New host Ailbhe Rea explores the quirks and the controversies of the pack of journalists who inhabit Westminster, known universally as ‘the lobby.’
We take a trip down memory lane with the legendary Andrew Marr, former political editor of the BBC, and tour the ‘Burma Road,’ the historic corridor in the House of Commons where political reporters have their offices.
We hear Alan Rusbridger, the former editor-in-chief of the Guardian, air his concerns about the way the lobby goes about its work, and then we head to the famous Red Lion pub for a debrief from the Sun’s political editor, Harry Cole.
Aletha Adu, political correspondent at the Daily Mirror, talks about the lobby’s notorious diversity problem, while Ali Donnelly, the former deputy official spokesperson for Theresa May, describes the view from the other side — and what it’s like to suffer a daily grilling from Britain’s top political hacks.
Finally, Ailbhe and a more familiar voice, POLITICO’s own Jack Blanchard, reflect on the pros and cons of this intriguing but imperfect system.