The Political Press Box (Ian Silvera)

Welcome to The Political Press Box. If you haven’t heard, we have a few general elections coming up this year.  I thought it was a good idea -- and I may be proven wrong here -- to get to know the people covering these major political events.  Not just the journalists, but the pollsters, the academics and the commentators too.

Hosted and produced by Ian Silvera
www.news-future.com

In this episode of The Political Press Box I speak to Rob Ford. Rob is a Professor of Political Science at The University of Manchester and an author. 

You may recognise him from the media, where he has explained the rise of Ukip, Brexit and produced one of the most extensive studies into the 2019 general election. That's when Boris Johnson battered Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour in the polls. That seems like a long-time go now, doesn’t it?

We spoke about Rob’s Substack, The Swingometer, his work as part of the Exit Poll team on election nights for the BBC and what the public, and the media, need to know about political polling. 

Produced and hosted by Ian Silvera.

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In this episode of The Political Press Box I speak to David Maddox. David is a veteran political journalist, having first joined the Lobby in 2010 and having covered six general election campaigns. 

He is now the former political editor of The Express online, as he moves to The Independent. David also has extensive experience covering US and European politics, including interviewing Donald Trump.

We spoke about the current state of political journalism in the UK, David’s thoughts on Labour, the Conservatives and Reform as well as whether Westminster hacks are in a bubble or not. 

Produced and hosted by Ian Silvera.

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In this episode of The Political Press Box I speak with Bailey Nash-Gardner. He’s the young man behind Politics UK, one of the most popular British political news aggregators. 

In many ways, Politics UK has taken on the baton from Politics From All, which was eventually shut down by Twitter before Elon Musk acquired the business. 

I spoke to Bailey about the future of Politics UK, which now has 150,000 followers, how he plans to monetize the platform and how important social media is to politics and the media. 

Produced and hosted by Ian Silvera.

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In this episode I speak to Catherine Neilan. She is the Political Editor of Tortoise Media. The outlet was founded in 2019 with the aim of promoting ‘slow news’, hence the name. 

Amongst other innovations, Tortoise hosts editorial-style meetings with its members, opening up journalism in the process. 

I spoke to Cat about her transition from business journalism to politics, the state of the Lobby. And what life is like as a political hack, covering Westminster and its often unsociable hours, as well being a parent.

Produced and hosted by Ian Silvera.

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In this episode of The Political Press Box, I speak to Robert Colville, Director of the Centre for Policy Studies. The think-tank was set-up by Keith Joseph, Alfred Sherman and Margaret Thatcher in 1974 to champion economic liberalism. It continues to be one of the UK’s most influential policy shops. 

I spoke to Robert about his journalism career at The Telegraph and BuzzFeed, how think-tanks interact with the media and what he learnt editor the Tories’ 2019 General Election manifesto, a series of pledges which helped Boris Johnson secure the biggest majority the Conservatives have seen since the 1980s. 

Hosted and produced by Ian Silvera

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In this episode of The Political Press Box, I speak to George Eaton, Senior Editor (Politics) at The New Statesman. George, a long-time Labour watcher, has recently re-joined the Lobby and has written extensively on Sir Keir Starmer and his leadership. We discuss George's plans for the general election, how Starmer compares to Jeremy Corbyn and how The New Statesman has evolved over the years.

George's essay on 'Starmerism':  https://www.newstatesman.com/cover-story/2024/05/what-is-starmerism

The New Statesman's Morning Call newsletter: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/morning-call

Hosted and produced by Ian Silvera
www.news-future.com

On this episode of The Political Press Box, I speak to Ed West, one of the most prominent conservative writers in Britain. We discuss how Ed started his journalistic career writing for 'lads mags' and how he transitioned from the mainstream media to Substack, where he has tens of thousands of subscribers.

You can read Ed's Substack, The Wrong Side of History, here.

And you can follow him on Twitter here.

