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Political Thinking with Nick Robinson

Political Thinking with Nick Robinson

BBC Radio 4

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 12:15 pm on Fridays or on BBC iPlayer. And you can listen on BBC Radio 4 on Saturdays at 17:30.

333 - Andy Haldane: Burnham's former adviser gives the Budget 4 out of 10
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  • 333 - Andy Haldane: Burnham's former adviser gives the Budget 4 out of 10

    The President of the British Chambers of Commerce on his role as friend and critic of the new prime minister.

    Andy Haldane made his name as the "maverick" and "radical" Chief Economist at the Bank of England.

    Many thought he'd be brought into Andy Burnham's Downing Street as an adviser, but he opted to stay on the outside.

    He sits down with Nick the day after the Budget to reflect on some encouraging signs from the budget, but warns against pushing back the biggest decisions.

    He also reflects on how his working class upbringing in Sunderland formed his economic approach.

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    Send us your thoughts, reactions, questions and suggestions to politicalthinking@bbc.co.uk

    Senior Producer: Daniel Kraemer Producer: Flora Murray Editor: Giles Edwards Sound: Andy Mills

    Thu, 29 Oct 2026
  • 332 - 'We can't leave it to tech bros and oligarchs': AI minister Kanishka Narayan

    From a childhood in India, to a new seat at Andy Burnham's cabinet table: what has shaped the man who is now tasked with shaping the UK's response to the world of AI?

    How did Kanishka Narayan go from sleeping on the floor in his family's one-bed flat in Cardiff, to Eton and Silicon Valley?

    Why does he think the UK can have an outsized voice on the world stage when it comes to global AI cooperation?

    And is he scared, daunted or excited by something that he says "exceeds the industrial revolution"?

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    Send us your thoughts, reactions, questions and suggestions to politicalthinking@bbc.co.uk

    Senior Producer: Daniel Kraemer Producer: Flora Murray Sound: Steve Pontin and Hal Haines Editor: Jonathan Brunert

    Fri, 23 Oct 2026
  • 331 - Suella Braverman: 'I'm not imposing my idea of Englishness on anyone else'

    "I played it nicely in government. I should have been harder.'

    That is the reflection of the former Home Secretary, now Reform UK's education spokesperson, on her time at the top of government.

    Suella Braverman joins Nick in the Political Thinking studio, having sparked a row after saying "of course I'm not English" on Question Time.

    She explains what she actually meant and why she thinks accusations of racism against her are 'dangerous'

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    Send us your thoughts, reactions, questions and suggestions to politicalthinking@bbc.co.uk

    Senior Producer: Daniel Kraemer Producer: Flora Murray Editor: Giles Edwards

    Fri, 16 Oct 2026
  • 330 - Tom Watson: Don't bow to 'mob rule' on Palantir

    The former deputy Labour leader has been criticised for joining the controversial tech firm, Palantir, as it tries to persuade ministers not to cut off a huge NHS contract.

    How did the man who railed against Rupert Murdoch's media empire and Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook end up working for a Silicon Valley tech giant?

    Tom Watson accepts he's at the centre of a 'media storm', partly due to the firm's work with the Israel Defence Forces, and faces questions over the efficacy of Palantir's NHS software.

    He also reveals why he chose to stand down from the House of Commons before the start of the 2019 election campaign.

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    Send us your thoughts, reactions, questions and suggestions to politicalthinking@bbc.co.uk

    Senior Producer: Daniel Kraemer Producer: Flora Murray Editor: Giles Edwards

    Fri, 09 Oct 2026
  • 329 - We're failing the next generation: Alan Milburn on getting young people into work

    The man tasked with tackling youth worklessness joins Nick at the Labour conference in Liverpool.

    Alan Milburn has looked into the whites of the eyes of the prime minister and the chancellor, and believes they are on board with his upcoming 'manifesto for change,' aimed at solving the 'NEETs' crisis: young people not in education, employment or training.

    The veteran of the Blair cabinet is now one of the most powerful people behind the current government, and tells Nick how his own background inspired his passion for the subject.

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    Send us your thoughts, reactions, questions and suggestions to politicalthinking@bbc.co.uk

    Senior Producer: Daniel Kraemer Producer: Flora Murray Editor: Giles Edwards

    Wed, 30 Sep 2026
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