Back of the Stand with Mark Saggers

Lord Richard Dannett tells Jeremy Kyle 'political leaders are playing politics with national defence'. Tim Collins speaks with Julia Hartley-Brewer, criticizing the MoD's bloated civil service and the presence of 92 internal diversity groups, suggesting that cutting these programs entirely would save money. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

General Sir Simon Mayall chats with Jeremy Kyle and strongly criticizes Prime Minister Keir Starmer's newly released defence strategy review. Julia Hartley-Brewer talks with Lord Dannett who also criticizes the Prime Minister's delay in publishing the review, stating that the inaction since last autumn contributed to high-profile political frustrations and resignations, including those of former D...

A retired British couple sailing to France have become centre of an international storm, after they received warning shots from ‘drifting’ frigate Admiral Grigorovich, which is believed to have feared a collision in fog. The incident has renewed questions about the UK's readiness to defend itself, and the threat Russia poses for the country. To discuss, Jeremy Kyle is joined by Sir Malcolm Rifkind...

In a developing story tonight, the Ministry of Defence is investigating reports that sailors on a Russian warship fired warning shots today at a yacht that came near it in the English Channel. It comes after Royal Marines seized a Russian shadow vessel as it was passing through the Channel on Sunday. To react to the news, Kevin O'Sullivan is joined Rear Admiral Chris Parry, former NATO & Royal...

The threat Russia poses to the United Kingdom has been thrown back into the spotlight this week, after Royal Marine commandos seized a Russian shadow vessel as it passed through the English Channel on Sunday morning - a first for the UK since the invasion of Ukraine began. On Monday, a Ukrainian and a Romanian were found guilty of plotting arson attacks that targeted a car formerly owned by Keir S...

Peace is coming for the Middle East. After 15 weeks of conflict that has thrown global shipping and oil prices into chaos, Pakistan announced today that the USA and Iran have agreed to a deal to end the war. The agreement will be signed on Friday, and US President Donald Trump has teased that the deal will see Iran give up nuclear weapons, and will allow for the full reopening of the Strait of Hor...

In a major blow for Keir Starmer's defence funding plans, Secretary of State for Defence John Healey and Armed Forces Minister Al Carns resigned yesterday in protest over Treasury's refusal to sign off the requested budget to fully fund the country's defence. It has put renewed pressure on the Prime Minister, who insisted today that the country's defence remains his top priority. To discuss, Ian C...

The Government could be about to drop the long awaited defence spending plan, showing how Labour plans to improve a crisis that is leaving Britain at risk. However, rumours are abound that the plan could drop on Friday when Parliament isn't sitting, meaning the Government would not face questions on the plan. Speaker Lindsay Hoyle has weighed in, cautioning the Government against a Friday drop. An...

The world is still reeling from the sudden return of strikes between Israel and Iran over the weekend - and is waiting to see if alleged peace talks will pan out, or if they will fail once again. But the strikes have shown President Donald Trump taking a firmer stance with Israel, with the President reportedly pushing for Israel to pause hostilities. So what happens now that both sides have scaled...

The Gulf Crisis took another turn this weekend. As Israel continued to fire rockets towards southern Lebanon, aiming at Hezbollah targets despite an ongoing ceasefire, prompting Iran to strike at Israel for the first time since Israel. The two countries exchanged rockets across the weekend, prompting US President Donald Trump to tell the two countries to "stop shooting". The countries are reported...

The head of the military, Chief of the Defence Staff Sir Richard Knighton has warned that the threats to the UK are at their greatest since the Cold War, telling the BBC that "This is the most dangerous period that I have known", and Russia is "raising the stakes and risks crossing a line". On this episode of Talk War, Ian Collins is joined by Col. Simon Diggings, retired British Army Colonel and...

U.S. President Donald Trump has signalled that a deal with Iran is 'largely negotiated' and could be announced soon - a deal that would see the Strait of Hormuz reopened and Tehran surrenders its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Iran and negotiators Pakistan have not confirmed the news though. On this episode of Talk War, Ian Collins is joined by Sean Bell, former fighter pilot and military a...

An Iraqi immigrant has been granted the right to stay in Britain because he could be killed by Shia militia in home country, as his his father was a captain in Saddam Hussein's army. And UK's defence weakness has been exposed once again, as a new report alleges that Britain only has enough drones to last ONE WEEK of a war against Russia! To discuss the story, Kevin O'Sullivan is joined by Colonel...

