Best The Backbench Podcasts (2025)

1
Sault Ste. Marie, ON: So effin good (ft. Douglas Soltys) 53:53

2d ago53:53

53:53

Today we are bringing you a great episode from our friends at Canardian! Sault Ste. Marie. Population 71,000. A place best known as the hometown of Roberta Bondar, the first woman in space, Treble Charger, and countless NHL players. Douglas Soltys, host of The BetaKit Podcast, joins the show (instead of going to therapy) to discuss the best pizza i…

1
What Can We Learn From These Local Elections? 36:02

1d ago36:02

36:02

With much of England set to go to the polls next week we’re previewing a crucial set of local elections, with more than 1,600 council seats up for grabs, as well as six mayoral contests and a high-profile Parliamentary by-election in Runcorn and Helsby. On the panel is Jonathan Ashworth, chief executive of the think tank Labour Together and a forme…

1
BONUS: The Candidates Caught on Doorbell Cams 8:19

2d ago8:19

8:19

It’s the final election stretch, and the vetting continues. This week we talk conversion therapy, million-dollar pyramid schemes, & the dangers of doorbell cameras Host: Sam Konnert, Noor Azrieh Credits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Producer), Sam Konnert (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Max Collins (Director of Audio) Jes…

1
Will Canada Split if Carney Wins? 43:34

4d ago43:34

43:34

While most Canadians are gearing up to head to the polls, some are looking for an escape plan. This week, we’re examining the deep roots of Western alienation, Danielle Smith’s separatist flirtations, and what could erupt if Mark Carney’s Liberals sweep to power. To do that, producer Sam Konnert heads out to Alberta to talk to some voters, and call…

1
Last orders for Britain's pubs? 34:52

9d ago34:52

34:52

With the Commons in recess the pod heads down the pub for another episode looking at the UK’s hospitality industry and the struggles it continues to face - with a host of global headwinds and domestic policy contributing to a bleak outlook for the sector in 2025. Joining host Alain Tolhurst for a pint in The Westminster Arms, a stones throw from Pa…

1
BONUS: The Loose Moose Candidate 7:23

10d ago7:23

7:23

There are 1959 people running to represent YOU in this federal election in the year of our lord 2025 - and we’re looking for dirt. This week - a liberal candidate that didn’t want to be a distraction was replaced by an EVEN bigger distraction, a far-right media personality has some INSANE takes, and independent candidate Elliot Moose is on the loos…

1
Political Animals in the Wild (a Field Report from Ottawa) 41:14

12d ago41:14

41:14

With two weeks out from election day, Ottawa is buzzing. Staffers are partying late into the night and reporting to work at 7 a.m., Chipotle’s are turning into war rooms, and the polls are telling stories. We went to three party-specific events in Ottawa for a pulse check on how people feel in the nation’s capital. From 11-year-old door knockers to…

1
Can Starmer navigate Trump's tariff turmoil? 57:34

16d ago57:34

57:34

Senior Labour MP Liam Bryne, who chairs the Commons business and trade committee, joins host Alain Tolhurst to discuss how Keir Starmer navigates the post-tariff world, and whether the market turmoil could be an opportunity for Britain. Later in the episode a panel of experts discuss the small matter of what on earth is happening to the global econ…

1
BONUS: The Garfield Porn Guy Running for Parliament 5:51

17d ago5:51

5:51

It’s an election, we’re googling your candidate. There's a candidate for the Green Party who’s actively campaigning for the Conservative Party. There’s a famous YouTuber candidate with an icky social media history, there’s a guy who is promising to fix housing problems that HE created. And then we’ll get to the explicit Garfield porn. It gets crazy…

1
Is Pierre Actually a Girl's Girl? 39:54

19d ago39:54

39:54

Last week, Pierre Poilievre said tick tock goes your biological clock. This was the first time that host Noor Azrieh noticed, during the campaign, that someone (anyone!) was speaking to women directly and explicitly. And it prompted a wave of pushback…and some praise. The gap between men and women is widening. If the election happened today, and on…

1
Mark Field on the end of the Tory era 36:12

23d ago36:12

36:12

Former Conservative MP and minister Mark Field speaks to host Alain Tolhurst about his new memoir The End Of An Era, which as the title suggests charts both his own time in politics as well as the waning fortunes of his party over the past 25 years. They discuss his reflections five years on from stepping down from the Commons, what the Tories got …

1
BONUS: The Hams for Terrorism MP 4:39

24d ago4:39

4:39

There are hundreds of unvetted candidates vying for a seat in Parliament… Canada has 343 federal electoral districts stretching from coast to coast to coast. In every riding, candidates are stepping up…some for the first time. This means there are hundreds of unvetted candidates vying for a seat in Parliament. This week, we’re looking at a few stan…

