James O'Brien Daily

Labour has come under fire from its welfare cuts, with affected families forecasted to lose £1,720 on average a year. James and his listeners look to identify exactly who Labour is trying to appeal to right now. Also, mid show, Keir Starmer’s director of communications quit - after just 9 months in the job. LBC’s Political Correspondent Aggie Chambre shares the details. And, Just Stop Oil is to ce...

More than 3 million UK households will lose out as a result of the government’s cuts to welfare, according to official analysis, with an extra 250,000 people forecasted to fall into relative poverty by the end of the decade. How will this impact you? And, the Netflix drama Adolescence has brought much needed attention to toxic masculinity and dangerous online influences such as Andrew Tate. James...

As well as plans to bomb Yemen's Houthis being leaked in the US security breach yesterday, messages also revealed a contempt toward America's European allies. One of US Vice President JD Vance’s messages stood out: "I just hate bailing Europe out again". Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth replied: "I fully share your loathing of European freeloading. It's PATHETIC". Why does JD Vance have this attitud...

A journalist was accidentally added to a group chat on which the US Government was planning the bombing of Yemen's Houthis. The chat included US Vice President JD Vance, Defence secretary Pete Hegseth and the leaders of US national security and intelligence. When questioned this morning, Donald Trump said he knew nothing about it. Is this indicative of the incompetence of the Trump administration?...

The UK’s first live facial recognition cameras, intended to make fighting crime easier, are being set up in south London. Would you be comfortable with these cameras arriving on your street, or is this an invasion of privacy? Brits spend less time in the office than workers in every other country bar the Philippines, research claims. Why are Brits resisting the call back to the office? Elton John,...

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson is considering a smartphone ban in England schools. Pressure mounts from MPs to act on the effect of social media on teenagers, encapsulated by the viral Netflix drama, Adolescence. Is totally banning phones from schools possible? Also, there’s been a huge rise in women working beyond the state pension threshold simply in order to survive. Simple question her...

Donald Trump has suggested the US takes over ownership of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants as part of a truce between Ukraine and Russia. Is Trump’s second term changing the West beyond all recognition? Also, James speaks with LBC’s Political Editor Natasha Clark, who shares the highlights from her recent interview with the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davey. Also, James speaks with Jerus...

Over 1 million disabled people could be set to lose thousands of pounds under the government’s welfare overhaul. James asks his listeners if these changes go too far. Also, Former England football manager Sir Gareth Southgate says that young men are suffering from a lack of positive role models and are being influenced by toxic online figures, gambling and pornography. Why are young men so suscept...

Despite the ceasefire, more than 400 Palestinians were killed by Israeli air strikes overnight, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Humanitarian organisations have expectably been overwhelmed. James speaks with Rosalia Bollen, spokesperson for Unicef, who is in Southern Gaza and asks listeners what the likelihood is that Benjamin Netanyahu will continue this war until Gaza is entirely destroyed?...

According to a new study, almost 4 in 10 members of Generation Z are considering leaving their job, with mental health identified as a “major driver” of this. Why is this happening and what can we do about it?  Also, the author of the new book, “Why I Would Never Fight for My Country”, argues that ordinary people should never be sent into battle. The 27 year old German states that he’d “rathe...

Sir Kier Starmer announced yesterday his intention to abolish NHS England to bring the healthcare service back under government control to reduce bureaucracy and costs. Today, James searched for the lived experiences of those who have worked with NHS England, to highlight why the abolition may be welcome.  Following Monday’s focus on online safety, James also returned to this topic as the UK...

United Nations experts have accused Israel of committing genocidal acts and sexual violence in the Gaza Strip, citing Israel’s systematic destruction of women’s healthcare facilities during the conflict. However, this raised the question of whether the world has ceased monitoring the situation in Gaza. What implications does this have for global affairs?   James also reflected on Jamie O...

Donald Trump has intensified his trade war and implemented a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminium imports to the US, while the EU has retaliated. The president also used the White House driveway to promote Tesla cars after shares in the firm slumped. Is there method in the madness?  To help us digest Trump’s second term so far, James speaks with Donie O'Sullivan, Senior Correspondent at CNN,...

