The Prospect Podcast

This month our family of writers is in a whimsical mood: Vitali Vitaliev reflects on the very different purpose toilet paper once had in Soviet Ukraine, while Anglican priest Alice Goodman laments the poor quality of the Church’s Cheeky Pandas cartoons for children. Actor and writer Sheila Hancock suffers terrible stage fright, while Sarah Collins celebrates the human antidepressants in her local community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s been a nightmare week for Keir Starmer. After devastating results for Labour in the 7th May elections, pressure has this week mounted on the prime minister to resign. He has said that he will stay, and that he wants to lead Labour into the next general election—but how long can he hang on, and what would it mean for Labour’s fortunes if he did?

Ellen and Alona are joined by veteran pollster and regular Prospect contributor Peter Kellner to discuss Starmer’s predicament, what a leadership challenge would look like, and whether any of the contenders could rally the support needed to oust the prime minister.

Visit prospectmagazine.co.uk to read all of Peter Kellner’s latest analysis, including his open letter to the next Labour leader: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/72547/an-open-letter-to-labours-next-prime-minister
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It’s the week every political nerd has been waiting for. Tomorrow, voters go to the polls in England, Scotland and Wales to elect local councils, Holyrood and the Senedd.

Just how bad do things look for Labour—and Keir Starmer? Why are Reform UK and the Greens surprisingly similar? And how come Kemi Badenoch, whose Tories are a mere shadow of their former selves, isn’t facing a leadership challenge? Plus: what can local elections really tell us about the next general election?

On today’s episode, Ellen and Alona are joined by writer and broadcaster Carys Afoko to discuss the days and weeks ahead. A former political adviser to several Labour politicians, she hosts the weekly current affairs podcast “Over the Top, Under the Radar”.

To read Carys’s recent article. “Are Reform and the Greens battle ready?”, visit the Prospect website. Read everything for free until 11th May.
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Twenty years ago, Tharik Hussain moved from the United Kingdom to Saudi Arabia with a sense that he and other Muslims didn’t belong in Europe. But, as he explains today on the podcast, he has since been on a journey to uncover some 1,400 years of rich Muslim history and culture on the continent.

Tharik joins Imaan and Ellen to discuss how Europeans forgot the contributions of Muslims in Europe—and what the impact of this erasure has been on modern politics.

Plus—why, in the 8th century, did Anglo-Saxon King Offa of Mercia issue a gold coin inscribed with the shahadah (Islamic declaration of faith)?

Tharik’s book, Muslim Europe, was published by Penguin in 2025.
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After the explosive revelation that Peter Mandelson had “failed” his vetting before being waved through as US ambassador, Alona and Imaan are joined by contributing editor Tom Clark to discuss the root cause of this political disaster. It wasn’t the vetting process, argues Tom, but the power struggles at the heart of the Labour party.

Why weren’t Mandelson’s links to Jeffrey Epstein and Russian oligarchs immediate dealbreakers for the prime minister? And why was Number 10 enquiring about an ambassadorship for Matthew Doyle, who was recently driven out of the Lords over links to a sex offender?

Tom discusses party purges, secretive dealings and double standards. And, with Labour falling to fourth place in some polls, he also discusses the road to political recovery. How long will Starmer survive?

To read Tom’s article ‘The Mandelson saga is really about Labour factionalism’, click here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/73081/the-mandelson-saga-is-really-about-labour-factionalism
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