The Julia Hartley-Brewer Show

Britain’s borders, our prisons and even our democracy is under siege.

Julia Hartley-Brewer and Brendan O’Neill condemn the early release of offenders, the collapse of the one-in, one-out migrant scheme and alarming claims surrounding a suspected Iranian plot at RAF Fairford.

Lord Ross Kemps examines Andy Burnham’s plans to reopen the Brexit debate, warning that rejoining the EU would restore free movement and surrender control over immigration.

Plus, Kemi Badenoch’s tough-love welfare proposals target rising youth unemployment and long-term dependency.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Julia Hartley-Brewer challenges Iain Duncan Smith and Reform UK’s Robert Jenrick over Andy Burnham’s plans for Britain. They dissect his proposed pension triple lock overhaul, costly social care reforms and push for closer alignment with the European Union.

Jenrick sets out Reform’s alternative agenda on welfare, immigration, energy bills and tax cuts, while warning that Labour is ignoring Britain’s immediate economic and security challenges.

Plus, reaction to electoral reform, Iran, Israel and alarming reports of an incident aboard a Tel Aviv-bound flight.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Julia Hartley-Brewer clashes with Labour peer Lord Clive Soley over the pensions triple lock, taxpayer-funded public sector schemes and whether proportional representation should be introduced without a referendum.

Former Institute for Fiscal Studies director Paul Johnson explains why the triple lock cannot continue indefinitely and delivers a stark warning over record taxes, soaring debt interest, weak economic growth and Labour’s spending ambitions.

Also: Andy Burnham’s electoral reform push, plans for greater state control and the mounting cost of Britain’s welfare system.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Julia Hartley-Brewer examines the suspected terror plot targeting RAF Fairford after five men were arrested and a local farmer raised the alarm.

Former counterterrorism chief Chris Phillips assesses the apparent security failures, possible Iranian links and reports of homemade explosives.

Labour peer Lord Maurice Glasman condemns Britain’s approach to Iran and warns that decades of military underinvestment have left the country dangerously exposed. He also delivers his verdict on Labour’s defence spending, Andy Burnham’s social care proposals, Britain’s housing crisis and Sadiq Khan’s push for closer ties with the EU.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A major YouGov MRP poll predicts a hung parliament, with Labour losing 170 seats and Reform UK getting 123 MPs.

Julia Hartley-Brewer and her guests assess what the result means for Andy Burnham, Kemi Badenoch and Britain’s political future.

Also: fiery debate over plans to cut benefits and introduce restricted welfare cards, Tony Blair’s push to move Britain closer to the EU, fresh failures at the Channel border and calls to lift the ban on drinking alcohol in football stands.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump brands the Chagos Islands deal “terrible” and “ridiculous”, piling pressure on Andy Burnham to abandon Britain’s controversial agreement with Mauritius.

Julia Hartley-Brewer and Sir Iain Duncan Smith examine the strategic importance of Diego Garcia, Chinese influence and Labour’s approach to Britain’s colonial past.

Also: Burnham refuses to rule out rejoining the EU, protests greet a migrant dinghy in Gosport, and Earl Spencer apologises to Piers Morgan over an inaccurate claim in his Diana memoir.

Plus, Britain’s spiralling sickness benefits and workplace absence culture come under fire.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James Cleverly sets out his bid to become London Mayor, promising robust policing, action on illegal working and a crackdown on theft and disorder.

The former Home Secretary clashes with Julia Hartley-Brewer over migrant detention, insisting that stopping illegal Channel crossings is “not easy”.

Brendan O’Neill also joins Julia to discuss Britain’s border failures, claims of pro-Hamas activism within policing and the backlash against Ed Sheeran over his response to the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Plus, Donald Trump’s meeting with Andy Burnham and the future of the UK-US special relationship.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Julia Hartley-Brewer is joined by Dai Davies, former head of Royal Protection, who casts serious doubt on Charles Spencer's new memoir, branding his claims about King Charles and Princess Diana "scurrilous" and unreliable, pointing to Spencer's own troubled history.

Plus, economist Liam Halligan, newly appointed director of the Centre for Policy Studies, warns Britain risks driving its economy over a cliff through soaring taxes, ballooning welfare spending and punishing bond yields.

He explains why Andy Burnham's push for an early election could backfire spectacularly, and why the UK's debt interest bill now dwarfs its education budget.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Julia Hartley-Brewer and former military intelligence officer Philip Ingram examine Earl Spencer’s explosive claim that King Charles said Britain would “forget” Princess Diana soon after her death — and Buckingham Palace’s unusually direct response.

Also: Labour warns of a challenging Budget amid soaring living costs and continued government spending; protected newts could disrupt plans to house 1,250 migrants at Piddington; and Ed Sheeran faces a celebrity backlash after a pro-Palestinian support act was removed from his tour.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Piddington villagers vote 91.6% to symbolically leave the UK, protesting government plans to house 1,250 migrants next to their only playing field. 

Julia Hartley-Brewer hears from Crowborough Shield chairwoman Kim Bailey on the antisocial behaviour plaguing her town since migrants moved in under cover of darkness, plus Talk's Charlie Rowley, reporting live as residents unveil the "Principality of Piddington." 

Political commentator Benedict Spence joins to unpack record disability benefit claims, rising inflation, and Labour's welfare bill blowout. 

Also: fury over the Lucy Letby inquiry findings, and outrage as a Dutch activist is cleared of vandalising Churchill's statue.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Piddington residents stage an extraordinary vote to “leave” the UK in protest against plans to house 1,250 asylum seekers beside their Oxfordshire village. 

Campaigner Ian Darby explains why locals fear for public safety, overstretched services and the loss of their community. 

Julia also tackles Labour’s proposed restrictions on political donations, accusations that Reform UK is being targeted, Nicola Sturgeon’s latest controversy and nationalist demands from the SNP, Sinn Féin and Plaid Cymru.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Julia Hartley-Brewer tackles the row engulfing Westminster after two crypto billionaires handed Reform UK £72 million, triggering Labour fury and fresh claims of hypocrisy given the party's own record of accepting huge individual donations. 

Mail on Sunday commentator Dan Hodges argues all big money should be stripped from British politics, while Reform MP Danny Kruger insists the donations are entirely legal, unconditional, and free from any quid pro quo. 

Also on the show: nationalist leaders from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland meet in Cardiff, and new school dinner rules spark debate over deep-fried food bans and healthy eating in English schools.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andy Burnham stuns Westminster at PMQs, declaring that "national security can't come at the expense of social security" — seeming proof that Labour has become the welfare party. 

Former senior military intelligence officer Philip Ingram MBE explains why Burnham's grasp of national resilience is dangerously wrong, as defence budgets are raided to fund the Chagos deal.

Plus: Mail on Sunday's Dan Hodges on Reform UK's escalating donations scandal, the police investigation engulfing Nigel Farage's closest aides, and whether this is the beginning of the end for his leadership. 

Also: Trump's astonishing $5,000 election promise, and the Miliband-Israel sanctions row.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Julia Hartley-Brewer delivers her verdict on Labour’s sanctions against Israel, accusing Ed Miliband of virtue signalling while British Jewish leaders warn of rising antisemitism. 

Political editor Henry Hill examines the policy’s impact on Britain’s relationship with Israel and the United States. 

Also: anger grows over plans to house thousands of migrants near Piddington, RNLI volunteers face abuse for Channel rescues, and air traffic control failures leave passengers stranded across Britain. 

Plus, pressure mounts on NATS boss Martin Rolfe after another costly aviation shutdown.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As a mega-dinghy carrying 260 migrants lands in Portsmouth, masked protesters clash with police while locals demand answers.

Julia Hartley-Brewer is joined by Spiked editor Tom Slater to unpack the unrest, Andy Burnham's push for Israel sanctions, and claims the UN's own refugee agency says most asylum grants are unlawful.

Pink Ladies organiser Orla Minihane reveals the fear driving grassroots protests against asylum hotels, citing an 800% rise in sexual assaults linked to migration.

Plus: Labour MP Stella Creasy's gender-segregation row, and why Britain's borders — not Russia or China — may be the biggest threat facing the country.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chaotic scenes unfold in Portsmouth after more than 130 migrants arrive by boat from Cherbourg, prompting protests and a police response.

Reform UK councillor George Madgwick describes what he witnessed and condemns the Government’s handling of Channel crossings.

Julia also examines a Home Office whistleblower’s claims of widespread asylum fraud, the AfD’s historic gains in Germany and mounting pressure on Reform UK over alleged discussions about funnelling foreign money into the party. Former Conservative adviser Claire Pearsall warns the controversy could deter crucial floating voters.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Falklands War veteran Simon Weston CBE warns Britain lacks the leadership, investment and military readiness needed to confront Russia and protect the Falkland Islands.

He condemns wasteful MoD procurement, questions the Chagos Islands deal and backs the Falklanders’ right to remain British amid renewed pressure from Argentina. The Argentinian president is due to make an announcement on the Falklands Islands tonight.

Former military intelligence officer Philip Ingram then scrutinises national security adviser Jonathan Powell’s influence.

Plus, Julia Hartley-Brewer clashes with former Labour adviser Paul Richards over Andy Burnham’s PMQs performance, welfare cuts, defence spending and Zack Polanski’s chances in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andy Burnham faces a backlash after blaming Margaret Thatcher and Brexit for Britain’s economic decline. 

Julia Hartley-Brewer challenges his diagnosis as government borrowing costs hit a 28-year high and pressure mounts over tax, welfare, immigration and defence spending. 

Spiked’s Brendan O’Neill brands Burnham a “vibes Prime Minister” who risks alienating millions of Brexit voters, while Benedict Spence warns that political leaders cannot escape economic reality. 

Also discussed: Keir Starmer’s exit, Ed Miliband’s planned ‘reset’ with Israel and the death penalty ruling in the Charlie Kirk murder case.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conservative MP Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown clashes with Julia Hartley-Brewer over Andy Burnham’s economic agenda, public-sector pay, early prisoner releases and the Tories’ record in government.

He argues that nationalisation will revive the failures of the 1970s and predicts political chaos before the next election.

Also: former NATO commander Rear Admiral Chris Parry delivers a stark warning over Britain’s depleted Armed Forces, Russian threats to vital undersea cables and legal “witch hunts” against SAS veterans.

Plus, Donald Trump’s wavering comments on the British ownership of the Falkland Islands.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘Harry and Meghan are reportedly planning a sensational return to Britain — but who will pay to protect them?

Julia Hartley-Brewer clashes with Mail on Sunday commentator Dan Hodges over a Home Office guide telling asylum seekers about consent, domestic abuse and Britain’s laws protecting women and children.

Nigel Farage warns Labour’s plan to eradicate rough sleeping could attract more migrants and push others to the front of the housing queue.

And could Britain be heading for a 2027 general election? Hodges explains why Labour may go early as Reform’s support shifts and the Right remains divided.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.’

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andy Burnham’s much-trumpeted plan to revive Britain’s economy from “Number 10 North” has been met with ridicule as inflation rises to 2.9%, unemployment hits 4.9% and government borrowing costs approach a two-decade high.