Sir Keir Starmer has called the current benefits system unsustainable, indefensible and unfair. He’s vowed to cut £3bn over the next three years and is expected to announce billions more in savings from the personal independence payment (Pip), the main disability benefit. How hard or easy is it to claim disability benefits, and how worried are you at the prospect of cuts? Also, James speaks to Guy...

It’s Online Safety Day at LBC, as James asks whether the new laws to be implemented under the Online Safety Act will be enough to protect children. LBC polling has found that almost three-quarters of people in Britain back the idea of raising the minimum age of social media use to 16. James speaks with with Ellen Roome and Lisa Kenevan, two mothers suing TikTok over their  TikTok for the alle...

Prosecutors argued in court that Andrew Tate’s online misogyny fuelled Kyle Clifford’s triple murder, in which he raped his ex-girlfriend and killed her along with her mother and sister. When did you, as a woman, notice the effects of this type of misogyny on your life? Matthew Savill, Director of Military Sciences at RUSI and James discuss whether Europe can successfully fight Russia without the...

EU leaders are to gather for an emergency defence summit to discuss Ukraine and wider European security, with France's President Emmanuel Macron warning that the continent is at a "turning point of history". No representative from the UK will be in attendance because of Brexit. Where does this leave us and what should Starmer do? Top doctors have urged the government to implement an outright ban o...

US Vice President JD Vance has denied insulting British troops after describing a UK-backed proposal as "20,000 troops from some random country that hasn't fought a war in 30 or 40 years". Does the UK actually have any power to influence the Ukrainian peace process? Why does Vance keep attacking the UK specifically? Also, Donald Trump has imposed the latest round of tariffs on Canada, Mexico and C...

President Donald Trump has paused US military aid to Ukraine, in a shocking move that has been welcomed by the Kremlin. Can Europe cope without America’s support? Why is Donald Trump aligning with a nation that has historically been the sworn enemy? And, has the need for a re-armed and re-unified Europe ever been more urgent? This episode was recorded on the 4th March. Catch James O'Brien weekdays...

Donald Trump and his Vice President JD Vance’s Oval Office meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky descended into a huge row, such that the Ukrainian President was asked to leave without signing a deal with the US that would have jointly developed Ukraine's valuable minerals as part of a peace-settlement. What, if anything, did Trump and Vance achieve on Friday, and what does their vilification of the Ukr...

James analyses Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s meeting with President Donald Trump yesterday with the help of LBC’s Political Editor Natasha Clark, who was one of the journalists at the White House, and Phillips O'Brien, Professor of Strategic Studies at the University of St Andrews. Was the meeting a success? A 14-year-old boy has lost a court case he brought against his own parents after they move...

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has arrived in Washington for talks with US President Donald Trump. He intends to negotiate for a US security guarantee in Ukraine. What will success look like for Starmer and, by association, Ukraine? Teachers want guidance on schooling children about the “manosphere” to tackle the spread of Andrew Tate-style misogyny in classrooms. How has online misogyny manifested i...

Defence Secretary John Healey has said the “world has changed” and that Britain must prioritise “hard power” over “soft power”. What actually is soft power, and is he right? Donald Trump has shared an AI generated video of “Trump Gaza”, featuring golden Trump statues, bearded belly dancers and Benjamin Netanyahu on a sunbed. James and his listeners try to work out exactly what the US Government ho...

The US has sided twice with Russia in votes at the United Nations on resolutions marking the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. What does this mean for Ukraine, and the free world? Also, James presses play on some of Keir Starmer’s announcement of the "biggest sustained defense budget increase since the Cold War", in which the Prime Minister specifies how he intends to support p...

The far-right AfD Party has made historic gains in Germany’s federal election, winning a record 20.8%, but does the AfD offer anything to its supporters other than anti-migrant rhetoric?  And, polling shows almost a third of children in the UK have refused to go to school at least once in the past year. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has indicated that this is linked to “casual parent...