Hosted and produced by Ian Silvera.
www.news-future.com 

On this episode of The Political Press Box, I speak to Lucy Fisher, the Whitehall editor of the FT. Formerly of The Daily Telegraph and The Times, Lucy is also the host of the FT's Political Fix podcast and is a familiar face on British current affair shows. We caught up in the middle of the 2024 General Election campaign to discuss how the FT is approaching this reporting challenge and how Lucy is reshaping her life around the vote.

You can follow Lucy on Twitter here.

You can follow the FT's general election coverage here.

Hosted and produced by Ian Silvera
www.news-future.com

On this episode of the Political Press Box, I speak to Seb Whale, formerly of Politics Home, The House Magazine and Politico. Seb is a freelance political reporter, but he has also successfully transitioned to writing non-fiction books. His first title was a biography of John Bercow, the former Speaker of the House of Commons. Seb's next book with Biteback Publishing will focus on party Whips and the role they play in Parliament, their impact on British politics as well as legislation more generally.

Seb's Substack can be found here.

Produced and presented by Ian Silvera
www.news-future.com 

In this episode of the Political Press Box, I speak to Morten Morland. Even if you don’t know Morten, you’ve probably seen his art -- in The Spectator, The Times and elsewhere. His distinctive style has seen him crowned as one of the best political cartoonists operating in the UK today. 

But before we get into the interview, I should also note that for almost a decade The Economist and the FT have backed Labour at the general election. Murdoch’s The Sunday Times has also declared for Starmer. 

So far only The Telegraph and The Mail have backed Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party. 

The election has also seen the first serious deployment of TikTok, the video app. Which Reform in particular have been using to attract more young people to its cause.

And if you look at Facebook’s and YouTube’s transparency centre, you can see the amount of bespoke video content Labour has generated compared to the Conservatives, who have allegedly been hurting for cash. 

The real technology and media crunch will come on 4 July, when all parties will be trying to get out their vote. Or GOTV. 

Studies have shown you can increase your vote share by between 4 and 5% if you knock on the right doors and prompt the right people. I hear AI tech could be making that effort more efficient online.

Hosted and produced by Ian Silvera
www.news-future.com

Gabe Fleisher is editor and founder of Wake Up To Politics, a daily newsletter focused on American politics he founded in 2011. On this episode of The Political Press Box, we discuss the very recent and dramatic developments in US politics, including Joe Biden stepped aside as the Democrats' Presidential candidate, and how Gabe made it so big, so young as well as his plans for the future.

Presented and produced by Ian Silvera
www.news-future.com

In this episode of The Political Press Box, I speak to Henry Hill, who at the time of recording was Conservative Home’s Acting Editor. Owned by the Total Politics Group, the outlet is known in journalistic circles for its Conservative member surveys and general coverage of the party. 

We discuss Henry’s analysis of the general election campaign, including the rise of Reform, and how the Tory Party might get back on track. We also delve into how Conservative Home will cover the Tory leadership election, which currently has six candidates, including James Cleverly, Kemi Badenoch, Priti Patel and Robert Jenrick, as well as Con Home’s and Henry’s plans for the future.

Hosted and produced by Ian Silvera
www.news-future.com

A leading issue which continues to be of great interest to journalists, and voters, is immigration. It's a top non-economic concern in the UK, the US and Europe, where the far-right is making serious electoral gains, most notably in Germany. 

To discuss this very topic I spoke to Hein de Haas, a Professor of Sociology at the University of Amsterdam. Hein also previously worked at the International Migration Institute at the University of Oxford.

He is the author of How Migration Really Works: 22 Things You Need to Know about the Most Divisive issue in Politics, which was first published by Penguin in 2023.

Produced and hosted by Ian Silvera, Editor of Tech, Power and Media newsletter.

On this episode of The Political Press Box, I speak to Nick Tyrone, a serial think-tanker, author and Substacker, about his ‘This Week in Brexitland’ newsletter, the state of ‘X’ and where he thinks the Labour and Conservative parties are heading next. A prominent pro-EU campaigner, Nick has written for The Spectator, The Express, The New Statesman and The Independent. He has most recently teamed up with Matthew Elliott, of Vote Leave fame, and joined the charity The Jobs Foundation as a senior policy adviser.