Also: Burnham promises that every rough sleeper in England will be offered accommodation this winter — but Big Issue founder Lord Bird warns that housing alone cannot address the addiction, mental-health problems and inherited poverty driving people on to the streets.

French politicians demand yet more British cash to tackle Channel crossings, while Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey calls for the UK to join the EU migration pact — potentially leaving Britain obliged to accept a large “fair share” of Europe’s asylum seekers.

A Labour MP blames Britain’s colonial history and the global reach of the English language for illegal migration.

And Green Party demands for tighter media regulation spark warnings that supposedly progressive politicians are using the Jason Arday controversy as an excuse to censor journalists and silence difficult questions.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Slater on the Jason Arday vigil, incendiary ‘lynching’ claims and the push to silence Britain’s press — plus Labour stalls North Sea drilling, and Angela Rayner clears the way for more traveller sites

Peer Lord Simon Woolley declared that Arday had been publicly “assassinated” and “lynched” — but the explosive words were conspicuously missing from footage distributed to news organisations by the Press Association.

Julia Hartley-Brewer asks why reporters are refusing to defend themselves against accusations of racism and murder — and warns that a tragic death is being exploited to advance demands for media censorship.

Also: Labour is accused of delaying decisions on the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas projects because approving new drilling during summer heatwaves and wildfires could look politically awkward.

And Angela Rayner tears up key planning protections governing traveller sites, leaving rural communities fearing unauthorised developments and demanding one law for everyone.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘Reform UK has unveiled plans to radically overhaul Britain’s welfare state — cutting £50 billion from the bill, introducing in-person disability assessments and barring more than a million foreign nationals from claiming most benefits.

Also: the furious row following the death of former Cambridge professor Jason Arday, as supporters demand an inquiry into his treatment by the media and a crowdfunding appeal passes £145,000.

Julia examines the allegations surrounding Arday’s academic record, Cambridge University’s failure to conduct proper checks, and the students who say they were failed by the institution.

And Britain’s emergency mobile-alert system causes panic after millions receive a wildfire warning — despite officials reportedly advising that the system should be reserved for genuine national emergencies.

Plus: paedophiles and domestic abusers spared prison under controversial sentencing rules, and fresh speculation over whether Andy Burnham could seek an early general election.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.’

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andy Burnham's plan to redistribute asylum seekers to wealthier areas has sparked fury, with critics branding it a tacit admission that illegal migration is a burden on communities nationwide.

Brendan O'Neill questions of climate alarmism amid a summer of heatwaves and wildfires, plus the Cambridge University scandal engulfing disgraced academic Jason Arday.

Robert Bates of the Centre for Migration Control reveals the staggering £17.5 billion cost of asylum accommodation since 2020, and why the government is fighting to block publication of migrant crime statistics that could expose uncomfortable truths about criminality rates among Channel crossers.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andy Burnham faces mounting pressure over his plan to place more asylum seekers in middle-class areas, as Julia Hartley-Brewer looks at the financial and social costs for local communities.

Conservative commentator Benedict Spence assesses Labour’s polling bounce, Burnham’s lack of a clear plan and the collapse of any prospective Reform–Restore pact.

Plus, Crowborough Shiled chairman Kim Bailey condemns the use of taxpayer-funded asylum accommodation in Sussex.

Julia also tackles police demands to block the early release of PC Andrew Harper’s killers, Britain’s crisis of confidence in criminal justice and Donald Trump’s dramatic security escape from Turkey.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A record 230 migrants arrive in Britain aboard a 49-foot “mega-dinghy”, intensifying pressure on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to tackle illegal immigration. 

Julia Hartley-Brewer clashes with Dan Hodges over border failures, deportations and the ECHR, before examining plans that could see dangerous prisoners released early. 

Matthew Syed and Tom Slater discuss Britain’s spiralling debt, political short-termism and the potentially existential threat posed by artificial intelligence. 

Also: vape shops, failing high streets and whether Britain’s leaders are ignoring the defining challenges of the age.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Julia Hartley-Brewer exposes Andy Burnham's tone-deaf "listening tour" as new figures reveal Labour's early prison release scheme could unleash 89,000 extra crimes by 2029 — including sex offences, robberies and the terrifying prospect of the 2006 liquid bomb terrorists walking free by Christmas.

Former government adviser Claire Pearsall says Burnham should be fixing policy, not touring pubs.

Plus: a record 230 migrants cross in a single dinghy, fresh questions over the Farage firebombing probe following Ann Widdecombe's murder, the Jason Arday Cambridge scandal unravels further, and Lord Redwood savages Starmer's EU reset and Burnham's costly two-site government.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Julia Hartley-Brewer unpicks the astonishing downfall of Cambridge professor Jason Arday, whose reportedly fabricated claims — from a non-existent published book to implausible marathon feats — have triggered his resignation. 

Former Senior Military Intelligence Officer Philip Ingram MBE questions why universities fail basic vetting checks. 

Academic Kehinde Andrews then joins for a fiery clash over race, credentials and Cambridge's record on diversity. 

Plus: Kemi Badenoch's defence of a reformed neo-Nazi council candidate, FIFA's Gianni Infantino clinging to power, long-overdue justice for the officer who shot dead gangster Chris Kaba, and fury over grooming gang members among early prison releases.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘New official guidance confirms that single-sex toilets and changing rooms must be organised according to biological sex — but Green-run Lambeth Council is already considering whether it can refuse to comply.

Meanwhile, more than 9,000 domestic abusers are expected to be released early over three years under Labour’s prison scheme — despite fears that victims could face revenge attacks and the perpetrators have a high risk of reoffending.

Kemi Badenoch defends the selection of former neo-Nazi activist Joshua Bonehill-Paine as a Conservative council candidate, arguing that he has been rehabilitated and now campaigns against antisemitism and extremism. But should redemption automatically qualify someone for public office?

Also: Labour’s plan to give 16 and 17-year-olds the vote could backfire spectacularly, with new figures suggesting younger voters may help elect more pro-Gaza independent candidates rather than deliver the electoral boost Labour expected.

And Julia and Brendan remember Rod Liddle while condemning the cruelty of those celebrating his death online.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘Andy Burnham insists he has pushed prison reforms “to the very limits” — yet killers, including two men convicted over the horrific death of PC Andrew Harper, could still be released halfway through their sentences.

Also: the Prime Minister heads off on a family holiday just two weeks after taking office — leaving Louise Haigh, who previously resigned after failing to disclose a fraud conviction, effectively in charge.

Reform UK unveils its plan to use the Royal Navy to return Channel migrants to France, even without French agreement — as a “mega-dinghy” carrying 160 people reportedly catches fire during an attempted crossing.

And the row between Nigel Farage and Rupert Lowe descends into public bickering over a possible pact between Reform and Restore, amid warnings that splitting the vote could hand Labour another government.

Plus, Julia and Tom pay tribute to the provocative and brilliantly funny columnist Rod Liddle — a singular writer who delighted in upsetting all the right people.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andy Burnham has promised a “relentless” new approach to the Channel crisis — but critics are asking what his plan actually involves after around 2,000 migrants arrived in a fortnight.

Julia Hartley-Brewer and former Conservative adviser Claire Pearsall examine Reform UK’s proposal to deploy the Royal Navy and return migrant boats to France, as well as the practical, diplomatic and military obstacles it could face.

They also discuss the mass crossing into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, fears over Europe’s borders and Rupert Lowe’s proposed pact between Restore Britain and Reform UK.

Plus: West Midlands Police invites non-Muslim officers and staff to fast during Ramadan in solidarity with colleagues.

Boy George parts company with his manager after recording a song honouring the victims of the October 7 attacks.

A controversial clinical trial involving puberty blockers for children is set to proceed after a High Court challenge fails.

And Cambridge professor Jason Arday faces further scrutiny over a series of remarkable claims about his childhood, academic career, fundraising and sporting achievements — including an assertion that he appeared in a BBC Up documentary.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10am to 1pm.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andy Burnham pauses plans for the early release of criminals after PC Andrew Harper’s widow branded the scheme “deplorable”. 

Julia Hartley-Brewer and former military intelligence officer Philippa Ingram examine Britain’s prison crisis, overstretched probation service and the risks to public safety. 

Plus, Burnham unveils a 20% business rates cut for pubs, clubs and music venues, while frozen tax thresholds pull more workers into higher bills. 

Gary Lineker joins 120 millionaires demanding greater taxes on wealth, sparking a fierce debate with Green Party activist Dr Ashok Kumar over fairness, housing and the economy.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Julia Hartley-Brewer grills Blue Labour founder Lord Maurice Glasman on Andy Burnham’s first days as Prime Minister, questioning whether his flurry of announcements — VAT off electricity bills, cut-price bus fares, rough sleeping funds — are anything more than uncosted trinkets. 

They clash over defence spending, welfare reform, immigration and net zero, before former Labour adviser Paul Richards joins to defend the new government’s direction, insisting growth will pay for it all. 

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andy Burnham unveils his new Labour Cabinet and scraps VAT on domestic energy bills — saving the average household just 86p a week. 

Julia Hartley-Brewer challenges Lord Foulkes over the Prime Minister’s cost-of-living offer, defence spending, benefits reform and pledge to end rough sleeping. 

Tom Slater delivers his verdict on Burnham’s “hope and change” agenda, Net Zero and Britain’s soaring energy costs. 

Also, the latest on the death of Ann Widdecombe as Joshua Kerry is charged with murder. 

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Keir Starmer has officially resigned as Prime Minister, handing power to Andy Burnham after a dramatic day at Westminster – with King Charles accepting Starmer’s resignation and Burnham’s government. 

Julia Hartley-Brewer dissects Starmer's self-congratulatory farewell speech, Labour's factionalism, and the frantic scramble over top jobs as Ed Miliband, Shabana Mahmood and Yvette Cooper jostle for position. 

The Critic's Henry Hill unpacks the cabinet reshuffle fallout, while Baroness Kate Hoey questions Burnham's democratic mandate, his silence on immigration and welfare reform, and whether his early poll bounce can survive the long summer recess. 

Plus: reaction to the BBC's World Cup half-time promo.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Neil and Christine Hamilton react to England's agonising World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina, questioning Thomas Tuchel's tactics and slamming Argentina's Falklands provocations. 

The pair also tackle Shabana Mahmood's rumoured Chancellor move, net zero, and Britain's migration crisis. 

Plus, raw reflections on the murder of their friend Ann Widdecombe and warnings over the demonisation of right-wing politicians. 

Also: talkSPORT's Max Scott delivers a searing verdict on Tuchel's "cowardly" substitutions, arguing England's capitulation could prove fatal for his future as manager.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Duncan Barkes puts Labour peer Lord Foulkes on the spot over past insults aimed at the late Ann Widdecombe, including David Lammy's "poisonous bigot" jibe and Wes Streeting's jab — and asks whether Reform UK's Zia Yusuf has a point. 

Labour peer Lord Foulkes dodges and takes aim at Yusuf instead. 

Elsewhere, Andy Burnham's imminent premiership faces scrutiny questions, before lifestyle economist Chris Snowdon and commentator Benedict Spence rage against the government's latest nanny state crusade — banning junk food billboards — and ask when Britain will finally push back against endless state interference. 

