Pod Save the UK

Will Starmer’s control freakery deliver victory to Reform?

Keir Starmer jets off to Beijing, leaving Westminster - once again - bubbling with rumours about his future. The King of the North might be off the cards, but Angela Rayner and even Ed Miliband are eyeing up the top spot.  Reform thinks GB News Presenter and right-wing activist Matt Goodwin is the right man to be their MP candidate in Gorton and Denton - if only he can shelve his disdain for Manchester… Nish and Coco chew it all over with political journalist Zoë Grünewald. Away from the psychodrama, controversial plans to overhaul special educational needs education in England risk children’s legal rights to cut costs. Campaigners Rachel Filmer and Carrie Grant share their concerns with Coco. And surveillance firm Palantir is using medical records to target people for ICE in the US - could the UK be next? This podcast has been edited to remove a story about Matt Goodwin after he clarified the context of his comments about Manchester. We regret the error. CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS  SHOPIFY https://www.shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk [https://www.shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk]  GUESTS  Zoë Grünewald, journalist, broadcaster and political commentator Dr Carrie Grant MBE, TV presenter and voice coach Rachel Filmer, SEND campaigner USEFUL LINKS Save Our Children’s Rights Campaign https://www.saveourchildrensrights.org.uk/ [https://www.saveourchildrensrights.org.uk/] [https://www.saveourchildrensrights.org.uk/] Stop Palantir in the NHS https://goodlawproject.org/campaign/stop-palantir-in-the-nhs [https://goodlawproject.org/campaign/stop-palantir-in-the-nhs] [https://goodlawproject.org/campaign/stop-palantir-in-the-nhs] CREDITS Keir Starmer / TikTok Pod Save America / X Good Law Project / Instagram Sky News / YouTube UKLabour / X Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media. Get in touch - contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk [PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk] 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://twitter.com/podsavetheuk]

Starmer’s new Trump headache and making comedy under occupation

Donald Trump brings his particular brand of terrible speeches to the billionaires and bankers at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Nish and Coco try to work out how Keir Starmer can keep on track when facing the threat of US tariffs over Greenland as well as criticism of a lease deal with the Chagos Islands - which the US had previously praised. Liam Thorp, the Liverpool Echo’s Political Editor, is on hand to break down Labour’s big plan to make homes warmer, the fortunes of Reform and the latest delay to the Hillsborough Law Plus comedian Alaa Shehada, fresh from his show ‘The Horse of Jenin’, talks to Nish and Coco about the ‘Palestine Comedy Club’, a documentary which follows a group of Palestinians as they take their comedy show on tour in an occupied state. CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS  SHOPIFY Shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk [http://shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk] WISE Wise.com [http://wise.com] GUESTS  Liam Thorp - Political Editor, Liverpool Echo Tess Ingram, UNICEF Alaa Shehada - Comedian USEFUL LINKS Palestine Comedy Club [https://www.palestinecomedyclub.com/] collective https://www.palestinecomedyclub.com/ [https://www.palestinecomedyclub.com/] Palestine Comedy Club [https://filmsandfestivals.britishcouncil.org/projects/palestine-comedy-club] documentary https://filmsandfestivals.britishcouncil.org/projects/palestine-comedy-club [https://filmsandfestivals.britishcouncil.org/projects/palestine-comedy-club] Starting Feb 27th: London - Rich Mix and Bertha Doc House  Tywyn - Magic Lantern Cinema  Birmingham - Mockingbird Cinema  Brighton - Komedia  Gloucester - Guildhall  Belfast - Queen’s Film Theatre CREDITS Donald Trump - BBC Online ‘Palestine Comedy Club’ - Tough Crowd Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media. Get in touch - contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk [PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk] 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://twitter.com/podsavetheuk] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Grok AI Scandal: should we treat Big Tech like Big Tobacco? w/ Rutger Bregman

