Iain Dale - The Whole Show

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch joins Iain Dale for Call Kemi, taking questions from LBC listeners.Joining Iain on Cross Question are the business lobbyist Ros Morgan, MPs Callum Anderson from Labour and Tom Morrison from the Liberal Democrats, plus the non-affiliated peer Baroness Kate Hoey.

Is the warning that the courts backlog won't be fixed for 10 years a sign that the government lacks ambition?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question are the former Conservative Cabinet minister Dame Penny Mordaunt, Labour MP Preet Kaur Gill, TheArticle editor Daniel Johnson, plus the PoliticsHome reporter Tom Scotson.

With net migration tumbling, is making it even harder for economic migrants to come here sensible?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question are the Conservative Shadow Cabinet minister Mims Davies, Labour MP Polly Billington, The Times' leader writer Sebastian Payne, plus the Oasis Community Learning's founder the Reverend Steve Chalke.

Reaction to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest, plus should Britain assist any US strikes on Iran?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question are the New Statesman's senior associate editor Rachel Cunliffe, London Assembly members Keith Prince from Reform UK and Caroline Russell from the Green Party, plus the political commentator Nathaniel Ogunniyi.

Green Party leader Zack Polanski joins Iain Dale live in the LBC studio, to take calls from our listeners.Meanwhile, joining Iain on Cross Question are Labour activist and former Gogglebox star Josh Tapper, former UK ambassador to the US and the EU Lord Kim Darroch, former Conservative MP Anna Firth, plus the political commentator Anita Boateng.

What do you make of Reform UK's top team?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are former Tory education secretary Gillian Keegan, Reform UK's Ben Bradley, political commentator Yasmin Alibhai-Brown and Lib Dem MP Luke Taylor.

Will the reversal of the cancellation of local elections be Starmer's final U-turn?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question are the Daily Telegraph political news editor Kirsty Buchanan, Labour local councillor Sebastian Salek, the Conservatives' deputy leader on the London Assembly Emma Best, plus the journalist and author Rachel Shabi.

Should the BBC continue its legal fight with Donald Trump?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question are Labour MP Calvin Bailey, former Conservative minister Paul Scully, former Corbyn adviser Andrew Fisher, plus the author and broadcaster Emma Woolf.

Is the PM rattled?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are Labour MP Florence Eshalomi, Reform UK London mayoral candidate Laila Cunningham and former Tory minister Tim Loughton.

Ask Aggie: where do Keir Starmer and Labour go next? LBC's Deputy Political Editor Aggie Chambré takes listeners' calls and answers their questions.Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question are former Northern Ireland First Minister Baroness Arlene Foster, Labour MP Tan Dhesi, security commentator and Reform UK councillor Dr Alan Mendoza, plus the political journalist and podcaster Anne McElvoy.

Has the Cabinet done the right thing in keeping Keir Starmer in place?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question are the campaigner and former Love Island contestant Sharon Gaffka, MPs Catherine Atkinson from Labour and Bradley Thomas from the Conservatives, plus LBC presenter James Hanson.

Do you accept Starmer's apology for appointing Mandelson?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question are former Labour minister Caroline Flint, Advance UK leader Ben Habib, the Daily Telegraph columnist Ella Whelan, plus the POLITICO journalist Bethany Dawson.

Can Starmer survive the Mandelson saga? How damaging has the Epstein scandal been for the wider institution of the monarchy, beyond just Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question are MPs Mike Reader from Labour and Sir Ashley Fox from the Conservatives, the human rights barrister Dr Charlotte Proudman, plus the commentator and former Tory adviser Lauren McEvatt.

What does the Mandelson and Epstein saga say about Starmer's judgement?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question are MPs Gordon McKee from Labour, Sarah Pochin from Reform UK and Josh Babarinde from the Liberal Democrats, plus the Financial Times political journalist Lucy Fisher.

Whose responsibility is it to get Peter Mandelson out of Parliament for good?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question are The Guardian columnist Sir Simon Jenkins, PoliticsJOE correspondent Laura Beveridge, plus MPs Catherine McKinnell from Labour and Lincoln Jopp from the Conservatives.

