Alistair Campbell: are prime ministers too powerful?

11/10/23 • 32 min

Armando Iannucci: Westminster Reimagined | a New Statesman podcast

Our democracy is parliamentary. Why do so many Prime Minsters want to be presidential?

Alistair Campbell and Catherine Haddon of the Institute for Government join Armando and Anoosh for the final episode of season three, to discuss whether presidential-style politics is a new thing, or if prime ministers have always wanted more power. They explore the impact of the Boris Johnson era and the underrated power of a strong cabinet.

Guests

Alistair Campbell was Tony Blair's director of communications and now co-hosts the hit podcast The Rest is Politics.

Catherine Haddon is resident historian at the Institute for Government.

This episode was originally published in the New Statesman podcast feed on December 9, 2022.

Listen to the New Statesman podcast here: https://podfollow.com/new-statesman

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Our democracy is parliamentary. Why do so many Prime Minsters want to be presidential?

Guests

Alistair Campbell was Tony Blair's director of communications and now co-hosts the hit podcast The Rest is Politics.

Catherine Haddon is resident historian at the Institute for Government.

This episode was originally published in the New Statesman podcast feed on December 9, 2022.

Listen to the New Statesman podcast here: https://podfollow.com/new-statesman

Subscribe to the New Statesman for full access to all our reporting and analysis.

Get your first month free: www.newstatesman.com/30daytrial

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Can Brexit work?

Leave meant leave. Brexit meant Brexit. Brexit "got done". But can Brexit work?

Armando and Anoosh meet two brothers, both entrepreneurs, divided by Brexit. The family rift encapsulates the divisions between Leave and Remain camps that continue to impact British politics. Can the Baxter brothers, and the UK, come together and unite after years of division?

Guests

Ian Baxter is founder and chair of Baxter Freight, a logistics and supply chain solutions company with significant dealings in Europe. He voted to remain in the European Union.

Nigel Baxter is managing director of RH Commercial Vehicles, a supplier of Heavy Goods Vehicles. He voted to leave the European Union.

This episode was originally published in the New Statesman podcast feed on December 2, 2022.

Listen to the New Statesman podcast here: https://podfollow.com/new-statesman

Subscribe to the New Statesman for full access to all our reporting and analysis.

Get your first month free: www.newstatesman.com/30daytrial

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

Is Britain really great?

The writer, satirist and broadcaster Armando Iannucci returns to the New Statesman Podcast to co-host our fourth series of Westminster Reimagined. Across this season he is joined by co-host Anoosh Chakelian, Britain editor at the New Statesman, to explores parts of British public life he believes to be broken, and is joined by guests from inside and outside Westminster to work out how to fix them.

In this first episode of the season our hosts are joined by Alex von Tunzelmann, historian, screenwriter and author, and Ivan Rogers, former permanent representative of the UK to the European Union. In their careers they've both reflected on how Britain is seen on the international stage and the way its role in the world has been changing, and Armando and Anoosh want to know - is Britain really great, anymore?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.