James O'Brien Daily

Can climate change make your life feel better while making the world worse? James confronts the uneasy appeal of hotter British summers and asks how we can hold both truths at once: enjoying a warm evening in the garden while recognising the catastrophic reality of climate change. Then, a challenging question about food. If organic eggs can have a bigger environmental footprint than caged ones, wh...

In today’s episode, James dissects Andy Burnham’s speech on one of Britain’s most long-running crises: social care. Can the Prime Minister deliver the reform we have been waiting decades for? Plus, Green Party leader Zack Polanski has repeatedly refused to apologise to Nigel Farage over a reposted image of a guillotine T-shirt. Should Polanski say sorry — or does Farage’s response expose a glaring...

France and Spain are facing devastating wildfires, mass evacuations and extreme heat — but why are so many of us tempted to look away? In today's episode, James confronts climate anxiety, news avoidance and the human reality behind the headlines. Before that, an examination of Andy Burnham’s plans to give technical education greater status alongside academic learning. This episode was recorded on...

Burnham has said the NHS ‘will collapse’ without social care reform, but what should those changes look like? James hears about listeners’ experiences of care home costs, before asking why Britain still has no fair way to fund care. Did Theresa May have the right idea with her ‘dementia tax’? Then, James explores the growing number of young people who are too anxious to enter work, education or tr...

Should Britain continue to support US military operations against Iran, even when Donald Trump seems unable to explain what victory looks like? Can Burnham refuse to join Trump's war without abandoning Britain's long-standing allies? Then, as the Prime Minister cuts business rates for pubs and clubs, what do we really mean when we talk about "working-class culture"? This episode was recorded on th...

In today’s episode, James responds to the Prime Minister’s plans to review the early prisoner release scheme, following news that two of PC Andrew Harper’s killers could be freed early. What can Burnham feasibly do between now and Christmas to make a difference to our prison system? James also speaks with the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, about falling crime rates in the capital. Why are so man...

Why is capping bus fares one of Andy Burnham’s first priorities? In today’s episode, James explores how affordable public transport can mean the difference between getting to work, attending a medical appointment or simply being able to get out of the house. Then, a stark conversation about the reality of running out of money before payday. Callers share what it means to go without essentials — fr...

In this episode, James explores what will define Andy Burnham’s early days in Downing Street: style, substance, or both? From cutting energy bills to making people feel heard, the new Prime Minister is attempting to restore faith in politics. Burnham has also made one of the first major pledges of his premiership: to end rough sleeping in this country. But is homelessness actually fixable? This ep...

Why does Britain keep tearing through Prime Ministers at breakneck speed? As Andy Burnham becomes the fifth Prime Minister in the past four years, James asks what's really behind the chaos: Brexit, media frenzy or a political culture that's addicted to change? And with Keir Starmer bidding farewell to Downing Street today, what can Burnham offer that Starmer couldn't? This episode was recorded on...

As Andy Burnham prepares to become Prime Minister on Monday, James asks whether the new Labour leader's plan to move decision-making out of the capital is the right thing to do. Is this the start of a genuine political reset? Then, with two million parents taking their child out of school during term-time, James asks whether it is ever acceptable to prioritise a holiday over their education. This...

After England’s defeat to Argentina, James asks what’s changed in the national mood around the team — and why this group of players feels so different from those of the past. Then he turns to a more urgent question: if simply paying benefits isn’t enough, what would actually help young people who are out of work get into the workplace? This episode was recorded on the 16th of July. James O'Brien D...

In today’s episode, James dives into the powerful, often irrational emotions football stirs in us, as England prepare to face Argentina in the World Cup semi-final. Why does supporting our team move us to tears? From sporting nerves to a different national anxiety: retirement. With the state pension age rising and many feeling unprepared for life after work, James asks what happens when retirement...

In today’s episode, James takes on two urgent questions shaping life in modern Britain: why coverage of extreme heat so often avoids mentioning the climate crisis, and why the UK is raising one of the unhealthiest generations of children in Europe. This episode was recorded on the 14th of July. James O'Brien Daily is a Global production, available every week day on Global Player, or wherever you g...

