Judges block Rwanda plan, plus who broke Britain with James O’Brien

Explicit content warning

11/16/23 • 56 min

6 Listeners

A frantic week in UK politics, that started with the sacking of Suella Braverman and the shock return of David Cameron, took another huge twist as the Supreme Court ruled that the Government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda was unlawful. Rishi Sunak however came out fighting, announcing an emergency bill to keep the policy alive.

Plenty then for Nish and Coco to get their teeth stuck into with guest, LBC presenter and “conscience of liberal Britain” James O’Brien. His book ‘How they broke Britain’ features a cast of nefarious characters, including Cameron himself - how suitable is he for the role of Foreign Secretary? Also in the firing line is the right-wing media and Paul Dacre in particular, while we also learn about the less well-known shadowy cabal of conservative think tanks and the tactics they employ to influence public opinion. But is Jeremy Corbyn worthy of a place on James’ shit list?

Plus why Nish and James are ‘disaster capitalists’, Nish makes a shock news hat admission, and we have a bumper heroes and villains, as James weighs in with his selections. Find out what ITV has done to upset Nish, and why Coco puts James to shame by nominating 44,000 heroes!

Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.

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Guest:

James O’Brien, LBC radio presenter, and author of ‘How they broke Britain’

Audio credits:

ITV Breakfast/Edinburgh TV Festival

ITV Studios/@NigelFarage

parliamentlive.tv

Talk TV

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.

WhatsApp: 07514 644 572 (UK) or + 44 7514 644 572

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:

James O’Brien, LBC radio presenter, and author of ‘How they broke Britain’

Audio credits:

ITV Breakfast/Edinburgh TV Festival

ITV Studios/@NigelFarage

parliamentlive.tv

Talk TV

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Previous Episode

Bye bye Braverman, hello Cameron

1 Recommendations

Nish and Coco jump on for an emergency bonus episode to reflect on a day of high political drama. Rishi Sunak reshuffles his top team, with the axe finally falling on his controversial Home Secretary Suella Braverman. That was followed by an even bigger shock...the appointment of former Prime Minister David Cameron as Foreign Secretary.

Nish and Coco reflect on Cameron’s questionable legacy since leaving politics, and wonder what it means that he’s been appointed to the House of Lords in order to be given the job - can it be right that MP’s won’t have the chance to question him in the Commons?

Also, beyond the headline moves, Nish wonders what it tells us that we now have our 16th Housing Minister since 2010. Whilst a reshuffle might be exciting for politics watchers, what are the consequences for the rest of us, of ministers being switched between jobs at such an alarming rate?

Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.

WhatsApp: 07514 644 572 (UK) or + 44 7514 644 572

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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Next Episode

The Tories’ back-handed budgeting

1 Recommendations

This week the attention of British political journalists was firmly fixed on Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, who unveiled big tax cuts in his much-anticipated Autumn Statement on Wednesday. The Conservative government’s cuts to National Insurance will put a few more pounds into UK payslips starting January– but at what cost? The Guardian’s Kiran Stacey joins Nish and Coco to explain what these cuts mean for public services (spoiler alert: it’s not good), and to explain why these proposals look like the work of a Chancellor who doesn’t plan to be in office much longer.

While the Tories plot out a strategy for the next election– and its aftermath– the millions of people using food banks have other concerns. Helen Barnard, Director of Policy, Research & Impact at the Trussell Trust explains what the Autumn Statement means for people struggling with food insecurity and homelessness, and why tax cuts typically benefit the wealthiest members of society, not the poorest. She also lays out what kinds of structural changes could help end poverty.

Planned changes to the disability benefits program give Nish a villain for the week, while Coco celebrates the heroic campaigners of Stop MSG Sphere whose activism successfully halted plans to build a bulbous, pulsating light-polluting orb-shaped music venue in Stratford, East London.

Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.

WhatsApp: 07514 644 572 (UK) or + 44 7514 644 572

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:

Helen Barnard, Director of Policy, Research & Impact at the Trussell Trust

Kiran Stacey, Political Correspondent, The Guardian

Audio credits:

UK Covid-19 Inquiry