The Exxon Heatwave: Climate Crisis & Denial w/ Simon Clark. Plus, Save Our Humanities!

The Exxon Heatwave: Climate Crisis & Denial w/ Simon Clark. Plus, Save Our Humanities!

This week, as Britain enters its fourth heatwave amidst blazing wildfires across Europe, Coco & Nish are joined by Climate scientist and educator Simon Clark to ask: is this the new normal? They discuss rising temperatures, online misinformation, fire clouds(!) and which policies the UK government could be championing to both mitigate and adapt to a warming climate–listen up, Andy!  Also on the show: as Exeter proposes 150 job cuts which are expected to fall disproportionately on the humanities, Nish speaks to his friend and staff member at Exeter University, Dr Peter J Riley. They dig into the value of a humanities degree and what we’re missing when we make everything about money.  And: Coco & Nish reflect on the UK’s first week with Burnham at the helm, as Labour leads Reform in the polls for the first time in almost 18 months. Is it too early to be optimistic?  Plus - bonus content! We bring you a clip from a conversation with actor Siobhan McSweeney and Gazan student Mahmoud Hasanain as they discuss the government’s renewed scheme to evacuate Gazan students to study at UK universities–but only if they have fully-funded places. Siobhan, along with many other well-known faces from stage and screen, is auctioning off personal items in a bid to raise funds to support these students. You can catch the full episode on YouTube, and bid online here [https://www.jumblebee.co.uk/ScholarshipsForGaza] - until Friday 7th August!    Plus: you listen to Nish & Coco every week, now we want to hear from you! We’re launching an audience survey to hear about what you like, dislike, and want to see more of from PSUK. Guests! Live shows! Topics! Explainers! And did we mention there’s a prize draw? You’ve got to be in it to win it - so fill out the survey here: https://forms.gle/fWp9xXb6tcWhPxSm8 [https://forms.gle/fWp9xXb6tcWhPxSm8]  GUESTS  Simon Clark  Dr Peter Riley USEFUL LINKS Audience survey here: https://forms.gle/fWp9xXb6tcWhPxSm8 [https://forms.gle/fWp9xXb6tcWhPxSm8]  University Cuts  Petition to stop redundancies at Exeter University: https://www.change.org/p/stop-redundancies-at-the-university-of-exeter-706befbf-8195-4b87-a96c-13666e695878 [https://www.change.org/p/stop-redundancies-at-the-university-of-exeter-706befbf-8195-4b87-a96c-13666e695878]  Exeter UCU: https://www.instagram.com/uniexeterucu/ [https://www.instagram.com/uniexeterucu/]  Climate Crisis DeSmog: https://www.desmog.com/2026/04/30/reform-uk-nigel-farage-millions-donations-fossil-fuel-interests-climate-science-deniers/ [https://www.desmog.com/2026/04/30/reform-uk-nigel-farage-millions-donations-fossil-fuel-interests-climate-science-deniers/]  Matt Hughes and Nick Ames - Uefa accuses Fifa of ‘enriching themselves and their friends’ over World Cup sell-off [https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/29/concacaf-joins-criticism-of-fifa-infantino-plan-to-sell-off-world-cup-stakes-to-private-investors] Share Action: https://shareaction.org/ [https://shareaction.org/]  Cool Earth: https://www.coolearth.org/ [https://www.coolearth.org/]  Fossil Free Media: https://fossilfree.media/ [https://fossilfree.media/]  Gaza Auction: https://www.jumblebee.co.uk/ScholarshipsForGaza [https://www.jumblebee.co.uk/ScholarshipsForGaza]  Keir’s goodbye video: https://www.tiktok.com/@keirstarmer/video/7664565924204203286?lang=en-GB [https://www.tiktok.com/@keirstarmer/video/7664565924204203286?lang=en-GB]  CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS  VANTA: https://www.vanta.com/PSTUK [https://www.vanta.com/PSTUK] HEXCLAD: https://www.hexclad.co.uk/PSTUK [https://www.hexclad.co.uk/PSTUK]  SHOPIFY: https://www.shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk [https://www.shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk] Pod Save the UK is an Intelligence Squared production for Crooked Media. Don’t forget you can get in touch! Contact us via email: podsavetheuk@crooked.com [podsavetheuk@crooked.com] if you want to share questions, thoughts, or general musings!  Like and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK [https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK]  Instagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk [https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk]  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk [https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk]  BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com [https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com]  Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk [https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk]  X: https://x.com/podsavetheuk [https://x.com/podsavetheuk]