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Counter-terrorism police have taken charge of the investigation into the suspected murder of Anne Whittacombe, as former Met detective Peter Bleksley slams Devon and Cornwall Police's handling of the case and warns Britons must now take responsibility for their own safety. 

Attorney General Lord Hermer faces backlash after mocking ECHR critics in a bizarre Instagram video. 

Elsewhere, Taxpayers' Alliance chief John O'Connell warns of the dangers of Ed Miliband becoming Chancellor, tax hikes on wealth creators, and a growing two-tier Britain after benefits claimants were exempted from hosepipe bans.

Duncan Barkes is sitting in for Julia Hartley-Brewer.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Duncan Barkes leads a debate on Talk following the suspected murder of Conservative figure Anne Widdecombe, as Devon and Cornwall Police continue questioning a suspect arrested 270 miles away. 

With politicians increasingly vulnerable to attack, Duncan asks how much security MPs should receive - and who should foot the bill - amid Reform UK warnings that capping political donations could endanger lives. 

Philip Kiszely, senior fellow at the New Culture Forum, examines the rise of political hatred, from campus radicalism to identity politics, after outrage erupted over a trans activist's post celebrating Whitcombe's death. 

Callers weigh in on where free-speech ends and incitement begins.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

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Nigel Farage faces fierce scrutiny over a £5 million cryptocurrency donation and his links to convicted fraudster George Cottrell, resigning his party leadership role to fight the Clacton by-election against Count Binface. 

Former Sun political editor Trevor Kavanagh joins Julia to dissect whether this is a catastrophic tactical error or an establishment stitch-up — plus the extraordinary "coronation" of Andy Burnham as Britain's presumed next Prime Minister, sidestepping any manifesto or vote. 

Reform UK's London mayoral candidate, Laila Cunningham, hits back at Reform’s critics, who have called this by-election a ‘farce’. 

Also: the release of grooming gang leader Shabbir Ahmed, and Labour's refusal to tackle Britain's ballooning welfare bill.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

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Nigel Farage has resigned his Clacton seat and forced a by-election — but with no serious party willing to stand against him, the stunt appears to have spectacularly misfired. 

Mail on Sunday's Dan Hodges says Farage knows he's "bang to rights" with the Parliamentary Standards Commission and engineered this as an escape route. 

Reform MP Sarah Pochin defends her leader, but even she struggles to explain why a clean politician wouldn't simply wait for the investigation's outcome. 

Benedict Spence adds that the timing — conveniently drowning out Andy Burnham's Labour leadership coronation — is no coincidence.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

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Labour's prison crisis is spiralling out of control, and victims are paying the price.

With dangerous sex offenders set to walk free after serving just a third of their sentences, Kemi Badenoch is urging Labour MPs to back an amendment to stop the early release scheme. 

Grooming gang survivors, including the courageous Fiona Goddard, say the system has failed them twice over. Meanwhile, convicted child rapist Shabbir Ahmed — guilty of 30 offences — could be back on British streets, with Labour only now scrambling for an emergency deportation law.

Then, the benefits timebomb: over 100,000 people are claiming disability payments for ADHD with zero requirement to seek work — up 40% in just two years. 

Julia and commentator Sam Armstrong ask the hard questions about a system being gamed by many, whilst failing those who genuinely need support.

And Nigel Farage faces mounting pressure from the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner over undeclared gifts — but is this legitimate scrutiny or a coordinated establishment takedown?

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

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Lord Daniel Hannan and Sir Iain Duncan Smith on Andy Burnham’s vague route to No10, Nigel Farage’s funding row, Britain’s broken welfare state, Trump’s NATO ultimatum and why Labour risks becoming the biggest appeasement government since the 1930s — plus England’s World Cup thriller and the row over who really pays for our politics

Keir Starmer’s premiership may be collapsing into its final act… but Julia Hartley-Brewer asks whether the man almost certain to replace him, Andy Burnham, is facing anything like the scrutiny he deserves.

Lord Daniel Hannan warns the media may be repeating the mistake it made with Starmer: letting a would-be prime minister glide into power on warm words, vague promises and slogans about “change” — without asking what he would actually do.

Burnham talks localism, council houses and transformation, but Hannan says the real tests are brutal: will he tear up the regulations, judicial reviews and eco-rules that stop Britain building homes, infrastructure and energy projects? And will he genuinely decentralise power — including giving councils real responsibility over welfare?

Sir Iain Duncan Smith is even blunter, saying Burnham’s pitch is so vague that even students are asking what he actually means. “No second chance”, “change”, “localism” — but where is the detail on tax, welfare, industry, housing, net zero or defence?

Also: Nigel Farage faces mounting scrutiny over wealthy backers, including a £5 million gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne and support from George Cottrell, a convicted fraudster and long-time friend.

Hannan says the row is damaging Reform’s claim to be different — but warns Farage may be hoping for a hostile ruling so he can cast himself as the victim of an establishment stitch-up. Duncan Smith says the answer is simple: declare everything, apologise if needed, and stop giving opponents ammunition.

Julia asks whether big money has too much influence in British politics altogether — and whether any donor really gives millions without expecting something in return.

Meanwhile, Britain’s welfare bill comes under fire. Hannan warns the country cannot continue spending vastly more on working-age welfare than on national defence, while Duncan Smith says the system is now riddled with perverse incentives and political cowardice.

And as Keir Starmer heads to what may be his final NATO summit, Donald Trump is demanding European allies spend 5% of GDP on defence. Duncan Smith says Trump is right: China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are forming a hostile axis, Britain is falling behind even Greece and Poland, and Labour’s defence uplift is unfunded fantasy.

His verdict: Britain risks going down as the biggest appeasement government since the 1930s.

Plus: England’s dramatic World Cup win in Mexico, whether sporting glory can ever really rescue a prime minister, and why national morale may not be enough to save Starmer now.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

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Keir Starmer’s Britain is facing yet another law-and-order meltdown — and Julia Hartley-Brewer is not letting ministers off the hook.

Rochdale grooming gang ringleader Shabbir Ahmed, known sickeningly as “Daddy”, is due to be released from prison despite being convicted of 30 rape and sexual offences against girls, including a child as young as 12. Stripped of British citizenship but unable to be deported to Pakistan thanks to an immigration loophole, his victims say they were promised justice — and betrayed again.

Former military intelligence officer Philip Ingram joins Julia to ask why Parliament can pass emergency laws for British Steel, but not to protect British girls.

Also: a BBC investigation tracks down convicted people smuggler Twanna Jamal, once branded the “godfather” of the French migrant camps, allegedly living under a false name in Leicester, driving a BMW and running businesses — while immigration authorities appear powerless or unwilling to act.

Julia and Philip also take aim at Shabana Mahmood’s immigration crackdown, warning that its “disproportionate impact” loophole could leave foreign offenders free to remain in Britain.

There’s also fury over a growing £5 billion defence black hole, with questions over whether Starmer’s promised military uplift exists at all — while Russian drones, spy ships and sanctioned tankers probe Britain’s nuclear sites and NATO defences.

Plus: claims from a former MI6 officer that Peter Mandelson was viewed by Russian intelligence as a “privileged contact”, and what that really means in the world of espionage.

Then Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg joins Julia from College Green to argue that Britain must change primary legislation, override human rights obstacles and leave the ECHR if it wants to deport foreign criminals and protect the public.

And finally: Starmer issues a formal apology to victims of forced adoption — but Rees-Mogg questions whether today’s maternity scandals should be the Government’s real priority.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

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Keir Starmer's much-hyped defence investment plan has unravelled… and retired British Army Colonel Tim Collins OBE is still unimpressed. 

With nearly £5 billion unaccounted for, ammunition stockpiles at zero, and Type 45 destroyers that simply don't work, Britain's military is in crisis. 

Collins warns we are already at war in the cyber realm, that Poland and the Baltic states are watching Britain's retreat with alarm, and that conscription may now be inevitable.

Also: two police officers face gross misconduct charges over the death of Henry Nowak — handcuffed as he lay dying whilst his killer was treated as the victim. 

A judge hands youth rehabilitation orders to teenage rapists who used a knife, filmed their crimes, and shared the footage. 

Grooming gang ringleader Shabbir Ahmed, convicted of 30 child rape offences, is due for release tomorrow — and the government appears powerless to deport him. 

And villagers in Shropshire discover that brand-new homes promised as social housing have been quietly earmarked for asylum seekers.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

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Andy Burnham finally stepped into the spotlight with his long-awaited leadership pitch — but behind the buzzwords and feel-good slogans, political writer Brendan O'Neill says there was precious little substance. 

No plan for immigration, no mention of defence, no serious reckoning with net zero, and rumours that Ed Miliband could become Chancellor. Is this really the man who wants to lead Britain?

Meanwhile, Keir Starmer's defence investment plan has landed after his Defence secretary resigned over its shortfalls — and it's drawing fire again. 

Lord Alan West, former First Sea Lord, says the money is back-loaded, the short-term gaps are dangerous, and Britain's military readiness is in a dire state. Not a single nuclear attack submarine has been operational for years. Deploying one destroyer to Cyprus took two weeks. 

Starmer had the political capital and the parliamentary majority to fix it — and he failed.

From devolution delusions to drone warfare, procurement failures to the crippling cost of the nuclear deterrent — this is a frank, forensic look at where British politics and national security are heading.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

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Andy Burnham has finally broken cover to flesh out a vision of what he’d do with power in No10... but his grand vision didn't go much beyond English devolution and a sentimental commitment to give people 'hope in their hearts'.

 As the Manchester Mayor delivers his first major set-piece speech as Prime Minister-in-waiting, Julia Hartley-Brewer tears apart his 10-year plan to strip Whitehall of power and hand it to regional mayors. 

Will devolving decisions northward actually deliver growth, cut welfare, fund defence, and tackle mass immigration — or is it just rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic? With a side of additional bureaucracy?

Independent Hull East MP Karl Turner joins Julia, offering cautious optimism about Burnham's track record in Manchester. 

Meanwhile, Kemi Badenoch anticipated Burnham with a speech of her own, accusing Labour of heading into a summer of chaos with no plan and no mandate.

Plus: the Home Secretary's asylum shake-up — could untrained members of the public really replace judges on immigration panels? 

Julia and former Conservative adviser Claire Pearsall are not convinced.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

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Britain's maternity scandal has been exposed in a fulsome report — revealing criminal negligence dressed up in bureaucratic incompetence. 

Hundreds of mothers and babies died or were left seriously injured at Nottingham University NHS Trust over 13 years, while it seems managers prioritised self-protection over saving lives. 

Julia Hartley-Brewer and former senior military intelligence officer Philip Ingram MBE tear into a toxic culture of cover-ups, box-ticking, and wasted six-figure salaries — while babies died. 

Former Sun political editor Trevor Kavanagh joins to ask why nobody ever seems to get sacked for these major failings. 

Meanwhile, Donald Trump has dismissed Andy Burnham as the mayor of a small town who is "extremely liberal" — sharing no warm wishes for the new PM tasked with turning the country round. With no Chancellor chosen, no policies confirmed, and his authority already crumbling, Burnham's leadership faces HUGE headwinds before it's even taken off.

