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New Thinking.

Political campaigning and the rise of the SpAd

Chris Addison joins Armando Iannucci for a special episode of the New Statesman podcast

The legendary writer, satirist and broadcaster Armando Iannucci joins the New Statesman podcast to co-host four special episodes. In these shows, Iannucci explores areas of British politics that he believes are broken, and is joined by guests from inside and outside Westminster to discuss how politics could be better.

In episode three, Iannucci and Anoosh Chakelian examine political campaigning and centrism vs localism: whether better government comes from a powerful centre or from a strong local connection.

Iannucci and Chakelian are joined by special guests Chris Addison, the actor and director who played special adviser Ollie Reeder in The Thick of It, and Claire Wright, the independent candidate who fought the East Devon constituency in three general elections – coming second each time. They discuss the conveyor belt from special adviser to politician and what you need to be a good MP.

How to listen to Westminster Reimagined

1. In your browser

You can use the player above to listen in your browser right now. If you’d like to hear more from the series, all four episodes of Westminster Reimagined are available to listen to on-demand. Visit the mini-series homepage here.

2. In a podcast app

Westminster Reimagined is published directly into the main feed for the New Statesman podcast, available on all major podcast apps including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Acast, Google Podcasts, and more. Search ‘Westminster Reimagined’ in your favourite podcast app to see the episodes.

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