As the next general election draws closer, three political powerhouses are uniting to unravel the spin in a new weekly podcast from Sky News.
Launching on 1 March, Electoral Dysfunction will bring together our Political Editor Beth Rigby, Labour MP Jess Phillips and former leader of the Scottish Conservatives Ruth Davidson to analyse the week in Westminster and beyond.
Click to follow Electoral Dysfunction wherever you get your podcasts
The trio will look at our political leaders and their policies – how they’re written and how they’re sold to voters – to explain what’s really going on.
They will also look further afield, as more than half of the world’s population goes to the polls in dozens of countries this year.
With so much at stake, the trio will work out which politicians will come out on top and who is suffering from Electoral Dysfunction.
Beth Rigby said: “This is a huge political year as we gear up for what could be the most seismic UK election in a generation. But voters aren’t feeling it, with people across the country telling me politics isn’t working.
“Each week, across different issues, I’ll be asking why – and looking for solutions through frank conversations with two of the most compelling, engaging and honest women who have worked in politics.”
Jess Phillips, Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley and a former shadow minister, said: “I spend a lot of the time on the doorstep and what I get back is that trust in politics is at an all-time low – they don’t believe we’ll deliver what we say, and I don’t blame them.
“We want to unpick that by taking listeners behind the curtain to talk about the disconnect and bring listeners’ lives back into this, talking about the things that actually matter to them.”
Ruth Davidson, who led the Scottish Conservatives between 2011 and 2019 and is now a peer, said: “People hate it when politicians treat them like idiots – parroting a party line that nobody really believes.
“We promise never to do that. Jess and I may often disagree, but we won’t do it simply for disagreement’s sake – and we’re just as likely to take our own side to task.
“This whole podcast is about showing what goes on behind the scenes, explaining how decisions get made and – hopefully – discussing how to make our politics better. It’s a three-woman campaign for less BS in SW1.”
David Rhodes, Sky News Executive Chairman, said: “There’s no shortage of voices in Westminster today – but there is an acute shortage of voices like Ruth Davidson and Jess Phillips. Beth Rigby, Ruth and Jess will offer a lively, challenging and influential look at our politics today.”
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Electoral Dysfunction launches on 1 March, with episodes available every Friday on all podcast platforms.
Follow the podcast series on Sky News, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favourite platform.
Listeners can submit questions to [email protected]