Plus: Kemi Badenoch's savage PMQs demolition of the Starmer government, heatwave hysteria, and homeowners being forced to rip out their air conditioning.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

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The defence community are sounding the alarm over Britain's crumbling defences. 

Former Head of the British Army, General Sir Peter Wall, joins Julia to lay bare the stark reality: the UK has gone from NATO's leading European nation to the bottom of the pile, with a defence funding gap so severe that the military is expecting to make significant cuts. 

With Keir Starmer limping toward a NATO summit empty-handed, and Andy Burnham preparing for a coronation without a plan, is there hope of a safe Britain?

Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott pulls no punches on Britain's decline, the net-zero obsession strangling economic dynamism, and why a country that once assembled 40 warships in 48 hours now takes two weeks to deploy a single destroyer.

Also: the grooming gang inquiry expands to London — so what does that mean for Sadiq Khan's repeated denials? Julia and Benedict Spencer dig in.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

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Ten years on from the biggest democratic vote in British history, Nigel Farage joins Julia Hartley-Brewer to take stock of what Brexit delivered — and where the political class failed to implement it.  

Immigration went through the roof, EU regulations were barely touched, and the promises made to 17 million voters were quietly buried. 

But is Brexit itself to blame?

With Keir Starmer apparently on his way out and Andy Burnham positioning himself for a coronation as Prime Minister — with no mandate, no manifesto, and no general election — Farage argues Britain is not just ungovernable, it is broken.

Julia also presses Farage hard on the £5 million gift from a crypto billionaire in Thailand — an unconditional payment he refused to declare and still refuses to fully explain. 

Is Reform ready for a snap election? And could a pact with the Conservatives ever happen?

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

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Keir Starmer has resigned as leader of the Labour Party after losing the confidence of his MPs.

In reaction, Julia says Starmer was “dragged kicking and screaming” from the leadership after a disastrous premiership defined by broken promises, winter fuel cuts, tax rises, digital ID, the Chagos deal and failure on welfare reform.

Former Conservative adviser Clare Pearsall joins Julia to assess Starmer’s downfall and whether Andy Burnham, now widely expected to take over, can offer anything more than “Keir Starmer in a black T-shirt”.

Also: Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice celebrates Starmer’s exit and calls for a general election, warning Burnham has “no mandate” for a new socialist agenda. He also sets out Reform’s pitch on immigration, net zero and taking on Labour.

And independent MP Karl Turner, who lost the Labour whip under Starmer, gives his verdict on the resignation, Burnham’s likely leadership, and whether he expects to return to the Labour fold.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

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Keir Starmer could be gone within days. That's the verdict of Sun columnist David Wooding, who reveals Westminster is awash with leadership chatter — including claims that Ed Miliband has already been offered the Chancellorship by a rival contender. 

With Cabinet ministers refusing the Prime Minister's calls and resignations potentially imminent, the clock may finally be ticking on Starmer's tenure.

Then, as England's World Cup campaign kicks off, Oxfordshire County Council is seeking a legal injunction — backed by taxpayer money — to ban Union flags and England flags from lampposts. 

Philip Kiszeley of the New Culture Forum joins Julia to expose the jaw-dropping double standards of a political class that celebrates Pride and Palestinian flags whilst treating patriotism as a hate crime.

Plus: the BBC's £500 million cuts, a Question Time migrant plant scandal, and civil servants being paid to play Grand Theft Auto and role-play as earthworms in the name of public policy.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

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A retired British couple sailing in the English Channel found themselves in the crosshairs of a Russian warship — and then they accused the MoD of trying to bury the story. 

Rear Admiral Chris Parry, former Royal Navy Commander, cuts through the noise to explain exactly who was in the right, why Russian captains are paranoid about suicide vessels, and why Britain's hollowed-out frigate and destroyer force means we simply cannot go toe-to-toe with the Russians when it matters. 

With arson attacks on the Prime Minister's home, the seizure of a shadow fleet tanker, and now live fire in British waters, the question is no longer whether Russia is testing us — it's whether we have anything left to test back with.

Then, rebel Labour MP Karl Turner — who lost the whip for standing up to his own government — gives his blunt verdict on Keir Starmer's disintegrating authority. 

With the Macclesfield by-election looming and Andy Burnham waiting in the wings, is Labour heading for a coronation or chaos? And with half a million people claiming disability benefits for anxiety alone, will any Labour leader ever make the hard choices Britain desperately needs?

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

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Keir Starmer struts across the G7 stage in Evian — but with a resigned Defence Secretary, a furious Armed Forces Minister, and a Chief of the Defence Staff warning that Britain can barely afford to train its own troops, world leaders are greeting him with what Sir David Davis bluntly calls "ill-disguised pity."

Former head of the British Army, Lord Dannatt, joins Julia in the studio to dissect the defence spending catastrophe, drawing a chilling parallel with 1935 — the last time Britain was this exposed. He warns that if we fail to deter Russia now, the cost of hot war will be one hundred times greater than what we are currently refusing to spend.

Sir David Davis tears into the Iran deal, calling it a "pathetic negotiation" that has handed Tehran a revenue stream it never knew it had, set a dangerous precedent over international waters, and left Gulf states quietly furious.

Plus — Starmer's social media ban for under-16s: good intentions or yet another half-baked headline grabber with zero detail?

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

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Former Armed Forces Minister Al Carnes made headlines when he followed Defence Secretary John Healey out the door — and now he's telling us exactly why. In a frank and at times fiery exchange with Julia Hartley-Brewer, Carnes lays bare the uncomfortable truth: Britain is preparing for the last war, not the next one, and the Treasury's refusal to meaningfully fund defence is leaving this country dangerously exposed.

With Russia on the march, threats multiplying in the Middle East, and intelligence agencies warning of potential attack by 2030, Carnes argues that national security must become the central, cohering function of government — not an afterthought buried beneath fiscal rules. 

He also clashes head-on with Julia over welfare reform, the two-child benefit cap, youth unemployment, and whether Nigel Farage and Reform are offering real solutions or simply selling umbrellas in a storm of their own making.

Then, veteran broadcaster and journalist Andrew Neil delivers his characteristically sharp verdict on the government's social media ban — sceptical, probing, and cutting straight to the heart of who's really responsible for protecting children online. He also takes aim at Keir Starmer's hollow posturing on the world stage, questions whether Andy Burnham is remotely ready for Number 10, and pays tribute to the late Roy Hattersley — a politician from an era when serious people did serious politics.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

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Belfast is burning — and the government's answer is to crack down on you for talking about it. A second night of disorder gripped the city after knife-attack suspect Hadi Alodid, a Sudanese national, was granted asylum via a Tory fast-track scheme requiring nothing more than a ten-page questionnaire. No face-to-face interview. No proper vetting. Just a tick-box exercise — and five years' leave to remain.

Julia Hartley-Brewer is joined by former senior military intelligence officer Philip Ingram, who warns that foreign powers — Russia, China, Iran — are actively stoking division on British streets, and that the rioting in Belfast is exactly the kind of domestic chaos they want to see.

Meanwhile, only one asylum seeker has been returned to Ireland since 2020, despite a formal agreement to do so, as people-smuggling gangs exploit the open Irish border with impunity.

Then, in a bombshell moment live on air, news breaks that Defence Secretary John Healey has resigned — unable to secure the funding Britain desperately needs to defend itself.

Sir Ian Duncan Smith calls it out bluntly: a Chancellor blocking the Defence Investment Plan, a Prime Minister too weak to overrule her, and a nation sleepwalking into the most dangerous geopolitical moment since the 1930s. Ships tied up in port. No Royal Navy presence in the Mediterranean. And a government more concerned with appeasing its own backbenchers than protecting the realm.

The message is clear — our borders are open, our defences are crumbling, and the real crime, according to this government, is noticing.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

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A Sudanese asylum seeker, Hadi Alodid, has appeared in Belfast Magistrates Court charged with attempted murder, threats to kill, and possession of a knife — after a horrific street attack that left victim Stephen Ogilvie, an NHS radiographer, fighting for his life and without his left eye. Bail was refused.

The court heard the suspect told medical staff "I will kill you" and was found armed with a knife on top of his victim when police arrived.

The attack has ignited violent disorder on the streets of Belfast — firebombing, masked mobs going door to door, and clashes with police. Julia Hartley-Brewer is joined by conservative commentator Benedict Spencer to unpick the rage, the politics, and the uncomfortable truth that governments have ignored the warnings of the British public for decades.

Siobhan Whyte, mother of Rhiannon Whyte — murdered in a frenzied 23-stab attack by an asylum seeker at a Walsall hotel — joins Julia to demand answers. She reveals her daughter's killer had already been denied asylum in Germany and Italy, and arrested in Germany before being welcomed into England.

Former police officer Norman Brennan, with nearly 50 years in law enforcement, warns that unless the government gets a firm grip on borders and crime, Britain is heading towards full-scale civil disorder. He also lifts the lid on stop and search, knife crime statistics, and why so many officers have been left unable to do their jobs.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

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A Sudanese man has been arrested in north Belfast following what can only be described as an attempted beheading — a horrific, graphic attack captured on video.  

Meanwhile, the BBC initially buried it beneath the headline: "Man taken to hospital with serious injuries after Belfast stabbing." 

Julia Hartley-Brewer is joined by Henry Hill, Political Editor of The Critic, who explains why journalists strip out the most critical details of violent crimes — and why the Public Order Act is being weaponised to protect hypothetical racists over real victims.

Reform UK Deputy Leader Richard Tice joins live as the Belfast attacker's identity is confirmed on air. He pulls no punches: the public has a right to know the full history of this individual — now, not in two years' time after a court case. 

He also reacts to the bombshell Telegraph revelation that £28 billion in taxpayers' money was handed to terrorist groups including ISIS, hostile states such as Russia, and Chinese military-linked companies — through foreign aid and COVID relief loans — which was then actively covered up by the Conservative government.

Lord Daniel Hannan, Director of the Institute of Economic Affairs, connects the dots: a bloated, unaccountable, ideologically captured state that selects in favour of dangerous migrants, funds our enemies abroad, and then buries the evidence. 

He also takes aim at Kemi Badenoch's pledge to scrap the public sector equality duty — welcome, he says, but the real rot runs far deeper than any single piece of legislation.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

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Keir Starmer is busying himself with AI summits and an expected announcement of social media bans for under-16s — a move that looks suspiciously timed ahead of the Makerfield by-election. 

Is it genuine child protection, or is it political theatre designed to sustain the PM’s legacy? 

Also, the murder of Henry Nowak continues to dominate the national conversation. 

JD Vance's claim that Henry died "the way a civilisation dies", while also placing the blame on mass migration, sparked a furious response from David Lammy — who rang up the US Vice President to tell him he was wrong. 

Mail on Sunday commentator Dan Hodges joins Julia to dissect whether Vance crossed a line, and why linking the killing directly to mass migration was both deliberate and dangerous. 

Independent MP Karl Turner goes further — calling Lammy's TV appearance an embarrassment and urging Number 10 to keep him well away from the cameras.