Produced and hosted by Ian Silvera, Editor of the Tech, Power and Media newsletter.

In this episode I speak to Adam Payne, the Editor of PoliticsHome. We talk about Adam’s career in journalism so far, including his time at Business Insider, how PoliticsHome covered the UK general election campaign and why he’s still getting his head around the new Parliament and the fact that Sir Keir Starmer's Labour Party has a so-called ‘super-majority’ in the House of Commons. We also discuss Adam’s shift from reporting to editing, how PoliticsHome is working more closely with its sister title The House Magazine and Adam’s look ahead for the rest of the year, including party conference season and Rachel Reeves' Budget, planned for the end of October.

Produced and hosted by Ian Silvera, Editor of Tech, Power and Media.

On this episode of The Political Press Box, I speak to James Heale, Political Correspondent at The Spectator. The interview was recorded just days before The Spectator was snapped up by hedge fund tycoon and GB News investor Sir Paul Marshall for a reported £100m. Andrew Neil, the Chairman of the publication, subsequently stood down from the outlet.  James, meanwhile, remains in post and is planning to traverse the UK, attending the post-general election party conferences. 

We discuss his plan of attack for conference season, his time as a reporter and why he decided to co-write a biography of Liz Truss, Out of the Blue: The Inside Story of The Unexpected Rise and Rapid Fall of Liz Truss.

Produced and hosted by Ian Silvera, editor of the Tech, Power & Media newsletter.

In this episode of the Political Press Box, I speak to Stella Tsantekidou, a former Labour staffer turned TV pundit. Stella, who appears on TalkTV, Channel 5, GB News and a range of other current affairs shows, is the first TV commentator I’ve had on the show. We get straight into the conversation about what life is like touring the studios and what’s next in her career. You can read Stella’s Substack here. 

Hosted and produced by Ian Silvera, editor of the Tech, Power and Media newsletter. 

On this episode of The Political Press Box I speak to Tony Diver, US Editor of The Telegraph. We discuss the outlet's expansion into America, how he is covering the Trump and Harris campaigns and why immigration is such an important issue. In addition, Tony discusses the differences between Washington and Westminster as well as how the media ecosystems work. You can subscribe to Tony's newsletter here.

Hosted and produced by Ian Silvera, Editor of Tech, Power & Media.

On this episode of the Political Press Box, I speak to Nick Hilton, a former podcast producer for The New Statesman and The Spectator, who launched his own podcast company, Podot, more than six years ago.

Nick is also a TV critic for The Independent and he has own Substack, Future Proof. But the reason why I spoke to Nick this time around is regarding the power of podcasting, with both the Trump and Harris campaigns attempting to win over podcast hosts, including the likes of Joe Rogan, The Nelk Boys, Andrew Shulz, Theo Von and Alex Cooper, and their highly-engaged audiences during the US election campaign.

We also discuss the current state of YouTube, where many established content creators are going through a soul searching process, with some rethinking their relationship with the platform. 

I hope you enjoy the episode. Please make sure to subscribe and leave a review.

Produced and hosted by Ian Silvera, Editor of Tech, Power & Media. 

On this episode of The Political Press Box I speak to Gawain Towler, a veteran press officer for the Eurosceptic cause, working first in and around the EU Parliament as a journalist and then joining UKIP.

Gawain went on to spin for the Brexit Party and then its successor party, Reform, at the last general election. Gawain is now turning his hand to political commentary. We discussed how he dealt with the media at the last election, Gawain’s plans for the future and how Reform plans to take on the established parties.

I hope you enjoy the episode. Please do make sure to subscribe and leave a review.

Hosted and produced by Ian Silvera, editor of Tech, Power and Media. 

