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Radical with Amol Rajan

Manifesto week, political earthquakes and interview tactics

Radical with Amol Rajan

BBC

Society & Culture

4.5919 Ratings

🗓️ 10 June 2024

⏱️ 43 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Amol and Nick look ahead to the week in which the release of party manifestos could well reset the narrative of the election.

They consider what the rise of the right in European elections might mean for the UK with the help of friend of the pod, pollster James Kanagasooriam.

Plus Nick talks tactics ahead of his TV leadership interview with Rishi Sunak.

Episodes of The Today Podcast during the election campaign will land on Mondays and Thursdays. Subscribe on BBC Sounds to get Amol and Nick's take on the biggest stories of the week, with insights from behind the scenes at the UK's most influential radio news programme. If you would like a question answering, get in touch by sending us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 4346 or email us Today@bbc.co.uk

The Today Podcast is hosted by Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson, both presenters of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the UK’s most influential radio news programme. Amol was the BBC’s media editor for six years and is the former editor of the Independent, he’s also the current presenter of University Challenge. Nick has presented the Today programme since 2015, he was the BBC’s political editor for ten years before that and also previously worked as ITV’s political editor.

The senior producer is Tom Smithard, the editor is Louisa Lewis. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths. Technical production from Jonny Baker and digital production from Joe Wilkinson.

Transcript

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0:00.0

BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts.

0:04.8

Hello, it's Amol.

0:06.0

And it's Nick?

0:06.7

We're recording this on Monday morning, big week in the election campaign, 24 days to go, manifesto week, Lib Dems today, Tories on Tuesday, Labour on Thursday, and Reform are also announcing their economic policies today.

0:19.2

And the big set piece TV interviews with the party leaders kick off today.

0:24.0

I'm interviewing Rishi Sunak later for Panorama, 8 o'clock BBC 1.

0:28.0

There's a lot to ask him.

0:28.9

Good of you to drop in, Nick.

0:29.9

Shows your commitment to the Pod Squad that despite interviewing the Prime Minister in about 10 minutes time,

0:34.1

you're here, which is evidence that today podcast is thriving.

0:38.3

I didn't want to be separated from you, mate.

0:42.0

I've heard that before. Right, let's do it.

1:01.6

I don't know about you, but quite a lot of people I'm talking to about this election are saying there's no substance, really. They look at the debates and the rouse there.

1:07.0

They look at the gaffs, D-Day, Sunak out in the rain, but they don't think there's

1:12.7

anything really meaty for them to get their teeth into in this election. And I hope, I think

1:17.8

this is the week that will begin to change, because when the manifestos come out, when the parties

1:23.2

have to put in their shop window, their promises of what they'll do. And remember, we can also

1:29.5

look at what they're not promising they'll do, the things they've left out of their manifesto.

1:33.9

You begin to be able to have a sense of what five years of this or that government might be,

1:40.8

or five years of this or that vigorous kind of opposition party might mean. Yeah, and you get a sense as well of what is actually going on in British politics. Yeah, we've talked a lot on this podcast, and I'm glad we have, about whether or not, you know, there's a lot of focus on, is there going to be a big landslide? Is there going to be a change of power after 14 years of conservative government? We've got to look at the context.

2:01.2

I got a lovely note for one of our listeners last week, Nick, which I shared on our WhatsApp,

2:04.9

a lovely chap called Nick, I think his name was, who messaged me saying the Today

...

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