James O'Brien Daily

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...

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has indicated that spending cuts will have to be found to fund a boost to the defence budget. How do you persuade the public that we need to spend more on defence and what is the current state of the British military?  Prime Minister Keir Starmer is meeting with Donald Trump next Thursday, in his first visit to the White House since the President’s inauguration. How s...

US President Donald Trump has escalated his attack on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling him a "dictator" and saying he is to blame the war with Russia. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has defended Zelensky as "Ukraine's democratically elected leader". What should we do when the leader of the free world, Donald Trump, is in the pocket of Vladimir Putin? James speaks with Sir Bill Browder,...

Unbelievably, US President Donald Trump has blamed the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for starting the war with Russia, while continuing to exclude Ukraine from its own peace-talks. Considering this and the unprecedented appeasement of the Kremlin by the White House - has Putin already won the war? Also, James interviews the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who takes your phone calls.  A r...

Successive governments trying to look "tough on crime" have driven a rising prison population that's overwhelmed the system, according to a new report. Why doesn’t prison work? Why does the public still think that it does?  Also, Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch has said “our country and all of western civilisation will be lost” if efforts to promote rightwing ideas fail. She implored Brits...

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said he is "ready and willing" to put UK troops on the ground in Ukraine to help guarantee its security as part of a peace deal. Should British troops be sent to Ukraine? And, US Vice-President JD Vance has verbally attacked European democracies, saying the greatest threat facing the continent was not from Russia and China, but "from within". Why is he saying this?...

With Donald Trump at the helm, America’s role within international politics and its relationship with Russia is changing. Do we actually understand what it means for America to stop being the leader and protector of the free world? And, according to The Times Generation Z survey, people aged 18-27 are more unhappy, in greater debt and far more pessimistic about Britain than their parents. What’s i...

The man himself, James O’Brien, is back! Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have agreed to begin negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. As part of a peace settlement, according to the US Defence Secretary, Ukraine should abandon hopes of winning all its territory back from Russia. Is this simply appeasement? Also, more than 100 new towns could be built under the UK government's plans for the "larges...

Lewis Goodall of The News Agents podcast is covering for James O’Brien, live on LBC from 10am, and of course, right here on James O’Brien Daily. The government is making it almost impossible for refugees arriving on small boats to become British citizens. Will this prevent small boat crossings and are Labour acting too much like the Conservatives? Lewis speaks with Labour MP Stella Creasy, who dis...

Lewis Goodall of The News Agents podcast is covering for James O’Brien, live on LBC from 10am, and of course, right here on James O’Brien Daily. Labour MP Kim Leadbeater would change her proposed assisted dying bill so that cases are signed off by experts rather than a judge. Critics believe this could threaten impartial decision-making. Lewis asks whether this change would strengthen or weaken th...

Lewis Goodall of The News Agents podcast is covering for James O’Brien, live on LBC from 10am, and of course, right here on James O’Brien Daily. Labour have been accused of mimicking Reform UK’s approach to immigration after sharing videos of migrant raids online. Will this tactic work to combat Reform's growing popularity? Lewis speaks with Labour MP for Hackney North & Stoke Newington Diane...

Lewis Goodall of The News Agents podcast is covering for James O’Brien all this week live on LBC from 10am, and of course, right here on James O’Brien Daily. Government figures show the number of young people who do not work because of long-term sickness with a mental health condition has increased by 26% in the last year. Remarking on this, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall has said that to...

Lewis Goodall of The News Agents podcast is covering for James O’Brien all this week live on LBC from 10am, and of course, right here on James O’Brien Daily. Britain’s head of counter-terrorism has compared the harm social media can do to children to that of cancer by smoking. Indeed, social media’s potential to radicalise was highlighted by the Southport killer Axel Rudakubana, who watched violen...

Last night President Donald Trump said that all Palestinians in Gaza should be resettled and promised to develop the land into the “Riviera of the Middle East”. These plans have been internationally condemned. Should the world be taking Trump seriously? Lewis speaks with Noga Tarnopolsky, freelance journalist based in Jerusalem, Chris Gunness, Former Chief Spokesperson for UNRWA and Stephen Flynn,...

Lewis Goodall of The News Agents podcast is covering for James O’Brien all this week live on LBC from 10am, and of course, right here on James O’Brien Daily. Reform UK has overtaken Labour and is topping a landmark YouGov poll for the first time. Lewis compares this with the rise of right wing nationalist parties across Europe and asks if populism can be stopped. Also, the parents of the late Thom...

Lewis Goodall of The News Agents podcast is covering for James O’Brien all this week live on LBC from 10am, and of course, right here on James O’Brien Daily. Over the weekend, Trump announced 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, and hit China with a 10% levy. He’s also renewed calls for Canada to become America’s 51st state. Lewis speaks with Canada’s High Commissioner Ralph Goodale and...

Five years ago today, the UK left the European Union. YouGov polling this week showed just 3 in 10 Brits now think it was the right decision. James asks how so many fell for the promises of the Vote Leave campaign and who should take the most responsibility for Brexit. He also takes a look through the Brexit archives and plays some of the most shocking interviews with politicians and the public fr...