1
Pardon His French? Quebec's Crush on Carney 42:45

26d ago42:45

42:45

With 78 of the 343 seats in the House of Commons, Quebec isn’t just a battleground…it could decide the entire election. And this time, the usual Bloc-Liberal-NDP tug-of-war is taking some unexpected turns. We hit the streets of Montreal to find out what is on people’s minds, and host Noor Azrieh sits down with Martin Patriquin to unpack what it all…

1
Rachel Reeves turns into the 'concrete Chancellor' 44:47

1M ago44:47

44:47

To discuss the fallout from this week’s Spring Statement, after Rachel Reeves confirmed a host of cuts to benefit payments and a squeeze on public spending to offset a downgrade in the country’s growth forecast, John Glen, Tory MP and a former Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Helen Barnard, Director of Policy at the Trussell charity, Greg Thwaites,…

1
War and Peace in Europe 42:43

1M ago42:43

42:43

With Ukraine and Russia in the throes of attempting to negotiate a ceasefire, Westminster Insider Host Sascha O’Sullivan talks to some of the leading figures on the frontline of the war with Russia. She speaks to Finnish Minister for Nordic Co-Operation Anders Adlercreutz, who told her Finland has never stopped buying tanks and building bomb shelte…

1
How Poilievre Went From Top Dog to Underdog 41:44

1M ago41:44

41:44

And we’re off to the races! It’s time for the matchup, and election, of a generation. Newly minted Prime Minister Mark Carney is taking on former front-runner Pierre Poilievre on April 28th. It’s a 5-week campaign. In the backdrop of a trade war, Trump’s annexation threats, And almost 10 long years of Liberal leadership. For over a year, Poilievre …

1
Can Starmer re-wire the state? 36:13

1M ago36:13

36:13

Last week Keir Starmer scrapped NHS England as he signalled the government's aim to fundamentally reshape and rewire how the state operates, so the panel is discussing what this means for civil service staff numbers, what impact this will have on the delivery of public services, and how briefings about a so-called ‘project chainsaw’ have gone down …

1
How to launch a backbench rebellion 42:34

1M ago42:34

42:34

With the stench of rebellion hanging around the tearooms of SW1 after ministers announced fresh welfare cuts, this week host Patrick Baker explores the backbench revolts of years past, asking how disobedient MPs really plan and plot against their own parties. Veteran Tory MP David Davis describes how he and other rebels defeated David Cameron's pla…

1
Why AI Isn't Going To Steal Our Election 43:38

1M ago43:38

43:38

Is AI slop the ultimate weapon for foreign interference? Or are we spiraling into another internet-fueled moral panic? Last week several AI-generated photos of Mark Carney and Ghislaine Maxwell looking chummy went viral. It was easy to spot the fake, but it raised an important question: should we be worried about AI in this election? Ryan Broderick…

1
Are the wheels coming off Reform? 37:14

1M ago37:14

37:14

After winning five MPs last year and continuing to surge in the polls - are the wheels starting to come off for Reform UK after this week's damaging but wholly predictable internal row involving MP Rupert Lowe and party leader Nigel Farage? Gawain Towler, the party's former director of communications and a long-time spokesman for Nigel Farage, as w…

1
When politicians fight the law and the law wins 40:43

1M ago40:43

40:43

As Mike Amesbury bows out of his career as a Labour MP after being caught on tape assaulting a constituent, this week’s episode of Westminster Insider goes inside politicians’ wrangles with the law. Host Sascha O’Sullivan finds out if winding up in front of a judge can ever be survivable for a politician — high-profile or not. She talks to former L…

1
None of That 51st State Sh*t 35:07

2M ago35:07

35:07

Canada is deep in the trenches of a trade war with the United States. After U.S. President Trump unpaused the 25% tariffs on all Canadian imports, all hell has broken loose: the federal government has fired back, provincial leaders are firing shots of their own, and more threats have been made - and then walked back - by the White House. All this, …

1
Inside COBRA 45:38

2M ago45:38

45:38

Have you ever wondered about COBRA? Not the snake or the yoga pose — but Cabinet Office Briefing Room A, the place at the heart of Whitehall where a highly sensitive, critical government committee meets when a crisis hits the U.K. This week, host Patrick Baker takes you inside these mysterious meetings to find out how those in charge take crucial d…

1
Can Starmer lead the West? 40:55

2M ago40:55

40:55

As the future of Europe dominates the headlines, Lib Dem defence spokesperson Helen Maguire MP, former Tory ministers James Heappey and Greg Hands, and More in Common’s Luke Tryl join host Adam Payne to discuss a seismic week in world affairs as Prime Minister Keir Starmer tries to bring peace to Ukraine. With the tectonic plates of geopolitics shi…

1
Mark Carney — the Less We Know, the Better 42:00

2M ago42:00

42:00

For the first time since 2021, the Liberals are beating the Conservatives in a recent poll. We’ll find out on March 9th if Carney is officially sticking around for the long haul. And then? He’s going to be the Prime Minister - at least for a little while. Carney-mania is going around - is it real? Or seriously overblown? Is he Canada's Kamala Harri…

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The Backbench Podcasts

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