And with Andy Burnham widely tipped to win Makerfield and launch a Labour leadership bid, both guests weigh in on whether he has any actual plan — or whether charisma and a casual wardrobe are all he's bringing to the table.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

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Charlie Rowley reacts as Burnham’s Makerfield pitch fuelled Labour leadership rumours, as Henry Nowak’s murder intensified policing rows and political pressure. Nowak’s family met Badenoch and Starmer, while Elon Musk’s comments drew rebukes amid calls for calm and accountability. Royal finances faced scrutiny over Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s cottage arrangements, raising questions about privilege, transparency and public trust.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

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The Prime Minister and Hampshire's Chief Constable insist there is no two-tier policing. 

But Hampshire Police's own documents, in black and white, explicitly state that officers must not treat people the same or be colourblind. 

Officers who underwent the force's mandatory DEI training reported feeling pressured — afraid to say the wrong thing. 

One in five feared being rejected for speaking their minds. Is this institutionalised groupthink running through policing, the NHS, the civil service, and more?

Brendan O'Neill argues that Keir Starmer is not protecting Henry Nowak's legacy — he is using it as a political shield to deflect scrutiny from the very policies that shaped this tragedy. 

Nigel Farage was heckled in the Commons while bringing up many people’s experience of two-tier policing. 

Yet in 2020, the same political class praised Black Lives Matter rage from the rooftops.

Kemi Badenoch, fresh from a meeting with Henry's family, makes the case for sweeping away identity politics entirely — and explains why consistency under the law, not special treatment for any group, is the only path forward.

Plus: Lord Mann's report recommends banning all political badges in the NHS — and Julia asks why anyone ever thought that was acceptable in the first place.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

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The murder of Henry Nowak sent shockwaves across Britain, after the body cam footage of police handcuffing a dying, stabbed teenager whilst he told them he couldn’t breathe and had been stabbed.  

Julia Hartley-Brewer unpacks what this case reveals: the deadly consequence of an institutionalised ideology that has infected British policing from top to bottom.

Julia is joined by commentator Benedict Spence, who argues against the left’s narrative that Nigel Farage is politicising this story against the wishes of the family. 

He says murder is inherently political and that no victim's family holds a monopoly over public debate. 

Together they dissect the violent protests in Southampton, the accusations of exploitation levelled at Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch, and the uncomfortable truth that two-tier policing isn't a conspiracy theory — it's written down in black and white in policing race action plans.

Then, Rick Prior — former Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, who was suspended for daring to say exactly this — joins Julia to explain how DEI training, the Police Race Action Plan, and the institutional obsession with "equality of outcomes" over equal treatment has left officers terrified of being labelled racist. 

The result is a culture where an accusation of racism outweighs a boy bleeding to death on the pavement.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

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The body cam footage from the murder of Henry Novak is incredibly disturbing. 

A young man, stabbed and dying, tells police four times he's been stabbed and nine times he can't breathe — and is handcuffed and left to die with two pints of blood in his lungs. His killer was never even handcuffed.

Julia Hartley-Brewer doesn't hold back. 

She is joined by Reform UK's Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick, Shadow Policing Minister and Conservative Deputy Chairman Matt Vickers, and former Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector Mike Neville.

Is this proof of two-tier policing in Britain? 

All three guests say yes. 

The rot, they argue, runs far deeper than two officers at a crime scene. 

It goes straight to the top — the College of Policing, the National Police Chiefs Council, the Home Office race action plans, and decades of critical race theory embedded throughout the establishment.

Why did Keir Starmer take the knee for George Floyd but stay silent for three days after Henry Nowak's killer was convicted? Why are words treated as more dangerous than knives? And what would it actually take to tear this broken system down?

Also: the Mandelson Files and the bombshell WhatsApp message from Pat McFadden that exposes exactly what Labour MPs really think about taxpayers' money.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

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Julia Hartley-Brewer breaks down what hundreds of bombshell texts, WhatsApps, and emails are expected to reveal about Peter Mandelson's controversial appointment as UK Ambassador to the United States.

Also under discussion is Nicola Sturgeon's BBC interview in which she claims to be serving a sentence for a crime she did not commit.

Julia and former Conservative government adviser Claire Pearsall question the idea that Sturgeon knew nothing about her husband Peter Murrell embezzling £400,000 from the SNP — including an £80,000 Jaguar, a £125,000 camper van, and 108 loo rolls bought the day before Sturgeon told the nation not to stockpile.

Plus: the Hague rules the UK does NOT have to pay Rwanda £100 million. Was the £700 million Rwanda scheme a catastrophic waste of your money?

And Tory plans for benefit ration cards for criminals — sensible policy or political fantasy?

Then, political commentator James Mathewson joins for a fiery on-air clash over trans rights, Donald Trump, Reform UK, and whether James Murray is a coward for finally admitting that trans women are not women.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

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Over a million young people aged 16 to 24 are currently not in education, employment or training. Former Cabinet Minister Alan Milburn argues that without urgent action, that figure could rise to one in six within five years. 

How has this happened? Milburn points to young people’s ‘aspiration’, but a job market that is failing them, following increases to employer’s national insurance and the minimum wage. Julia adds young people’s attitudes… and failed parenting. 

Ryan Wayne from the Tony Blair Institute joins the show to discuss the report, as well as Tony Blair’s criticism of the government. Julia questions his boss’s legacy — mass immigration from Eastern Europe, the 50% university target, and net zero — arguing they systematically dismantled opportunities for a generation of young Brits.

Lord Daniel Hannan, incoming Director General of the Institute of Economic Affairs, lays out the economics that have led to our current malaise: punishing hikes in National Insurance, the Rayner Employment Rights Bill, and a near two-thirds rise in the minimum wage since lockdown have made hiring young people a risk too far for businesses. 

Add to that a welfare system riddled with perverse incentives, a surge in mental health diagnoses with patients coached by online influencers, and a lockdown hangover we've barely begun to recover from — and the picture is bleak.

Also: Dame Helen Mirren, 80 years old and walking through London with her husband, is subjected to a foul-mouthed tirade by a pro-Palestine activist. 

Philip Ingram MBE connects the dots between Iran's Revolutionary Guard and the radicalisation driving these shocking street confrontations.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

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Tony Blair has dropped a political bombshell on Keir Starmer's desk. 

In a scathing 5,700-word essay, the former Prime Minister and three-time election winner says Labour has no coherent plan to fix Britain, is governing from a "soft left comfort zone," and will lose the next general election unless it ditches net zero, slashes the welfare bill, stops the boats, and stops pretending that swapping leaders is the same as changing course.

Julia Hartley-Brewer is joined by former Conservative Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, who finds remarkably little to disagree with in Blair's brutal assessment, despite their different parties. 

He breaks down exactly where this government went wrong — arriving with a historic landslide on just 33% of the vote and then standing completely still. No plan. No direction. Just a budget that hammered small businesses with national insurance hikes, a soaring minimum wage, and crippling business rates — the very engine room of British jobs and growth.

IDS also reflects on his own record reforming welfare under Universal Credit — cutting between £28 and £32 billion from the budget and delivering the lowest number of workless households since records began — and why Labour's half-hearted attempts to repeat that are doomed to fail.

Also: the Makerfield by-election is descending into farce, with Reform and the newly formed Restore Britain tearing chunks out of each other while Andy Burnham eyes the prize. Is this just a parade of oversized egos? 

Plus, Nicola Sturgeon and the motorhome that apparently nobody saw — for two years, on her mother-in-law's driveway.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

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Nicola Sturgeon's estranged husband Peter Murrell has pleaded guilty to embezzling £400,000 from SNP party funds. That money was used for four coffee machines worth £9,000, £2,000 on salt and pepper shakers, an £80,000 Jaguar, and a motorhome parked on his mother's driveway. Sturgeon claims she knew absolutely nothing about where the money came from.

Julia Hartley-Brewer is joined by Tom Slater, editor of Spiked, to unpick whether that defence is credible. Julia is unconvinced. For a couple who travelled to work together, jointly led the SNP for years, and were legally responsible for signing off the party accounts, the "I saw nothing" response needs to be fully investigated.

Also: two teenage boys convicted of rape are spared custodial sentence, despite overwhelming evidence — including footage they filmed themselves. During sentencing, the judge said he wanted to avoid unnecessarily criminalising them.

The Attorney General Lord Hermer has now referred the case to the Court of Appeal, but as Julia and Tom argue, the real problem lies deeper, within the sentencing guidelines themselves, which appear to treat youth, low IQ, and ADHD as excuses.

And with the Makerfield by-election looming, polling expert Sir John Curtice, Professor of Politics at the University of Strathclyde, joins Julia to break down why this is no ordinary by-election. 

With Andy Burnham's personal vote, a resurgent Reform UK, and Rupert Lowe's Restore Britain potentially splitting the right-wing vote, the result is likely to pave the way to a new Prime Minister. 

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

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The Office for National Statistics has released the migration figures for the last quarter — and whilst the government is celebrating, Julia Hartley-Brewer isn't buying it. 

She's joined by Reform UK Councillor and Deputy Leader of Durham County Council Darren Grimes, who forcefully argues that nobody voted for the rampant levels of migration over the past decades. 

From David Cameron's broken promise of reducing it to tens of thousands, to Boris Johnson's staggering 944,000 net arrivals, the British public have been consistently lied to — and are now footing the bill in housing, healthcare, schools, and council translation contracts running into the tens of thousands.

Former Head of UK Border Force Tony Smith then joins to drill down into the raw data. Net migration is down to 171,000 — but 88,000 new asylum claims, a 3% boat removal rate, and nearly a fifth of the UK population now foreign-born tells a very different story.

Also: Julia discusses the viral clip of Rachel Reeves getting heckled at a Leeds petrol station… and her questioning the British-ness of her heckler. 

Plus, the Reform candidate for the Makerfield by-election faces media scrutiny over deleted tweets.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

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Scrutiny of Andy Burnham, Labour’s candidate for Makerfield, continues. 

As the Labour party wrangles over who should be leader, Andy Burnham is hoping a successful campaign in Makerfield will prove to party and country that he can beat Reform and turn a hitherto spectacularly unpopular government around. 

But after his U-turn on Brexit, now his commitment to trans ideology is coming under fire… as his previous comments suggesting that trans-identified men should have access to women-only spaces emerged.  

Meanwhile, Rachel Reeves has reportedly been discussing voluntary price caps with supermarkets – to keep the prices of essential goods down. 

Immediately, a furious reaction from retail groups ensued. 

Karl Turner MP calls it ‘nearly the barmiest idea I’ve ever heard’. 

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

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All eyes are on the Makerfield by-election, where Andy Burnham is hoping he can scrape through a tight race, beat Reform and become Labour leader… and then the PM.

His hopes are coming under strain as the media, and his political rivals, train their eyes on him. Both Wes Streeting and Keir Starmer said over the weekend they would want to (eventually) look at re-joining the EU. 

That places Burnham in a bind – Labour members are generally pro-EU, while around 60% of Makerfield constituents voted for Brexit. 

Lo and behold, following Streeting and Starmers’ statements, Burnham U-turned on a previous pledge to re-join the EU. 

His critics say this is true to form, pointing to previous ideological flexibility for political expediency. 