Burnham’s Britain & Cabinet Pic ‘n’ Mix w/ Anoosh Chakelian

This week, Nish & Coco do a deep dive into the beginnings of Burnham’s Britain. He’s only been Prime Minister for a few days, but Andy has already pledged to end rough sleeping, cut electricity bills, and cap bus fares, as his new ‘cost of living government’ takes shape.  They’re joined by Anoosh Chakelian, the New Statesman’s Britain Editor, who has interviewed Burnham several times over the last decade. Is he the flip-flopping, people-pleasing Prime Minister his critics say he’ll be, or do these early signals from No.10 suggest a clean break with the politics of the past?  Anoosh, Coco & Nish talk through cabinet picks, what Trump might make of ‘Red Ed’ as foreign sec, and how social care reform–if done right–could be good for us all. All eyes on the seventh Prime Minister in a decade… Plus: you listen to Nish & Coco every week, now we want to hear from you! We’re launching an audience survey to hear about what you like, dislike, and want to see more of from PSUK. Guests! Live shows! Topics! Explainers! And did we mention there’s a prize draw? You’ve got to be in it to win it - so fill out the survey here: https://forms.gle/fWp9xXb6tcWhPxSm8 [https://forms.gle/fWp9xXb6tcWhPxSm8]  GUESTS  Anoosh Chakelian  USEFUL LINKS Audience survey here: https://forms.gle/fWp9xXb6tcWhPxSm8 [https://forms.gle/fWp9xXb6tcWhPxSm8]  CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS  HEXCLAD: https://www.hexclad.co.uk/PSTUK [https://www.hexclad.co.uk/PSTUK]  WISE: https://www.wise.com [https://www.wise.com/] SHOPIFY: https://www.shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk [https://www.shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk] Pod Save the UK is an Intelligence Squared production for Crooked Media. We’ll be filming another mailbag episode next week so get in touch! Contact us via email: podsavetheuk@crooked.com [podsavetheuk@crooked.com] if you want to share questions, thoughts, or general musings!  Like and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK [https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK]  Instagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk [https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk]  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk [https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk]  BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com [https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com]  Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk [https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk]  X: https://x.com/podsavetheuk [https://x.com/podsavetheuk]

Wildfires, World Cup Football and Women’s Aid w/ Farah Nazeer

This week, with Andy Burnham’s coronation just days away, Coco & Zoe dig into why the whole thing felt like such a foregone conclusion, and unpack what we might expect from Burnham’s summer season. Speaking of Burn-ing, the UK is literally on fire… so why are some politicians urging us to drop net zero targets altogether as we swelter through another heatwave?  Also on the show: CEO of Women’s Aid, Farah Nazeer, joins to talk about their World Cup campaign, ‘The Other Kick Off’, and how we need cultural and structural changes to meaningfully move the dial on domestic abuse and violence against women and girls. Plus, as the news of Ann Widdecombe’s death shocks us all, Coco & Zoe discuss the reality of being a woman in the public eye.  Content note: This episode contains discussions of rape, sexual assault and domestic abuse.   GUESTS  Farah Nazeer  USEFUL LINKS Women’s Aid [https://womensaid.org.uk/]  Refuge [https://refuge.org.uk/]  Research Digital Misogynoir Report — Glitch [https://glitchcharity.co.uk/our-work/research-digital-misogynoir-report] Women’s Aid Reveals ‘The Other ‘Kick Off’ Time Thousands of Women Dread During the World Cup [https://womensaid.org.uk/womens-aid-reveals-the-other-kick-off-time-thousands-of-women-dread-during-the-world-cup/]  CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS  SHOPIFY: https://www.shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk [https://www.shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk] Pod Save the UK is an Intelligence Squared production for Crooked Media. We’ll be doing another mailbag episode soon so get in touch! Contact us via email: podsavetheuk@crooked.com [podsavetheuk@crooked.com] if you want to share questions, thoughts, or general musings!  Like and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK [https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK]  Instagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk [https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk]  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk [https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk]  BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com [https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com]  Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk [https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk]  X: https://x.com/podsavetheuk [https://x.com/podsavetheuk]

