Pod Save the UK

2025 in British politics: from Starmer’s flop-flops to AI slop

Warning: this episode contains a use of a racial slur. From the rollback of human rights and Trump’s BBC lawsuit to AI slop in politics - what the %@£! was that? Nish and Coco are joined by comedian Shappi Khorsandi and political commentator Jovan Owusu-Nepaul to make sense of the wild year that was.  Labour’s first full year in office was marked by u-turns and an inability to use the word ‘genocide’ but there were some significant new bills that boosted the rights of renters and employees.  Reform’s polling and local election success had mainstream parties running scared - but the reality of actually running stuff may have revealed the party’s limits. While Starmer focused on the threat from the right, the left was revitalised by the resurgence of the Greens and the (albeit chaotic) energy of Your Party - can they shift the political dial? As 2025 draws to a close - Nish and Coco hand out some very special awards and can we get a Palestinian lullaby to Christmas No.1? CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS  AURA FRAMES https://www.auraframes.com [https://www.auraframes.com] Code: PSUK 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] SHOPIFY Shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk [http://shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk] GUESTS  Shappi Khorsandi, Comedian Jovan Owusu-Nepaul, Co-Host of What’s Left?  USEFUL LINKS https://togetherforpalestine.bandcamp.com/album/lullaby [https://togetherforpalestine.bandcamp.com/album/lullaby] CREDITS Labour Party/TikTok  Parliament TV Sky News/YouTube   Channel 4 News/YouTube  Channel 4 News/YouTube  BladeoftheSun/X  Shaparak Khorsandi/TikTok The Last Leg/Channel 4 Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg/BBC Basil the Great/X Sky News/YouTube 5 Live/BBC Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media. Contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk [PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk] BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com [https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com] Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk [https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk] Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk [https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk [https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk] Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk [https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk]Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK [https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Trump blasts Europe and Sadiq Khan - but will his strong man act backfire?

Donald Trump has taken another swipe at Europe’s “weak” leaders over Ukraine and immigration including a special mention for - surprise surprise - Sadiq Khan, who got a shout out for being a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”. Honestly, why is he SO obsessed?!  But a Labour government trying to convince European allies to water down human rights law to deport people faster seems perfectly in line with Trump's vision. Nish and Coco are joined by Sky’s Deputy Political Editor Sam Coates. They also take a dive into the latest allegation swirling around Reform UK - this time the party’s election spending in Nigel Farage’s Clacton constituency is under the spotlight. And the scale of the homelessness crisis always seems more acute at this time of year - so the Minister for Local Government and Homelessness, Alison McGovern, joins PSUK to explain how their new plan will be the one to finally make a difference. Finally - PSUK has watched the first episode of the Liz Truss Show, so you don’t have to. Nish and Coco give it a rating out of one to limp lettuce. CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS  BABBEL https://www.babbel.com/PSUK [https://www.babbel.com/PSUK]  AURA FRAMES https://www.auraframes.com [https://www.auraframes.com] Code: PSUK SHOPIFY Shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk [http://shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk] GUESTS  Sam Coates, Deputy Political Editor at Sky News Alison McGovern MP, Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness USEFUL LINKS:  Nish’s Carol Performance [https://sohotheatre.com/events/comedians-do-carols/]  CREDITS Politico  The Liz Truss Show / YouTube Keir Starmer MP / TikTok Rishi Sunak MP / TikTok Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media. Contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk [PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk] BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com [https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com] Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk [https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk] Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk [https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk [https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk] Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk [https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk]Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK [https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Will cutting juries fix our maggot-ridden courts?

“Dead and rotting seagulls within the roof insulation” and “maggots literally raining down on to the lobby” - this quote from a court in South Tyneside sums up the state of our creaking judicial system. So what are we going to do about it? Cut jury trials. Deputy PM and Justice Secretary David Lammy is hoping to clear the court backlog by scrapping jury trials for crimes with sentences of less than three years - but stories like these make Nish and Coco doubtful it will be the silver bullet Lammy hopes. Is removing one of the fundamental building blocks of our justice system worth some sweet sweet efficiency gains?  Then - is this the next post office scandal? Nish and Coco are joined by Liz Sayce OBE to discuss her damning report into how the Department of Work and Pensions failed to notify unpaid carers that they were accruing enormous debt for years.  And Your Party had its founding conference this weekend… and surprise surprise… it was a spicy one. In the end, Team Zarah’s collective vision for the party defeated Team Jeremy. Will this be a new chapter or - for a party prone to in-fighting - will this leadership model trip them up from the get go? Reminder to send in your questions for our mailbag special to psuk@reducedlistening.co.uk CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS  AURA FRAMES https://www.auraframes.com [https://www.auraframes.com] Code: PSUK BABBEL https://www.babbel.com/PSUK [https://www.babbel.com/PSUK]  WISE https://www.wise.com [https://www.wise.com] GUESTS  Liz Sayce, OBE CREDITS BBC News Turn Left Media The Mirror  Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media. Contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk [PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk] BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com [https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com] Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk [https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk] Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk [https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk [https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk] Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk [https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk]Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK [https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Reeves’s make-or-break budget: should the rich have paid more?

