Pod Save the UK
by Crooked MediaPod Save the UK is your weekly fix of political news, big ideas and a shot of inspiration. Each week hosts, comedian Nish Kumar and journalist Coco Khan are joined by politicians, experts, and famous friends to unpick the latest news, look for solutions, and inspire action. From Crooked Media – the creators of Pod Save America – in partnership with Reduced Listening, tune in to new episodes of Pod Save the UK every Thursday wherever you pod.
Copyright: © Crooked Media. All Rights Reserved.
Episodes
Jeremy Corbyn & Mhairi Black: Left Culled, Centre Cracked and Right Reformed?
53m · PublishedIn week two of the campaigns for the upcoming General Election - the fight for the centre vote has become a focal point. But the crucial question remains - what will this do for the future of politics in the UK? Are we at risk of losing diversity across parties? And as Keir Starmer appears to be purging the left-wing factions of the Labour Party, Nish and Coco speak to former Labour leader and now independent candidate Jeremy Corbyn on whether he’s hopeful for a potential Labour government and what advice he has for Keir Starmer.
Nish and Coco also speak to Mhairi Black about the challenges facing the SNP when trying to capture the electorate. They also discuss whether we are at risk of losing the kind of representation that the Left and younger voters need to bring about hope and change in society.
There’s also a rundown of the first Sunak vs Starmer TV debate and a return of the best WTF moments from the week’s political campaigns.
Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.
Contact us via email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: 07494 933 444 (UK) or + 44 7494 933 444 (internationally)
Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk
Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/podsavetheworld
Guests:
Jeremy Corbyn, Independent Candidate for Islington North
Mhairi Black, former SNP Deputy Leader and MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South
Audio credits:
BBC
ITV
Labour Party
Sky News
Useful links:
Come to see Pod Save the UK live at Edinburgh Fringe!
Generational Warfare: Has Rishi Sunak’s electoral gambit misfired?
42m · PublishedIt’s week one of the campaign and after a comical series of false starts, Rishi Sunak and the Tories have fired the first shots in a campaign of generational warfare.
Nish and Coco are joined by political correspondent Liz Bates to find out if there are votes to be won in these wedge politics. Later, they speak to Christine Jardine from the Liberal Democrats about their differences with Labour as well as the electoral battleground that is Scotland. And, as the campaign heats up - the WTF moments are multiplying. Nish, Coco and Liz dissect their favourites from the week.
Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.
Contact us via email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: 07494 933 444 (UK) or + 44 7494 933 444 (internationally)
Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk
Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/podsavetheworld
Guests:
Liz Bates, Sky News
Christine Jardine, Scottish Liberal Democrat MP
Audio credits:
BBC
Sky News
Shrek - Paramount pictures
Useful links:
Come to see Pod Save the UK live at Edinburgh Fringe!
What do the Trans & Non-binary community need most right now?
48m · PublishedNish and Coco are joined by Abigail Thorn (actress, writer and host of PhilosophyTube) and Freddy McConnell (writer and journalist) to examine the issues facing the trans and non-binary community in the UK today.
In recent news, the current Tory government has proposed new guidelines for education in schools across England. Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said that gender identity should not be taught in schools to students of any age. Abigail and Freddy respond to these news headlines and also discuss The Cass review, a proposed new approach from the Labour Party around the Gender Recognition Act, and which individuals need highlighting for their work on trans rights in the UK.
Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.
Contact us via email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: 07494 933 444 (UK) or + 44 7494 933 444 (internationally)
Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk
Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/podsavetheworld
Guests:
Abigail Thorn,
Freddy McConnell, journalist
Audio credits:
ITV
BBC
Useful links:
Come to see Pod Save the UK live at Edinburgh Fringe!
https://transsafety.network/
Transactual Briefing on the Cass Review - https://transactual.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/TransActual-Briefing-on-Cass-Review.pdf
Are these the last six weeks of Rishi Sunak and the Tories?
45m · PublishedNish and Coco bring you a hot off-the-press special look at the announcement of a UK general election.
On Wednesday 22nd May - Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the next general election will be on Thursday 4th July 2024. It appeared to be a sudden decision that surprised even his own Conservative MPs. But this announcement brings a whole host of questions with it. What key issues will this election be fought on? Is the timing helpful to any party in particular? How will Sunak fare under the microscope? To answer those and many more - friend of the show Liz Bates makes an eager return. Alongside Nish and Coco - Liz discusses what drove Sunak to this announcement and whether Keir Starmer got something of a headstart on his campaign.
