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From Tony Blair to Boris Johnson - Are UK leaders "dictators?” | Armando Iannucci | New Statesman
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December 10, 2022
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33:40Now PlayingScrutinising British leaders is hard because “the checks on a prime ministerial system are political.” - Catherine Haddon
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Anoosh Chakelian and Armando Iannucci examine whether Britain’s leaders want to be too powerful. Boris Johnson often spoke of a personal mandate, and Tony Blair enforced more control from the centre. Have our leaders got too strong – and can anything be done about it?
They are joined by Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s director of communications and now a diarist and podcaster, and Catherine Haddon, resident historian of the Institute for Government.
The panel discusses whether prime ministers have always wanted more power, how much Johnson tried to change the rules of the game and why prime ministers should make the most of their cabinets.
One issue raised by the panel is the composition of different cabinets. Alistair Campbell claims that both David Cameron and Tony Blair selected their ministers on the grounds of their experience. In contrast, however, Boris Johnson wanted only “yes people” around him, arguing that Nadine Dorries and Priti Patel would never get near “any other government in history.”
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The writer, satirist and broadcaster Armando Iannucci, returns to the New Statesman Podcast to co-host our third series of Westminster Reimagined. In six special episodes Iannucci explores parts of British public life he believes to be broken, and is joined by guests from inside and outside Westminster to work out how to fix things
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The New Statesman brings you unrivalled analysis of of the latest UK and international politics. On our YouTube channel you’ll find insight on the top news and global current affairs stories, as well as insightful interviews with politicians, advisers and leading political thinkers, to help you understand the political and economic forces shaping the world.
With regular contributions from our writers including Political Editor Andrew Marr and Anoosh Chakelian - host of the New Statesman podcast - we’ll help you understand the world of politics and global affairs from Westminster to Washington and beyond.
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