If the thought of the looming general election gives you tingly palms, then you’re not alone. It’s tricky enough at the best of times to navigate long and wordy manifestos, televised shouty debates and ballot boxes. But now, more than ever, it seems as though there’s a crisis of confidence in politics. Who can we trust to tell us the truth? Where can we easily access news and information we can actually understand? And most importantly, how do we decide who to vote for? Many of us don’t know where or who to turn to in order to find out what exactly is going on in the world.

Luckily, there are lots of meaty and engaging podcasts that do the job for us – handily explaining in under 30 minutes the state of politics both here in the UK, and around the world. From left to right, here are eight of the best political podcasts to get stuck into, curated in our new Stylist Loves section on Apple Podcasts.

The News Agents

Perhaps one of the most popular news podcasts in the UK, The News Agents is hosted by Emily Maitlis, Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall and every day, they take the audience through what’s happening in the world. Not only focusing on the what, but also the why, through expert analysis and explanation.

Pod Save The UK

From the creators of Pod Saves America, hosts Nish Kumar and Coco Khan launched a UK version that brings listeners a weekly fix of political news and big ideas. In each episode, the hosts are joined by politicians and experts to break down the latest news in an accessible and engaging way. Using humour, Pod Save The UK also looks for potential solutions and provides some inspiration in an often bleak world.

The Rest Is Politics

Bridging the political divide, former Downing Street strategist Alastair Campbell and cabinet minister Rory Stewart have come together to lift the lid on the secrets of Westminster in this podcast. The pair offer an ‘insider’ perspective on political news stories and debate topics from their standings on the political spectrum.

Electoral Dysfunction

“With polls suggesting trust in politicians is low, three political powerhouses – Beth Rigby, Jess Phillips and Ruth Davidson – unite to unravel the spin and explain what’s really going on in Westminster and beyond. Every week, they will examine our political leaders and their policies – how they’re written and how they’re sold to voters – as we prepare for a general election,” reads the synopsis.

The Daily

Hosted by the New York Times, The Daily is another popular news podcast that has produced more than 2,000 episodes (and counting). Every weekday at 6am, hosts Michael Barbaro and Sabrina Tavernise break down the day’s biggest news stories in just 20 minutes. This is a great choice of podcast if you’re looking for a daily news summary on your commute to work or while making your morning coffee.

Political Currency

Another weekly podcast where two political figures that sit on opposite sides of the divide join forces to discuss the news stories that affect the nation’s pockets. Ed Balls and George Osborne spent years working as chancellors of the exchequers for their respective parties and use this experience to “expose how the powerful become powerless when faced with market forces and political currents they can’t control.”

Novara Live

If you’re looking for your news and politics from a left-leaning stance, look no further than Novara Media’s daily podcast. Every weeknight, its host (which varies each week) breaks down the news stories of the day with expert and guest analysis.

The Trump Trials: Sidebar

The Washington Post’s Libby Casey, Rhonda Colvin and James Hohmann host a weekly conversation about former president Donald Trump’s ongoing legal cases. “As trials loom in New York, Florida, Georgia and Washington, D.C., the team will break down the most important - and historic - twists and turns, all as Trump seeks a second term as president.”

Image: courtesy of podcasts