Podcasts about Greater Manchester

Sacha Lord: Warehouse Project, Losing a Customer, and Why He Took the Government to CourtHe turned up to the Hacienda in his dad's suit and got turned away at the door. Thirty-five years later, Sacha Lord has built and sold the biggest club night and metropolitan festival in the UK, become Greater Manchester's night-time economy advisor, and taken the government to the High Court, and won.In this episode, I talk to Sacha's whole journey: from flogging faulty leather jackets on a market stall as a teenager, to running Sankeys during Manchester's gang years, to the night a customer lost his life at Warehouse Project and the decision that followed, to speak out publicly rather than issue a two-line statement. We get into the COVID years, when Sacha took Matt Hancock to court over the 10pm curfew and "substantial meal" rule, and won both. And we talk about what it's really like watching a friend become Prime Minister: the pride, the pressure, and the abuse his family have taken along the way.It's a conversation about building something from nothing, knowing when to sell, and why he thinks Manchester is having a moment it'll still be talking about in twenty years.Big thanks to our sponsor, We Are The Allies.

 After a three-week summer break, Lesley Riddoch and Fraser Thompson return to dissect Scotland's political landscape. From Anas Sarwar's sudden elevation to the House of Lords to Nicola Sturgeon taking public lumps out of John Swinney in the paperback edition of her book and in interviews, the pair unpack the internal friction, leadership manoeuvring, and communication breakdowns across Scottish politics.Meanwhile, as Europe and the Cairngorms burn amidst record heat, the hosts examine the stark realities of climate change, food inflation, and the ongoing tug-of-war over North Sea oil licences. Add in lessons on local democracy from Sweden, Icelandic EU ambitions, and a trip to the Killin Highland Games, and this return episode covers the full political and cultural spectrum.In this episode, we discuss:Anas Sarwar's Peerage & The Scottish Labour Leadership: We unpack Anas Sarwar taking a seat in the House of Lords and stepping into a UK trade role, leaving Scottish Labour in a lurch. Lesley and Fraser critique the party's defensive media spin and analyse the upcoming leadership race—looking at why candidates like Monica Lennon and Michael Marra face structural hurdles while South Lanarkshire Council leader Joe Fagan emerges as the party machinery's favoured pick.Nicola Sturgeon vs. John Swinney: Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon re-emerges at the Edinburgh Book Festival to criticise John Swinney's campaign and vision. Fraser compares her interventions to Margaret Thatcher's post-power backseat driving, while Lesley highlights insider reactions—including Liz Lloyd's sharp observation that while the party respected Nicola, members love John Swinney.Rosebank, European Wildfires & Climate Economics: With wildfires raging from Southern Europe to Nethy Bridge in the Cairngorms, we look at the climate crisis hitting home. We examine First Minister John Swinney's hesitation over North Sea licences like Rosebank and Jackdaw, BP's scale-back in the North Sea, and expert warnings that 40% of recent food inflation is directly linked to climate-driven agricultural disruption.Iceland's EU Referendum & International Borders: We look at Iceland's upcoming referendum on restarting EU accession negotiations, analysing how the bloc courts a nation of 355,000—and what potential fishing opt-outs mean for Scotland's constitutional future. Plus, we look at the pragmatic border deal reached in Gibraltar.Manchester Apathy vs. Swedish Democracy: Following the Greater Manchester mayoral by-election, we discuss winner Bev Craig and the dismal 25% voter turnout. Lesley contrasts Britain's top-down regional mayor model with Sweden's hyper-local democracy, where 290 municipal councils collect basic income tax and command 90% voter turnouts.Coigach Filming & Highland Games Catch-Up: Fraser recounts his time at the Commonwealth Games, while Lesley shares updates on her documentary filming in Coigach and Strathnaver, commemorating the 1852 clearance protests at the newly opened An Lòrg stone circle.Links & Mentioned Events:Bute Highland Games: Saturday, 22nd August in Rothesay. https://butehighlandgames.org/  ★ Support this podcast ★

Chatting With Deborah Kelly – Founder at StudioDMK LtdIn this episode of Smart Cherrys Thoughts, we chat with Deborah Kelly, Founder of StudioDMK Ltd, bringing together perspectives from Greater Manchester and London, England.Deborah shares her entrepreneurial experience, insights into building and growing a business, and the ideas that have shaped her professional journey. We explore her approach to creativity, leadership, business development, and the challenges and opportunities that come with running a company.Join us for an engaging conversation with Deborah Kelly as we explore her work, experiences, and perspective on entrepreneurship and business.Guest: Deborah KellyFounder: StudioDMK LtdLocation: Greater Manchester & London, England, United KingdomSmart Cherrys Thoughts — Exploring Minds Through Conversations.

