Politics Unpacked

Has Keir Starmer Killed Comedy?

As thousands of performers descend upon Edinburgh for the Fringe, those promising topical comedy are buried in hasty rewrites after the snap election. But is there less to satirise under Keir Starmer? Matt is joined by former MP Mhairi Black, who’s making her Fringe debut, Steve Richards, who’s taking his political stand-up on the road, Emma Sidi, who’s playing Sue Gray, and comedy critic Steve Bennett. Plus: Columnists India Knight and James Kirkup discuss the <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/world/us-world/article/trump-speech-last-night-shooting-ear-rnc-3hw2vmvbm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cult of Donald Trump</a>, university written statements, <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/uk/society/article/pret-a-manger-scraps-popular-subscription-offer-j3g365s7p" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pret subscriptions</a>, and who is the coolest new MP? Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color:grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Hugo Rifkind unpacks the the politics of the day - and the stuff that's even more important - with the brightest brains from the Times and Sunday Times. You can listen to Hugo on DAB, smart speaker or app 10am-1pm Monday to Friday. If you like what you hear, then read more at <a href="http://www.thetimes.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">http://www.thetimes.com/</a> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color:grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.