James O’Brien is back - and straight into the storm. In today’s episode, James asks whether this time really is different for Nigel Farage, as questions mount over his secretive £5 million "gift', his shifting explanations, and a response that James argues has made him look rattled, thin-skinned and weak. If Farage has always sold himself as the outsider taking on the establishment, has the mask f...

Independent MP Karl Turner guest presents James O’Brien Daily as he asks whether Andy Burnham would make a better Prime Minister than Keir Starmer. Callers weigh in on Burnham’s communication style, Labour’s direction after Starmer, the pressures of modern media scrutiny, and whether a more devolved, regionally driven model of government could reconnect Westminster with the rest of the country. (J...

Robert Jenrick guest hosts the James O’Brien Daily podcast as Nigel Farage’s shock decision to quit as MP for Clacton and trigger a by-election dominates the national conversation. Is this a bold democratic move that puts the question back to voters — or a political stunt designed to dodge scrutiny? Robert hears from callers on both sides as they clash over accountability, the parliamentary standa...

Jess Phillips guest hosts the James O’Brien Daily podcast and doesn’t hold back. With Nigel Farage triggering a by-election in Clacton rather than facing parliamentary scrutiny over questions about his finances, Jess asks whether this is political genius, political cowardice, or just a desperate grab for attention. As callers weigh in, the conversation turns to standards in public life, accountabi...

Former Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting guest hosts the James O’Brien Daily podcast and takes on one of the biggest rows in public life: should NHS consultants be demanding more pay right now? Drawing on his time in government, Wes reflects on the strikes threat, the pressures facing the NHS, and the difficult balance between valuing doctors properly and protecting the wider health s...

Angela Rayner guest hosts the James O’Brien Daily podcast and brings a mix of optimism, anger and straight-talking politics. After England’s World Cup victory over Mexico lifted the mood, Angela asks what needs to change in Britain to make life feel fairer and more hopeful - from flexible working and better jobs to stronger public services and more opportunity for young people. She also takes on N...

For his final turn in James' chair for now, Lewis Goodall asks whether Andy Burnham’s promised “circuit breaker” in British politics could really change anything at all. After Burnham sets out his ambition to do politics differently - less point scoring, more problem solving, more power outside Westminster - Lewis and callers explore what people most dislike about the way British politics works no...

Lewis Goodall sits in for James O’Brien and takes on a quiet but profound crisis: Britain’s birth rate has fallen so far that deaths are now outnumbering births for the first time. What does that mean for the future of the country, the economy, and the welfare state? And why are so many people choosing not to have children - or finding that they simply can’t afford to? From childcare costs and hou...

Lewis Goodall sits in for James and asks a blunt question about Nigel Farage: if you want to be Prime Minister, how much outside money is too much? With fresh questions over Farage’s earnings from a gold bullion company, on top of the already controversial £5 million gift from a crypto billionaire, Lewis explores whether Reform’s leader is starting to look less like an anti-establishment insurgent...

Lewis Goodall sits in for James O’Brien and takes on one of the biggest questions facing the country: are we spending enough on defence in a far more dangerous world? As Keir Starmer unveils his final defence investment plan in what feels like one of the last big acts of his premiership, Lewis asks whether Britain is genuinely prepared for the threats ahead - from Russia and the High North to cybe...

Lewis Goodall sits in for James O’Brien and reacts to Andy Burnham’s first major speech as Prime Minister-in-waiting. Broadcast from Manchester, Burnham sets out an ambitious vision for a “rewired Britain” - with a new Number 10 North, a huge shift of power away from Whitehall, major council house building, industrial strategy, and a promise to spread “good growth in every postcode and hope in eve...

With scientists linking the extreme temperatures directly to fossil fuel emissions, James explores why so many people still look away, why net zero is under political attack, and whether the heat itself might finally succeed where years of warnings have failed. This episode was recorded on the 26th of June. James O'Brien Daily is a Global production, available every week day on Global Player, or w...