How can content marketing in a tight niche build the audience that launches your book? And how do you decide whether to hand your self-published bestseller to a traditional publisher. Suzanne Smith shares what she learned in four years of going from blog to book deal. In the intro, how to stand out as a writer in the age of AI [Nathan Barry Show; Interview with Nathan Barry]; thoughts on asset maintenance; Goodreads giveaway on Bones of the Deep (Aug 5-20, 2026) This episode is sponsored by Publisher Rocket, which will help you get your book in front of more Amazon readers so you can spend less time marketing and more time writing. I use Publisher Rocket for researching book titles, categories, and keywords — for new books and for updating my backlist. Check it out at www.PublisherRocket.com This show is also supported by my Patrons. Join my Community at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn Suzanne Smith is the founder of The Independent Landlord, and the bestselling author of The Good Landlord Handbook. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. Show Notes How a free blog in a tight niche built the audience for the book Rewriting the book from scratch when the law changed Why speed made self-publishing the only option Building a paid membership after one audience member asked for it Negotiating a Penguin Random House deal with no agent Using AI as a business sidekick, with a control room and an engine room You can find Suzanne at TheIndependentLandlord.com. Transcript of the interview with Suzanne Smith Jo: Suzanne Smith is the founder of The Independent Landlord, and the bestselling author of The Good Landlord Handbook. So welcome to the show, Suzanne. Suzanne: Thank you. Jo: Oh, there's so much to talk about today. But first up— Tell us a bit more about you and your background, and how you got into property and writing after a legal career. Suzanne: Well, I've always loved reading books. In fact, I recently did a French literature degree as a mature student. Being an author was never in the game plan at all. It's not something that I even thought about. I was brought up in New Zealand, so shout out to all the Kiwis and those across the pond in Australia. The thing about it is, Jo, you've lived there yourself. Kiwis are independent, self-reliant and have this great sense of fair play. So that was a very formative experience for me. We moved back to England when I was 16, and I have become thoroughly anglicised since then, but a Kiwi at heart. I always wanted to become a lawyer. New Zealand in some ways on television is quite American, and there was this American programme called The Paper Chase. It was about all of these students at Harvard studying law, and the professor said, “You come here with a skull full of mush and you leave thinking like a lawyer.” I thought, “Oh, I like the sound of that.” I didn't really know what a lawyer was, but everyone seemed to be very happy that I wanted to become one, and then that was it. Jo: So you went into law, and then how did you get into property? Suzanne: So I worked for 25 years as a solicitor. That's like an attorney if you're American. Started off in a law firm, and then I went into pharmaceuticals and I worked for big companies like what is now GSK, GlaxoSmithKline, and small companies as well. When I started out, it was before the internet, before Google. When you're in house, you're very much a generalist. You do a bit of everything. So you help companies grow their business. You're not business prevention, but you're still bound by the code of conduct for solicitors. You've got this role of keeping the company on the right side of the law. Then I had twins, who were born about five years after I became a lawyer, and I decided to work part-time for a while and did an MBA when they were little, part-time through the Open University. I know Jonathan is doing one at the moment. Jo: Yes. He's finished, so that's exciting. Suzanne: That was transformational for me, because I had probably been thinking a bit too much as a lawyer, and it helped me to broaden my view of the world and understand all sorts of things. Sso I continued going up the greasy pole, and then for my last job, in 2015, I joined a biotech company in Cambridge, England, as general counsel and company secretary. It was a long way from home, about two, three hours' drive from home. So I decided to buy a flat, an apartment, and to stay there in the week. I thought to myself, “Well, when I leave this company, I can let it out as a buy-to-let,” but actually as a landlord. So I stayed there for five years, and then when I left, I let out the property. The reason why I decided to leave law after 25 years, I had what I call a sliding doors moment, like in the film. I was 50. I was on holiday with my husband, and we'd probably had one too many rum cocktails. And he said to me, “Well, what do you want to be doing with your life? What would you do if you could do anything?” I was thinking, “Well, I've done law. I want to do something else now.” I didn't really know what that was, and I'd always been thinking about studying French properly, and that's when I left. So I decided, 18 months later, I left to do a French degree at King's College London, full-time. I was the only old person there with lots of 18-year-olds. When I did that, I was able to cash in my share options because I was a good leaver. I retired, and so I started buying properties to let out and became a landlord, without really thinking too much about it, and I used letting agents. They were fine to begin with, but I didn't really have a game plan or anything like that. What I realised is that when I tried to research things online, I couldn't really find anything that was terribly helpful. It was either quite general or it was very legal. So after a while… I became a landlord in 2019. I had the idea, why don't I set up a blog? And this is August 2022, so just four years ago. My husband came up with the idea of the name, The Independent Landlord, because it's that Kiwi spirit, being very independent. I thought, “Right, I'm not going to charge anyone for it. It's a hobby. It's not a business. I'm going to pay it forward and help, use my legal training, practical legal approach, and