PoliticsJOE Podcast

Jeevun Sandher is a Labour MP and economist, and swung by the studio to speak to us about the economy, Labour and Keir Starmer's woes, and how to turn around the government's fortunes.For Sandher, affordability is key. He breaks down key issues he saw on the doorstep from 2015 until today, and how both real and imagined threats have mobilised the country around a far-right alternative in Reform UK. He explains how a drop in living standards has led to Brits up and down the land turning away from parties like Labour and turning towards Farage and his politics of blame and division.The MP explains how the Labour Party need to re-employ a politics of hope, and plan to change the economic situation of millions of Brits up and down the land, if they are to have any chance of beating the right at the next election.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ava and Andy sit down to break down Keir Starmer's first PMQs back from recess as his own MPs circle and call for him to resign. Will he make it to another PMQs session?Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ava and Andy take to the PolJOE sofa to unpack last week's chaos, from Wes Streeting's sustained meddling to Mayor Burnham's prospects in the upcoming Makerfield by-election.Watch Ava's Your Party explainer: https://youtu.be/5WnxZFg_J9USubscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Norman Finkelstein is the foremost scholar on the politics of Palestine and Israel since the foundation of the Israeli state.He took time out of his busy schedule to speak to us about the deepening crisis in free speech across the globe that has stemmed from public opposition to Western complicity in the genocide in Gaza.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ava Santina and Andy Twelves sit down to answer your questions about a potential Labour leadership contest after a crazy week in British politics. Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ava reports from Westminster as the attempted coup against Keir Starmer rages on. Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn, as well as Labour MPs Brian Leishman and Ian Lavery, react in real time to the unfolding crisis.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ava and Seán make their way through the Labour runners and riders in a potential leadership election, as Keir Starmer battles to cling on to power while MPs implore him to resign.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Clive Lewis came by the PoliticsJOE studio this week to break down the runners and riders in a potential leadership challenge against Keir Starmer. After a disastrous showing in the local elections, questions over Keir Starmer's leadership of his party - and the country - have only intensified. Particularly from within his own ranks, the Prime Minister has been battling against backbenchers eager to share their fury with the running of the party. Clive Lewis has long been a critic of Keir Starmer, calling last year for Andy Burnham to take his Norwich seat in order to contest a leadership election. Today he joins Ava to break down where his party goes from here.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kneecap joined PoliticsJOE, fresh off the back of having a terrorism case, against member Mo Chara, thrown out of the British Court. It's also the premise of their new album, which they discussed with our very own Irishman-in-residence Seán Hickey. If you somehow missed the trail of the UK and Ireland's most controversial musicians, here's the TLDR. Kneecap were involved in a UK court case because member Mo Chara, real name, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was accused of displaying a Hezbollah flag during a concert in London in November 2024.UK prosecutors said this could amount to an offence under the UK Terrorism Act because Hezbollah is a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK. Prosecutors also alleged slogans supporting Hezbollah and Hamas were shouted during the performance.The case was initially thrown out because prosecutors failed to get the Attorney General's approval within the legal six-month time limit required to bring the charge. The Crown Prosecution Service later appealed, trying to reinstate the case.In March 2026, the High Court rejected that appeal, meaning Mo Chara didn't face trial. The judges said the prosecution had been started unlawfully due to the procedural error, not because the court ruled on whether the alleged conduct itself was legal or illegal.Kneecap argued the prosecution was politically motivated and linked to their outspoken support for Palestine. A media carnival, if you will. Hey, that's the name of one of the songs on their new album. Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Laura and Seán take to the studio to piece together the winners and losers of the 2026 local elections, as Labour's catastrophic run of form sees no sign of letting up.Reform were the big winners with a landslide in councils across the country, with the Greens eating away at Starmer's left flank with notable wins in Hackney and Edinburgh.In Wales, Labour's First Minister FAILED to gain reelection as the parties woes fell deeper into the abyss. Can Keir Starmer survive?Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump's war with Iran has led many to a rethink of the global economy. With his presidency already weakening relations between Britain and the US and uniting European nations, events like the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz raise further questions about our dependency on the global oil markets, as well as fossil fuels altogether.Edward Fitzpatrick of ConFlow Power Group joins Ava to imagine what greener, smarter, genuinely resilient infrastructure could look like in Britain and beyond, and peels back the curtain on the AI powering it.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James Meadway is an economist and Green Party candidate for Tower Hamlets council in tomorrow's local elections.He joined us in studio to talk about the campaign, his journey from being a member of Jeremy Corbyn's inner circle in his years of leadership of Labour to running for the Greens, and the need for the government to work in the interests of the people rather than to kow tow to big business.The candidates running in Bromley North are:Hirra Khan Adeogun - Green PartyJohn Bullard - Reform UKHamim Chowdhury - Labour PartySimon Nicholas Herbert - Liberal DemocratsSamia Hersi - Conservative and Unionist PartyMohammed Ilyas - AspireDavid Andre Lurie - Liberal DemocratsAbdul Mannan - AspireJames George Edward Meadway - Green PartyAbdul Mumin - Tower Hamlets IndependentsSheikh Mohammed Nashar - Tower Hamlets IndependentsShaheda Rowshonara Rahman - Labour PartyAlex Reeves - Conservative and Unionist PartyLauren Riley - Trade Unionist and Socialist CoalitionSubscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's gloves off between Reform and the Greens, with Zia Yusuf vowing that, if elected, Reform will prioritise putting migrant detention centres in constituencies that vote for Zack Polanski. Also, Seán, Laura, and Andy wade into the controversy surrounding Polanski after he shared a tweet critical of the police's use of force in detaining a suspect in the Golders Green attack.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of the PoliticsJOE Podcast, Alliance MP Sorcha Eastwood joins the team for a candid and unfiltered conversation about the realities of representing her constituents—and why she believes Keir Starmer isn't delivering for people like them.Sorcha pulls no punches as she explains her frustrations with decisions coming from Westminster, arguing that too many ordinary voters are being left behind. She reflects on the growing disconnect between political leadership and everyday life, and why she feels her constituents deserve far better.The conversation also turns to the culture inside Parliament itself. Sorcha shares her exhaustion with what she describes as “gentlemen's club” politics—an outdated, exclusionary environment that still shapes how decisions are made and who gets heard. She discusses the barriers this creates, particularly for women and those outside the traditional political mould, and why meaningful change has been so slow.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Columnist Stella Tsantekidou and Turn Left Media's Curtis Daly were feuding on Twitter earlier this week.In response to our Hannah Spencer interview, Stella wrote: "Yeah no, sorry, MPs are often cooped up in Parliament for 15 hours a day, they will have a drink with journalists or colleagues and will still be discussing politics -their job".Curtis replied: "I'm absolutely ok with MPs not drinking on the job, its not a human right."Today, on the PolJOE sofa, with Ava as mediator, the two have it out.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ava, Seán, and Laura bear witness to what could be Keir Starmer's last PMQs as Prime Minister. Hear a man on the brink attempt to defend his record and talk up his achievements before the May elections.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Earlier today Morgan McSweeney, formerly Keir Starmer's Chief of Staff, appeared before the Foreign Affairs Committee; thrust out from the shadows and into the spotlight to explain his role in the appointment of Peter Mandelson to Washington.Laura, and later Ava, is joined by special guests Banseka Kayembe of Naked Politics and Curtis Daly of Turn Left Media.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andy, Seán, and Ava wade into the discourse inferno set alight by yesterday's interview with Green MP Hannah Spencer, with one question in particular emerging: does Westminster have a drinking problem? Also, a look ahead to Morgan McSweeney's appearance before the Foreign Affairs Select Committee tomorrow.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Independent's Political Editor David Maddox came by the JOE studios to break down his story revealing the depth and breadth of the Peter Mandelson vetting fiasco.Andy and David break down who knew what when, the consequences for the Prime Minister, and what it says about the credibility of his offering to the British people in 2024 of a government of honest operators working in the best interests of the nation.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After bombshells were dropped in sacked civil servant Olly Robbins' Select Committee appearance yesterday, Kemi Badenoch has kept up pressure on the Prime Minister as the Mandelson scandal grows. Laura and Andy react to the clash at the despatch box, and unpack what the ensuing discourse will mean for Starmer's hopes of staying in post.