Chopper's Politics

Updated: 09 Nov 2023 • 122 episodes
shows.acast.com/chopper

The Telegraph's weekly politics podcast, presented by Christopher "Chopper" Hope. The podcast has interviews with top politicians and commentators and analysis from the Telegraph’s Westminster team.  Chopper's Politics is a must listen for those who want to understand British politics, delving into various aspects of policy, key players, and the internal movements of Westminster’s political parties. With a focus on the Conservative Party (Tories), the podcast examines the party’s policies, strategies, and ideologies. The podcast offers insights into prominent figures within the party, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson. With a keen eye on the ever-evolving political landscape, the podcast explores the impact of the Red Wall - the traditionally Labour-supporting areas in the North of England that shifted allegiance to the Conservatives in recent elections - and the dynamics between the Conservatives and the Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer. In addition to Conservative and Labour politics, the podcast delves into the dynamics of other political parties like the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party providing analysis and discussions on their policies and strategies.  The podcast widens its scope to include discussions on the political climate in London, with a particular focus on the leadership of Mayor Sadiq Khan. It delves into the intricacies of Westminster, the seat of British political power, and examines the notion of the Westminster Bubble, where decisions and discussions can sometimes appear disconnected from the realities of the wider population. With a strong emphasis on policy analysis, "Chopper's Politics" provides a platform for informed conversations surrounding British elections and their implications on topics such as geopolitics, foreign policy, international relations, and the evolving role of the United Kingdom in the global arena. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Show episodes

In January 2021, the first Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccines made their way into people’s arms. By mid-march, 11 million people had received the jab. After successive lockdowns, it felt like a way out.  But now, more than two years on, storm clouds are gathering. Today, 80 of them are preparing to sue Astrazeneca. They say t

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In the face of major disasters, it is perhaps inevitable that there will be missteps. And when the dust settles, people are asked to account for their actions. How is history going to judge the government’s response to COVID? In this last episode of the Lockdown Files podcast, the investigations team at the Telegraph i

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Is it ever ok to scare the public? In this episode, the reporters dig into leaked messages which show a discussion between Matt Hancock and one of his team. They say “We frighten the pants off everyone with the new strain” and “When do we deploy the new variant”.  The exchanges speak to a so-called “Project Fear”, whic

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Tens of thousands of care home residents died during the pandemic. Many people see it as the government’s biggest failure. Matt Hancock’s Whatsapp messages lifted the lid on conversations behind key decisions. But it wasn’t just the messages which were revealing… The team behind the Lockdown Files unearths new document

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The Investigations team looks back on the early days of the pandemic. How prepared was the government? Was lockdown inevitable? But they hit a stumbling block - they may have 100,000 messages, but there’s a gap in March.  So the team decide that if they can’t read where those key decisions were made, they’d do the next

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In January 2023, reporters at the Telegraph are called into a meeting. The newspaper has got something big. Matt Hancock’s Whatsapps from when he was the Health Secretary, during the pandemic: 100,000 messages. The reporters start digging. Rate and Review the Lockdown Files podcast here: https://podfollow.com/the-lockd

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