Are claims that businesses such as Turkish barber shops are involved in organised crime racist?Joining Iain Dale on a US affairs-focused edition of Cross Question are Senator Bernie Sanders' brother Larry Sanders, Republicans Overseas spokesperson Jennifer Ewing, Democrats Abroad campaigner Jamie Klingler, plus the broadcaster Tom Rivers.

Would you support Trump in launching military action against Iran?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question are the former Conservative Cabinet minister Lord Eric Pickles, Big Brother Watch director Silkie Carlo, plus the former Labour adviser Paul Richards and former Conservative adviser James Starkie.

If not former Army barracks, where should asylum seekers be housed?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question are MPs Natalie Fleet from Labour and Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst from the Conservatives, disability rights campaigner and multiple times Paralympic champion Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, plus political strategist Jo Tanner.

Are the departures of the likes of Jenrick and Braverman a blow or a benefit for the Conservatives?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question are Conservative MP and former Cabinet minister Sir Andrew Mitchell, journalist and broadcaster Paul Mason, Labour MP Rachel Blake, plus the 'Heretics' podcast host Andrew Gold.

Do you support the government's decision to opt out of Trump's new Board of Peace?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question are the columnist Emily Sheffield, former Conservative minister Steve Baker, plus two members of the House of Lords: Mary Bousted from Labour and Natalie Bennett from the Green Party.

Is it time to stop taking Trump's threats so seriously?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question are Labour MP Rachael Maskell, Conservative Shadow Cabinet minister Victoria Atkins, long-time Jeremy Corbyn adviser James Schneider, plus the Daily Telegraph columnist Tim Stanley.

Should this country now emulate Trump and have a more 'UK First' foreign policy?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question are the Conservatives' Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith, Green Party London Assembly member Zoë Garbett, entrepreneur and author Richard Farleigh, and the anti-racism activist Imarn Ayton.

Is it time to rip up the so-called 'special relationship'?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question are MPs Jeevun Sander from Labour and Layla Moran from the Liberal Democrats, Conservative peer Lord Kulveer Ranger, plus the commentator Emily Hewertson.

Has Robert Jenrick defected to Reform UK out of principle or only to benefit his own political career?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question are former Conservative Chief Whip Lord Simon Hart, Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Munira Wilson, former Tory Health Minister Steve Brine, plus political commentator Jonathan Lis.

Why did West Midlands Police kowtow to Islamists over Maccabi Tel Aviv's match in Birmingham?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question are the Labour MP Stella Creasy, former Conservative Cabinet minister Sir Brandon Lewis, the Daily Telegraph columnist Annabel Denham, plus the comedian and broadcaster Dom Joly.

If you were an Iranian and in Iran, what action would you be taking?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question are the Justice Minister Jake Richards from Labour, Conservative peer and former Cabinet minister Lord Mark Harper, the University and College Union's General Secretary Jo Grady, and the Daily Telegraph's Poppy Coburn.

Would a military intervention from Trump help or hinder the Iranian protesters' cause?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question are the Conservative Shadow Cabinet minister Andrew Bowie, Labour MP Helena Dollimore, barrister and broadcaster Hashi Mohamed, and the Institute of Economic Affairs think-tank's Reem Ibrahim.

How should Britain respond to Russia's threat to attack our troops if they're sent to Ukraine?On the first Thursday edition of Cross Question, Iain hosts an LBC presenters' special, joined by Lewis Goodall, Shelagh Fogarty, Rachel Johnson, and Ali Miraj.

Is Trump an ally we can depend on?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are Labour MP and former foreign affairs minister Catherine West, campaigner and member of the Stop Trump Coalition Zoe Gardner, foreign correspondent and former Cameron adviser Ian Birrell and Ulster Unionist Party MP Robin Swann.

