
The Power Test
Ayesha Hazarika and Sam Freedman present The Power Test, the weekly political podcast asking whether Labour can really change Britain for the better.Follow @ThePowerTest on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThePowerTestFollow @AyeshaHazarika: https://twitter.com/ayeshahazarikaFollow @SamFreedman: https://twitter.com/SamfrSubscribe to The Power Test substack for all the latest developments: https://thepowertest.substack.com/For more information head to thepowertest.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Latest episodes

Jul 14, 2023 • 56min
Is Labour prepared to give away power?
Ayesha and Sam are joined by Liverpool regional city mayor Steve Rotherham, ex-Nicola Sturgeon aide Liz Lloyd, and Camden council leader Georgia Gould to discuss future approaches to devolution. After so long in opposition, are Labour really ready to give away power?The Power Test is a political podcast that asks if it really is all over for the Tories, and what Labour should do to win and change Britain for the better. With the help of invited guests, each week Sam Freedman and Ayesha Hazarika bring the biggest and most difficult political issues into focus and put fresh ideas to the test to see if they are capable of winning popular support and delivering real change in government.Follow @ThePowerTest on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThePowerTestFollow @AyeshaHazarika: https://twitter.com/ayeshahazarikaFollow @SamFreedman: https://twitter.com/SamfrSubscribe to The Power Test substack for all the latest developments: https://thepowertest.substack.com/For more information head to thepowertest.co.uk.The Power Test is a Tempo & Talker Production: tempotalker.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 30, 2023 • 1h 7min
What about the culture wars?
Do the culture wars present a challenge to Labour's electoral hopes? Ayesha & Sam are joined by The Atlantic's Helen Lewis, the director of British Future Sunder Katwala, and founder of the Women's Equality Party Catherine Mayer to discuss how Labour should navigate and lead on divisive issues like trans rights, race, and patriotism.The Power Test is a political podcast that asks if it really is all over for the Tories, and what Labour should do to win and change Britain for the better. With the help of invited guests, each week Sam Freedman and Ayesha Hazarika bring the biggest and most difficult political issues into focus and put fresh ideas to the test to see if they are capable of winning popular support and delivering real change in government.Follow @ThePowerTest on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThePowerTestFollow @AyeshaHazarika: https://twitter.com/ayeshahazarikaFollow @SamFreedman: https://twitter.com/SamfrSubscribe to The Power Test substack for all the latest developments: https://thepowertest.substack.com/For more information head to thepowertest.co.uk.The Power Test is a Tempo & Talker Production: tempotalker.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 23, 2023 • 49min
Is talking tough on crime enough?
The former Conservative Justice Secretary David Gauke, Labour's Police & Crime Commissioner for Northumbria Kim McGuinness, and former Metropolitan Police superintendent Dr Leroy Logan join Sam and Ayesha to try to work out how to revive our struggling justice system. The UK has some of the most crowded prisons in Europe, a chronic backlog of criminal cases, and police forces marred by scandal. So what would a new government need to do?The Power Test is a political podcast that asks if it really is all over for the Tories, and what Labour should do to win and change Britain for the better. With the help of invited guests, each week Sam Freedman and Ayesha Hazarika bring the biggest and most difficult political issues into focus and put fresh ideas to the test to see if they are capable of winning popular support and delivering real change in government.Follow @ThePowerTest on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThePowerTestFollow @AyeshaHazarika: https://twitter.com/ayeshahazarikaFollow @SamFreedman: https://twitter.com/SamfrSubscribe to The Power Test substack for all the latest developments: https://thepowertest.substack.com/For more information head to thepowertest.co.uk.The Power Test is a Tempo & Talker Production: tempotalker.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 16, 2023 • 46min
How do we save the NHS?
The NHS is in crisis. Staff continue to strike while a record 7.4 million of us await treatment. The pressure is only set to increase as our population grows and ages. Ayesha and Sam are joined by shadow health minister Liz Kendall, the co-author of the 2019 Conservative manifesto Rachel Wolf, and NHS commentator Roy Lilley to discuss future reform.The Power Test is a political podcast that asks if it's really all over for the Tories, and what Labour should do to win and change Britain for the better. With the help of invited guests, each week Sam Freedman and Ayesha Hazarika bring the biggest and most difficult political issues into focus and put fresh ideas to the test to see if they are capable of winning popular support and delivering real change in government.Follow @ThePowerTest on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThePowerTestFollow @AyeshaHazarika: https://twitter.com/ayeshahazarikaFollow @SamFreedman: https://twitter.com/SamfrSubscribe to The Power Test substack for all the latest developments: https://thepowertest.substack.com/For more information head to thepowertest.co.uk.The Power Test is a Tempo & Talker Production: tempotalker.comFor more information head to thepowertest.co.uk.The Power Test is a Tempo & Talker Production: tempotalker.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 9, 2023 • 51min
Can we fix the housing crisis?
