Hello, politics fans. I'm Matt Ford, the host of the Political Party podcast, and I have some very exciting news.

The Crossed Wires Podcast Festival is coming to Sheffield from the 4th to the 6th of July, and they're bringing some of the biggest names in political podcasting to the stage, including me.

I'll be recording a special episode of the Political Party with King of the North Andy Burnham on Sunday the 6th of July.

But there's even more. Pod Save the UK will be there as well.

Nish Kumar and Coco Khan will be joined by former city trader Gary Stevenson.

The BBC's political editor, Chris Mason, will be taking to the stage with Adam Fleming for a live edition of newscast and John Harris will also be at the festival with the Guardian's Politics Weekly.

It's essentially the Glastonbury of political podcasts without the mud, but maybe with the come downs.

There's loads more including Greg James, Frank Skinner and Sir Michael Palin,parties, book signings and an entirely free fringe.

Head to Crosswires. Live for tickets and more information. This is political co-ncy with Ed Balls and George Osborne.

So we are recording remotely today, even though actually we're both in the UK because I spent a couple of days, you know, on a boat in the Solent, sailing around kind of Yarmouth and the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth.

But George, you've just come in on the red Eye from Washington, D.C., dashed in to London

in order to record this podcast.

I've got to say, I think you're looking okay, given, you know, the overnight flight.

I tell you it was a very English channel weather in Washington.

It was terrible.

It was like pissing with rain.

It was foggy.

It was then got, it was quite cold.

It's pretty because it's been sunny and lovely here.

I know.

And then it got very, very humid.

It got that kind of swampy feeling to it.

...