The Crossbench with Conor Wilson

14. Josh Babarinde - Why I fought so hard to help survivors of domestic abuse

Josh Babarinde is the Liberal Democrat MP for Eastbourne. Despite only being elected in 2024, Josh has enjoyed early success in his parliamentary career, gaining cross party support for his Domestic Abuse Bill that will for the first time, legislate for a statutory definition of domestic abuse. A survivor himself, Josh hopes to prevent others from going through what he and his mother endured as a child. In this episode, Josh discusses his upbringing and his work to help those at risk of going down the wrong path in life. He talks about representation in parliament and within the Liberal Democrats, after becoming the first black MP elected as a Liberal Democrat in 2024. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

13. Martin Rhodes MP - 'A welfare state is no bad thing'

Martin Rhodes is the Labour MP for Glasgow North. A vocal critic of the government's approach to welfare, Martin argues that the term "welfare state" is not the scary label that it is often portrayed as in the media. Speaking as oil prices rise and farmers warn of food shortages due to the Iran war, Martin expresses his relief that the UK resisted US encouragement to participate in offensive strikes against Tehran, although is muted when asked if the decision makes Sir Keir Starmer "look stronger". ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

12. Patrick Hurley MP - Representing Southport in the midst of a national tragedy

Patrick Hurley was elected to represent Southport in 2024 - The first Labour candidate to win in the coastal town. His eleation quickly turned to tragedy as just weeks into his new role, he received a phone call to tell him about an attack at a Taylor Swift Dance Class that left three girls murdered and many more injured. Patrick discusses the attack, the wave of misinformation that followed it and the national unrest seen in towns across the country. He talks, through his socialist lense, about the need to address poverty in town's such as Southport and others that feel victim to disorder in the wake of the attack, factors he feels laid the foundations for the riots we saw. He also discusses how seaside towns such as his adjust to a change in tourism habits and declining shopping trends to ensure that investment continues to flow through and provide jobs and quality of life to those who live there. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

11. Dame Caroline Dinenage MP - Global scrutiny in the face of Donald Trump threats

Dame Caroline Dineage is an entrepreneur and the Conservative MP for Gosport. Dame Caroline has served in a a variety of departments since being elected in 2010 including the DWP, Department of Justice, Department of Health and Social Care and Deptarment of Education. She currently is the chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee and last year, found herself at the centre of the row between US President Donald Trump and the BBC over an edited clip of Trump from 2021. As chair, Dame Caroline was tasked with scrutinising the actions of the BBC and delivering the committee's findings in which she recognised the need for the BBC to change after a series of high-profile scandals cost the Director General his job. In this episode, Dame Caroline reflects on the pressure of finding yourself at the centre of a global story, her fears for online safety and the use of AI to produce sexually explicit images of women and children as well as the importance of business experience in government. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

10. Calvin Bailey MBE - I carried a knife after the murder of Stephen Lawrence

Calvin Bailey MBE is the Labour Member of Parliament for Leyton and Wanstead, first elected in July 2024. Born in Zambia and raised in London, he served 24 years in the Royal Air Force, reaching the rank of Wing Commander and received an MBE for distinguished service. His mixed heritage meant that racism was prevalent in his formative years and he discusses the effect of seeing his Mum confront far-right thugs and the impact of the death of Steven Lawrence. Despite the racism of his early year, Bailey stands as the embodiment of what hard work and dedication to serving others can achieve, representing his constituency as its first black MP. Like his Mother, Bailey is unafraid to call out the racism that has become increasingly common in modern day politics. Bailey sits on the Defence Select Committee and chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Armed Forces community. He is forthright in his belief that the public need to grasp the enormity of the security challenges faced by the country and the requirement for politicians to properly communicate the threat, which in his mind, includes Russia committing acts of “grey zone” warfare on the streets of Britain today. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.