to discuss the changing face - and powerful influence - of pop music.

Read Kate's review here: https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/music/2025/03/on-mayhem-lady-gaga-makes-a-chaotic-return-to-form

Mayhem by Lady Gaga is published by Insterscope Records.

Excerpts used in this episode are taken from the following for the purposes of criticism and review:

Disease (Lady Gaga)

Abracadabra (Lady Gaga)

Killah (Lady Gaga feat. Gestaffelstein)

Die with a smile (Lady Gaga feat. Bruno Mars)

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 Could Farage’s lack of criticism of Trump damage Reform’s prospects in future UK elections?

The team answer listener questions on Trump and Reform, the prospects of the Tories in the local elections, and the point of state visits.

Read: The The strange rise of the pro-Russia right, Tories’ anti-Farage opportunity

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Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask Us

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The politics team discuss Starmer's week on the world stage and whether he can be the pivotal bridge between Ukraine and the US, as well as the prospective welfare cuts which have been announced ahead of Rachel Reeves' Spring Statement.

Hannah Barnes is joined by the New Statesman's political editor Andrew Marr, and senior editor George Eaton.

Listen: Europe’s battleground: war or peace?

Read: Can Starmer make Labour the security party?

Sign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning Call

Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask Us

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Not even a week ago European countries were hailing the prospects of peace in Ukraine, but after a disastrous visit to the White House for President Zelensky, and the pause of aid from the US government - things have soured. In this episode we’re asking what role Europe can play in the future of Ukraine. 

Kate Lamble is joined by Sam Greene and Hans Kundnani.

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The rapid rise of generative AI has revolutionised creativity while also raising significant challenges.

The rapid rise of generative AI has revolutionised creativity while also raising significant challenges. In this episode, we explore how responsible innovation can reduce misinformation's impact and protect creators.

Host Jon Bernstein is joined by Adobe’s Head of Policy and Government Relations EMEA Stefanie Valdés-Scott, Vale of Glamorgan MP Kanishka Narayan and AI and deepfake expert Henry Ajder.

Our panel discusses the balance between risk and opportunity in AI development, as well as how to approach AI innovation ethically. They talk about how government, industry and creators might work together to create a safer, more reliable digital landscape and address the impact new AI copyright laws might have.

Learn how government policies and industry initiatives like the Adobe-led Content Authenticity Initiative are fostering innovation and building a more trustworthy and transparent digital ecosystem.

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Reflecting on the passing of the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, award-winning author Andrey Kurkov has written the diary for this week’s New Statesman magazine.

In this conversation, with Tom Gatti, Kurkov contemplates daily life in his hometown, Kyiv, and how the war has changed him as a writer.

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Keir Starmer returns victorious from his meeting with Donald Trump. But was it the success it seems?

Andrew Marr, Hannah Barnes and Rachel Cunliffe answer listener questions on the New Statesman podcast.

Also in this episode:

• Has Zelensky "put one over" on Trump with the rare earth minerals deal?
• Trump's "mob boss" geopolitics
• How the UK could make a radical pivot towards Europe - and have Putin to thank.

Sign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning Call

Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask Us

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Keir Starmer has promised defence spending will reach 2.5% of GDP by 2027 and 3% in the next Parliament. There’s been some sparring over exactly how much money this equates to, has a maths crime been committed? And how far can this money go?

Hannah Barnes is joined by political editor Andrew Marr and business editor Will Dunn, and later in the programme byt Phil Whitaker, GP and the New Statesman's health writer, to speak about the shake up at the top of NHS England.

Sign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning Call

Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask Us

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Last week Steve Bannon, Trump’s chief strategist for the first seven months of his first term in office, graced the stage at CPAC (the annual Conservative Political Action Conference) to rapturous applause.

"We're not going to retreat. We're not going to surrender. We're not going to quit. Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Although Bannon fell out of favour with the president back in 2017, he's managed to maintain great influence over the Maga movement, a movement he helped create.

His speech created headlines worldwide after he was accused of performing a Nazi salute to the crowd. Something he denies. He also called for Trump to run for a potentially constitutional breaching third Presidential term in 2028. 

So what does he really believe Maga are still fighting for? 

Kate Lamble is joined by the New Statesman's US correspondent Freddie Hayward, and Politico reporter Ian Ward.

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