Political Thinking with Nick Robinson
byBBC Radio 4
NewsPolitics
Nick Robinson talks to people who shape our political thinking about what shaped theirs. Each episode of Political Thinking features an in-depth conversation with someone who is shaping our politics. The people who run our country (and those who want to), campaigners, business and union leaders, and people who run other countries. All of them join Nick in the studio, not for a news-y interrogation, but for an extended and relaxed conversation, delving into their past and how it shaped their worldview. New episodes drop on Fridays on BBC Sounds. You can also watch them on BBC Two at 12:15pm...
Episodes(40 episodes)
'It's been a whirlwind': Zack Polanski on storytelling, Zionism and Zackonomics
Few people have done more to shape politics in recent months than the Green Party Leader in England and Wales, Zack Polanski. In his Political Thinking debut, he tells Nick Robinson about his 'whirlwind' journey since becoming leader, saying that becoming PM is now 'in his mind' .
He talks about his upbringing and Jewish identity and why he has now become a prominent critic of Israel. He explains his strong opposition to the war in Iran. He describes his plans to transform the capitalist model with a revolution based on 'Zackonomics'.
And, asked about his earlier career as a...
Published: Mar 20, 2026Duration: 54m 2s
From Sky boss to Number 10: Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith
Andrew Griffith on why government sometimes has to say 'no' and why Rupert Murdoch was the "best boss".The Shadow Business Secretary was once the youngest Chief Financial Officer of any major British company, when he worked at Sky, before becoming an MP an joining Boris Johnson's team in Downing Street. Senior Producer: Daniel Kraemer
Producer: Flora Murray
Editor: Giles Edwards
Published: Mar 13, 2026Duration: 39m 57s
'We cannot have chaos': Emily Thornberry on the law of war and Labour's struggles
The Foreign Affairs Committee Chair on Iran, Trump's 'asteroid of awfulness' and the 'grief' she felt after being dropped by Starmer.Emily Thornberry tells Nick about how her father's career as a UN peacekeeper helped shape her commitment to the ideals of international law.She also has frank views about what her party needs to do to stem the rise of the Green Party.Senior Producer: Daniel Kraemer
Producer: Flora Murray
Sound: Jack Wilfan
Editor: Giles Edwards
Published: Mar 6, 2026Duration: 41m 53s
'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor
The British-Iranian comic on revolutions, Kensington, 9/11 jokes, King Charles and Iran's future.Omid Djalili has become one of the loudest voices in the Iranian diaspora calling for the overthrow of the regime in Tehran, in favour of US military action.While the world waits for Trump's next steps, Djalili talks to Nick about growing up in a hub of London's Iranian community, chasing history from Berlin to Czechoslovakia, deciding to perform in Saudi Arabia and turning down Game of ThronesProducers: Daniel Kraemer and Flora Murray
Sound: Jack Wilfan
Editor: Giles Edwards
Published: Feb 27, 2026Duration: 46m 39s
'We're appeasing the tech bros': Beeban Kidron, from film-maker to lawmaker
What links Bridget Jones to social media regulation?The answer: Baroness Beeban Kidron. In 2004 she directed the Bridget Jones sequal. 20 years later, she became one of the most vocal campaigners for regulation of social media and tech in the UK.She joins Nick in the Political Thinking studio to tell her story, from joining Marxist dinner parties in her childhood home, to filming and living with the protesters of Greenham Common in the 1980s.Today, she has strong words for Keir Starmer's government, and is pushing for law-changes from her seat in the...
Published: Feb 20, 2026Duration: 47m 50s
Nigel Farage: 'Broken Britain', national identity and lessons from Trump
A frank conversation with the leader of Reform UK.Nigel Farage has put his party on a "general election war footing" and says he is preparing for power.What has his party still got to learn before they're ready? Who is he referring to when he talks about putting "our own people first"?And what made him change his mind and return to politics?Senior Producer: Daniel Kraemer
Producer: Flora Murray
Editor: Giles Edwards
Sound: Ged Sudlow
Published: Feb 13, 2026Duration: 52m 53s
How to tell England’s story: James Graham, playwright
James Graham joined Nick in the political thinking studio in late January, ahead of a this year's TV adaptation of his play Dear England.What did Gareth Southgate get right about national identity?What advice does the playwright have for Keir Starmer on storytelling?And why is it important that people continue to go to the theatre?Senior Producer: Daniel Kraemer
Producer: Flora Murray
Sound: Ged Sudlow and Hal Haines
Editor: Giles Edwards
Published: Feb 6, 2026Duration: 43m 29s
Vitali Klitschko, Mayor of Kyiv: From boxing to politics
How did the world heavyweight champion end up running a city of 3 million people in wartime?Vitali Klitschko joins Nick from the Ukrainian capital in the midst of a Russian campaign to descimate the city's energy infrastructure.He talks about what peace could look like, the lessons he learned from living under Soviet rule as a child, and why he decided to abandon a lucrative life in the US to enter Ukrainian politics. Senior producer: Daniel Kraemer
Producer: Flora Murray
Sound: Ged Sudlow
Editor: Giles Edwards
Published: Jan 30, 2026Duration: 34m 43s
David Lammy: The old world order isn't coming back
What happens when US Vice President Vance goes drinking with Angela Rayner & David Lammy?The Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary knows America better than probably anyone else around the cabinet table. And in this interview he reflects at length on the state of the world and the significance of the US president's Greenland threats.David Lammy gives an impassioned defence against critics who question his friendship with Vice President J D Vance and reflects on his life's journey from Tottenham to Harvard. He also discusses the ongoing row over jury trial reforms...
Published: Jan 23, 2026Duration: 50m 39s
David Lammy: The old world order isn't coming back
What happens when US Vice President Vance goes drinking with Angela Rayner & David Lammy?
