Politics Without The Boring Bits

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Hugo Rifkind unpacks the the politics of the day - and the stuff that's even more important - with the brightest brains from the Times and Sunday Times.


You can listen to Hugo on DAB, smart speaker or app 10am-1pm Monday to Friday. If you like what you hear, then read more at http://www.thetimes.com/


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Recent Episodes
  • PMQs: Kemi Tries Panto
    Jun 11, 2025 – 26:52
  • Iron Chancellor...Or Not?
    Jun 10, 2025 – 34:23
  • Could Farage Open The Coal Mines?
    Jun 9, 2025 – 30:48
  • A Trump-Musk Divorce
    Jun 6, 2025 – 32:16
  • Will The Winter Fuel U-Turn Work?
    Jun 5, 2025 – 35:22
  • PMQs: Shipman Bows Out
    Jun 4, 2025 – 43:24
  • The Cost Of Preparing For War
    Jun 3, 2025 – 32:34
  • Starmer, Badenoch And Farage Take Aim
    May 30, 2025 – 26:14
  • Is Farage 'Liz Truss All Over Again'?
    May 29, 2025 – 31:53
  • Reeves' Spending Squeeze
    May 28, 2025 – 32:17
  • Farage Attacks 'Unpatriotic' Starmer
    May 27, 2025 – 31:40
  • Labour vs Reform on Welfare
    May 26, 2025 – 34:29
  • Labour's Tricky Week
    May 23, 2025 – 34:46
  • Trump's Oval Office Takedowns
    May 22, 2025 – 34:58
  • PMQs: Starmer U-Turns On Winter Fuel
    May 21, 2025 – 43:02
  • Tories Sink In The Polls
    May 20, 2025 – 34:18
  • Has Starmer Surrendered?
    May 19, 2025 – 28:32
  • The Price Of Starmer's EU Reset
    May 16, 2025 – 33:02
  • How Big Is The Space To The Left Of Starmer?
    May 15, 2025 – 32:56
  • PMQs: Dead Party Walking
    May 14, 2025 – 44:35
  • Did Starmer Echo Enoch Powell?
    May 13, 2025 – 31:13
  • Starmer's Stark Language On Immigration
    May 12, 2025 – 27:34
  • The Deification Of Trump
    May 9, 2025 – 29:11
  • A 'Very Big And Exciting' Trade Deal
    May 8, 2025 – 31:46
  • PMQs Unpacked: What Trade Deal?
    May 7, 2025 – 40:47
  • The Winter Fuel Cut Backlash
    May 6, 2025 – 31:09
  • The EU Plays Hardball On Migration
    May 5, 2025 – 31:10
  • Local Elections: Reform On The March
    May 2, 2025 – 33:45
  • Golf Diplomacy
    May 1, 2025 – 33:11
  • PMQs: The Last One Before The Elections
    Apr 30, 2025 – 39:21
  • 100 Days Of Trump
    Apr 29, 2025 – 31:46
  • Who Would Win From A Tory-Reform Pact?
    Apr 28, 2025 – 30:51
  • Douglas Murray
    Apr 26, 2025 – 24:40
  • Washington, War and WhatsApp Etiquette
    Apr 25, 2025 – 30:35
  • Trump 'In Cahoots' With Putin?
    Apr 24, 2025 – 31:50
  • PMQs: He Doesn't Have The Balls
    Apr 23, 2025 – 41:28
  • Starmer Breaks Silence On Trans Ruling
    Apr 22, 2025 – 35:16
  • A Modernising Pope
    Apr 21, 2025 – 27:01
  • Farage, Oak Trees, And The Problem With LinkedIn
    Apr 18, 2025 – 32:30
  • Starmer Risks Trade Stand-Off With Trump
    Apr 17, 2025 – 31:44
  • Defining A Woman
    Apr 16, 2025 – 34:41
  • Too Cosy With China?
    Apr 15, 2025 – 28:28
  • Save British Steel
    Apr 14, 2025 – 32:45
  • Tit-For-Tat Trade War
    Apr 11, 2025 – 32:14
  • Trump Dumps Tariffs
    Apr 10, 2025 – 35:02
  • Boys Will Be Boys
    Apr 9, 2025 – 33:09
  • Will Trump's Cheerleaders Lose Faith?
    Apr 8, 2025 – 30:15
  • Starmer's Plan To Protect The Economy
    Apr 7, 2025 – 28:24
  • Trump Tariff Turmoil
    Apr 4, 2025 – 34:13
  • Trump Stokes A Trade War
    Apr 3, 2025 – 33:49
Recent Reviews
  • Daisy Foote
    RED BOX POLITICS
    Love this podcast matt is incisive and hilarious!!!
  • George_____111
    Best daily summary of British politics
    Matt is outstanding and so are his columnists and guests. I love PMQs in particular. Keen listener from Uruguay
  • Vx2401
    British politics explained
    Love the show especially the guest columnists. After Brexit I became obsessed with British politics and this show is a gem.
  • scheißgeyser
    First on the Kwasi sack!
    Nuff said. Also, “ Yorkshire tea!”
  • AldoBermondsey
    Love Red Box
    Love this podcast. Used to work in British politics in a previous life and then I changed field and moved to the US. Red Box is amazing
  • CTCNOLA
    I expected more