practical common sense, by doing this blog.” Almost exactly four years ago, I sent my first newsletter to 13 people. Jo: Woo-hoo. Suzanne: And I sent one last week to over 18,000. So it's been quite a journey. Jo: Wow, this is so great. I love this. There's so much in there. The turning 50 and then doing a degree. My master's in death is a little different to your French literature, but I like it. So I love this, and buying properties, starting it on the side, not a business at first, and growing the audience, and obviously you've put so much work in. Then you decide to write a book. So talk about that, because an online blog, although I'm sure your articles and everything were super useful, it's very different to write a blog than a book. So talk about your challenges in writing. Why did you decide to do a book in the first place? Suzanne: Again, I was an accidental landlord, is what they call it when you let a property when you didn't intend to buy it as a buy-to-let, which I did with my Cambridge flat. And I became, in many respects, an accidental author. So I was having a conversation with my husband again and I was saying I'd done this lead magnet to get people to sign up to my newsletter, and a big new law was going through Parliament at the time, called the Renters Reform Bill, that was going to completely transform the way landlords operate. I was saying to my husband, “Oh, I need to update my lead magnet, a little ebook, to explain the new law.” He looked at me and said, “Well, why don't you do a proper book? Write a book.” This was on the 29th of September, 2023. The reason why I mention that is that I thought, “Wow, what a great idea,” and my head was bursting. I went onto Google, and guess what I downloaded on the 1st of October? Jo: My blueprint? Suzanne: Exactly. I found you immediately, the Author Blueprint, and I downloaded it. I checked: on the 1st of October, 2023. Then I listened to almost… well, I think I went back several years on your podcast, just trying to understand. I'm like that. When I try and do something, I just try and learn everything that there is to know about it. So I started writing the book, and I guess the first challenge was I write quickly, and I'm used to writing for people who aren't lawyers, being in-house. So I thought I needed to have a structure. The structure was easy in many respects because, a bit of business at the end, and then you can go through a tenancy. I thought it was important to have a narrative thread all the way through it, just to bring it together. This is the literature degree coming in here. I thought that the mission for everything I do, the reason why I started doing this, is to help landlords, but also to help the experience of renting that people have in England. It's very specific for English law. And to help improve the private rented sector. So that's why I originally set up my blog for free, and I wanted, when people went onto Google, they could find something sensible and very detailed from me. My blog posts were… Well, I've now got over 400,000 words on my blog, so it's a substantial piece of work that is out there free of charge. So what I decided to do was to bring this narrative thread, I call it the good landlord ethos, to the book. Then I wrote very quickly, and I had a pretty good draft by April 2024, because we were all thinking that the law was going to change very soon. But then there was an election, and in the end the government changed and the legislation changed completely, so I had to rewrite the book and start again. So I think that my biggest challenge was that my subject matter, the new law, changed. Because I wanted to publish this book that explained to people practically what they have to do, and make it really straightforward, keeping out of politics, because it is a very politically charged area. I wanted to write it so it's a manual, somebody could literally follow it. So I used an editor, and I did write the book twice. I had a beta reader who is another lawyer, and a landlord as well. Then I got to the get-the-damn-thing-done stage. The really tedious bit of all the typos at the end. Jo: Yes, the finishing energy to get it out there. So at that point, obviously you'd found my blueprint, so you were learning about the indie way of doing things. Did you always decide to self-publish? How did you think about publishing? What were your challenges in publishing? Suzanne: It never occurred to me not to self-publish, because the new law came into effect on the 1st of May, 2026. The law and the details that I needed for the book were finalised in January, and I published on Amazon on the 5th of March, so I had to go so quickly. Even though I'd got a lot of it written, the last bit came in January, and so I needed speed. I knew that for landlords to be able to have something that they can use straightaway to help get them ready for it, and then use as a manual afterwards, I had to be first. Jo: Sorry, just on the year. Was it '24? You said '26. You meant May— Suzanne: 2024? No, no, because I actually published it this year. What happened in 2024, I had the first draft ready, but then I had to do another draft because the law changed when the Labour government came in. Jo: Right. Suzanne: The Renters Reform Bill turned into the Renters' Rights Bill. So I had to rewrite the book. So I finished however many drafts at the end of January 2026. Then it went to an editor, et cetera, et cetera, and I managed to get the book ready for a proof, to get the proof printed, towards the end of February. So it was really quick to go from the law being sufficiently finalised for me to write a book in January, and then having it ready in just over a month. There is no way that I could have done that if I'd gone to a traditional publisher. It didn't even occur to me to go, because I didn't want to be going touting around my book and, “Please publish me,” et cetera. It's just not me. I'm the independent landlord, and that moved very easily to being the independent publisher. So I learnt how to do all the publishing. And a huge thanks: I joined your Patreon and I was a very good student. I went through everything systematically and followed your playbook, and used Vellum and BookFunnel and all the other tools. So