More than just your usual political commentary.
How should labour govern to really change britain for the better?
The Power Test is the weekly podcast for all political and policy nerds and their friends – resolutely focused on how we really change Britain for the better.
Each week Ayesha Hazarika and Sam Freedman, with the help of extra special guests, bring together incisive questioning, insider stories, fresh perspectives and a touch of humour, to the question of how Labour not only wins an election, but can create the real, lasting, change the country needs in government.
Rather than just sitting back and luxuriating in commentary or ideological daydreams, The Power Test jumps into the arena and creates a practical testing ground – where the party’s people, policies and positioning meets political reality.
A source of insight, energy, hope and focus for everyone who believes that Britain desperately deserves a better government, The Power Test is bringing people together, across and beyond the usual party lines and political divisions, to set the agenda for real change.
About the hosts
Ayesha Hazarika
Ayesha is a renowned columnist and broadcaster who hosts the weekend drivetime show on Times Radio and edits The Londoner, the Evening Standard’s Daily Diary section.
Having started her career as a stand-up comedian, she then took the natural diversion into politics as a special adviser to Labour Party leaders Gordon Brown, Harriet Harman and Ed Miliband.
A regular political pundit in print and on TV and radio news programmes, Ayesha also appears on comedy shows such as Have I Got News For You (BBC), The News Quiz (BBC Radio 4) and Matt Forde’s Unspun (Dave).
She continues to perform stand-up and has brought highly successful shows to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and elsewhere in recent years.
For Ayesha’s full biography and details visit https://noelgay.com/client/ayesha-hazarika/
Follow Ayesha on Twitter at @ayeshahazarika
Sam Freedman
Sam is a senior fellow at the Institute for Government and a senior adviser to the Ark Schools network.
A former CEO of Education Partnerships Group and executive director at Teach First, he worked at the Department for Education under the Conservative-led coalition government as a senior policy adviser to Michael Gove between 2010 and 2013.
In 2021, Sam set up a highly successful Substack platform called “Comment is Freed” where he and his dad – the renowned military historian, Lawrence Freedman – share in-depth ideas and reactions to politics, policy and events.
For Sam’s full biography and details of Comment is Freed visit https://samf.substack.com/
Follow Sam on Twitter at @Samfr
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the power test team
The Political Power Works
The Power Test is brought to you by The Political Power Works – a group of people with experience in politics and policy, brought together by a deep frustration about the state of our country today. We aren’t part of any faction or single organisation but share a deep belief and hope in the importance of politics to do good stuff for wide benefit combined with a hard-headed view about how it can and should be done.
Charlotte Aldritt, Ben Lucas, Flo Hutchings and Ed Owen head up the team alongside Catherine Mayer and Mark Davies.
The Political Power Works is a registered company in England and Wales limited by guarantee. (14693425)
Our Supporters
The Power Test podcast is only being produced because of the generous support of a wide range of people and organisations. Particular thanks goes to our start-up funders, including the Centre for Progressive Policy, David Kogan, Laura Kinsella Foundation and the Institute for Global Change.
And finally
A massive thanks for the brilliant Jim Godfrey who composed and produced the music for the podcast. You can follow him on Instagram at @jimgodfreymusic