In reaction to these U-turns, Lord Hannan expresses dismay with politicians who renege on their promise that the 2016 Brexit referendum would be a ‘once in a generation’ vote – explaining that Brexit was a problem with execution, not ideas. 

He also argues that any deal to return us to the EU would inevitably lead to the EU imposing punishing demands on the UK, including losing the pound. 

And Lord Foulkes trots out the Starmerite line… arguing that the PM's downfall is the fault of the media, run by ‘multi-millionaires who live abroad’, rather than personal failure.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

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Keir Starmer is (currently!) vowing to lead Britain through its current crisis — but are his supporters falling away? 

James Lyons, Starmer's former Director of Communications at Number 10, joins Julia to dissect the Prime Minister's extraordinary resilience — or delusion, depending on who you ask. 

With U-turns piling up, MPs briefing against him, and a leadership circus consuming Westminster, Lyons gives an insider's view of the man at the centre of it all.

Then it's the by-election that has been branded the ‘most significant in 50 years’. 

Andy Burnham is heading to Makerfield — a seat that voted 65% for Brexit, where Reform swept the recent local elections. 

Is this a bold political gamble to prove he can beat Reform UK… or a catastrophic miscalculation? And did Wes Streeting's comments about wanting to rejoin the EU deliberately torpedo Burnham's chances before he's even on the ballot?

Richard Tice, Deputy Leader of Reform UK, makes the case that his party are throwing everything at Makerfield — and explains why he thinks the Tories are simply irrelevant. 

He also faces tough questions on Nigel Farage's undisclosed £5 million gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harbour, the Standards Commissioner investigation, and whether Reform can actually govern if civil servants go on strike.

Plus: TikTok censors a Reform immigration video using the Online Safety Act — and Julia asks whether Nadine Dorries has repented for helping create it.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

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Keir Starmer is defying his own party, the public, and political gravity. 

But is he going anywhere? After a humiliating set of local, Welsh, and Scottish election results, the knives are out in the Parliamentary Labour Party. 

Yet the would-be challengers — Wes Streeting, Angela Rayner, Andy Burnham, Ed Miliband — can't seem to land a blow. 

Spiked Online's Brendan O'Neill joins Julia to break down why this isn't just a Starmer problem… it's a problem with the entire political class.

Then, as King Charles delivers the King's Speech, the verdict is damning: recycled announcements, no serious plan for the economy, nothing on immigration, doubling down on net zero, and dragging the country back towards the EU. 

Robert Colvile, Director of the Centre for Policy Studies and Sunday Times columnist, digs into the numbers: Britain is borrowing over £100 billion a year, welfare spending now exceeds income tax receipts, and the bond markets don't care who leads the Labour Party… despite some MPs saying that the bond markets will have to ‘fall in line’.

The brutal truth? Whoever takes over from Starmer inherits the same in-tray: wars in Ukraine and Iran, an energy crisis, a ballooning welfare bill, an ageing population, and a public that refuses to hear difficult choices. 

As Colvile puts it: you can change the Prime Minister, but you can't change the bond markets.

Julia Hartley Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

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Can Keir Starmer survive the increasing assault on his leadership? In a dramatic, fast-paced day of political turmoil, cabinet ministers including Yvette Cooper, Shabana Mahmood and John Healey are reported to have told the Prime Minister he must set out a timetable to leave. Meanwhile, more and more MPs and even ministers have publicly called for him to go. 

Yet Starmer is digging in, daring his enemies to trigger a full leadership contest.

Mail on Sundaycommentator Dan Hodges breaks down Labour’s meltdown after a disastrous set of local election results. With nearly 100 MPs publicly calling for Starmer to go, Hodges explains why the Prime Minister's defiant stand is a surprisingly clever political manoeuvre… but ultimately a losing battle. Wes Streeting must move now. Andy Burnham remains the northern king-over-the-water. And Angela Rayner’s tax affairs are proving far more toxic on the doorstep than she would like.

Then, Labour MP for North Durham Luke Akehurst mounts a staunch and unusually honest defence of the Prime Minister — pushing back hard on Julia's challenge that Starmer has delivered nothing of substance. 

From the Workers' Rights Act to the Renters' Rights Act, Akehurst makes the case for loyalty, stability and giving the government time to deliver. 

With the King's Speech tomorrow, more resignations expected, and the bond markets wobbling, the clock is ticking for Number 10.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

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Julia Hartley-Brewer examines Keir Starmer’s chances of staying as prime minister. 

After Labour lost over 1500 councillors in local elections on Thursday, the floodgates have opened: over 50 MPs have demanded Keir Starmer resign. They want a leadership contest - with Angela Rayner, Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting all listed as potential candidates. 

To garner any remaining support, the PM made a speech this morning, wherein he vowed to nationalise British steel, bring the UK to the ‘heart of Europe’, and a youth experience scheme with the EU. 

He also took responsibility for the local election results. 

But it wasn’t enough to stem the calls for him to go. 

Catherine West MP, a relatively unknown backbencher who caused panic over the weekend by saying she would challenge Keir Starmer if nobody in the cabinet did by this morning, decided the speech wasn’t enough to stop her from asking MPs to support a timeline for Sir Keir to leave. 

She did row back on her leadership challenge threat though. 

With her guests, Julia reacts to the speech. She debates Lord Foulkes, Labour peer, on whether Keir Starmer is right for the job. She asks Richard Tice MP about a £5m donation he didn’t declare, and a Reform councillor saying ‘Nigerians should be melted down to fill in potholes’. 

Then, Karl Turner diagnoses what’s wrong with the Labour party, and backs Angela Rayner as the next Labour leader. 

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

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Julia Hartley-Brewer and Claire Pearsall discuss the news that Australia is preparing to receive - and arrest - ISIS linked families. 

With Chris Phillips, former counter terror officer, she questions the repatriation of “walking time bombs” who may have committed serious crimes following Islamist radicalisation. 

The conversation shifts to the latest health panic: the Hantavirus. As British passengers self-isolate following a cruise, Julia asks whether we are witnessing another bout of state-sponsored scaremongering. 

Professor Carl Heneghan joins to provide a dose of reality on the actual risks of human-to-human transmission.

Finally, Julia unleashes on the "immorality" of Britain’s welfare system. With news that 1.5 million migrants are claiming Universal Credit, Julia and Claire debate the collapse of the social contract, as civil servants "swing the lead" at home and Britain deals with the culture of a lack of shame in living off the taxpayer.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

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Zack Polanski’s Green Party surge comes under fierce scrutiny as Julia Hartley-Brewer asks whether the bubble has finally burst amid allegations of antisemitism, radical policies and growing questions over the party leader’s past claims.

Former Senior Military Intelligence Officer Philip Ingram MBE joins Julia to examine the Greens’ controversial platform — from wealth taxes and net zero targets to leaving NATO, scrapping Trident and legalising drugs — and whether protest voters are now seeing what lies beneath the party’s “nice” image.

As local elections loom, the pressure on Keir Starmer intensifies. With Labour facing potentially disastrous results in Wales, Scotland, London and the Red Wall, Julia and Philip discuss whether the Prime Minister could soon face rebellion from his own MPs, a major reshuffle, or even a leadership challenge. Rachel Reeves’ future also comes under the spotlight as UK borrowing costs rise and the markets react nervously to Labour’s economic direction.

Then, Julia turns to the escalating Iran crisis. Donald Trump’s shifting position on escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, fears of military escalation, and the West’s ability — or inability — to confront hostile regimes are all on the table.

Also on the podcast, Spiked Online’s Brendan O’Neill delivers a blistering assessment of Zack Polanski, the Green Party, antisemitism allegations and what the rise of radical protest politics says about Britain today. 

He also weighs in on Labour’s collapse in its traditional heartlands and whether anyone — from Andy Burnham to Angela Rayner, Wes Streeting or Ed Miliband — can rescue the party from freefall.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

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Keir Starmer faces mounting pressure on borders, crime and national security as small boat arrivals over the Channel head towards 200,000 since the crisis began. Only a fraction have been removed from Britain.

Julia Hartley-Brewer is joined by Spiked Online editor Tom Slater to take on the biggest stories shaking Westminster: alleged Iranian attempts to destabilise Britain, rising antisemitism on UK streets, the failure to proscribe the IRGC, and growing anger over “two-tier policing” at protests and football fixtures.

As Labour battles a collapse in support among Muslim voters and the Greens surge in some inner-city areas, Julia asks whether Starmer’s party has lost control of the debate on Gaza, antisemitism and public order.

Also: Reform UK’s proposal to build migrant detention centres in Green-voting areas — and deport hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants. Is it serious policy, political theatre, or a brutal challenge to the open-borders Left?

Former Sun political editor Trevor Kavanagh joins Julia to react to the small boats milestone, the scale of illegal migration, and whether any government can regain control of Britain’s borders.

Plus: Kemi Badenoch’s pitch on zero-tolerance policing, shoplifting, vandalism and street crime; Nigel Farage’s rising profile; Labour’s local election nightmare; and the growing speculation over who could replace Keir Starmer if the party turns on him — Angela Rayner, Andy Burnham, Wes Streeting or Shabana Mahmood?

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

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Julia Hartley-Brewer takes on the day’s biggest stories as Keir Starmer faces a crunch Commons showdown over claims he misled Parliament on Peter Mandelson’s vetting. With bombshell evidence, Labour unrest and fresh questions over trust, competence and cover-up, is the Prime Minister finished? Plus, the King addresses Congress, shoplifting chaos on Britain’s high streets, and growing alarm over Iran-linked threats. Ruthless, fair and unmissable from Talk.

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Julia Hartley-Brewer takes on the biggest stories shaking Britain and beyond — from growing pressure on Keir Starmer over sleaze claims and Labour infighting, to the latest Donald Trump assassination attempt, royal diplomacy in America, and outrage over attacks on British troops. Ruthless, fair and unmissable, this is the Julia Hartley-Brewer Podcast from Talk.

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Keir Starmer says closer co-operation with France will help stop the small boats crisis — but is Britain paying hundreds of millions for more failure and inaction?

Alex Phillips - stepping in for Julia - is joined by former Border Force chief Tony Smith to break down Labour’s latest Channel deal, including the extra cash for France, the promise of tougher beach enforcement, the role of French riot police, and why surveillance alone will not stop illegal crossings in the Channel.

They also look at the key questions ministers still have not answered: what happens when migrants are intercepted, why detention capacity matters, whether Belgium is now becoming a new launch point, and how people-smuggling gangs are using social media and encrypted platforms to stay one step ahead. If you want serious insight into border security, illegal migration and the real-world limits of government policy, this is essential listening.

Also: Andrew Allison from Popular Conservatism joins Alex to discuss the mounting pressure on Keir Starmer, the mood inside Labour, and the growing row around Attorney General Lord Hermer.

They examine concerns over the power of unelected figures at the heart of government, the controversy surrounding legal claims brought against British soldiers, and wider questions over who is really shaping policy on national sovereignty, immigration and the Chagos Islands.