On this episode of The Political Press Box I speak to Tim Ross, co-author of Landslide :The Inside Story of the 2024 Election (Biteback Publishing).

Alongside his fellow co-author Rachel Wearmouth, Tim has provided the first full journalistic account of why Labour won the last general election in the UK and, perhaps more importantly, why the Conservatives lost the vote. 

I talked to Tim, who edits for Politico in his day job, about Rishi Sunak’s mentality coming into the campaign, how Labour used AI technology to get out their vote and his views on the early days of Sir Keir Starmer’s government as well as the lessons the news media can learn from the campaign and Trump’s victory in America.

Edited, produced and hosted by Ian Silvera, editor of Tech, Power & Media.

After a long holiday on the other side of the world, I’m back in action for 2025 and will be keeping up my quest to interview some of the most impactful, insightful and imaginative communicators in and around the world of politics. 

On that note and on this episode I speak to James Millar, the Godfather of Scottish Political Podcasting. 

I met James, a former columnist for the The Press & Journal, years ago when we were both Lobby hacks and many SW1-types will be familiar with the name. Others may remember his PoliticalYeti podcast. 

Now, we’ve both turned to the so-called dark-side and we subsequently discussed the UK government’s communication efforts or, rather, the lack of them. As well as James’ move to Substack and his view on the current political landscape in Britain, especially in light of Trump’s new administration.

Produced and hosted by Ian Silvera, editor of Tech, Power & Media. 

On this episode of the Political Press Box, I speak to Bron Maher, a senior reporter at The Press Gazette. The outlet has published its annual Substack rich list, unveiling the highest earners in the industry, including the likes of Heather Cox Richardson, Nate Silver and Mehdi Hasan. It sounds like a European list could be coming soon. We also talk about the state of the media industry heading into the rest of 2025. Trump, AI and a volatile advertising market, it’s all going on. And Bron explains which news media companies he’s keeping an eye on.

Produced and hosted by Ian Silvera, editor of Tech, Power & Media. 

On this episode, I speak to Alan Cleaver, a retired journalist turned author who lives next to one of England’s most beautiful spots, The Lake District. 

Alan’s latest project charts the rise and fall of the rural postman and the shortcuts they made across the British countryside as they delivered the post in all weathers.

These so-called Postal Paths were the work of Royal Mail workers from the Victorian Era onwards. 

The bike and then the car would ultimately change the postie’s relationship with the countryside – and their customers – but Alan has been able to retrace many of these once important routes in his latest book. 

Sometimes approaching with a bugle call, the rural postie often carried gossip with them as well as a bag full of letters. They were an important part of rural social life in Britain, something Alan explains and explores during our own conversation.

The Postal Paths: Rediscovering Britain’s Forgotten Trails And The People Who Walked Them will be out later this month.

Produced by Ian Silvera, editor of Tech, Power & Media. 

On this episode I’m joined by an old friend, Graham Lanktree of Politico, to talk about the new global trade war. Originally from Canada, Graham explains what the journalism scene in Montreal and Ottawa used to be like, his move to London and how he first started to cover the Trump administration back in 2016.

Nowadays, Graham is considered to be one of the leading trade correspondents operating in the UK. Here, he outlines what it’s like covering the recent tariff developments from Trump and how even top trade negotiators are asking him what’s going on. 

Produced, edited and presented by Ian Silvera, Editor of Tech, Power & Media.

On this episode, we find out what voters are really thinking and why the UK’s politicians are so unpopular. I’m joined by Holly Day of Ipsos MORI, the polling agency best known for its monthly concerns index.

We discuss how education has replaced social class as an identifier of voting behaviour, Holly explains how Sir Keir Starmer has gone from plus 34 to minus 34 points in the polls and how the May elections might pan out for the Labour Party. 

This episode is most suited for the political geeks amongst us. So, if you are one of those - secret or not - I hope you enjoy the episode and do please make sure to leave a review. 

Presented, hosted and edited by Ian Silvera, Editor of Tech, Power & Media.