    The 14 December episode (“Because they are worth it”) was awful. The anti-Brexit, anti-Boris commentators absolutely fawning over Ursula Von Der Leyen was sickening. I turned it off. I usually enjoy this podcast and enjoy hearing differing political points of view, BUT this was just too much. I may give this another chance, BUT this episode is clearly “strike one” as we might say in the USA.
  • REPay1
    Companionable Journalist
    Matt Chorley is a cheery guy down the pub, interested and engaged. He asks sensible questions and doesn't seem to want to force his own opinions in the questioning line unlike the new woke BBC.
  • suzshaw
    Insight from Across the Pond
    I’d rather keep current on UK politics than US politics these days — it’s just that little bit less painful. Matt Chorley, Esther Webber and their guests bring both humor and insight to whatever’s going on in British politics. They even dip a toe into US events from time to time. I look forward to this podcast every week, eager to learn what fresh angle they’ve come up with. It supplements the weekday Red Box email newsletter beautifully.
  • Domic57
    Informed and illuminating.
    Matt & Co. do a great job of bringing insight to the headlines.
  • JimboT3
    Great source of news from the UK
    The Red Box is an informed source of news covering the UK and the world. This is a pleasant respite from the daily news coming out of the news outlets in the US which seem to focus only on our incompetent Trump administration which provides a deluge of lies and corruption.
  • CogetteUS
    Cracking good listen
    I Adore Matt Charley’s take on politics which manages to deliver the facts without making me reach for a Prozac. He and Esther and the rest of the recurring news people are a little corner of sanity and humor in a political world run amok. After Brexit please come over and take on Trump’s Washington. We need you!
  • ItalySally
    Loved the episode on the House of Lords
    Really helpful explanation on a little understood aspect of British government.
  • ColoradoRight
    Inside the Westminster Bubble - and always Wrong
    If this is representative of the intelligensia and ruling class of the UK, it is not surprising that their country is becoming a third-world slum. In the weeks leading up to the Brexit vote, every panelist was asked "what will be the percentage for Remain?" (because remaining in the EU was the only possible result). I don't think I heard one single person actually predict that Britian would vote to leave the EU. "60% remain, 75% remain" were common. It is fun to listen to the accents and try and guess what upper class twit school each one attended. But just know that their track record on predicting or undertanding anything other than the "reality" of looking down their noses leftists at the antics of the peasants is wrong. As witnessed by their latest episode reviewing Trump's first year since election, with the assumed expectation that no one in the world actually supports Donald Trump.
  • Gaurav Singhvi
    Insightful Podcast
    Look forward to it dropping every week. Matt Chorley is a good host. He is not biased and has a good sense of humor. He and his guests are able to discuss important issues in such a way that both SW1 insiders and political neophytes will find it informative.
  • JohnNordin
    Balanced, goes beyond the headlines
    Intelligent commentary on the cut and thrust of policts but what makes it interesting is the analysis and insight on the deeper currents. Less 'liberal' or 'conservative' than measured and thoughful.
  • Quentin Baxter
    Hello from USA
    I worked on the Hillary Clinton Campiagn and I am now so sick of American politics. The red box has helped kindle my love of politics again by giving me great perspective on UK politics. With out you I would be ignoring all politics podcast.
  • Cass3is
    Couldn't be better than Red Box
    I've been listening this podcast almost three months and quite a lot enjoy it. You won't regret this.
  • listener33
    Excellent insight into the politics of the UK
    This is a great podcast for those seeking intelligent UK political discourse with each participant treating the other with respect.
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