Pod Save the UK

• U-turn after U-turn: who is the real Keir Starmer?

  Keir Starmer is not afraid of a U-turn. From abandoned policy pledges to reinstating the winter-fuel allowance, the list is growing. To add to this - this week, the PM has expressed his support for Israel’s military action against Iran, despite criticising Israel’s actions in Gaza. Then he caved in to calls for a full national inquiry into grooming gangs, despite earlier dismissing them as amplifying far-right demands. Whether you think these are sensible or sly, these political backflips have certainly led to a lot of headscratching when it comes to one question: what does our Prime Minister actually stand for? Nish and Coco sit down with New Statesman Editor in Chief, Tom McTague, who has spent months with Starmer trying to find out what lies beneath the title. The Government’s new Welfare Reform Bill is introduced in Parliament this week, which experts say will lead to nearly a quarter of a million more families being pushed into poverty. Nish heads down to Westminster to meet with hundreds of people who have gathered to call for an end to the rising tide of hunger and hardship in the UK. Nish speaks to Labour MP Brian Leishman, Liberal Democrat Wendy Chamberlain and Green Siân Berry about the calls for an essentials guarantee - while hearing from the lived experience of people working at food banks around the UK.  And as the Government's new data bill finally passes in the House of Lords, Nish and Coco voice their concerns about what it means for the creative industries. CORRECTION: A previous version of this podcast included an incorrect statistic about the rate of foodbank usage within the UK - which is estimated by the DWP to be at around 3% of households. We regret the error. CHECK OUT THIS DEAL FROM OUR SPONSOR  https://www.shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk  Guests: Tom McTague Siân Berry Brian Leishman  Wendy Chamberlain Helen Barnard Emma Revie Useful links: Tom McTague’s profile of Keir Starmer https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2025/06/what-keir-starmer-cant-say Support the Trussell Trust’s call for an Essential Guarantee! https://www.trussell.org.uk/support-us/guarantee-our-essentials Write to your MP https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-an-mp-or-lord/contact-your-mp/ Audio Credits: BBC Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media. Contact us via email: [email protected] BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• Is Labour finally being Labour?

  Rachel Reeves has delivered her very first spending review, promising to ‘renew Britain’ with big cash boosts for the NHS, housing and defence. It’s a marked change of tone but the Tories are calling her approach “spend now, tax later”.  Nish and Coco dig into the details and are left with some questions. Are tax rises in the Autumn inevitable? Are high-stakes promises, like vowing to end spending on controversial asylum hotels, ill-thought-out? Will all this be enough to change the public mood?  And as we’ve seen across the pond in LA this week, face masks have been critical to protect the identity of protestors demonstrating against immigration raids and deportations. But the UK government plans to ban them. Nish and Coco speak to Akiko Hart, director of human rights organisation, Liberty, about how we can uphold the right to protest and the latest on challenging the Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman. And finally - it gives us great joy to announce - Reform UK is in meltdown with (now former) party chairman Zia Yusuf performing the political equivalent of the hokey-cokey… is he in or out? CHECK OUT THIS DEAL FROM OUR SPONSOR SHOPIFY: https://www.shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk  Useful Links: See us live!  https://crossedwires.live/podcast/pod-save-the-uk Liberty Human Rights https://www.libertyhumanrights.org.uk/ Guests: Akiko Hart Audio Credits BBC Parliament TV Instagram / Richard Tice Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media. Contact us via email: [email protected] BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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  57:07
• How to protect abortion rights from the far-right

  England and Wales is still - unbelievably - operating under an 1861 law that criminalises abortion access. An unprecedented rise in prosecutions and the rise of an aggressive US-style anti-abortion movement in the UK have triggered calls for change. Labour MP Stella Creasy joins Nish and Coco to break down her bill to decriminalise abortion and make it a protected human right.    Over in Scotland - Reform and Labour are battling against the SNP in a crucial by-election in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse on the outskirts of Glasgow. Former First Minister Humza Yousaf MSP shares his thoughts on this two-horse race, the Government’s complicity in genocide in Gaza, and what his next career moves might be. And finally - is Dominic Cummings, former special advisor to Boris Johnson - yes, the one who broke lockdown rules driving to Barnard Castle to “test his eyesight” - worth paying attention to… Stay tuned after the credits for a trailer for a special crossover with The News Meeting from the Observer, featuring our very own Coco Khan. CHECK OUT THIS DEAL FROM OUR SPONSOR SHOPIFY: https://www.shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk  Useful Links: See us live! https://crossedwires.live/podcast/pod-save-the-uk Sign Stella Creasy's petition! https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/decriminalise-abortion-and-make-it-a-protected-human-right Write to your MP https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-an-mp-or-lord/contact-your-mp/ Guests:  Stella Creasy MP Humza Yousaf MSP Audio Credits STV Piers Morgan Uncensored Sky Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media. Contact us via email: [email protected] BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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  58:59
• Babies, Benefits and Black Lives Matter

  Stay out of wombs Nigel! Reform UK leader Nigel Farage wants us to have more babies - which for new mum Coco feels like being bamboozled into being rightwing. Not only this, Farage is even coming for abortion - saying it’s “utterly ludicrous” to allow abortion up to 24-weeks. Keep your wits about you! From leaked memos and inner-circle beef to U-turns and rumoured U-turns - Keir Starmer is feeling the pressure. Nish and Coco dive into the Westminster bubble to find out why the Government has become a leaky ship with Politico reporter Bethany Dawson. Half a decade on from the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests that shook the world, only one third of the recommendations of major reports to tackle endemic racism in the UK has actually been implemented and equality initiatives are facing a rightwing backlash on both sides of the Atlantic. So, is the UK backsliding on racial justice?  Guardian community affairs correspondent and author Aamna Mohdin reflects on the personal and political legacy of the largest anti-racism rallies in the UK since the abolition of slavery. CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS  SHOPIFY: https://www.shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk  Guests: Bethany Dawson Aamna Mohdin Useful Links: Scattered: The making and unmaking of a refugee by Aamna Mohdin https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/scattered-9781526652591/ Politico’s London Playbook  https://www.politico.eu/newsletter/london-playbook/page/109/ Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media. Contact us via email: [email protected] BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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  56:47
• Gaza and Benefits: is Starmer changing course?

  Reunited, Coco and Nish are finally back together in the studio to talk U turns, disability benefits, Brexit and… gimp masks? There’s a lot of politics to catch up on including some big shifts from the Labour government.  First on Gaza - Keir Starmer and David Lammy changed tack with fierce criticism of the Israeli government. But critics argue that without an actual arms embargo talking tough with Israel is inadequate. So is it all too little, too late?  And in another change of direction, the Prime Minister has been listening to voters and his own disgruntled MPs on benefits. He signalled a rethink on one of Labour's most unpopular moves - cutting winter fuel payments for pensioners. But reforms of disability benefits are still on the cards so Nish heads to Westminster where disability activists gathered to lobby their MPs. With a major rebellion on the cards from Labour MPs, can Starmer be steered into a U-turn on this too? Employment minister Alison McGovern explains how she’s going to get more young people into work and she has a message for Pod Save the UK’s disillusioned Labour voters.  And did you think Brexit bollocks was in the rearview mirror? Well sorry - this week the Brexit undead returned with nonsense we thought was safely consigned to the dustbin of history.  Guests: Alison McGovern MP Ellie Chowns MP Nadia Whittome MP Meg Thomas, Disability Rights Campaigner  Audio Credits: Parliament TV BBC GB News Useful Links:  https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/news/mass-lobby-against-benefit-cuts-21st-may-be-there Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media. Contact us via email: [email protected] BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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