Alex Salmond

Alex Salmond has returned to Scottish politics by launching the pro-independence Alba party – a move that, according to the New Statesman, makes the Scottish independence movement look like an “utter, unsupportable shambles”. On this episode of the New Statesman Podcast, Anoosh Chakelian and Ailbhe Rea discuss the implications for Scottish voters, and whether Salmond's return to the political arena is appropriate. Then, in You Ask Us, they look at a weekend of briefings about a potential reshuffle of Keir Starmer's top team. Further reading Ailbhe has been following the developments in Scotland and argues that Salmond's return to politics raises grave questions about what we accept in public life. She also asks what is the point of Alex Salmond's new Alba party? She also reports on the latest developments in the Labour Party, and asks whether Keir Starmer will sack Anneliese Dodds. Elswhere, Anoosh has been exploring the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the NHS backlog. Read her extended data piece here. How to listen to the New Statesman podcast 1. In your browser You can use the player above to listen in your browser right now. The New Statesman podcast publishes twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Fridays. All episodes are published to newstatesman.com/podcasts on the day of release. Subscribers to the New Statesman can access episodes a day early, in our subscriber edition. 2. In a podcast app The New Statesman podcast is available on all major podcast apps including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Acast, Google Podcasts, and more. Search 'New Statesman podcast' in your favourite podcast app, and subscribe or follow to make sure you receive episodes as soon as they publish. While you're there, please leave a review for the podcast - it helps others find the show, which in turn makes it possible for us to keep making it. 3. On your smart speaker If you have an Amazon Echo, Google Home or Apple HomePod smart speaker, ask it to "play the latest episode of the New Statesman podcast". The same command also works with virtual assistants on mobile devices.