There’s also discussion of how other parties might fare in this race from Lib Dems to the SNPs. And co-leader of the Green Party Adrian Ramsay gives his point of view.
Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.
Contact us via email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: 07494 933 444 (UK) or + 44 7494 933 444 (internationally)
Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk
Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/podsavetheworld
Guest:
Liz Bates, Sky News
Adrian Ramsay, Co-leader, Green Party
Audio credits:
BBC
Sky News
Useful links:
Come to see Pod Save the UK live at Edinburgh Fringe!
The economy is growing, so why are we feeling poorer?
45m · PublishedThe UK is officially out of recession - Rishi Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt have been banging the drum of the 0.6% GDP growth in the Jan-March quarter, but are things actually getting better?
George Monbiot drops into the studio to demystify Neoliberalism - the invisible economic doctrine that has influenced UK politics and policy since the Thatcher years. George also brings some fresh ideas for how citizens can move away from being consumers and recapture our democracy.
Finally, Nish and Coco eviscerate Esther McVey’s campaign to ban that most dreadful example of civil service impropriety - the rainbow lanyard.
Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.
Contact us via email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: 07494 933 444 (UK) or + 44 7494 933 444 (internationally)
Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk
Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/podsavetheworld
Guest:
George Monbiot, activist and writer
Audio credits:
BBC
LBC
The Guardian
Useful links:
Come to see Pod Save the UK live at Edinburgh Fringe!
The Invisible Doctrine: The Secret History of Neoliberalism (& How It Came to Control Your Life) by George Monbiot and Peter Hutchison
The Guardian - Latest GDP figures offer some better news – but boom-boom Britain it ain’t
Abortion rights & ending hunger with Aisling Bea
49m · Published“A hung Parliament” - it’s not quite admitting defeat, but the new media lines from Rishi Sunak and the Conservative Party suggest that even the Government knows its days are numbered. Nish and Coco unpack Sunak’s shock admission and some of the highlights from the local elections.
Comedian, actor and activist (and old colleague of Nish) Aisling Bea drops in to talk about campaigning against food insecurity. The “Essentials Guarantee” campaign championed by the Trussell Trust asks that political parties prioritise all citizens having basic essentials as part of their election manifestos.
Aisling also talks about the fight for abortion rights in her homeland of Ireland, while Coco reminds us that the abortion laws in England, Scotland and Wales are incredibly archaic. Abortion buffer zones, 150m no-protest areas around clinics have just hit their one-year anniversary of receiving royal ascent for England & Wales, however, the Home Office has yet to roll out the change to the law - leaving protestors free to approach women outside.
Finally, the gang mix together a metaphorical soufflé of villains, stirring in a healthy dose of uncapped banker bonuses, adding a dash of Susan Hall, and a pinch of the Labour Party’s surprise new MP.
Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.
Contact us via email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: 07494 933 444 (UK) or + 44 7494 933 444 (internationally)
Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk
Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/podsavetheworld
Guest:
Aisling Bea
Audio credits:
BBC
The Guardian
GB News
Useful links:
Come to see Pod Save the UK live at Edinburgh Fringe!
Essentials Guarantee Campaign - Trussell Trust
Could there really be a hung parliament at the next UK general election? - The Guardian
Anti-abortion activists ramping up protests outside clinics after failure to introduce buffer zones - The Independent
Goldman Sachs’s UK gender pay gap widest in six years - Financial Times
On abortion culture wars, Britain takes a different path - Politico
What a sad little life Jane - Come Dine With Me
Are the Local Election results the beginning of total Tory annihilation?
41m · PublishedWhile the results from elections across England & Wales are still rolling in - the signs so far are pointing to a disastrous outcome for the Conservative party. So Nish & Coco have jumped on for this special bonus episode to pop the champagne - asking exactly what it means ahead of the General Election - whenever that will eventually be called!
Liz Bates from Sky News joins Nish and Coco to explain why the historic result of the byelection in Blackpool is so seismic. They also discuss whether results for Reform UK will scare the Tories into more extreme right-wing rhetoric, whether Boris Johnson forgetting his ID was a publicity stunt and whether Keir Starmer is not a good leader, but a lucky one.
We also throw ahead to the general election - if there was a dreaded hung parliament - would that work at all? And how might the Tories be trying to claw their way back into favour before they finally allow the UK to have a general election?
Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.
Contact us via email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: 07494 933 444 (UK) or + 44 7494 933 444 (internationally)
Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk
Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/podsavetheworld
Guests:
Liz Bates, Sky News
Audio credits:
BBC Newcast
BBC News
Sky News
Humza Yousaf's Shock Resignation: Are the Greens Seizing Power in Scotland?