I decided to go on Amazon as well as have my own Shopify store, which just about killed me. Jo: I was going to say, you are an excellent student. You really like learning, but you also put this into practice, which is why I also wanted to talk to you. You haven't just talked about all this. You've literally done everything. Suzanne: Sometimes it was like my head was going to burst. Luckily, Claude upped his game earlier this year when we got the Opus 4.5. I didn't use AI really until this year. I decided I need to do exercise all the time, and have that as a have-to-do, because my head was spinning all the time with all these different things. So I would go to the gym, go to a spin class, and then I would walk out with my phone on, with the Claude app, and dictate a stream of consciousness into it. “Oh, I need to do this, or what about that? Oh, I just remembered about this. Oh, I've had this idea, blah.” And then said, “Make sense of it for me, Claude.” So it was very much as a thinking partner, because when you're writing your first book, it's bad enough, but when you're learning how to publish… Even, like, when I got the first proof of the book back from BookVault, I realised that all the footnotes—I have 114 footnotes in my book, and that, again, is the recent degree there—and the formatting had gone skew-whiff. Apparently it was an issue with Vellum, and they were really lovely and they sorted it straight out for me. So it shows: always get a proof of the book. They were able to sort that out very quickly, and BookVault were very quick in getting me another proof, because you can shortcut it and just pay to get a very quick delivery. Amazon, on the other hand, was really slow. It took a week. So I actually published earlier on my Shopify store for my members, of my membership, and I gave them a discount. Then I finally got it onto Amazon on the 5th of March. There are all these different skills you're having to learn. The Shopify store I found very hard, and there was all the tax, because I'm VAT registered. So I think I'm still recovering. Jo: You're still recovering. I wouldn't normally recommend a Shopify store for someone with their first book, doing first of everything. But, as you say, you're someone who learns a lot, puts it into practice, and— I think you were pretty determined to do that because you had a community as well, right? Suzanne: Exactly, yes. The big subscriber list. I think that's why the book did so well. So in the first week, because I met you at the Indie Author Lab put on by— Jo: Yes, London Book Fair, yes. Suzanne: Yes, the Alliance of Independent Authors. I met you there, and it was just my first week, and I had 1,000 sales in the first week. That was because of my audience. I'd been going on about the fact that I'm writing this book for two and a half years, because that's how long it took me to do. So I had a wait list for it, and I had a thing on my website, a landing page on my website, saying how good the book was and why it's the best thing for the Renters' Rights Act. Then I went onto Google, and I think I sent you a screenshot of this at the time. I put into Google, “What's the best book for the Renters' Rights Act for landlords in England?” And it came up with me as a featured snippet, and I hadn't even published it at that time. It was just about there. So the blog really helped, because I'd become an authority on the Renters' Rights Act. Even though I'm not a practising solicitor any more, I spent all my time reading the damn thing, and it is a very complicated bit of legislation. Funnily enough, I have ruffled a lot of feathers. People have even said about me behind my back, “What does she know? She's only got four properties.” But I just took no notice. I thought, “I'm going to try and use my legal brain and my understanding of what it's like being a landlord, there with the rubber gloves cleaning an oven when people have moved out, and try and write something that's not trying to sell anything else, and to help people.” And then it got picked up. Jo: Yes. Wait, let's just slow down. Slow down, because we will get onto that in a minute. But let's just come back to that launch. So as we talked about, you've had a blog for five years— Suzanne: It was three and a half by then. Jo: Three and a half years you've been blogging, but hundreds of thousands of words of useful information. So you've essentially done content marketing. You've attracted people. You had a lead magnet. You got them on your email list. You told them that you were writing a book. You got a sort of pre-sales list up. So that's an email list. You've got a blog. Did you do anything else in terms of marketing? Suzanne: I had YouTube, a big YouTube channel. I'd only set it up at the end of 2024, and I'd had half a million views. And again, just very straightforward advice, and without all the scaremongering and politics. I deliberately keep out of it all. A lot of people joined my newsletter as a result of that. Also a year ago, exactly today, I was running a Facebook group, which was a lot of hard work. There were a few thousand people in it, but there are often a lot of people going in there trying to sell things: insurance, eviction specialists and things. And there was also a lot of people just being unpleasant to other people. I was getting fed up with it. It was taking me a lot of time, and I was doing a lot of speaking events and trying to explain what this new law was doing, and wearing myself out. I'm an extrovert, but even I find speaking events absolutely exhausting, because it's like everything gets sucked out of you. It's strange. Then somebody came up to me in July last year and said, “Suzanne, can you set up a membership?” I said, “Well, landlords aren't going to pay for that.” And they said, “Yes, they will. You build it and they will come.” I asked ChatGPT and thought about it. I asked ChatGPT, who I was dating at the time, now exclusively with Claude, but I know Claude has other people in his life. But I'm very much set with Claude Fable at the moment. So I asked ChatGPT, how can I go about setting up a membership? And I mentioned your one and said, “Should I do it on Patreon?” And then he came back with: go for Circle. So I set up a membership on