Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring

About Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring

Journalists Carole Cadwalladr and Peter Jukes – with the help of Conservative party whistleblower Sergei Cristo – expose an alleged secret spy ring operating at the very heart of the British political system. This is the untold story of the most audacious Russian influence operation in British history. It involves honey traps, Russian agents and information warfare. Russian wealth and glamour collide with a wild west of new digital landscapes. And as Sergei tries and fails to raise the alarm, this intoxicating cocktail – shaken and stirred from within the Russian Embassy in London – masks the tightening iron fist of Vladimir Putin inside Russia and murder of traitors on foreign soil. All while MPs, intelligence officers and the police turn a blind eye. Not since the reach of the Cambridge spy ring in the second half of the 20th century has the Kremlin aimed so high and gone so unnoticed in penetrating the highest echelons of British politics. Together, Conservative whistleblower Sergei Cristo, Orwell Prize-winning journalist Carole Cadwalladr and creator of the hit podcast, Untold: The Daniel Morgan Murder, Peter Jukes, uncover a story that forms one small corner of Vladimir Putin’s plot against the West. It’s a story we’re still living, where the stakes couldn’t be higher. This podcast seeks to shine a light in the dark corners of a Westminster spy ring hidden in plain sight and search for the answers we all deserve. A Project Citizen & The Citizens production. Sign up for exclusive content, events and more at www.the-citizens.com (www.the-citizens.com) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

Carole Cadwalladr & Peter Jukes with Ruth Abrahams

Category

government · history · news

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

27 Dec 2024

Latest episode

4 Mar 2025

Latest episodes

10 of 12 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   4 Mar 2025TRANSCRIPT

   I Cannot Help

   Carole Cadwalladr, Peter Jukes, Luke Harding, and Rainer Saks analyze Russia's interference in British politics and discuss efforts to uncover the truth, including legal actions and Sergei's research into misused European funds.

2. 

   25 Feb 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Sergei Cristo versus the Security Service

   Sergei Cristo navigates police and judicial authorities after realizing the significance of his experience with a Russian diplomat and MI5, revealing western complacency towards Putin's active measures.

3. 

   11 Feb 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Follow the Money

   Carole Cadwalladr and Peter Jukes investigate the Russian Westminster plot and the parliamentary Russia Report, interviewing Dominic Grieve, Edward Lucas, and Christopher Steele to uncover covert interference in British democratic processes.

4. 

   7 Feb 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Listen Now: The Spy Who

   This episode previews Wondery's "The Spy Who Putin Poisoned," focusing on GRU officer Sergei Skripal's entanglement in post-USSR Russia and his path toward Salisbury.

5. 

   4 Feb 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Chemical Attacks

   Carole Cadwalladr and Peter Jukes discuss the poisoning of Sergei Skripal with Novichok and the subsequent political fallout, highlighting rising tensions and the struggle to uncover the truth about Russian interference.

6. 

   28 Jan 2025TRANSCRIPT

   The Professor and the Trolls

   Carole Cadwalladr and Peter Jukes investigate how a Maltese professor connects Brexit debates and Russian interference in the 2016 election, revealing threatening trolling tactics directed at UK politicians.

7. 

   21 Jan 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Honey Pots and Stalin's Vodka

   Sergei Cristo recounts his initial encounter with Nalobin at the Carlton Club, exploring connections between a suspected Russian honey pot and activities surrounding the Russian Embassy during the Brexit campaign.

8. 

   14 Jan 2025

   Question Everything

   Carole Cadwalladr and Peter Jukes discuss the rise of the Westminster Russia Forum and Russia Today's influence as Marina Litvinenko seeks justice and Ukraine faces upheaval, highlighting Sergei Cristo's ignored warnings.

9. 

   7 Jan 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Digital Barbecues

   Steve Lacey recounts his experience with Russian propaganda as the Russian embassy woos bloggers and social media specialists with 'digital barbecues' after the Conservative Friends of Russia launch, in this interview episode.

10. 

    31 Dec 2024

    A Meeting at the Carlton Club

    Sergei Cristo, a Conservative party activist, meets a Russian diplomat at the Carlton Club in 2011, becoming suspicious and seeking to share his concerns in this interview episode.

11. 

    31 Dec 2024TRANSCRIPT

    A Party at the Embassy

    Carole Cadwalladr and Peter Jukes investigate Sergei Cristo's growing concerns about a suspicious diplomat and the launch of Conservative Friends of Russia, fueled by insights from Marina Litvinenko and Oleg Gordievsky in this episode.

12. 

    27 Dec 2024TRANSCRIPT

    Trailer: Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring

    This trailer introduces Sergei Cristo, Carole Cadwalladr, and Peter Jukes as they investigate a potential Russian spy ring infiltrating Westminster.

Inside a recent episode

I Cannot Help

Published 4 Mar 2025 · Transcript excerpt

[…] If Putin prevails, he'll keep going. And I don't say that hyperbolically. I mean, really, he wants to reconquer Central and Eastern Europe, either formally or as a zone of influence. That's a direct existential threat to the UK. Are we already at war with Russia? Yeah, we're at war with Russia. I mean, we may not want to be, we may not acknowledge it, but look at what's going on. We have undersea cables being cut. We have warehouses in the east end of London mysteriously catching fire. We have alleged Bulgarian spies running around Great Yarmouth of all places because so many Russian spies got caught, they've now outsourced a lot of their work to third party nationals. […]

Who has been a guest on Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Sergei Cristo
• Dominic Grieve
• Edward Lucas
• Christopher Steele
• Steve Lacey

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

321,466

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.9 / 5

172 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

179 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 60 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

58

Social presence

0

YouTube

86

Engagement

67

Contact Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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