James O'Brien Daily

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has warned of “probably the worst pressure the NHS has faced since Covid" occurring next week, when the next resident doctors strike will clash with soaring numbers of flu patients. Ministers have proposed a last minute deal in an attempt to appease the BMA, but in the case that this is not accepted, Streeting has also offered an extension on the union's mandate so t...

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has launched The Youth Matters plan, a £500m strategy aimed at protecting the UK’s youth. The plan aims to give 500,000 more young people access to a trusted adult outside their home, boost resilience and teach essential skills. What difference did youth clubs, or a lack thereof, make to you? Also, Justice Secretary David Lammy is considering wiping childhood criminal...

A top NHS executive has urged people with cold or flu symptoms to wear a face mask in public as the hospitals brace for a “tidal wave” of illness this winter. Why then are so many of us against the idea of wearing face masks? Also, a report commissioned into Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy, a school in East London, found that pupils have been harmed by shouting, public humiliation and a lack of s...

Russia has welcomed Donald Trump's new National Security Strategy to "end" the Ukraine War, calling it "largely consistent" with Moscow's vision. Why is Trump siding with Russia against Europe and where will it take us? Joining James is Phillips O'Brien, Professor of Strategic Studies at the University of St Andrews, to share his analysis of the tightrope European leaders are walking between suppo...

Almost one million young people in the UK are currently not in employment, education or training (NEET). To help tackle this, the government has announced 350,000 new training or workplace opportunities will be offered to young people on universal credit - but that those who don’t engage could have their benefits cut.  Why are you or the young person in your life in the NEET category? And, wh...

Nigel Farage has accused the BBC of double standards after he was asked about numerous claims he used extreme racist and antisemitic language as a teenager, which he denied. Today, James is joined by one of the many people who've made such claims, Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish former classmate of Nigel Farage's, who told the BBC that Farage had repeatedly said to him "Hitler was right" and "gas them".&...

Wes Streeting will be launching an independent review that’ll investigate whether mental health, ADHD and autism are being over-diagnosed in England - James explores the distinct possibility that it isn’t. Also, facial recognition technology could be used more often by UK police forces, according to the Home Office. Could this be the “end of privacy as we know it”, as privacy campaign group Big Br...

The UK media is beginning to acknowledge Brexit as the unmitigated failure that it is, partly in thanks to damning findings like the National Bureau of Economic Research’s, that concluded Brexit has reduced UK GDP by 6-8%. This is far more than most previous estimates. The question is finally beginning to be asked… should Labour reverse Brexit? And, so-called "miracle" weight-loss jabs are current...

Justice Secretary David Lammy has announced the creation of new “swift courts” which will see a judge decide verdicts in thousands of cases where the right to a jury trial will be removed.…  What does this actually mean and what are we so afraid of losing? Resident doctors have announced a fresh round of strikes with a five-day walkout from the 17th December. Considering their recent wage inc...

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is facing accusations she misled voters and ministers by not revealing upsides in the OBR’s (Office for Budget Responsibility) forecasts for the economy. Starmer and Reeves both defend the Budget and deny that the Chancellor misled anyone. James gets into the nitty gritty and asks what we’re supposed to be angry about here? And, AI is set to replace 3.4m jobs in the next d...

Net migration to the UK fell by two-thirds in the year ending June 2025 compared with the previous 12 months, according to ONS figures. This has coincided with rising numbers of young people leaving the UK because of its economic and political landscape. Are you leaving the UK? If so, why? And, how can we persuade young people to hang around? This episode was recorded on the 28th of November. Catc...

Yesterday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered her 2025 Budget. Much of the media is in uproar at tax rises, especially the lifting of the two-child benefit cap - but what measures should we actually be angry about? And, James asks his listeners what their experiences of Universal Credit are, as well as what it’s like being labeled as a scrounger by much of the right-wing media and political class?...

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has unveiled the long-anticipated budget - but not before the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) leaked it! James was joined by fellow LBC presenter Shelagh Fogarty and Politics Editor Natasha Clark to discuss both the fallout from the leak and the budget itself! Also, Justice Secretary David Lammy is proposing to massively restrict the age old to a jury by trial by on...