Circle, exactly a year ago. In fact, it's the anniversary of my first member yesterday. hTe rules I had were, no selling. So I don't sell, no affiliate links, no one else can sell anything, and we have to be supportive. No negativity, no politics. So what it's become, it's like the senior common room of the private rented sector, with landlords, lawyers, letting agents. There's a fantastic forum in there. It's not me doing it, it's peer-to-peer. I have twice-monthly live streams where people can ask me questions. I wonder where I got that from. No, I very much modelled it on your Patreon, but on a different platform. I have courses in there as well. So that has really grown. I launched it in July, and by September, October, I'd gone past the VAT threshold, which has complicated everything, but it means my business now is this membership. I really enjoy doing it, and there hasn't been all the negativity that you have in a Facebook group. So I had them as… talk about your thousand fans. There are about 1,500 in the membership, and their support really helped the launch of my book, as well as the wider people who get my free newsletter. Jo: Yes. Suzanne: So it's all different types of content marketing. Jo: Y, but I do love this. And of course, if people are wondering, I joined Patreon back in 2014, I think it might have even been before that, and there weren't too many places back then to run communities. It wasn't even really a community at the time, it was a sort of, almost a “give me a bit of support for the podcast.” So things have changed a lot in terms of communities, and obviously you went with Circle, which is great. Patreon is slightly different now, and some people are using Substack for something similar. So that's just on the platform, but on the business: early on in our conversation you said, “I wasn't going to have a business. It wasn't a business. It was just putting stuff out there, helping other people,” and then your audience asked for this membership. And so now it is a business, right? Suzanne: Yes, it is. Jo: And you've got a book and all of this. So are you happy with the change to a business? Because obviously you have to treat it quite differently. Suzanne: Yes, I am, because I think to begin with, I was just doing it one or two days a week. I was actually studying a master's in French literature part-time, and I then found that I was enjoying the blog more than the master's, so I dumped the master's after the first year. But after getting 88% for one of my dissertations, which interestingly was on the translation of a Simone de Beauvoir book into English, and the publisher who's got that now is Random House, but that's another thing. Anyway, so I decided to give up my master's and double down and work full-time on the blog. People were paying to help me with all the big fees and things, the big tech stack, Buy Me a Coffee. I was doing a little bit of consulting and things. I was working six, seven days a week. I was treating it like a business in terms of quality and my effort, but it wasn't a business in terms of revenue. Then it just all came together, and this person said, “Set up a membership,” and I thought, “That's what I'm going to do. I'm now going to put it on a business setting.” I've got an MBA, I know how to do it, and people thought I planned it, but I didn't. It just happened. So now I do very much treat it as a business, but I still don't advertise. I don't allow people to advertise with me, because I want to be independent. If I recommend something, I want people to believe it's me recommending it, not just because someone's paying me, which can be a big issue in the landlord area. Jo: Oh, in any industry. I get pitched every day with loads of random things that people are like, “Oh, a dollar a click or whatever, if you send this to your list.” And it's like, seriously? Just stop it already. I did just want to add there: somebody asked you, they said, “You should have a community,” and that sparked that idea. I just wanted to acknowledge that my Patreon came from Jim Kukral. Some of you will remember, who've been around a long time. Jim Kukral came on my blog around sort of 2013. Amanda Palmer had just put out a book called The Art of Asking, and I was doing a lot of unpaid work on the podcast at the time, and I was either going to give it up or I had to fund it somehow. Jim said, “You should do a Patreon.” And I was like, “Oh, no, I hate asking for money.” So at the time I just felt, oh, weird. Then I was like, “No, I do all this work,” as you were saying. Now the Patreon has changed so much in terms of what it is, but it is the backbone of my business, too. So I love that you listened to one of your fans who said what they wanted, and I love that I've listened as well. Sometimes we just have to listen to those urges, don't we, to take things on? Suzanne: Yes, absolutely. In some ways I didn't really back myself before. I thought, “No one's going to pay for this.” Then the more you give, the more they want. Jo: Yes. Suzanne: What I've been really working on now is having boundaries, because there were two big kind of mottos that I picked up when I was working in pharmaceuticals. One was from a head of the business. He was Canadian, and he was always saying, “You've got to skate to where the puck is heading.” Jo: That's Wayne Gretzky, is it? Suzanne: Exactly. Yes. He would always say it, and so that's what I've done with my blog and my book. When I write things, I don't pay for any tools. I don't do keyword searches and all that. I just think, I do one blog post per topic, and I'm going to guess what people are going to be searching for soon, and I build up all this content around it. That's why most of my blog pages are top five. I've had no advertising. I haven't asked for any backlinks. I don't do it. People backlink to it because it's useful. So that was the first thing, is skate to where the puck is heading, and that was my approach with the book. I knew people would need this book from around May, and they'll need it forever, because it is so complicated and regulated, the rules for being a landlord in England. So that was the first one. The second thing was: when you take something on, you've got to let something go. One in, one out. I