Pod Save the UK

As Ben Rhodes says on this week’s episode, “we’re in a revolutionary moment globally”. Joining Nish and Coco from sister show Pod Save the World, Ben shares (and despairs) about the state of UK and US politics, and tells us what we can take from the Democrats’ disaster of 2024. Isn’t it time that progressives got their own populist?Plus, we hear about Ben’s new book, ‘All We Say’, tracing American history through some of its most famous–and infamous–speeches. We talk to him about the similarities between Britain and America both losing their way when it comes to national identity, and how our leaders need to tell it like it is. We can handle the truth! Also on the show, New Statesman Editor Tom McTague dissects Starmer’s swan song, his last minute decision not to challenge Burnham for leadership, and sets out why it all went wrong for a man who won a landslide victory less than two years ago. USEFUL LINKSGrab a copy of Ben’s new book, All We Say: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/470622/all-we-say-by-rhodes-ben/9781847928887 Ailbhe Rea’s recent piece in the New Statesman: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/labour/2026/06/what-happens-now Tom McTague’s interview with Keir Starmer: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2025/06/what-keir-starmer-cant-say GUESTS Ben Rhodes Tom McTague CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS SAILY: https://www.saily.com/podsave HRF Power Plays: Search Power Plays wherever you get your podcasts.VANTA: https://www.vanta.com/PSTUKWISE: https://www.wise.comBT: Search ‘Why BT’ to find out more.Pod Save the UK is an Intelligence Squared production for Crooked Media.Get in touch - contact us via email: podsavetheuk@crooked.com we’d love to hear from you as we plan to do a mailbag episode soon: end any questions, thoughts, or musings our way!Like and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK Instagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk X: https://x.com/podsavetheuk

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s cabinet circles the wagons as he survives another hellish week in office. One that saw the loss of his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, and his director of communications, Tim Allan, as the scandal over Peter Mandelson's ties to sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein rages on. Nish and Coco are joined by Paul Holden, the “unofficial biographer” of Morgan McSweeney, to discuss his key role in the rise of Keir Starmer to power and his close relationship with Mandelson. Plus - reports that Labour Together hired a PR firm to investigate Paul and others looking into its funding under McSweeney.Also, comedian Stuart Goldsmith on the serious business of being funny about climate change and why it goes all the way to the top of British intelligence.CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS AURA FRAMEShttps://www.auraframes.com Code: PSTUKWISEhttps://www.wise.comGUESTS Paul Holden, Investigative Journalist and author of The FraudStuart Goldsmith, Climate ComedianUSEFUL LINKSThe Fraud: Keir Starmer, Morgan McSweeney, and the Crisis of British Democracyhttps://orbooks.com/catalog/the-fraud/Stuart Goldsmithwww.stuartgoldsmith.comCREDITSSky News / YouTubeSky News / YouTubeGOP Oversight / YouTubeSky News Australia / YouTubePod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.Get in touch - contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukLike and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUKInstagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.comFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheukX: https://x.com/podsavetheuk

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 SHOPIFYhttps://www.shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk GUESTS Zoë Grünewald, journalist, broadcaster and political commentatorDr Carrie Grant MBE, TV presenter and voice coachRachel Filmer, SEND campaignerUSEFUL LINKSSave Our Children’s Rights Campaignhttps://www.saveourchildrensrights.org.uk/Stop Palantir in the NHShttps://goodlawproject.org/campaign/stop-palantir-in-the-nhsCREDITSKeir Starmer / TikTokPod Save America / XGood Law Project / InstagramSky News / YouTubeUKLabour / XPod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.Get in touch - contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukLike and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUKInstagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.comFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheukX: https://x.com/podsavetheuk

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 SHOPIFYShopify.co.uk/podsavetheukBABBELhttps://www.babbel.com/PSUK GUESTS Rutger Bregman - Historian and Author of Moral Ambition, out in paper back on 15th JanUSEFUL LINKShttps://www.moralambition.org/bookLet us know your experiences of SEND support in schools - or any other stories.CREDITSLiz Kendall MP, Technology Secretary - Parliament TVRutger Bregman - Publicae Rutger Bregman and Tucker Carlson - Now ThisTehran protests - Shaparak Khorsandi/InstagramDonald Trump - New York TimesLaila Cunningham - Daily Express/YouTubeNadim Zahawi - Sky NewsPod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.Contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukLike and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUKInstagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.comFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheukX: https://x.com/podsavetheuk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 BABBELBabbel.com/PSUK SHOPIFYShopify.co.uk/podsavetheukCALMCalm.com/PTSUKPod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.Contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukSupport PSUK! Don’t forget to like and subscribe.Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUKTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukInsta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheukFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices