The winners of the inaugural Political Podcasts Awards were revealed last night with The Rest Is Politics picking up the Political Podcast of the Year.
Presented by Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart, the award was presented at a ceremony in Westminster last night hosted by Gyles Brandreth.
The stars of Electoral Dysfunction, Harriet Harman, Ruth Davidson, Beth Rigby and Jess Phillips picked up two trophies for Best New Comer and Comedy Moment of the year. Judges praised a cheeky segment about Boris Johnson forgetting to take his ID to the Polling Station.
Also picking up two trophies, were former Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne and his sidekick and former Labour Minister turned TV presenter Ed Balls, who won interview of the year for grilling Michael Gove about his time inside the Leave campaign.
They also bagged the YouTube People’s Vote award which saw thousands of members of the public back their favourites from the political podcast world.
The categories without a public vote were decided by an independent judging panel, chaired by Good Morning Britain’s Head of Politics Anne Alexander, and made up of others including Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar MSP.
The judges concluded that getting up at the crack of dawn paid off for Sky’s News deputy Political Editor Sam Coates and Politico’s Jack Blanchard, who won Presenters of the Year for their daily breakfast offering of “must-know political insight”.
Scoop of the year went to The News Agents for an investigation with campaign group Hope Not Hate presented by Lewis Goodall into the social media activity of hedge fund millionaire Paul Marshall as he became a potential buyer for the Telegraph and Spectator.
There was an honour for the podcast which the judges praised for “political coverage outside of the Westminster bubble”. Simple Politics, which was founded by ex-teacher Tatton Spiller, won in the Most Original Format category.
The judges loved the FT’s chief foreign affairs columnist Gideon Rachman’s podcast, which won the International Award because it showed that “there is room for a serious, longer form of interview in podcasts.”
Chair of iNHouse Communications and founder of the Political Podcast Awards, Katie Perrior, said: “What a night! It was fantastic to see so much talent from the political podcast world gathered in one room to celebrate their success in delivering information to the public in innovative ways.
“The strength of the submissions for the awards demonstrates that, despite the challenges faced by the media, quality content and insightful analysis will always stand out, regardless of the format.
“Our independent judging panel faced a challenging task in selecting winners from spectacular examples of creativity and editorial excellence.
“Thank you to everyone who submitted entries, and congratulations to the winners. We look forward to experiencing even more outstanding material in the coming year.”
The ceremony at St John’s, Smith Square, Westminster, was hosted by broadcaster and former MP Gyles Brandreth. He said: “It was like herding cats!”
The judging panel also included Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons Caroline Nokes MP, Leader of Scottish Labour Anas Sarwar MSP, Deputy Mayor of London Mete Coban, former Minister Lord Ed Vaizey, Downing Street Political Director Claire Reynolds, Women2Win founder Baroness Anne Jenkin, and CPS Director and Sunday Times columnist, Robert Colvile.
THE POLITICAL PODCAST AWARDS 2025 WINNERS IN FULL
BEST NEWCOMER
Electoral Dysfunction (Sky News) Beth Rigby, Harriet Harman, Jess Phillips and Ruth Davidson
The judges said: “Electoral Dysfunction has offered something truly refreshing, and in a very short period of time, has established itself as a staple in the Westminster podcast world. It appeals to reach a wide audience, well beyond the bubble. It’s fun and informative and makes news.
COMEDY MOMENT OF THE YEAR
Electoral Dysfunction (Sky News) Beth Rigby, Harriet Harman, Jess Phillips and Ruth Davidson
The judges said the “genuinely funny moment” when Jess Phillips gave her blunt analysis of Boris Johnson failing to bring ID to a Polling Station (a regulation his government introduced) was made even better by Beth Rigby’s response to the comment.
INTERNATIONAL PODCAST OF THE YEAR.
The Rachman Review (The Financial Times)
The judges praised the FT’s chief foreign affairs columnist Gideon Rachman’s podcast as “truly international” and added, “It shows there is room for serious, longer form interviews in podcasts.”
INTERVIEW OF THE YEAR
Political Currency (Persephonica) George Osborne and Ed Balls’s interview with Michael Gove
The judges said: “It felt different and refreshing and delivered a fascinating insight into a particularly dramatic moment in British political history.
“It was fascinating hearing two men who were huge political figures putting a seasoned media performer under pressure. It was different and compelling due to their experience and knowledge.”
MOST ORIGINAL FORMAT
The Simple Politics Podcast (Stripped Media)
The judges said: “Simple Politics’ reaches people who may not usually listen to a political podcast.
“It is difficult to be original in the podcast world, but their rough and ready ‘here is what you need to know’ approach is accessible and different to most other podcasts.”
PRESENTER OF THE YEAR
Jack Blanchard and Sam Coates – Politics at Jack and Sam‘s (Politico and Sky News)
The judges found this category very difficult. They gave high praise for Hannah Barnes on the New Statesman podcast and acknowledged Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart’s impact.
But they concluded that presenters Jack Blanchard and Sam Coates were winners because their podcast had become a ”must-listen, which is perfectly timed for listeners to get their bite-sized chunk of must-know political news every morning.”
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
Andrew Alexander – How to Win An Election (The Times)
The judges said this entry displayed “incredible creativity” and that Andrew “has a talent for compelling content.”
RISING STAR
Sascha O’Sullivan – Westminster Insider (Politico)
The judges said Sascha has an “intimate, engaging style, a natural broadcaster skilled at drawing the listener into her reports. A new voice who appears to have a bright future.”
SCOOP OF THE YEAR
The News Agents: Paul Marshall story
The judges said this comprehensive and bold investigation was ‘a true podcast scoop’ with the story broken on the podcast itself.
THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE, sponsored by YouTube
Political Currency
Thousands of people voted for their favourite podcast, and it was a very close result.
PODCAST OF THE YEAR
The Rest Is Politics – Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart (Goal Hanger)
The judges decided that this was the podcast which has truly changed political podcasting here in the UK, and felt their enormous audience and popularity was too great to ignore.