In response to claims he had prosecuted British soldiers despite knowing claimants were lying, a spokesman for Lord Hermer said that he had “always acted with the highest professional standards, and the suggestion the Attorney acted for individuals with the knowledge that their claims were false is categorically untrue”.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

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Keir Starmer is facing fresh questions over the Peter Mandelson vetting scandal after the explosive evidence from former senior civil servant Olly Robbins — and the pressure on No.10 is building. Julia Hartley-Brewer asks: is the Prime Minister a dead man walking? With claims of disquiet from inside Downing Street, accusations of “jobs for the boys”, and Labour figures openly turning on their own leader, this row is fast becoming a full-blown crisis for Starmer.

Joined by former Conservative adviser Claire Pearsall and independent MP Karl Turner, Julia tears into the toxic culture at the heart of government, whether Starmer misled Parliament, and why Labour nerves are jangling after PMQs and before the local elections. If the drip-drip of revelations continues, can No.10 survive the summer — or is this the scandal that finally breaks him?

Also: Julia reacts to the alarming poll showing half of young people would never fight for Britain, asking what it says about patriotism, identity and whether this country is still worth defending. 

There’s also the growing fallout from the Iran crisis and disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, with warnings of higher fuel costs, rising energy bills, supply chain shocks and fresh pain for British households already squeezed by Rachel Reeves’ faltering economy.

And fury too over the tobacco and vapes bill, as MPs wave through a lifetime smoking ban for anyone born after 2008 — a common-sense health measure, or another open goal for smugglers, black-market gangs and the nanny state?

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

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Keir Starmer is under huge pressure after Sir Olly Robbins gave explosive evidence on the Peter Mandelson appointment — as he describes an 'atmosphere of pressure' to approve Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.

Julia reacts to the extraordinary claims that Mandelson’s appointment was effectively treated as a done deal before the vetting process had run its course, with senior figures allegedly pushing for approval and little appetite inside government to stop it. If warning signs were already there, why was the process handled in this way? And if Starmer knew more than he later admitted, did he mislead Parliament?

Veteran journalist Adam Boulton joins Julia to give his verdict on Robbins’s defence, the sacking of officials, and whether the Prime Minister has made the crisis even worse by trying to pin blame on everyone around him. Was this simply a disastrous political judgement — or evidence of a deeper culture of arrogance at the heart of Labour?

Also: Blue Labour founder Lord Maurice Glasman tears into the Labour establishment’s obsession with Peter Mandelson, explains why the party is losing working-class voters, and warns that Starmer now looks like a leader with no clear direction and no easy escape. 

The allegations discussed in this episode are denied by Peter Mandelson, who has not been charged - as of the time of publishing.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

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Did Keir Starmer really not know Peter Mandelson had failed security vetting — or is Downing Street’s defence simply impossible to believe?

In this episode of The Julia Hartley Brewer Podcast, Julia is joined by commentator Dan Hodges and former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith to dissect the growing row over Peter Mandelson’s appointment, the claims that officials knew for weeks, and the extraordinary questions now hanging over the Prime Minister’s judgment.

If Mandelson was considered too high-risk for the usual clearance process, how was he allowed into one of the most sensitive jobs in British diplomacy? And if concerns about his links to Russia, China and Jeffrey Epstein were already widely known, why was he appointed at all?

Dan Hodges lays out why he believes it is “inconceivable” that nobody in Downing Street was aware of the failed vetting outcome, while Sir Iain Duncan Smith argues the real issue is not whether Starmer was formally told, but whether he already knew enough to stop the appointment himself.

Julia also examines the wider fallout: accusations of a cover-up, claims of a national security failure, and fresh scrutiny over whether the Prime Minister misled Parliament when insisting due process had been followed.

As pressure mounts on Number 10, this is the inside analysis of the Mandelson scandal, Keir Starmer’s credibility, and the political storm now threatening to engulf Labour.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

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Keir Starmer is under fierce pressure after explosive claims surrounding Peter Mandelson’s appointment and the handling of his security vetting – as reports emerge that Mandelson FAILED the vetting. 

Keir Starmer says (implausibly) that the Foreign Office failed to tell cabinet that he had failed. 

On Talk today, Ben Habib and former Sun political editor Trevor Kavanagh tear into the Prime Minister’s defence, asking the question at the heart of the scandal: if serious concerns were raised about Mandelson, who knew what — and when? Was Downing Street genuinely kept in the dark, or is this another carefully lawyered denial from a government already accused of saying only what it thinks it can get away with?

They examine reports that officials pushed ahead with Mandelson’s appointment despite failing security vetting, and why Starmer appears to have spent so much political capital backing one of Labour’s most controversial operators. 

From Mandelson’s long history of resignations and comebacks to renewed scrutiny of his links to Jeffrey Epstein, the conversation turns to the wider culture of protection, secrecy and entitlement at the top of British politics.

Plus: Ben Habib argues this is bigger than one man — it is a symptom of a rotten Westminster system that rewards insiders, shuts out voters and closes ranks when challenged. 

Trevor Kavanagh says the official story simply does not add up, pointing to senior aides, missing phones, wiped messages and the growing belief that the establishment still thinks the rules are for everybody else.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

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Public anger erupted into protests after Surrey Police refused to release meaningful descriptions of the men suspected of a shocking alleged gang rape in Epsom — while deploying riot police to the peaceful demonstration by local residents demanding answers. 

The response begs the question: are authorities more interested in managing public reaction than protecting the public?

Former military intelligence officer Philip Ingram warns that withholding basic information creates a dangerous vacuum, fuels mistrust and risks even greater unrest.

Brendan O’Neill says the scenes in Epsom are yet more evidence of “two-tier policing” — with ordinary, law-abiding Britons treated more harshly than violent mobs on the streets. Note: the police were seemingly unable to prevent feral teenagers from rampading through Clapham. 

Also: Shabana Mahmood vows action against lawyers accused of helping migrants game the asylum system with false claims about sexuality, religion and domestic abuse. But journalists have exposed this taxpayer-funded racket for years - so it is surprising the BBC has finally decided to pick up the story. Despite Mahmood’s statement, public trust in the Labour government’s ability to address our border crisis is at record lows. 

And one year after the Supreme Court ruled that biological sex defines whether someone is a man or a woman in law, why are government departments, councils and NHS bodies still refusing to fully protect women-only spaces? Julia and her guests take aim at Labour’s weakness, the collapse of common sense in public institutions, rising anti-Semitic violence, and the wider sense that Britain’s leaders no longer put citizens first.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

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Rachel Reeves blames Donald Trump for the fallout from the Iran conflict just as the IMF warns Britain could suffer the biggest economic shock among developed nations. Julia Hartley-Brewer asks if this is really Trump’s fault, or whether Labour’s high-tax, net zero agenda left the UK dangerously exposed to soaring energy prices, weak growth and another brutal hit to living standards.

Also in this episode, Labour claims success after moving 10,000 migrants out of asylum hotels. But is this really a win for the country, or simply a cynical accounting trick designed to hide the cost from the public? Julia is joined by former Conservative adviser Claire Pearsall to debate asylum hotels, shared accommodation, the ballooning welfare bill and why so many voters feel they are footing the bill for a system that no longer works.

Julia also tears into Wes Streeting’s claims about sexism in the NHS, asking why ministers seem more interested in grievance politics than fixing the real failures in healthcare and protecting women’s dignity.

And: Falklands veteran Simon Weston issues a chilling warning over Britain’s military weakness. With fresh alarm over defence cuts, troop numbers, energy insecurity and the growing threats from Russia and the Middle East, this is a blunt look at how vulnerable Britain has become.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

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Three little girls — Bebe King, aged six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, aged seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, aged nine — are dead. Eight more children carry life-changing injuries. And a devastating Phase One inquiry report has confirmed what many of us already feared: this was a preventable catastrophe, ignored because of incompetent parenting, a failure to take responsibility, and squeamishness about AR’s race and autism. 

Julia Hartley-Brewer and Tom Slater of Spiked tear apart the Southport Inquiry's findings — a report so damning it indicts virtually every agency meant to protect us. Police who found Axel Rudakubana on a bus with a knife and simply took him home. Teachers silenced for daring to call him sinister, accused of racial stereotyping. Mental health workers too frightened to enter his home without police escort. And parents who knew about the ricin, the Al-Qaeda manual, and the machete — but said nothing.

This is the story of a country where woke cowardice has become more dangerous than the killers it refuses to confront. Where political correctness has cost lives — in Southport, in Nottingham, in Manchester. Where no single person is ever held responsible, because committees make decisions and individuals escape accountability.

Lord Walney, former government adviser on political violence and extremism, joins the debate — on whether Rudakubana's parents should face criminal prosecution under Section 38B of the Terrorism Act, on the chronic failure of the Prevent strategy, and on whether AI surveillance could be our last line of defence.

And with Lord Robertson warning that Britain's security is now "in peril," Julia addresses our country's calamitous defence strategy.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

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Chris Parry and Julia discuss the Southport Inquiry - which found major failings among government agencies who failed to take responsibility for Axel Rudacabana - despite warning signals that he was a threat. The report also blamed his parents for their failure to prevent Mr Rudacabana’s attack. 

Meanwhile, Keir Starmer is facing fury over plans critics say would tie Britain back to Brussels by the back door, with ministers seeking sweeping powers to align UK food and agriculture rules with future EU law without full parliamentary scrutiny. Julia Hartley-Brewer is joined by Conservative commentator Benedict Spence to ask whether Labour is quietly unpicking Brexit, and why voters are still being told that every economic woe, from stagnation to inflation, is somehow Brexit’s fault.

They also react to Reform UK’s latest intervention on immigration, as Nigel Farage lays out the claimed cost of the “Boris wave” of legal migration under Boris Johnson. With warnings that 1.6 million arrivals between 2021 and 2024 could leave British households facing a £20,000 bill through pressure on welfare, the NHS and infrastructure, Julia asks whether Westminster is finally being forced to confront the true cost of mass migration. The debate also turns to indefinite leave to remain, welfare for foreign nationals and what a serious border policy would actually look like.

Also: Rear Admiral Chris Parry joins Julia on the Iran crisis, Donald Trump’s bid to choke Tehran’s exports through the Strait of Hormuz, and the looming threat of an oil shock that could hammer family finances and send inflation soaring. Can the US force the Iranian regime to blink, or is the world drifting towards a much wider conflict?

And Julia reacts to growing backlash over the Chagos Islands as more questions are asked about Keir Starmer’s judgement on sovereignty, security and Britain’s shrinking military clout.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

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As the Iran ceasefire descends into confusion and fresh strikes raise fears of a wider regional war, Julia Hartley-Brewer asks the question many Britons will be thinking: why is Keir Starmer posing as a global statesman abroad when he cannot even control the English Channel at home?

Brendan O’Neill, Chief Political Writer at spiked, joins Julia to tear into the misinformation surrounding Israel, Hezbollah and the wider Middle East crisis. He argues that much of the media coverage deliberately ignores the scale of the missile threat Israel has faced, slams those in Britain who excuse or glorify Hezbollah, and warns that anti-Israel activism on the streets has exposed a deeply worrying moral collapse on the Left.

He also lays into Starmer’s Gulf trip, saying it is laughable for a Prime Minister who has failed to stop the small boats to pretend he can help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Julia and Brendan also discuss Britain’s vulnerability to rising oil, gas and fuel prices, and why decades of net zero dogma and political cowardice have left the country dangerously weak, over-dependent and exposed to global shocks.