Coco and Nish listened to Rachel Reeves' budget so you don't have to. But hang on, we could all have skipped the speech and read it online. Someone screwed up big time, pressing a button and releasing the budget before Reeves even stood up. That cock up was possibly the most exciting thing about Labour's second budget.  A bit vanilla for you? Too much tax for ordinary workers? Too little for the wealthy? Journalist Zoë Grünewald tells Pod Save The UK why this budget might have done enough to pacify the Labour backbenches by lifting the two child benefit cap while soothing the markets with tax and spend plans... Dr Faiza Shaheen, Director of Tax Justice UK, was hoping for bolder action on wealth taxes, but she spots some reasons to be cheerful in the mix.  In other news, Nigel Farage gets rattled by questions about his past. Nish and Coco enjoy the novelty of seeing him squirm but wonder if it will harm his electoral chances. And bring a bottle and bury the hatchets, can 'Your Party' make this weekend their kiss and make up moment? Send in your questions for Nish and Coco and they’ll answer them in our mailbag special. Email us at psuk@reducedlistening.co.uk CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS  SHOPIFY  https://www.shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk [https://www.shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk]  CALM  https://www.calm.com/PSTUK [https://www.calm.com/PSTUK]  AURA FRAMES  https://www.auraframes.com [https://www.auraframes.com] Code: PSUK GUESTS  Zoë Grünewald, Journalist  Faiza Shaheen, Director of Tax Justice UK USEFUL LINKS  https://www.yourparty.uk/founding-documents/ [https://www.yourparty.uk/founding-documents/]  Aditya Chakrabortty Guardian article https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/20/wealth-tax-left-super-rich-britain-budget-2025 [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/20/wealth-tax-left-super-rich-britain-budget-2025] CREDITS House of Commons Live Sky News The New Statesman  Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media. Contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk [PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk] BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com [https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com] Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk [https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk] Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk [https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk [https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk] Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk [https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk] Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK [https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Mahmood’s Moral Mission: Copy Reform’s homework

Warning: this episode contains strong language and a term of racist abuse.  Just when we thought the disasters of the government couldn’t get any worse… New Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has made it her “moral mission” to raise Nish and Coco’s blood pressure. Cruel new plans to end the permanent status of refugees and curb housing and support for asylum seekers do perhaps justify the government’s slogan of the biggest overhaul of the system “in modern history” - but at what cost? But - not to be outdone in terms of parties completely out of touch with reality - Your Party’s latest act of in-fighting leaves Nish and Coco with palms glued to their faces. Let’s face it - things have never been anything but fractious within the upstart political movement, but as their conference approaches the wind has never seemed further from their sails.  And ahead of the budget next week Chancellor Rachel Reeves is entertaining big cuts to the Warm Homes Plan in efforts to bring down energy bills. Nish and Coco chat to Robert Palmer, Deputy Director of environmental organisation Uplift, about why this quick fix is wrong-headed and short sighted.  CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS  AURA FRAMES https://www.auraframes.com [https://www.auraframes.com] Code: PSUK CALM https://www.calm.com/PSTUK [https://www.calm.com/PSTUK]  GUESTS  Robert Palmer, Deputy Director of Uplift USEFUL LINKS  Claims of racism and antisemitism in Nigel Farage’s adolescence  https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2025/nov/18/deeply-shocking-nigel-farage-faces-fresh-claims-of-racism-and-antisemitism-at-school [https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2025/nov/18/deeply-shocking-nigel-farage-faces-fresh-claims-of-racism-and-antisemitism-at-school] CREDITS Shabana Mahmood / X Reform UK Parliament TV  Ed Miliband / IG Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media. Contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk [PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk] BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com [https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com] Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk [https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk] Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk [https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk [https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk] Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk [https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk]Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK [https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]