Sir Keir Starmer and David Lammy are set to escape Labour’s “mansion tax” after adjustments from the Treasury - the tax will now only apply to houses worth over £2m. Is a mansion tax the right move for the Chancellor? And, a new study has found that the majority of ethnic minority adults (55%) believe those putting up St George’s crosses as part of the “Operation Raise the Colours” campaign are do...

With Rachel Reeves’ budget, many more pensioners could be pulled into paying income tax. Are pensioners receiving too much support or should the state pension be means-tested? And, new research shows obesity rates among the poorest children are nearly double those of their wealthiest classmates. In the modern West, has thinness become a marker of privilege? Plus, David Cameron has revealed he was...

The UK Covid-19 Inquiry has found that the government response to the pandemic was "too little, too late" - imposing lockdown a week earlier could have saved 23,000 lives. Worse still, lockdowns could have been avoided altogether, had Boris Johnson’s Conservative government acted with the urgency that was so obviously needed. James asks his callers lay their emotions bare and share the most signif...

Senior Pentagon officials are in Ukraine to "discuss efforts to end the war" with Russia. It’s been reported that the potential “peace deal” drawn up by the US and Russia will require Ukraine to give up large amounts of territory and dramatically shrink its military. If Zelenskyy accepted these terms, what would it mean for the world? And, Labour MP Clive Lewis has offered to give up his seat to a...

Britain is not prepared to defend itself from a military attack and the government is moving at a "glacial" speed in response to the threats of Russia and China, the Commons Defence Committee has concluded. Now, in what could be considered a ‘duh’ question, why do we need an army? And what are they realistically used for? Also, ultra-processed food poses a seismic threat to global health, accordin...

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has defended sweeping changes to the UK's asylum system. Refugee status will become temporary, guaranteed housing support for asylum seekers will end and "safe and legal routes" into the UK will be created. Will these policies actually reduce racism and anti-immigrant sentiment, as Mahmood says? And, according to new research, the vast majority of people who earn six...

Today, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced sweeping reforms to the UK's asylum system. Most refugees will now have to wait 20 years to apply to settle permanently, with deportations sped up when claims are rejected. Also, “Trump-style” visa bans on Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo are to be applied if their governments don’t cooperate more on deportations.  Why is the...

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has decided against breaking Labour's manifesto promise and raising income tax at the upcoming Budget - despite giving strong indications that she would be. How do you greet this news, and why has Reeves done this? And, London has been named the best city in the world to live, work and visit for the 11th year in a row by Forbes. Why then do right-wing political figures lik...

Thousands of documents from disgraced financier and convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein have been released, many of which reference Donald Trump, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Peter Mandelson. Why did Donald Trump campaign on a promise to release the Epstein files, considering he is now so desperate to keep them secret?  And, UK unemployment has risen to 5%, the highest level in four years....

Downing Street was "on alert" last night amid suggestions that Health Secretary Wes Streeting was leading a plot to oust the Prime Minister. Today, Streeting labeled these reports as "ridiculous". However, there is serious dissatisfaction with Keir Starmer, both within and outside of the government. Why is this? Do you want Starmer to go?  And, James is joined by LBC’s Washington Corresponden...

Rachel Reeves has hinted that she is planning to remove the two-child benefit cap in the November budget, in a move that could cost more than £3bn but lift 350,000 children out of poverty. Why is the cap removal so unpopular with the public?  Also, Black and Asian NHS staff who do home visits fear some areas have become “no-go zones” for them - areas strewn with St George’s flags. Was this th...

BBC director general Tim Davie and CEO of News Deborah Turness resigned last night after criticism that Panorama misled viewers by editing a speech by Donald Trump. Trump has since threatened legal action against the BBC… James breaks it all down. And, it’s highly probable that Chancellor Rachel Reeves will be raising income tax in the upcoming Budget. Considering she promised not to do this in La...