The Political Press Box – Details, episodes & analysis

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 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 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

www.news-future.com 

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.

www.news-future.com

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.

www.news-future.com

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.

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.

www.news-future.com

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

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.

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