Does nanny (state) know best?

In a week in which the government told us more about its plans to
create a smokefree generation, Amol and Nick look at why many
politicians from across the political spectrum are now embracing
the nanny state. But how much do we want them telling us how to
behave?


They speak to James Bethell, the former health minister
responsible for Boris Johnson’s anti-obesity strategy – who now
says that Margaret Thatcher would have embraced nanny statism if
prime minister today.


And they hear from Baroness Claire Fox, the non-affiliated peer,
who is opposed to the latest plans for a smoking ban.


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The Today Podcast is hosted by Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson, both
presenters of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the UK’s most
influential radio news programme. Amol was the BBC’s media editor
for six years and is the former editor of the Independent, he’s
also the current presenter of University Challenge. Nick has
presented the Today programme since 2015, he was the BBC’s
political editor for ten years before that and also previously
worked as ITV’s political editor.


The senior producer is Tom Smithard, the producer is Hazel
Morgan. The editors are Jonathan Aspinwall and Louisa Lewis. The
executive producer is Owenna Griffiths. Technical production from
Michael Regaard and digital production from Elliot Ryder.