found that I was taking on so many different things, and I've just been cutting back, because I can't be doing all the speaking, I can't be answering people's emails. So I now don't do emails. If people want my advice on something, they ask me in the hub, at the twice-monthly live streams. Sometimes I answer in the forums, but I don't have time. When there are 2.4 million landlords in the UK, and even with our 18,000 on my newsletter, I could spend, and I did, I used to spend all my time replying to emails. So anyway, there are the things. Oh, and there was a third one, which is: attract, don't chase. One of my friends gave me that advice and that's exactly what my approach has been. I just don't chase for anything. I just put the stuff there and then build it and they will come. Jo: Yes, and I think another thing is the power of the niche. It's so clear that what you write about, the people you are aiming at, you have an extremely tight target market. That is both a strength and obviously a weakness, because they're the only people. But as you say, there's more than enough of those people for a community, for the book you have. From my own perspective, that's the same for me, the power of the niche. That's how I have a successful podcast, for example, because of that reason. I think you're like a poster child of what a non-fiction author should do. What I like is that you didn't go, “Oh, where's a niche where I could make money?” and then jump in. You've gone about this in a kind of slightly accidental way, but now you're leaning in and this uses all your skills. So this really is a great example of the power of the niche and then making the most of it. But let's move on to what then happened, and— What happened with the book deal? Suzanne: Wow. So you and I met each other on whatever day that was in March at the Indie Author Lab, and the following day I got an email, via my website on a contact form, from Penguin Random House saying, “We love the book. We love the mission, its values,” all this kind of thing. And I was thinking, “Oh, it's another one of those. Must be an—” Jo: AI spam bot, right? Suzanne: Yes, and I remember I sent you a screenshot of it, and then I checked her out on LinkedIn and thought, “Okay, there is somebody with that name there.” You're always saying, and Orna Ross and everyone are always saying, “Watch out for scams.” And in fact, Penguin Random House even this weekend on Instagram put out something saying, “There are lots of people impersonating us.” So I didn't take it too seriously, and it was something like, “Oh, would you be interested in us publishing your book?” And I thought, and I laughed. It was like, no, this is too good to be true. So I replied and said… Oh, I said, “Well, thank you so much. The Renters' Rights Act…” And so this is like the second week in March. “The Renters' Rights Act comes into effect on the 1st of May. If you want to publish it, you're going to need to get your skates on.” I literally did say that. Then she arranged a meeting with me the next day, on the Friday. I still was very dubious about it, and I had a think about it. What helped me, and I have the little booklet here: at the Author Lab, we did some work at the beginning, and Orna said, “Put your phones away.” And it was like, “What? Put my phone away?” Then we had to do this definition of success, and our passion, and our mission, and our purpose. I wrote down things like, I want to help landlords, and in so doing, help improve the private rented sector. I get pleasure from helping people. I want to improve standards and use my legal and practical skills, et cetera. So I thought, “Okay, what is my purpose of doing this book?” It isn't really to make money, because going with Penguin, you wouldn't do that for financial reasons, because you'd make very little money. So I thought, what is my why? My why is I want as many people to read this book as possible. And I've managed to sell a few thousand copies, but there are 2.4 million landlords, and they all need to understand this book, and the only way that I can get it out there, apart from doing ads, is to get it out in bookstores. So I thought about it, and then said, “Yes, I will do it, because I want to get the book out there.” So it's distribution. It's going to be published on the 6th of August, which is really quick, bearing in mind they contacted me in the middle of March. It's exactly the same book, it's just got different copyright wording and different blurb, different paper. Same cover, because I managed to find a fantastic cover person to do it. So they've kept everything the same. So we negotiated that book. I have no agent. They came to me. It's the attract, don't chase. I just put my lawyer hat on, and because one licence is very much like another one… I did turn down their first offer. Jo: Well done. Good negotiation. Suzanne: My daughter said to me, who's an adult daughter, she said, “But it's Penguin.” And I said, “Well, no, but it doesn't work for me.” So I had a call with them, and then they came up with something that worked for me a bit more. I did have to concede on a few things, like I can't sell it in my Shopify store. But in some ways, that was a blessing in disguise, because it means I don't get any more “Where's my book?” emails. Jo: Yes, exactly. Pros and cons of everything, basically. Suzanne: I have very clear rights to get it back. If I want it back, I can get it back and I don't have to give a reason. They're lovely. They have been really very wonderful. When I went up there a month or so ago, they gave me this book bag, and it's got on it, “I'm published by Penguin,” and I burst into tears. Jo: Aw. That's nice. Suzanne: I don't know, it just seemed like such a big deal. Because up until then I was just being all very lawyerly and task-orientated. Then I thought, “Oh my goodness,” and then it dawned on me. So I'm now in this interim period where I've taken it off Amazon and off my Shopify store, and I feel very maternalistic towards the book because, you know, it took me two and a half years, which is longer than a pregnancy. Obviously it's not a child, but it's like my book child. I've sent it off with a backpack and a drink and some snacks, and I hope that they look after him, my