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The recently sacked Olly Robbins was called before the Foreign Affairs Select Committee this morning where he outlined what he knew and when during the appointment of Peter Mandelson to Washington. Ava and Andy spell out what his answers mean for the Prime Minister and his chances of hanging on.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The latest Peter Mandelson revelations are still looming large over the Prime Minister despite the sacking of Olly Robins, and Starmer maintains that he wasn't told until Tuesday that Mandelson wasn't granted the highest level of clearance. Ava, Seán, and Andy unpack the discourse.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stephen Kapos is an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor, and joins us to speak about his activism, his opposition to Israel's systemic destruction of Gaza and the West Bank, and how the memory of the Holocaust is being abused by Israel and the far-right.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PoliticsJOE is joined by the UK's former permanent representative to Nato, Sir Adam Thomson, and former Navy Commander Kevin Rowlands to discuss the state of the UK's Armed Forces. Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Keir Starmer was back at the despatch box after the Easter break facing questions over Lord Robertson's defence review, warning the government's complacency has left the UK in a perilous situation.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ava is joined once again by friend of PoliticsJOE Sam Bright to break down the latest news from the continent, after Hungary's quasi dictator Viktor Orbán was toppled in a landslide on Sunday night.Péter Magyar absolutely hammered Orbán's Fidesz party on Sunday night, ending 16 years of rule by Viktor Orbán.Sam breaks down the victory for Magyar and what the opposition leader stands for. He also delves into the consequences for right-wing movements across Europe, as Orbán's close alignment with the Trump regime was tipped as a key reason for his downfall.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andy and Seán take to the poljoe dungeon to recap the Sunday shows, where America's most prominent right-wing pundit went on the BBC, and ended up coming across competent, in no small part due to the government's Palestine Action ban.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ava spoke to the Green Party candidate for Hackney Mayor Zoë Garbett at the Green Party's local election launch in Stoke Newington. Zoë outlines the Greens' plans to revolutionise Britain's housing system, to be a fair and affordable system for all.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seán is joined by friend of the podcast Scott Lucas to make sense of the relative peace that has fallen in Tehran after the striking of a ceasefire deal on Tuesday.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we dive into the political storm surrounding Karl Turner, who was suspended after publicly criticising Keir Starmer. What does this moment reveal about party discipline, free speech within politics, and the current direction of the Labour Party?We sit down to unpack Turner's perspective, the context behind his comments, and the reaction from party leadership. Is this a case of necessary unity, or does it raise deeper concerns about dissent being silenced?Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seán, Andy, and Ava return from the long weekend to unpack Kanye West's controversial headlining of the now-cancelled Wireless Festival and its resultant discourse. Also, the 6% cap on student loans and the latest in Trump.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a national four-day weekend Seán and Ava return to open up the debate and answer some of your burning questions.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matthew Cole is an academic and author specialising in labour and technology, and swung by the studio to talk about his book Unpaid: The Past, Present and Future of Wage Theft.During the conversation, he breaks down the myriad ways in which employers undercut their workforce, how to stop it, and what a balanced, egalitarian labour market of the future looks like.Preorder Unpaid here: https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/3206-unpaidSubscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are once again joined by friend of the podcast Richie Jones to chew through the latest IPSOS polling in collaboration with JOE Media Group. Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We caught up with Brian Eno at DiEM last week to chat about inequality, taxes, and the urgent need to rebalance the global system to save ordinary people from extinction.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Political economist Grace Blakeley caught up with Ava at DiEM's Resistance Is Existence: The Fight For Our Future event last week to chat about joining the Green Party, Iran, and decoupling Britain from the United States.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andy joins Seán to debrief his televised clash with Matt Goodwin last Friday over his accusations that the Gorton and Denton by-election loser used AI to research his book.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ava sits down with the co-authors of Muskism, Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff, to dive deep on the world's richest man.