The UK doesn't have enough homes. Those we do have are increasingly unaffordable and the quality of housing for renters is often dire. Former Conservative Planning Minister Nick Boles, social housing campaigner Kwajo Tweneboa, and vice chair of the Labour Housing Group Rachel Blake join hosts Sam and Ayesha to discuss ways to solve the housing crisis.The Power Test is a political podcast that asks if it's really all over for the Tories, and what Labour should do to win and change Britain for the better. With the help of invited guests, each week Sam Freedman and Ayesha Hazarika bring the biggest and most difficult political issues into focus and put fresh ideas to the test to see if they are capable of winning popular support and delivering real change in government.Follow @ThePowerTest on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThePowerTestFollow @AyeshaHazarika: https://twitter.com/ayeshahazarikaFollow @SamFreedman: https://twitter.com/SamfrSubscribe to The Power Test substack for all the latest developments: https://thepowertest.substack.com/For more information head to thepowertest.co.uk.The Power Test is a Tempo & Talker Production: tempotalker.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 2, 2023 • 56min
Do Labour really want to bring down immigration?
Former Labour Home Secretary Alan Johnson and migration expert Madeleine Sumption join hosts Sam Freedman and Ayesha Hazarika to discuss immigration. As new figures reveal record levels of net migration to the UK, they discuss the policy and political implications of what remains a divisive and challenging issue.The Power Test is a political podcast that asks if it's really all over for the Tories, and what Labour should do to win and change Britain for the better. With the help of invited guests, each week Sam and Ayesha bring the biggest and most difficult political issues into focus and put fresh ideas to the test to see if they are capable of winning popular support and delivering real change in government.Follow @ThePowerTest on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThePowerTestFollow @AyeshaHazarika: https://twitter.com/ayeshahazarikaFollow @SamFreedman: https://twitter.com/SamfrSubscribe to The Power Test substack for all the latest developments: https://thepowertest.substack.com/For more information head to thepowertest.co.uk.The Power Test is a Tempo & Talker Production: tempotalker.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 26, 2023 • 49min
Where’s the money coming from?
Ayesha Hazarika & Sam Freedman join former Minister Lord O’Nell, Labour MP Darren Jones and think tanker Carys Roberts to discuss economic policy and how Labour can deliver its mission to make the UK the fastest growing economy in the G7.The Power Test is a political podcast that asks if it's really all over for the Tories, and what Labour should do to win and change Britain for the better. With the help of invited guests, each week Sam and Ayesha bring the biggest and most difficult political issues into focus and put fresh ideas to the test to see if they are capable of winning popular support and delivering real change in government.Follow @ThePowerTest on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThePowerTestFollow @AyeshaHazarika: https://twitter.com/ayeshahazarikaFollow @SamFreedman: https://twitter.com/SamfrSubscribe to The Power Test substack for all the latest developments: https://thepowertest.substack.com/For more information head to thepowertest.co.uk.The Power Test is a Tempo & Talker Production: tempotalker.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 18, 2023 • 46min
Can Brexit be made to work?
Labour MP for Walthamstow Stella Creasy and political scientist Anand Menon join Sam Freedman and Ayesha Hazarika to discuss if and how it's possible to "Make Brexit Work".The Power Test is a political podcast that asks if it's really all over for the Tories, and what Labour should do to win and change Britain for the better. With the help of invited guests, each week Sam and Ayesha bring the biggest and most difficult political issues into focus and put fresh ideas, messages and policies to the test to see if they are capable of winning popular support and delivering real change in government.Follow @ThePowerTest on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThePowerTestFollow @AyeshaHazarika: https://twitter.com/ayeshahazarikaFollow @SamFreedman: https://twitter.com/SamfrSubscribe to The Power Test substack for all the latest developments: https://thepowertest.substack.com/For more information head to thepowertest.co.uk.The Power Test is a Tempo & Talker Production: tempotalker.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 11, 2023 • 50min
Is Labour ready?
Political commentators Sam Freedman and Ayesha Hazarika are joined by Alistair Campbell, and Keir Starmer's former policy advisor Claire Ainsley, for the first episode of The Power Test - a political podcast that asks if it's really all over for the Tories, and what Labour should do to win and change Britain for the better.With the help of invited guests, each week Sam and Ayesha bring the biggest, trickiest and most difficult political issues into focus and put fresh ideas, messages and policies to the test to see if they are capable of winning popular support and delivering real change in government.In this first episode, Sam and Ayesha speak with two former senior Labour figures about how the party is doing, and what Labour needs to do to get into power.Follow @ThePowerTest on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThePowerTestFollow @AyeshaHazarika: https://twitter.com/ayeshahazarikaFollow @SamFreedman: https://twitter.com/SamfrSubscribe to The Power Test substack for all the latest developments: https://thepowertest.substack.com/For more information head to thepowertest.co.uk.The Power Test is a Tempo & Talker Production: tempotalker.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 1, 2023 • 4min
Introducing The Power Test
Ayesha Hazarika and Sam Freedman introduce their new political podcast The Power Test, where each week they'll be joined by special guests to determine if it's really all over for the Tories and how we can make a better Britain. Join us from Thursday 11th May.Follow @ThePowerTest on twitter as well as hosts @AyeshaHazarika and @SamFreedmanSubscribe to The Power Test substack for all the latest developmentsFor more information head to thepowertest.co.ukThe Power Test is a Tempo & Talker Production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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