As Labour tanks in the polls, left and right-wing populists are on the rise. On this week’s episode of the Prospect Podcast, Ellen Halliday and Alona Ferber are joined by Prospect’s political columnist Ben Ansell, whose cover essay in this month’s magazine explored the government’s big challenge.
From Zohran Mamdani to Zack Polanski, left populists are attracting votes and attention. Should Keir Starmer follow their lead?
On the podcast, Ben explains what makes a politician “populist”, the policies that might work for Labour, and why populist communication styles are more effective than Labour’s current messaging. He also unpacks whether Starmer could pull off a left-populist turn—or who in the party might be a better fit.
The audio version of this episode was released on Wednesday, and you can now watch the video interview on our Substack.
Listen to the full episode, including further discussion from Ellen and Alona, on Spotify or on Apple Podcasts
Read Ben’s essay ‘Labour’s populist dilemma’ here