Donald Trump’s faltering Iran strategy, the escalating Strait of Hormuz blockade and the growing threat to the global economy take centre stage in this high-stakes episode of Talk War. Former Defence Select Committee chair Tobias Ellwood delivers a brutal assessment of Washington’s handling of the conflict, branding it a textbook case of how not to wage war — with no clear objectives, shaky strate...

Donald Trump’s escalating Iran conflict, the Strait of Hormuz blockade and the growing threat to global shipping dominate this explosive Talk War special as Isabel Oakeshott reports from Dubai after fresh missile alerts in the UAE, Sean Bell breaks down why America still cannot fully reopen one of the world’s most vital waterways, and former Royal Navy commander Tom Sharpe exposes how Iran’s decad...

A new report out today has revealed that the UK military is SKINT! The defence forces can't afford to buy any new weapons until 2030. Meanwhile, Iran has sent a new 14-point peace plan to the US asking them to withdraw forces from the region, as the war drags on into another week. On this episode of Talk War, Jeremy Kyle General Ben Hodges, former Commander U.S. Army Europe, joins to discuss the d...

Tensions in the Middle East surge after the US intercepts and seizes an Iranian cargo vessel, triggering fresh retaliation threats from Tehran and plunging the Strait of Hormuz back into chaos. With the vital shipping route flipping between open and closed, global markets and security hang in the balance as Washington and Tehran edge closer to direct confrontation. Featuring military analyst Sean...

Keir Starmer is facing mounting pressure over UK defence spending after former NATO chief Lord Robertson warned Britain is “not safe”, with retired General Sir Simon Mayall telling Talk War the country’s military capability has been dangerously eroded. As tensions escalate globally, the episode breaks down the high-stakes battle over the Strait of Hormuz, China’s influence over Iran, and Donald Tr...

Lord George Robertson - who co-authored a spending review for the Government - has joined the chorus of voices criticising Keir Starmer and Labour for not investing enough in defence and how that is putting the UK at risk. He said that there should be cuts to welfare spending to better invest in defence. Keir Starmer said he does not agree with Lord's views, saying that defence spending is rising...

Talk War examines Britain’s growing security and economic crisis as Ian Collins is joined by Nigel Evans, former MI6 deputy director Nigel Inkster, Dan Hodges and Kevin Hollinrake to debate Lord Robertson’s warning that the UK is “not safe”, the pressure to cut welfare to fund defence, Donald Trump’s threat to rethink the US-UK trade deal, the IMF’s downgrade to Britain’s growth forecast, and the...

Former NATO secretary general and former Labour defence secretary Lord Robertson has delivered a speech, criticising 'vandals' at the Treasury for not investing properly in defence spending, and putting the UK's national security 'in peril'. As Keir Starmer faces pressure to invest more in defence, particularly after the Iran War and HMS Dragon exposed the UK's weaknesses, how serious do we need t...

Talk War zeroes in on the escalating Strait of Hormuz crisis, as Julia Hartley-Brewer leads a hard-hitting discussion on Donald Trump’s move to blockade Iranian oil exports, the failure of ceasefire talks, and the growing threat to global energy, food and supply chains. With contributions from Lord Robertson, Andrew Fox, Liam Halligan and Rear Admiral Chris Parry, the episode examines how the Iran...

Sir Keir Starmer is currently visiting the Middle East to talk with Gulf leaders about the ceasefire deal and ongoing peace in the Middle East. But given the UK's dismal response to the conflict, what does he hope to achieve? On this episode of Talk War, Jeremy Kyle is joined by Mail on Sunday columnist Dan Hodges to discuss the "humiliation" of the British Royal Navy during this conflict, the chr...

Barely 24 hours after the ceasefire deal was agreed, it already appears to be on rocky footing, after Iran claimed Israel had breached the deal by striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. The US and Israel have both rejected the claims, saying that Lebanon was not part of the deal, but the future of the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz remains uncertain. On the latest episode of Talk War, Jeremy Ky...

Sir Keir Starmer jetted out of the UK today for the Middle East, hours after a ceasefire deal was reached between the USA and Iran, in order to meet with different leaders in the region to discuss peace. But is him showing up after a deal has been reached a little like Commodus turning up after missing the war in "Gladiator"? That's what Col. James Sunderland, former MP and military expert, thinks...