book. The day I took it off Amazon it was still number one. And a big shout-out to Publisher Rocket, by the way. Jo: Yes. Very, very useful for niche publishing. Suzanne: Very. It helped me choose the right niche categories. So it was number one on at least one category, often six, all the way through. I thought, “Well, it's over to them now.” They're very lovely people. They've given me some marketing assets, as they call it, some swanky graphics and things to use. We'll have to see what we do in terms of marketing. I don't mind doing marketing. I'm on LinkedIn quite a bit, and my whole blog is marketing. What I've been doing is updating my blog to include one of these graphics and to mention the book, and I got Claude to help me draft the code so it looked right. So I've been going through all of my blog posts and sending people to Amazon rather than to my Shopify store. It is mixed feelings, because I care about my book. I put a lot of effort, a lot of love, a lot of tears. No, not tears, but I put a lot of effort into it, and it's out of my control now. Jo: Yes, you said it's over to them, but obviously you will still be creating content around this topic, so you'll probably still be the biggest driver of book sales. Suzanne: Yes. Jo: Are they also suggesting, for example, a podcast tour, like pitching for podcasts? Are they going to assign you some PR? Because, also if people don't know, as we are recording this, we have a new prime minister who wants to do various things. You said no politics, but this is obviously a political thing. So you have the potential to go on a lot of different podcasts, media, talking about this, becoming almost a talking head in this kind of area. So are you angling for all that, and is that in your contract, or is it literally just going to be whatever you want to do? Suzanne: That's not in the contract. What's in the contract is very minimal. I think I've already done what I'm supposed to do. They are pitching for me to go on podcasts and things. I'll tell you a really funny coincidence. So we now have a new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, and when he was Mayor of Greater Manchester, he set up something called the Good Landlord Charter. I actually talk about it in the book, and I quote him in my book saying that good landlords mean people trying to do the right thing, or something like that. And I coincidentally came up with the same name, The Good Landlord Handbook. I'd already had the book title for a long time. So this idea of good and landlord coming together, the adjective good as opposed to criminal or rogue, and the cover being green. I'm wanting to change the narrative so it's the norm to have a good landlord, and to help people become good landlords. Or if they're good landlords, help them to understand the new rules, because the new rules are very complicated. So what I don't get involved in is this right or wrong. Is it right that landlords can't do this or have to do this? Because as an in-house lawyer, it doesn't really matter what I think about the law. GDPR, goodness me. Jo: Oh, dear. Let's not start on GDPR. Suzanne: No, exactly. Because we've just got to suck it up. I liken it to the grief cycle, that people have been going through so much change and you have the anger, the depression— Jo: Denial. Suzanne: Bargaining, the denial, and then you get to acceptance. For some people, the acceptance means they want to stop doing it. If you want to accept it and stay, you need to understand the rules. So I've deliberately just kept very practical and have kept out of all the politics of it. I have, funnily enough, become involved because I'm now seen as an expert on the Renters' Rights Act. I've worked behind the scenes with the government to help, and give comment on government guidance for landlords. I was even invited to a reception to mark the passing of the Renters' Rights Act at Downing Street with the previous prime minister, all whilst staying apolitical. I won't let anyone make me be a mouthpiece for their political view. It's more, we just have to do this if we want to continue doing it. I've been very clear on that. Jo: It's interesting you mention the grief cycle there, and you've also mentioned Claude and ChatGPT. I wonder if you might also just comment on use of AI for authors and for marketing and all this. Also with legal stuff, because for me now, if I'm looking at a particular legal thing, I tend to ask Claude. I'm like, “Can you just explain this?” or upload a contract or whatever. Although it is not legal advice, it can be quite useful. So give us your thoughts on using AI as a sidekick in your author business and also for wider life. Suzanne: I now struggle to think what life would be like without Claude. I don't use Claude to write, at all, because I have a very particular voice and a turn of phrase, and if ever Claude writes something for me, it doesn't sound like me. It flattens me, and it makes me sound a bit American. So I don't do that. I've used it in the back end of the business. For instance, my blog was down, and there was something called a recursive bot, which I don't even know what it was, and Claude helped me fix it for free. I went through, I did screenshots. When I did an ElevenLabs audiobook and did it all myself, I was literally, for every screenshot, showing it to Claude. Claude said, “Do this, press this, press that.” So I have all these different projects set up. One is the control room, where it's for my strategic thinking. If I have an idea, I want to think about something, I put it in there. I have the engine room, which is for everything techy. Like when I had the recursive bot, or if I'm wanting to have some code on the website to make it look a particular way. Then I have other things for different subjects, and I put all the resources in there, and I use it a lot as a thinking partner. I've noticed that Fable doesn't hallucinate as much, but the Opus used to. There's something called rental discrimination, and it was proofreading and said, “No, it's not rental discrimination, it's rental income discrimination,” and that was just a load of rubbish. So I would never let it go and change things without me looking at it. I went on one of your webinars a month or so ago