Published: Jan 23, 2026Duration: 50m 39s
The union leader who agrees with the Tory leader: Daniel Kebede
The National Education Union's general secretary on banning social media, strikes and raceDaniel Kebede says he is "completely aligned" with Kemi Badenoch on social media policy but warns that the Labour government is on a "collision course" with teachers over pay and conditions. Why does a former minister describe him as "disarming" while the press brand him as "militant" and a "hardened protester"?Nick also presses Kebede on the blocking of a Jewish Bristol MP from visiting a school, past comments about Israel, and whether taxpayers can afford further pay rises for...
Published: Jan 16, 2026Duration: 43m 53s
John Swinney: Trump, Independence and Scottish Troops in Ukraine
What is the Scottish First Minister's secret for getting Donald Trump's attention?Nick is in Edinburgh to sit down with John Swinney, at the start of a year of big elections across the UK, including for the Scottish Parliament.He has been at the top of SNP-led government's for almost all of the last 19 years. He is now asking for another five years, with the hope of securing a new independence referendum.In this conversation, Swinney talks about how he charmed Donald Trump, reflects on a dangerous world, and opens up about the...
Published: Jan 9, 2026Duration: 42m 9s
Jordan Bardella: The 30-year-old populist hoping to be France's next president
An exclusive interview on immigration, racism, Russia, Farage and Trump.Jordan Bardella is the leader of National Rally in France, and currently leading the polls to become president in 2027 if his mentor, Marine Le Pen fails to overturn a conviction that bars her from running for office. In the meantime, he is on a mission to persuade people that his party has changed since its history as the National Front, founded in the 1970s by Jean-Marie Le Pen, a convicted racist and Holocaust-denier. Can he succeed?In this interview, Bardella responds...
Published: Dec 10, 2025Duration: 47m 15s
Kemi Badenoch: Shooting from the hip
Why did the leader of the opposition call the chancellor 'spineless' and 'shameless'?Kemi Badenoch joins Nick in the Political Thinking studio to reflect on what lay behind the personal and political debates around Budget Day.How can she emulate Margaret Thatcher's regeneration of the Conservative Party?How did anger help drive her into politics? And why do her kids wish she still worked at McDonald's?Producer: Daniel Kraemer
Research: Chloe Desave
Editor: Jonathan Brunert
Sound: Ged Sudlow and Andrew Mills
Published: Nov 28, 2025Duration: 46m 0s
Shabana Mahmood: Racism, Asylum and Me
Why is the Home Secretary warning against leaving space for "darker forces"?Shabana Mahmood sits down with Nick off the back of announcing sweeping changes to the asylum system in the UK.Why did she decide to quote explicit racial abuse in the House of Commons? And how does she intend to avoid "ceding the territory of asylum to the far right"?The Home Secretary reflects on how her Muslim faith plays a part in her job and sense of public service. And she reflects on the "humiliation" of the Downing Street briefing...
Published: Nov 20, 2025Duration: 49m 7s
'I'm preparing for government': Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth
Can Plaid Cymru replace Labour as the party of power in Wales next year? Rhun ap Iorwerth, the party's leader, thinks so. Rhun ap Iorwerth joins Nick in the Political Thinking studio to talk about how his parents' passion for Welsh heritage and language formed the basis for his vision for the country. They explore Welsh identity and the anti-monarchy spirit that inspired the name of his teenage band.Also on the agenda: immigration, mispronunciations, and Robbie Williams.Producer: Daniel Kraemer
Research: Chloe Desave
Editor: Leela Padmanabhan
Published: Nov 14, 2025Duration: 38m 48s
'I like it when people underestimate me': Lib Dem leader Ed Davey
Ed Davey warns Starmer against handing Reform UK 'the keys into 10 Downing Street'Producer: Daniel Kraemer
Research: Chloe Desave
Sound: Ged Sudlow and Andrew Mills
Editor: Giles Edwards
Published: Nov 7, 2025Duration: 47m 39s
Life after Labour: Zarah Sultana on Palestine, Farage and 'Your Party'
How a trip to the West Bank in her teens set the Coventry MP on a path into politics.Zarah Sultana joins Nick in the studio a few weeks before the launch of her new party with Jeremy Corbyn.In the interview, they discuss her positions on NATO, the state of Israel, seeking power, and why she likened her relationship with Corbyn to the Gallagher brothers.Producer: Daniel Kraemer
Research: Chloe Desave
Editor: Giles Edwards
Published: Oct 31, 2025Duration: 47m 57s
Gaza, Trump and me: UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher
Driving through Gaza is like "driving through the ruins of Hiroshima, or Stalingrad, or Dresden"Tom Fletcher has been the United Nations humanitarian chief for almost a year and speaks to Nick two weeks into his organisation's efforts to get as much aid as possible into the Gaza Strip.He gives a behind-the-scenes account of how he works with the Trump White House and how the ceasefire deal was struck in Sharm el-Sheikh.Fletcher also shares his lessons learned from his years as foreign adviser to Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron.<...
Published: Oct 24, 2025Duration: 48m 43s
Net Zero has become a religion: Claire Coutinho on climate, identity and cooking
The Shadow Energy Minister has transformed her party's approach to climate policy.In this extended conversation, Claire Coutinho sets out what changed her mind on net zero, a shift that has brought her into fierce debates with her opposite number, Ed Miliband. She also shares her feelings about what she calls a rising "ethno-nationalism" on the right of British politics, as well as her reaction to her colleague Robert Jenrick's comments about Birmingham. Nick asks how she ended up being sacked by Nigella Lawson, and sets up a future dinner party with Miliband. <...
Published: Oct 17, 2025Duration: 42m 5s