James O'Brien Daily

The White House says Donald Trump will decide in the next fortnight whether the US will get involved in Israel’s war against Iran. Do you think he’ll do it? And, following the 8th anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire last Saturday, James speaks with Ed Daffarn, Grenfell survivor whose blog catalogued a series of concerns about the tower block before the disaster occurred. He features in the new...

Sir Keir Starmer is weighing up whether to provide the US with military support if Donald Trump decides to attack Iran. If we do get involved, what would it mean to you, the world, and our future? And, HS2 will be delayed again, beyond its target of 2033, and will not be completed on its already enormous budget. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander blamed previous Conservative governments - but how...

Donald Trump is reportedly considering joining Israel's strikes on Iran. As this conflict escalates, comparisons will be drawn with the disastrous US military intervention in Iraq - is history repeating itself?  Also, a new study named “Sleeping with the Enemy” found that the risk of splitting up with your partner if you disagree on Brexit increases by more than 60 per cent. Can you love some...

Sir Keir Starmer has defended his decision to hold a national inquiry into grooming gangs. Baroness Louise Casey’s report recommends both a national police operation to review cases of child exploitation not acted on, as well as a national inquiry. Today, James asks victims of sexual abuse as a child to share what happened when they told someone about it. And, Baroness Casey shared evidence from h...

Israel says it has "full aerial operational control" over the Iranian capital Tehran, after four days of intensifying strikes between the countries, with growing casualties on both sides. Is it possible that Israel's actions are unconscionable in Gaza, but justified in Iran? And, importantly, James asks his listeners what the reality of being a citizen of modern Iran actually is. This episode was...

Israel launched strikes across the “heart” of Iran’s nuclear programme last night, killing senior military figures, scientists, and according to Iranian state media, civilians and children. Iran then struck back, sending around 100 drones to Israel, most of which were intercepted. Is this Benjamin Netanyahu’s latest attempt at self-preservation, or is this action morally justified?  And, Jame...

James discusses the warning that police forces will struggle to fulfil Sir Keir Starmer’s promise to recruit an additional 13,000 officers. Why aren't people joining the police? Would you? Also, earlier today, a London-bound Air India plane carrying 242 people crashed in Ahmedabad, western India. On board were 169 Indian, 53 British, seven Portuguese and one Canadian national. James is joined by t...

The UK has sanctioned two extremist far-right Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, over "repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian communities" in the occupied West Bank. Is this too little, too late? Or a major step in the right direction? And, government ministers are planning to scrap the 200 years old Vagrancy Act, which outlaws rough sleeping in England and Wale...

Yesterday's U-turn on the controversial winter fuel payment cuts restored the allowance to all pensioners with an income of £35k or less a year. Does this U-turn make the government look better, or worse? How does that £35k threshold sit with you? And, Israel has said it’s deported Greta Thunberg, a day after the IDF intercepted The Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s aid boat, arresting Thunberg and the...

Protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles continued for a third day yesterday, with Donald Trump calling in the National Guard against the wishes of California's Governor Gavin Newsom, who has said he’ll be suing the President for doing so. What’s Trump’s plan? James breaks it down with the callers and LBC’s Washington Editor, Simon Marks. And, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has confirmed the go...

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...