Also: retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, former commander of the US Army in Europe, gives Julia his blunt assessment of the so-called ceasefire, Donald Trump’s bombastic rhetoric, and whether America has really stepped back from the brink.

And: Ben explains why mixed messages from Washington are fuelling instability, why NATO has been damaged but not broken, and why Britain and its allies must get tougher on Russian aggression, shadow fleet tankers and Moscow’s testing of Western resolve.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

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Donald Trump has declared a “big day for world peace” after brokering a two-week ceasefire with Iran — but has the world really stepped back from the brink, or has Tehran emerged stronger than ever? Julia Hartley-Brewer unpicks the fallout from six weeks of conflict, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the growing fear that the West has once again failed to finish what it started.

With Iran reportedly demanding sanctions relief, compensation and control over key shipping routes, Julia asks whether this was a decisive act of strength, or a humiliating climbdown dressed up as victory? As oil prices, global markets and the cost of living hang in the balance, she examines what this means for Britain, for Israel and for the wider West.

Also: Keir Starmer heads to the Gulf claiming Britain can help secure peace, despite the UK looking increasingly irrelevant on the world stage. The embarrassment deepens with fresh scrutiny of Britain’s military decline after HMS Dragon, sent to protect British interests, suffered technical problems and had to turn back.

Julia is joined by Claire Pearsall and Jake Wallis Simons to debate whether Iran has been destroyed or emboldened, why Britain is no longer taken seriously in global defence, and whether Western leaders still understand what it means to confront an enemy.

Plus: why was Kanye West granted a visa in the first place before being barred from the UK over anti-Semitism concerns? And should doctors be banned from striking, just like the police, prison officers and armed forces?

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

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Former Health Secretary Stephen Dorrell joins Julia Hartley-Brewer for his verdict on the latest junior doctors’ strike — and why Wes Streeting must not give in again.

After last year’s 29% pay deal, the BMA is now demanding another 26%, with strike action already costing the NHS an estimated £3 billion since 2023.

Dorrell warns that every Health Secretary eventually learns the same lesson about the BMA, and says ministers must stand firm on what is rational, affordable and fair. Julia also takes aim at the absurdity of using 2008 as the benchmark for “full pay restoration”, arguing public service pay contributed to the unsustainable economic environment that contributed to the 2008 financial crash.

Also: Tom Slater joins Julia to take on a wider story of national decline — from a student loan system that traps young people in spiralling debt, to a university conveyor belt producing too many costly degrees and too few British-trained doctors. Why are bright young people being locked out of medical school while the political class pretends immigration is the only answer?

And then there’s the collapse of law and order. Julia reacts to the case of a Waitrose worker sacked for confronting a shoplifter, and asks why decent employees are punished while thieves are effectively given free rein.

Plus: should Kanye West be banned from performing at Wireless after his antisemitic outbursts, or is Britain once again applying totally inconsistent rules depending on who says what?

And finally, a rare note of optimism as Julia and Tom celebrate the Artemis 2 mission and the spirit of exploration that still lifts humanity above the daily grind of broken Britain.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

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Julia Hartley-Brewer is joined by Brendan O’Neill, Chief Political Writer at Spiked, to react to Trump’s latest Iran address to the nation, a row over Nato after he threatened to leave it, and the claim from much of the Left that this is an “unprovoked war”.

They argue that Iran’s regime has already destabilised the region, that Britain cannot pretend the crisis has nothing to do with us, and that UK households will feel the pain through rising oil prices, market shocks and higher bills.

They also take aim at Starmer’s instinct to answer every crisis with warmer ties to Brussels, asking whether Labour is using global instability to push Britain back towards the EU by the back door.

And as Rachel Reeves reportedly rethinks North Sea drilling, Julia and Brendan expose how Net Zero dogma has left Britain dangerously vulnerable, less energy secure and more exposed to global shocks.

Also: fury over an ITV drama about Elizabeth I reportedly seeking a trans actor for the lead role, sparking a row about woke revisionism, women’s erasure and the rewriting of British history.

And after two nights of chaos in Clapham, they ask how Sadiq Khan can still claim London is safe.

From weak policing and disappearing discipline to absent fathers, failing schools and a justice system too timid to punish bad behaviour, Julia and Brendan debate what is driving Britain’s growing sense of disorder.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

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Keir Starmer says Britain is “ahead of the game” on the cost of living — while families face rising fuel, energy, rent and tax bills.

In this episode, Julia Hartley-Brewer dissects the Prime Minister’s latest press conference, his vague five-point plan, and Labour’s failure to explain how ordinary working people are meant to cope with the economic shock caused by the Iran conflict and threats to the Strait of Hormuz.

As Donald Trump sends mixed messages on oil, NATO and America’s role in the region, Julia asks the key question: is Starmer showing strength, or simply drift?

Julia is joined by Claire Pearsall to discuss soaring household costs, Ed Miliband’s energy promises, tax on fuel, and why so much of Labour’s “help” seems designed for Westminster talking points rather than real life in Britain.

And former detective and Rochdale whistleblower Maggie Oliver gives her verdict on the long-awaited grooming gangs inquiry. She warns that survivors are still being failed, accountability is still missing, and the authorities responsible for years of cover-ups may once again escape justice. If this inquiry does not lead to prosecutions, reform and the truth about ethnicity, culture and institutional failure, what exactly is the point?

Also: Julia reacts to the BBC’s handling of serious allegations surrounding star presenter Scott Mills, questions elite double standards after Tiger Woods’ latest car crash scandal, and dismisses the anti-space hysteria around Artemis II and the mission to the moon.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

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Keir Starmer is under pressure over the long-delayed national grooming gangs inquiry, after years of dismissing calls for a full investigation as “far right”. Now, with Baroness Anne Longfield’s terms of reference finally published, serious questions remain over whether the inquiry will truly uncover the full scale of one of Britain’s darkest scandals.

In this episode, Julia Hartley-Brewer speaks to former Sun political editor Trevor Kavanagh and Rotherham grooming gang survivor and campaigner Sammy Woodhouse, who gives a harrowing first-hand account of the abuse she suffered, the institutional failures that let it happen, and the political class’s refusal to face the truth.

Sammy warns that the scandal is not confined to a handful of northern towns, but is happening across the UK, with children still being failed by police, councils, social workers and politicians. She and Trevor both argue that unless the inquiry squarely addresses the role of ethnicity, culture and religion — and the fear of being called racist or Islamophobic — it will fail victims yet again.

Julia also tackles the wider establishment crisis: from Labour’s handling of NHS strike threats to the continuing failure to scrap non-crime hate incidents and rein in Britain’s “thought police”.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

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As oil and gas prices jump following the Iran crisis, Julia Hartley-Brewer why it feels like Labour is rewarding dependents while punishing the people who get up early, go to work and pay the bills. 

Sir Iain Duncan Smith joins Julia to tear into the row over MPs receiving a £3,300 ‘cost-of-living payment’, a 6.2% increase in benefits and the scrapping of the two-child benefit cap.

He argues ministers could give immediate relief by cutting fuel duty and energy taxes, and says Britain is mad to sit on North Sea oil and gas while importing more expensive energy from abroad. IDS also takes aim at Ed Miliband’s net zero agenda, calls out the “medicalising” of anxiety and depression, and warns the welfare bill is spiralling as more adults and children are classed as disabled. He also backs a ban on first-cousin marriage, saying the health risks are too serious to ignore.

Then Baroness Kate Hoey says Labour is losing touch with the strivers who keep the country going. With pump prices rising, fears of fuel rationing growing and family budgets already stretched, she says ministers are making life harder for workers while chasing green fantasies. Hoey also warns that Keir Starmer’s EU reset is a Brexit betrayal in slow motion, with the proposed youth mobility scheme amounting to free movement by the back door.

Also: Hoey questions the unanswered issues surrounding Morgan McSweeney’s missing phone, says Starmer’s judgement over Peter Mandelson raises serious concerns, and argues Red Wall voters will not forgive a government that hikes costs, weakens borders and edges Britain back towards Brussels.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

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On today’s show with Alex Phillips: the extraordinary row over Morgan McSweeney’s allegedly stolen phone, the missing messages linked to Peter Mandelson, and the growing suspicion that Labour’s version of events simply does not stack up. 

Former Conservative adviser James Price joins Alex to ask: why were conflicting details reportedly given to police, why was such a sensitive device seemingly treated so casually, and why does every new Labour scandal come wrapped in yet another convenient explanation?

Also: fury over reports that Sir Sadiq Khan could be heading to the House of Lords. 

After years of criticism over knife crime, policing, transport and London’s wider decline, Alex asks whether a peerage would be a reward for failure, or a tactical move to shore up support in a fracturing Labour party. 

With politics shifting to populist parties and Labour facing pressure on multiple fronts, can the government do anything to prevent voters flocking to other parties?

And former Sun political editor Trevor Cavanagh joins the show for a hard-hitting discussion on illegal migration, small boats, border control and the public anger over crimes committed by people who should never have been allowed into the country in the first place. 

They discuss why Britain still seems unable — or unwilling — to defend its borders, protect its streets and tell the truth about the consequences. 

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

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Former MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove joins Philip Ingram on Talk War for a hard-hitting conversation on the global security crises reshaping the world.

From the escalating confrontation with Iran and Donald Trump’s response, to growing pressure on NATO, the threat from Russia and China, and serious questions over whether Britain is prepared for modern conflict, this episode tackles the biggest defence and intelligence issues facing the UK and the West.

Philip Ingram, former senior British military intelligence officer, and Sir Richard Dearlove dig into:

If you want sharp analysis on war, geopolitics, intelligence, defence policy and national security, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

Listen now to Talk War with Philip Ingram.

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Labour MP Karl Turner tells Julia Hartley-Brewer he simply does not believe Morgan McSweeney’s missing phone story adds up.

Turner says the explanation “won’t wash”, compares it to the worst Westminster excuses of recent years, and admits the entire saga reflects badly on the Prime Minister’s judgement.

Former senior military intelligence officer Philip Ingram also warns that any loss of a device used by the Prime Minister’s chief of staff raises serious national security questions. If sensitive contacts, messages or political discussions were on that phone, he says, investigators should already have carried out a full risk assessment and mitigation exercise.

McSweeney reported a phone theft to police. Downing Street says any suggestion the incident was linked to the humble address over Peter Mandelson is “categorically untrue”, and insists the government will comply in full.

Also: "Will the real Prime Minister please stand up?" Julia asks whether Ed Miliband is undermining the PM's authority as Labour refuses to back more North Sea oil and gas licences, even with conflict in the Middle East placing pressure on prices. Turner says we should be using Britain’s natural resources.

And on migration and asylum, Turner concedes the system is failing, deportations are not happening, and taxpayers are still footing the bill for soaring numbers of asylum seekers in hotels and other accommodation.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

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Julia Hartley-Brewer is joined by former Conservative government adviser Claire Pearsall for a wide-ranging discussion on the biggest political stories of the day.

In this episode, Julia and Claire debate:

A sharp, outspoken look at energy policy, national security, law and order, and the state of Britain’s public services.

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