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liam Byrne is a Labour MP and the chair of the Commons Business and Trade Committee. He came by the studio to speak to Ava about his new book, Why Populists are Winning. In a wide ranging conversation, Liam and Ava break down Labour's victories and losses in the last 18 months, how operators on the left and right have capitalised on the actions of the government, and how the government come back from a slew of bad results at the polls.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ava caught economist Yanis Varoufakis before his conversation with Zack Polanski, Jeremy Corbyn, and Grace Blakeley at DiEM25. She talks to him about Keir Starmer, Iran, Donald Trump, and the weakness of European leaders.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Laura, Seán and Andy react to today's bout at the despatch box, as well as questions from MPs and Nigel Farage's storm out.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Daniel Levy is an expert in Israeli geopolitics and the President of the U.S./Middle East Project.He spoke to us about the unfolding situation in Iran and how Benjamin Netanyahu continues to drag an unsuspecting Donald Trump deeper into an unwinnable war.Subscribe to Daniel's Substack: https://substack.com/@daniellevy2Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andy's been looking into Gorton and Denton by-election loser Matthew Goodwin's new book over the weekend, and has some hefty claims about its author. He tells Ava about his discoveries.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paul Holden is an investigative journalist and author of The Fraud: Keir Starmer, Morgan McSweeney, and the crisis of British Democracy.He came by the PoliticsJOE studio to chat to us about his book, which has become essential reading for anyone trying to make sense of the chaos surrounding Keir Starmer's time in charge of the country.He sits down with Ava to speak about the slow drip of news stories that have in one way or another began in his investigations, what will bring the downfall of Keir Starmer's regime, and the players within the operation that tried to end his career.Buy The Fraud here: https://orbooks.com/catalog/the-fraud/Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kate Dearden is the Employment Rights Minister, and she sat down with Ava to break down the government's new plan to crack down on employers failing to pay their workers fairly.This comes after the Department for Business and Trade published the names of hundreds of companies that have failed to pay their employees minimum wage, amounting to £7 million in lost wages.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Laura sits down with Lena Swedlow of Compass to uncover the flaws of Britain's electoral system, as well as imagining what a future without it could look like.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Laura and Seán are back to react to another fiery PMQs. Despite mentions of Iran and the Mandelson files, today's real headline comes from outside the Commons: Angela Rayner's speech at a Momentum event last night which loomed large over today's session.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week, Netflix dropped Louis Theroux's exploration of the manosphere. But, some watchers of the patriarchal online world were left unimpressed. James Bloodworth, who embedded himself in the manosphere for his book Lost Boys, was "underwhelmed". He tells PoliticsJOE why. In his documentary, Theroux meets several prominent manosphere figures, including HSTikkyTokky and Jay Waller, who argue that modern society disadvantages men and that women hold too much power in relationships. Mixing self-help advice, fitness and financial motivation with messages that critics say are misogynistic or manipulative, Theroux questions their beliefs, challenges their claims about masculinity and dating, and explores how their upbringings may have led them to their views on gender. Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another Monday, and the US-Israeli war with Iran continues. Ava, Seán, and Andy debate Keir Starmer's position, who's idea it really was, and how tenable it will continue to be as energy prices are likely to rise. They also touch on the Greens' Hannah Spencer.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thomas Bourne has been a Palestine activist for around a decade. His prominence in the movement has seen him face online abuse in the past. Last month the line between his personal life and his activism was broken.After Thomas confronted Matt Lucas in an underground station, the online world went into overdrive. Prominent figures were calling out his actions, and newspapers delved into his personal life to an extent he'd never experienced.It reached a peak when Thomas lost his job as a result of the attention put on him by some of Britain's biggest right-wing papers.Thomas came by the studio to walk us through the events of the day that changed his life.Thomas's identity has been protected at his request.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Following the Humble Address that forced the government to publish internal material surrounding Peter Mandelson's appointment and dismissal as UK ambassador to the United States, the first tranche of files has dropped and Ava and Laura are here to break them down.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.