How do parties decide who gets to stand to be an MP? And are they doing it right? So far this general election has been whirlwind of surprises and unexpected recrimination. Keir Starmer has been accused of purging the Labour Left to install friendly faces in plum seats. And the Conservatives had to search frantically for new candidates to replace record numbers of their MPs who’ve decided to stand down.

What does it take to get on the ballot paper? And how do the parties’ choices shape their future in power (or opposition)? Special guest Isabel Hardman – assistant editor of The Spectator and author of Why We Get The Wrong Politicians – guides our panel the murky world of candidate selection.

The Expert Factor is the podcast for people who haven’t had enough of experts. Each week the directors of three leading and respected think tanks – Paul Johnson of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Hannah White of the Institute for Government, and Anand Menon of UK in a Changing Europe – get together to discuss, debate and explain the big questions and themes that will shape the election – and the political landscape for years to come.