Tory conference: could Boris Johnson really make a comeback?

Bashar al-Assad has fled Damascus to Russia where Vladimir Putin is reportedly sheltering the former Syrian dictator - for those Syrians who have defied Assad’s brutal regime for years this is a moment of celebration and hope, but also fear. Will Syria manage to move on from more than a decade of war to become a democratic state, or will it descend into further chaos and violence like Libya and Iraq did after liberation from their dictators? On this week’s episode of the Political Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Syrian filmmaker and journalist Waad Al-Kateab, whose documentary For Sama won numerous awards and was nominated for an Oscar, and Mazen Gharibah who is director of the Syrian British Consortium. Produced by Calum Fraser, Ka Yee Mak, Silvia Maresca

9 Dec 202425min

Syrian rebels launched the biggest attack in years against President Bashar al-Assad’s government forces, reigniting a bloody civil war - but with Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and the Israel Gaza conflict just next door, the world appears to be on the brink. So, what’s going to happen next, why did the rebels launch their attack now and how will the rest of the world react? On this week’s episode of the Political Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Dr Lina Khatib, Associate Fellow at Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa Programme, and our International Editor, Lindsey Hilsum, who is in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Produced by Silvia Maresca, Ka Yee Mak, Calum Fraser.

3 Dec 202429min

President Putin fired an experimental hypersonic missile at Dnipro - one of Ukraine’s biggest cities - and has talked about the nuclear option again. On the frontline, Ukraine appears to be losing ground by the day - in this episode of The Political Fourcast, we talk about how the Ukraine-Russia war is escalating. Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Dr Hanna Shelest, Director of Security Programmes at the Ukrainian think tank Ukrainian Prism, and Channel 4 News international editor, Lindsey Hilsum, who is currently in Dnipro in eastern Ukraine.   Produced by Silvia Maresca and Girish Juneja.

27 Nov 202429min

A close ally of Boris Johnson and open critic of Rishi Sunak and Kemi Badenoch, Nadine Dorries examines the current state of the Conservative Party in this week’s episode of the Political Fourcast - and she also criticises the Church of England in the wake of the John Smyth scandal. Warning: This episode contains content that some viewers might find upsetting.   Mrs Dorries says she was abused as a child by a vicar. A Church of England spokesperson said: “We are truly sorry for the childhood abuse suffered by Nadine Dorries.  “We can confirm that the National Safeguarding Team has been in ongoing contact with her following her brave disclosure of this abuse by an Anglican vicar, now deceased.  “We have offered support and have left open the offer to speak further if she wants to do so. We are sorry that when the matter first came to the Church’s attention in 2015 that she did not experience the response she should have received.” The Conservative Party was approached for comment.   Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Ka Yee Mak, Rob Thomson.

21 Nov 202437min

From Matt Gaetz and Tulsi Gabbard to Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the shape of Donald Trump’s administration is becoming clearer - and it’s like nothing America has ever seen before.  Firebrands, mavericks and disruptors make up the bulk of the government. The unifying factor? Their unwavering loyalty to the President-elect. So can they shake up the establishment to the benefit of ordinary Americans? Or will we just see over-reach, outrage and implosion?  In this episode of the American Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Jennifer Ewing from Republicans Overseas UK, Thomas Gift, Director of the UCL Centre on US Politics, and Channel 4 News Correspondent Kiran Moodley.   Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser and Rob Thomson.

14 Nov 202425min

It’s been a week since America voted to return Donald Trump to the White House, and there are already reports of new appointments - including Marco Rubio, Mike Waltz and Elise Stefanik. How will these people shape the way Trump deals with the world - what’s going to happen in Ukraine and the Middle East? And what will China do? To talk about this in this episode of The American Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Michael Martins, who worked in Trump’s first administration as a foreign policy advisor in the US embassy in London and now runs the Overton Advisory consultancy, and Channel 4 News’ International Editor Lindsey Hilsum. Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser and Ka Yee Mak.

12 Nov 202425min

Donald Trump has won the election, beating Kamala Harris and the Democrats, and will be the next president of the United States - but what kind of leader will he be? During the campaign we heard from generals that worked with him that he has fascist tendencies - was this all over the top, or are we actually about to see the American republic on the brink? And what next for the Democrat Party? What went wrong, again? Will there be a reckoning? On this episode of the American Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by the Wall Street Journal’s senior political correspondent Molly Ball and The Atlantic’s staff writer Christine Emba. Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson, Ka Yee Mak, Ed Gove.

6 Nov 202423min

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are making their final pitch to voters, as an American election race that has seen assassination attempts and President Joe Biden stepping aside as a candidate enters its final day. This is the tightest race in modern American history - so what comes next? Four years ago the world witnessed the horrors of rioters attacking Capitol Hill on January 6th - could it be worse this time? What will Donald Trump or Kamala Harris actually do if they win? On this episode of The American Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Channel 4 News’ Washington Correspondent Siobhan Kennedy and News Correspondent Kiran Moodley, who has been following the Trump campaign. Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Ed Gove, Rob Thomson, Ka Yee Mac.

4 Nov 202422min