2026 Shortlist

While Westminster prepares for a Budget smorgasbord, the shortlist for the Political Podcast Awards 2026 serves up a feast of Britain’s best political podcasters.

As more-and-more Brits turn to podcasts for their political news, podcasting titans and rising stars have been recognised by the independent judging panel for the awards sponsored by YouTube.

Former White House Director of Communications, Anthony Scaramucci, will hop across the pond to host the awards in Westminster on the 28th of January 2026, alongside broadcaster, former MP, and Westminster royalty, Gyles Brandreth.

Anne Alexander, Good Morning Britain’s Head of Politics, has reprised her role as Head Judge. Anne is joined by the Mayor of the Tees Valley, Lord Ben Houchen, Labour MPs, Liam Conlon, Gregor Poynton, Steve Race and Tom Rutland, Baronesses Anne Jenkin and Deborah Mattinson, as well as the Executive Director of IPPR, Harry Quilter-Pinner.

All the podcasts named on the shortlist are automatically nominated for The Political Podcast of the Year Award (sponsored by Diageo) and the People’s Choice Award (sponsored by YouTube).

The People’s Choice Award will be decided by a public vote, which opens in December.

Chair of iNHouse Communications and Founder of the Political Podcast Awards, Katie Perrior, said:

“Political podcasts don’t just discuss the news – they break the news. If 2024 was the year political podcasts came into their own covering elections across the world; 2025 is the year they established themselves as scoop-getters.

“This shortlist is a testament to the exciting development of the medium. Political podcasts have rewritten the rules, reinvigorated long-form interviews, and dominated commuters’ news habits. They have, without doubt, made politics more accessible, which is a blessing in a democracy where trust is at an all-time low.

“Once again, the judges have had their work cut out for them, with both the quantity and quality of entries exceeding all expectations. We look forward to finding out who be crowned the winners at the ceremony in January.”

The finalists for the Political Podcast Awards 2026 are:

Best Newcomer 

  • People and Politics (Dee Reilly Media) 
  • Quite Right! (The Spectator) 
  • The General and the Journalist (Times Media) 
  • The State of It (Times Media) 

Comedy Moment of the Year 

  • Electoral Dysfunction (Sky) 
  • Politics Unpacked – PMQs (Times Media) 
  • The Simple Politics Podcast (Stripped Media) 
  • The State of It (Times Media) 

Interview of the Year 

  • Jimmy’s Jobs of the Future – Interview with Sir Tony Blair (Boxlight) 
  • Political Thinking with Nick Robinson – Interview with Sir Keir Starmer MP (BBC) 
  • Politics Weekly UK – Interview with Andy Burnham (The Guardian)  
  • The Rest is Politics: Leading – Interview with Ahmed al-Sharaa (Goalhanger) 

Most Original Format 

  • Page 94 (Private Eye) 
  • Political Currency: Inside the Room (Persephonica)  
  • Politics at Sam and Anne’s (Politico and Sky) 
  • Politics Weekly UK (The Guardian) 

Presenter of the Year 

  • Adam Fleming, Chris Mason, Laura Kuenssberg, and Paddy O’Connell – Newscast (BBC) 
  • Anne McElvoy and Sam Coates – Politics at Sam and Anne’s (Politico and Sky) 
  • Beth Rigby, Harriet Harman and Ruth Davidson – Electoral Dysfunction (Sky) 
  • Camilla Tominey and Tim Stanley – The Daily T (Telegraph)  
  • Christopher Hope – Chopper’s Political Podcast (GB News) 
  • Emily Maitlis, Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall – The News Agents (Global) 
  • Nick Robinson – Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (BBC) 

Producer of the Year 

  • Daniel Kraemer – Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (BBC) 
  • Ellie Clifford – Political Currency (Persephonica) 
  • Laura FitzPatrick – Electoral Dysfunction (Sky) 
  • Manuela Saragosa – Political Fix (The Financial Times) 

Rising Star 

  • David Reilly – People and Politics (Dee Reilly Media) 
  • Laura Beveridge – The PoliticsJOE Podcast (PoliticsJOE) 
  • Oscar Edmondson – Coffee House Shots (The Spectator) 
  • Patrick Baker – Westminster Insider (Politico) 

Story of the Year 

  • Electoral Dysfunction (Sky) 
  • Political Fix (The Financial Times) 
  • Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (BBC) 
  • The News Agents (Global) 

Student Podcast of the Year 

  • Gettin’ Rowdy with The Gaudie (The Gaudie Student Newspaper – University of Aberdeen) 
  • The Conversation Cabinet (The Conversation Cabinet) 
  • The Feminist Files (Gender Agenda – University of Cambridge) 

Speaking at the time of the launch of this year’s awards Anthony Scaramucci, former White House Communications Director, said:

“I’m in the podcast game myself, and I know this has changed the way people get their news. You’re not waiting for something stiff on TV anymore, you’re going straight to the people with real takes, real voices – that’s power. It’s going to be, to quote one of my old friends, YUGE!”

Last year’s inaugural awards saw almost 100 entries from a wide range of podcasts, with more entries expected this time around. In 2025, the winners included The Rest is Politics, Political Currency, Electoral Dysfunction, the News Agents, The Daily T, and Politics at Jack and Sam’s.

There were also individual gongs, including Sacha O’Sullivan of Politico’s Westminster Insider, for the Rising Star award.

This year also sees the introduction of a new award category: the Student Podcast of the Year, celebrating the extraordinary content produced by up-and-coming podcasters from universities and colleges across the UK.

Notes for editors:

For more information and interviews, please contact Aaron Doherty (aaron@inhouse.london) or Daniel Mazliah (daniel@inhouse.london)

www.politicalpodcastawards.co.uk

Research conducted by iNHouse and Survation to coincide with the inaugural political podcast awards found that podcasts had overtaken newspapers as a news source for younger people. The survey also showed

  • A quarter of those aged 18-24 get their news from political podcasts, compared to just 16% who say they get their news from print media.
  • When it comes to 25–34-year-olds 31% get their news from podcasts compared to 25% from print media.
  • Almost half of respondents said that they found podcasts to be a useful source of news because they introduce new and under discussed topics to a wider audience, and because they helped to bring more diverse voices into politics.
  • Respondents also felt that they help to make debate more reasonable, and over a quarter of respondents believed it they helped to provide up to the minute reporting.

Survation polled 2,021 adults in the UK on their attitudes towards different news sources. Fieldwork was conducted between 10th – 12th September 2024. 

2025 award winners included:

  • Overall Podcast of the Year: The Rest is Politics (Goalhanger)
  • People’s Choice Award: Political Currency (Persephonica)
  • Best Newcomer: Electoral Dysfunction (Sky News)
  • Comedy Moment of the Year: Electoral Dysfunction (Sky News)
  • International Podcast of the Year: The Rachman Review (Financial Times)
  • Interview of the Year: Political Currency (Persephonica)
  • Most Original Format: The Simple Politics Podcast (Stripped Media)
  • Presenter of the Year: Jack Blanchard and Sam Coates – Politics at Jack and Sam’s (Politico and Sky News)
  • Producer of the Year: Andrew Alexander – How to Win an Election (The Times)
  • Rising Star: Sascha O’Sullivan – Westminster Insider (Politico)
  • Scoop of the Year: The News Agents (Global)
  • Photos and video content from the 2025 awards are available on request.