Is the response to Trump's Greenland threats from European leaders strong enough?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question are the Conservative Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Alex Burghart, Labour MP Luke Charters, The Spectator's Lara Brown, plus the journalist and broadcaster Christina Patterson.

Is the UK's muted response to the American military action in Venezuela acceptable?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question - which is now on air Mondays to Thursdays - are MPs Alex Ballinger from Labour and George Freeman from the Conservatives, broadcaster and former SNP MP John Nicolson, plus The Times columnist Cindy Yu.

Donald Trump has threatened to intervene and come to the "rescue" of Iranians killed by the regime following protests on the country's streets: "We are locked and loaded and ready to go".Why should the civil unrest in Iran matter to us?British universities are increasingly offering lifelong careers support as older alumni seek help to change jobs. Have you had a career change later on in life?The Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson says that a decline in literacy could be a threat to national security. The National Literacy Trust are heralding 2026 and the Year of Reading - how has reading enriched your life?Plus - why did the FTSE perform so strongly in 2025?

The European court of human rights has questioned the UK government over its decision to remove Shamima Begum's British citizenship.The Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has pledged to "robustly defend" the previous Conservative administration's decision to do so - but isn't Shamima Begum our country's responsibility? M&S has launched a range of "nutrient dense" foods designed for people on weight loss jabs - what's your experience of these medicines? A former Veganuary cheerleader is now running a meat-eating campaign - is veganism on the wane?

Protests have erupted across Iran following the regime's stark economic crisis in what has become the biggest outbreak of civil unrest since Mahsa Amini's death in police custody in 2022.We speak to Iranians living in the UK to hear about what it's like to live there, and we'll ask: should the West avoid getting involved in any prospective regime change?We go to Sydney to hear about how Australians are welcoming in the new year and ask whether our relationship with this celebration has changed. Plus we're joined by LBC's Simon Marks, Nick Abbot and Shelagh Fogarty to hear their predictions about what's to come in 2026.

Actor Idris Elba and Lionesses manager Serena Weigman lead the New Year Honours - but where did this tradition come from, and do you think the people in receipt of these gongs generally deserve them?The head of the Unite union - Labour's biggest donor - says the Prime Minister is toast and has warned his would-be successor not to make the same mistakes he has. Is she right? But what about party leaders Kemi Badenoch and Sir Ed Davey? Will they still be in their jobs at the end of 2026?A third of us say you have to be born in Britain to be truly British. What is "Britishness"?

Opposition parties are calling for a British-Egyptian dissident to be stripped of his citizenship following the emergence of tweets against British people where he also called for the killing of zionists. We're joined by Emily Thornberry who says citizenship cannot be taken away "willy-nilly". President Trump says "Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed". Does this statement encapsulate the anxiety that Ukraine will not be able to secure a "just peace"? Erin Doherty, the actress who plays a young Princess Anne in The Crown says she gets served quicker when she puts on a posh accent. In what way have you been judged for your accent?

Ukraine claims full control of Kupyansk on Christmas Day, dealing a symbolic blow to Vladimir Putin, with investigative journalist John Sweeney analysing what it means for the war. We also bring the latest on US strikes against IS targets in Nigeria and wider global defence implications with expert insight from Helen Hoddinott and Robert Fox. Plus, Dr Ellie Cannon joins us to talk weird phobias, why we get them, and how to overcome them.

A Christmas Day special exploring what the season really means, from faith and the nativity to commercialisation, family pressures, and changing traditions. Featuring emotional and thoughtful calls from listeners of different backgrounds, live performances, childhood memories, and festive reflections that capture Christmas.

What does your traditional Christmas diet look like? Do you go heavy on chocolates, or is turkey the highlight of your holiday season? Are there any wacky meals you bring out in December that would raise a few eyebrows?

Are you working through Christmas?

Should we all learn another language?

Call Kemi: Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch takes your callsJoining Iain Dale on Cross Question are Conservative Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Andrew Rosindell, Liberal Democrat Shadow Attorney General Ben Maguire, historian and broadcaster Dr Tessa Dunlop and the social entrepreneur Samuel Kasumu.