X has been firmly in the firing line after its Grok AI tool was used to create sexualised images of women and children. Elon Musk’s company could face a fine of up to 10% of its global earnings by internet regulator Ofcom, or a ban in the UK. He denies that the AI has done anything illegal and says users are responsible for the images they create. How can we regulate AI? Nish and Coco speak to Rutger Bregman, historian and author who called out billionaires at Davos. He argues Big Tech should be treated like Big Tobacco, and gives his take on Iran, as thousands of protestors take to the streets, and what a radical policy platform looks like for the UK Left today. Plus - what on earth is UKIP proposing as a terrifying rebrand?  *Update on Palestinian Hunger Strikers*: On 14th Jan Heba, Kamran, and Lewie collectively paused their hunger strike. They made British history, lasting 73 days. CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS  SHOPIFY Shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk [http://shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk] BABBEL https://www.babbel.com/PSUK [https://www.babbel.com/PSUK]  GUESTS  Rutger Bregman - Historian and Author of Moral Ambition, out in paper back on 15th Jan USEFUL LINKS https://www.moralambition.org/book [https://www.moralambition.org/book] [https://www.moralambition.org/book] Let us know your experiences of SEND support in schools - or any other stories. CREDITS Liz Kendall MP, Technology Secretary - Parliament TV Rutger Bregman - Publicae    Rutger Bregman and Tucker Carlson - Now This Tehran protests - Shaparak Khorsandi/Instagram Donald Trump - New York Times Laila Cunningham - Daily Express/YouTube Nadim Zahawi - Sky News Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media. Contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk [PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk] 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://twitter.com/podsavetheuk] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Trump’s explosive start to 2026 - will Starmer find a backbone?

The US President put the season of goodwill behind him with a New Year Venezuelan coup and the threat of further action across Central America and the Caribbean. Then there’s the little matter of his promise to seize control of Greenland. Nish and Coco try to make sense of the senseless - and to assess the possibility that Donald Trump could end up destroying NATO - with Tommy Vietor from our sister podcasts Pod Save America and Pod Save the World.  Plus, comedian Cody Dahler gives us his take on how 2026 will shape up for politicians and satirists. How easy is it to make jokes while the world - literally and metaphorically - is on fire?  CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS  WISE https://wise.com/ [http://wise.com] BABBEL https://www.babbel.com/PSUK  [http://babbel.com/PSUK] GUESTS  Cody Dahler, Comedian and Presenter of The Truth (In My Opinion) Tommy Vietor, Co-Host of Pod Save America and Pod Save the World Nida Jafri USEFUL LINKS Palestine Action Hunger Strikers: How to write to your MP [https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-an-mp-or-lord/contact-your-mp/]  https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-an-mp-or-lord/contact-your-mp/ [https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-an-mp-or-lord/contact-your-mp/] Petition calling for action from the Justice Secretary [https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/call-on-mp-and-secretary-of-justice-david-lammy-to-intervene-and-protect-the-hunger-strikers/] https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/call-on-mp-and-secretary-of-justice-david-lammy-to-intervene-and-protect-the-hunger-strikers/ [https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/call-on-mp-and-secretary-of-justice-david-lammy-to-intervene-and-protect-the-hunger-strikers/] CREDITS Parliament TV Cody Dahler/TikTok Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg/BBC One Tonight with Andrew Marr/LBC Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media. Contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk [PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk] Like and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK [https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK] Insta: 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]Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk [https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Why does the Left make it so f***** hard? Question Time - PSUK-style

You asked, Nish and Coco answered! What are their most conservative opinions? Why do both the left and right hate NATO so much? Should we ditch GDP? Why doesn’t the UK have compulsory voting and why do some many progressives stay true to Labour when the party is failing to measure up? All that plus the latest on Coco’s love-hate relationship with AI and a quickfire round to make sure no question is left unanswered. CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS  BABBEL Babbel.com/PSUK [https://www.babbel.com/PSUK]  SHOPIFY Shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk [http://shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk] CALM Calm.com/PTSUK [https://www.calm.com/c/pstuk?slug=pstuk&coupon=pstuk_podcast_q42025¬_subscribed_banner_string=Welcome%20Pod%20Save%20the%20UK%20listeners%21%20Enjoy%20this%20exclusive%20discount%20from%20Calm.&subscribed_banner_string=Welcome%20Pod%20Save%20the%20UK%20listeners%21&utm_medium=podcast&campaignSlug=PSTUK&yearly_coupon=pstuk_podcast_q42025&vanity_url=%2Fpstuk] Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media. Contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk [PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk] Support PSUK! Don’t forget to like and subscribe. Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK [https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk [https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk] Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk [https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk] BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com [https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com] Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk [https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk] Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk [https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]