James O'Brien Daily

Lewis Goodall stepped in for James O’Brien for the final day, bringing you a packed episode that examines major fractures on the political right, on both sides of the Atlantic. In the United States, Elon Musk has publicly broken ties with President Donald Trump, marking the end of a high-profile alliance that had become increasingly influential in conservative political circles. The rift follows M...

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has confirmed the government’s U-turn on the controversial winter fuel payment cuts that were set to come into play this winter. Lewis thinks this fiasco shows that old, rich people in the UK have too much political power - do you agree? And, Lewis is joined by Ali Milani, National Chair at the Labour Muslim Network, to speak on its recent survey showing that one in three...

Rachel Reeves is announcing £15bn in spending for public transport outside London, saying the UK will not see a return to austerity. Do you accept this? And why have we been prevented from developing infrastructure in recent years? Lewis is joined by Sam Dumitriu, Head of Policy at Britain Remade, which campaigns to promote economic growth via infrastructure, for his thoughts. Also, police cuts wi...

A major deal that hoped would save Thames Water has collapsed, with US private equity group KKR pulling out of negotiations that would have seen them inject £4 billion in fresh equity into the company. What is next for Thames Water - do you believe it will be successfully nationalised? And, a man who burned a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish consulate in London has been convicted. In a statem...

Today, Sir Keir Starmer has unveiled the government's new defence spending plans, stating that the UK military is moving to "war-fighting readiness", but he's being criticised for a lack of urgency in hitting the promised 3% spending increase. To help work out whether this is the case, Lewis is joined by Mike Martin, Liberal Democrat MP for Tunbridge Wells and a member of the Defence Select Commit...

Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick has posted a video of himself delivering “vigilante justice” to people he accused of fare dodging in London. Why do we find petty crimes like fare jumping so enraging and what is Honest Bob Jenrick’s plan? Also, new figures show that almost 2.5 million people are likely to have ADHD in the UK. James explores the possibility of himself having ADHD and asks wh...

In today’s episode, James drew on analysis from across the political spectrum, as he explored the Conservative Party’s current decline and questioned whether a route to recovery remains viable. Listeners, particularly former Conservative voters, were invited to reflect on whether the party has passed the point of no return and what a future revival might entail. James then turned to a harrowing in...

Thames Water has been fined £122.7m for breaching rules over sewage spills and shareholder payouts - the biggest penalty in water company history. How did we let them get away with it and whose fault is it that we're only waking up to this now? And, people caught driving illegal e-scooters will see their vehicles crushed within 48 hours under new police powers. James thinks they’re a scourge on so...

50 people, including four children, are injured after a car ploughed into a crowd during Liverpool’s Premier League victory parade yesterday. The suspect has been described as a “53 year old white British man” - but what if he wasn’t a white British man? In telling us this, have the police accepted that far-right violence in response to crimes committed by none-white people are guaranteed?  A...

Data shows that 52% of first-time buyers can only get on the ladder with help from the 'Bank of Mum And Dad', it feels inevitable that this figure will continue to rise, but what does that mean for society as we age? What happens when those who have been stuck renting forever want to retire?  And, it's looking very likely that Sir Keir Starmer is due to change his winter fuel payment policy,...

From the war zones of Bosnia to the frontlines of Gaza, Christiane Amanpour has reported from the epicentres of global upheaval for over three decades. Her commitment to being “truthful, not neutral” made her one of the most respected correspondents of her generation and a sharp, unwavering voice in the age of misinformation. In this episode of Full Disclosure , James O’Brien sits down with Christ...

The latest Office for National Statistics figures show that UK net migration almost halved in 2024. As significant as this sounds, will these numbers make much difference to our political discourse, especially to those most vocal in their resentment of immigrants? And, Shabana Mahmood, the Lord Chancellor, is considering mandatory chemical castration for the most serious sex offenders, such as pae...

Foreign Secretary David Lammy has called out Israel’s military escalation in Gaza as "morally unjustifiable", demanding an end to its aid blockade, suspending trade talks and imposing sanctions. From support to disgust - how did it get to this? This episode was recorded on the 21st May. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.