47m · PublishedThe Westminster rumour mill went into overdrive last weekend peddling an ultimately incorrect rumour that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was due to call a summer election. With suggestions that this rumour was started by the Labour Party, Nish and Coco ask whether progressives might be starting to control the narrative.
And might that change in power balance towards the Left also be coming to the fore in Scotland? Following the shock resignation of First Minister and SNP Leader Humza Yousaf, Politico’s reporter Andrew McDonald unpacks how the Green Party may have greater influence in Scottish politics moving forward.
And what are the radical solutions we need to address the crisis in Britain’s care system for children? The collaborators of the new book Free Loaves on Friday poet Lemn Sissay and journalist Rebekah Pierre explain why hearing directly from care leavers is vital for addressing problems across the system.
This week - we present the PSUK hero no one asked for and the villain you never saw coming. Move aside Idris Elba - Nish Kumar is coming for your spotlight…
Finally - make sure to look out for a bonus edition of Pod Save the UK this week where we bring you analysis from the results of the elections across England and Wales with Liz Bates.
Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.
Contact us via email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: 07494 933 444 (UK) or + 44 7494 933 444 (internationally)
Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk
Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/podsavetheworld
Guests:
Andrew McDonald, Politico
Rebekah Pierre, Journalist and Social Worker
Lemn Sissay, Poet and Activist
Audio credit:
Sky News
Useful links:
https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voting-and-elections/voter-id
https://unbound.com/books/free-loaves-on-fridays
Nish dismantles Sunak's attack on disabled people and Coco meets Caroline Lucas
54m · PublishedRishi Sunak finally ‘got Rwanda done’ after a long and dramatic night as his Safety of Rwanda Bill ping-ponged between the Common and the Lords. Our guest, the Green MP Caroline Lucas, tells Coco what it was like to be in Westminster that night and criticises Rishi Sunak for holding a drinks party while the Bill - which she describes as “a piece of performative cruelty” - was still being debated in the Lords. She also discusses her new book about why the left needs to speak up for ‘Englishness’, and explains why she’s training to become a death doula.
Nish and Coco provide an indispensable guide to next week’s local elections, talking about why they’re important and analysing what they might mean for Tory and Labour prospects at a general election. They also discuss whether the new rules on voter ID are an attempt by the Conservative Party to suppress the vote.
For our hero and villain of the week, Nish is appalled by Rishi Sunak’s attack on the sick and disabled, while Coco has been enjoying The Menstrual Cramps! Plus what would happen if Nish and Rishi Sunak met at notorious Berlin club Berghain?
Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.
Contact us via email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: 07494 933 444 (UK) or + 44 7494 933 444 (internationally)
Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk
Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/podsavetheworld
Guest:
Caroline Lucas, Green MP for Brighton Pavillion
Audio credits:
parliamentlive.tv
Sky News
Useful links:
https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voting-and-elections/voter-id
https://www.bethknight.com/
https://crooked.com/podcast-series/pod-save-america/
Jess Phillips on Angela Rayner tax story: scandal or smear?
52m · PublishedOn a busy week of news as MPs return to Parliament, Nish and Coco are joined by the Labour MP Jess Phillips. She gives her take on the investigation into Angela Rayner’s tax affairs, and reveals the toll it’s taking on her party’s deputy leader.
A discussion on Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel leads Jess to reveal her family links to Iran, and there’s some rare praise for Rishi Sunak for his anti-smoking legislation. Jess also says Diane Abbott should get the whip back, despite the two Labour colleagues having a somewhat frosty relationship.
Villain of the week is Liz Truss for her shameless book tour, although Jess makes a play for her to be hero, saying she’s “a gift” for Labour and “should be on the tele more”. There’s also praise for Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham, for putting a sexist photographer in his place. Plus Nish and Coco have some songwriting tips for Megan Thee Stallion.
Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.
Contact us via email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: 07494 933 444 (UK) or + 44 7494 933 444 (internationally)
Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk
Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/podsavetheworld
Guest:
Jess Phillips, Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley
Audio credits:
parliamentlive.tv
BBC News
Fox News
LBC
odeiotedlasso/X
Pod Save the UK has 63 episodes in total of non- explicit content. Total playtime is 52:07:43. The language of the podcast is English. This podcast has been added on April 23rd 2023. It might contain more episodes than the ones shown here. It was last updated on June 8th, 2024 08:47.