‘The Sleaze By-Election’: Farage Resigns…and Runs Again?! Plus, World War Three is here w/ Hannah Lucinda Smith

This week, we cancel our early celebrations at the news of Nigel Farage’s resignation, given that he announced in the same breath he would be standing in the very by-election he triggered… Another one?! While Nish is off on a glamorous sidequest, Coco’s joined by guest host journalist Zoë Grünewald to make sense of this latest stunt from Nige. Is this a political gamble that will pay off, or a final act of desperation? Also on the show, we look to Ankara, where world leaders have descended for the latest NATO summit amidst rising geopolitical tensions... Author and foreign correspondent Hannah Lucinda Smith breaks down how warfare has changed, why we should be investing more in defence, and what the presumptive PM Andy Burnham could do to get Britain back on track on the world stage.  USEFUL LINKS Buy Hannah’s book! https://www.waterstones.com/book/hinterlands/hannah-lucinda-smith/9781805225416 [https://www.waterstones.com/book/hinterlands/hannah-lucinda-smith/9781805225416]  Sunday Times Investigation into ‘Daddy’ Farage and ‘Posh George’:  https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/revealed-nigel-farage-secretly-funded-by-convicted-criminal-j0brtrlnk [https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/revealed-nigel-farage-secretly-funded-by-convicted-criminal-j0brtrlnk]  GUESTS  Hannah Lucinda Smith  CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS  WISE: https://www.wise.com [https://www.wise.com/] SHOPIFY: https://www.shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk [https://www.shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk] Pod Save the UK is an Intelligence Squared production for Crooked Media. We’ll be doing another mailbag episode soon so get in touch! Contact us via email: podsavetheuk@crooked.com [podsavetheuk@crooked.com] if you want to share questions, thoughts, or general musings!  Like and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK [https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK]  Instagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk [https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk]  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk [https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk]  BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com [https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com]  Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk [https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk]  X: https://x.com/podsavetheuk [https://x.com/podsavetheuk]

No10 in the North: Andy Burnham’s Manchester mission... Plus, is ‘free speech’ just a free pass for tech bros?

“Are you ready for this?” Following Andy Burnham’s first big policy speech since becoming an MP, and with his sights set firmly on the top job, Coco & Nish dig into his promises of regeneration, reindustrialisation, and…a new pair of running shorts. From No10 North to nationalisation and the biggest council house building programme since the postwar period, they discuss their unanswered questions and first impressions of the Manchester man offering “growth in every postcode, and hope in every heart.”  Plus, they’re joined by journalist and campaigner Adele Zeynep Walton who shares her first-hand experience of the consequences of online harms. We ask whether the proposed social media ban for under-16s really gets to the heart of the problem (spoiler alert: no), and how we can truly hold the tech industry to account. Content note: this discussion includes references to suicide.  USEFUL LINKS Buy Adele’s book: “Logging Off: The Human Cost of our Digital World” https://www.waterstones.com/book/logging-off/adele-zeynep-walton/9781398722941 [https://www.waterstones.com/book/logging-off/adele-zeynep-walton/9781398722941]  Write to your MP and support the call for a public inquiry into the scale of harm facilitated by online suicide forums: https://mollyrosefoundation.beaconforms.com/form/90ddb8e4 [https://mollyrosefoundation.beaconforms.com/form/90ddb8e4]   https://mollyrosefoundation.org/campaigns/campaign-against-pro-suicide-forums/ [https://mollyrosefoundation.org/campaigns/campaign-against-pro-suicide-forums/]   GUESTS  Adele Zeynep Walton  CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS  BT: Search ‘Why BT’ to find out more. HRF Power Plays: Search Power Plays wherever you get your podcasts. WISE: https://www.wise.com [https://www.wise.com/] Pod Save the UK is an Intelligence Squared production for Crooked Media. We’ll be doing another mailbag episode soon so get in touch! Contact us via email: podsavetheuk@crooked.com [podsavetheuk@crooked.com] if you want to share questions, thoughts, or general musings!  Like and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK [https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK]  Instagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk [https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk]  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk [https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk]  BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com [https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com]  Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk [https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk]  X: https://x.com/podsavetheuk [https://x.com/podsavetheuk]