With the media responding to Sir Keir Starmer's new landmark UK-EU deal, the question that James wants answered is, can we avoid falling into old traps, or are we destined to bow to the right-wing media like before? With several businesses publicly confirming that this new deal will benefit the majority of us, will the nation move forward and listen to those trusted voices, or will they be swayed...

Sir Keir Starmer has finalised a landmark UK-EU deal that’ll make trading with the European continent easier and hosted a summit with the EU leaders in London today. The Conservatives and Reform UK have described the deal as a "surrender". Is it time for James to abandon the attitude of "contempt for the conmen, compassion for the conned"? Also, Dmitry Grozoubinski, Founder of Explain Trade and au...

Interest from American buyers in UK property has reached its highest level in eight years, with Edinburgh emerging as the most popular destination, according to new figures. James asks why Scotland has such a different attitude towards immigrants than the rest of the UK. And, James speaks with Victoria Rose, consultant plastic surgeon, who is currently working at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, So...

Sir Keir Starmer’s post-Brexit 'reset' talks with Brussels have met a hitch over fishing. British fishing waters were one of the most effective tools of the Leave Campaign, but what’s actually happened to our fishing industry since Brexit, and why did fishing become so important before disappearing overnight?  James also speaks with Peter Foster, World Trade Editor of the Financial Times, for...

Downing Street has defended Sir Keir Starmer’s language on immigration, which some on the left has likened to that used by Enoch Powell. The questions remain, who exactly is Starmer targeting and how does it feel to be on the receiving end? Unsurprisingly, Starmer is grilled on his speech in today’s Prime Minister’s Questions - James and LBC’s Political Editor Natasha Clark listen and analyse. And...

Starmer’s speech on the government’s immigration white paper in which he warned that “we risk becoming an island of strangers” has been likened to Enoch Powell’s infamous Rivers of Blood speech. Who is the Prime Minister speaking to with this? Also, it’s Speak to Sadiq - the Mayor of London joins me in the studio to answer James and the callers’ most pressing questions - Keir Starmer’s speech, Gaz...

Sir Keir Starmer will be drastically tightening immigration policy. He says the reforms will see net migration drop even further, but do the numbers actually matter to the people this new policy is supposed to please? And, UN-backed assessment has said that Gaza's population of around 2.1 million Palestinians is at "critical risk" of famine, as an Israeli blockade on food and humanitarian aid cont...

Sir Keir Starmer says the new UK-US trade deal will save thousands of jobs in the car and steel industries. James breaks down the detail with Dmitry Grozoubinski, Founder of Explain Trade, and asks if Starmer could have done any better. Also, two men have been found guilty of felling the world famous Sycamore Gap Tree, a crime that enraged the nation. As a country, why were we so emotionally inves...

Even in the wake of the UK-India trade deal, an actual benefit of Brexit, many Brexiteers are forgoing celebrations and instead painting Indian workers as the winners, and UK workers as the losers. In this anti-immigrant political climate, how can Labour prove to the electorate that it is benefiting them? Also, migrants coming to live and work in the UK will be required to speak A-Level standard E...

India launched air strikes on Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir last night, leaving many civilians dead, in the worst fighting between the two nations for decades. This has coincided with the near completion of a UK-India trade deal. What are the stakes here and what happens if the conflict escalates? Also, a new report into last summer’s far-right anti-immigrant riots has found that the police force...

The Government is rethinking its controversial winter fuel payment cut as anxiety grows at potential electoral repercussions. How big a deal is the winter fuel allowance, and how would you fix it? The Israeli security cabinet has approved a plan to 'capture' Gaza, in which troops will indefinitely occupy the region and forcibly relocate the 2.1 million Palestinians living there to the southern enc...

This is a catch-up version of James O'Brien's Mystery Hour from the 1st May. The James O'Brien Daily Podcast will return after the bank holiday, on Tuesday 6th May. Have a wonderful weekend!