about MCPs and all the connectors, which is fantastic. It can go into my community and pull out all the questions for one of my live streams and put it into a document in order, by theme, for instance. It can look at my MailerLite, because that's where my newsletter is with, and analyse the different open rates and click rates and things. It's so good for analysing everything, all the book sales. It helped me with my negotiation with Penguin, and it is pretty good on law. It has sometimes hallucinated things, but not so much now. I think with anything, you've always got to go back to the primary source, and this is what we learn in academia: you have to check the primary source yourself. I have a bit of a magpie brain. I'm very much a discovery writer, like you, and things occur to me as I'm doing it. I think that Claude, at the moment, is incredible. I've been quite open about it on social media that I have Claude as a business partner. I'm a solopreneur, or whatever the word is. I have quite a big business now, and lots of different things, and it's just me doing it, because I can ask Claude how to do this, and how to do that. Claude can go and check my emails and tell me, is there somebody I've not replied to, which helps a lot. Jo: Yes. I think it's empowering as a solopreneur as such. You talk there about the fixing the tech stuff. I have my web host come to me and say, “Look, you're getting so much traffic and bot stuff, and we need to put this thing in, and it's going to be $120 extra a month.” I was like, “Can you just give me an hour? I'll get back to you.” And then I just had Claude code up, and I was like, “Analyse this and tell me what we can do.” It was like, “No, you just need to flip this switch and do that.” And I'm like, “Okay, fair enough.” Then the guy said, “Oh, no, okay, actually you don't need it.” Just stuff like that. As a solopreneur, you're either going to pay somebody technically quite a lot of money, or you can get Claude or ChatGPT. We should say, the ChatGPT Sol is very good, like the Claude Fable, for example. So, yes, using it as a sidekick. I love your control room and your engine room projects as well. That's a great way of doing it. Suzanne: I wouldn't be without it now, and I would have published the book a lot later without Claude, because Claude was helping me with the Shopify store and all the many steps of things. It saved me real time. It is just fantastic. I think, like now when I'm updating my blog, I have a connection between Claude and my blog. Claude can go in, I can give it my Google Search Console results for the page: what should I change, are the headings right? All this kind of thing. And it will give me a view on every single page, which is incredible. Jo: And YouTube, and just everything. Just super useful for that business sidekick. That's what I want authors to think. I feel like authors get so obsessed with the creative side with AI, whereas actually, people like you and me, we're using it as that engine room for the solo business, which is what I love. So we're out of time. I did want to ask one more thing, which is, one of the biggest issues with a specific book like yours is when they change the law again. So do you have a plan in place for if, say, a new government changes the law again? Will you just be updating the book over time? Suzanne: I think that there'll need to be a new edition of the book in three years' time, and I've spoken to Penguin about it. Not all of this new law has been implemented, and there's going to be case law and things. So I expect that I will update the book every few years. I have some other ideas for books as well, but for the moment, I'm just taking a bit of a break. You always say we've got to refill our creative well. I really feel like that at the moment. Recently I've just got myself a personal mobile phone so that I can turn off my work one when I'm on holiday and actually take time off. Because for all the time that I was doing the book, basically from Christmas until May, I didn't have one day off. That is not good. So I'm just trying to be a bit more balanced. I had an idea to write another book for summer, but I've just decided not to, and I'm going to leave it until I feel the urge again. Jo: Oh, well done. Suzanne: Which will come. Jo: Yes, well done. Suzanne: I think there's nothing wrong with that. We just need to think what's right for us. I'm 58. So I want to be able to have time to enjoy things and not be working all the time. Jo: No, that's great. It's a sustainable business. So where can people find you and the book and your community online? Suzanne: The easiest way to find me is theindependentlandlord.com. Or if you put Suzanne Smith and landlord into Google, you'll find me as well, and there's a link on there to the book, The Good Landlord Handbook. In the community, there's a link to that on my website as well. Jo: Brilliant. Well, thanks so much for your time, Suzanne. That was great. Suzanne: Thank you.The post From Blog To Community To Book: A Non-Fiction Author's Journey With Suzanne Smith first appeared on The Creative Penn.

In the recent Greater Manchester mayoral contest the Conservatives finished behind Reform UK and Restore Britain. The right are split three ways for the first time in British political history, where usually the left vote fractures fatally. What are the implications as Andy Burnham makes his early moves?Rock & Roll Politics is live at the Edinburgh Festival from Sunday 16th of August with a different show each day.Tickets are available here. • Find out if you're owed on car finance at refundclub.co.uk/steve • Refund Club is a trading style of Sandsford Law Limited, authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA no. 8008114). Checking is free. A fee is payable only if your claim is successful. Eligibility: car finance taken out in the UK between 2007 and 2021. The average claim is around £829 per agreement; this is an average and not a guarantee of the amount you will receive. You can also claim yourself for free by contacting your lender or the Financial Ombudsman Service. refundclub.co.uk/steve Subscribe to Patreon here for exclusive extra content and bonus episodes, plus the regular podcast a day early and ad-free. Written and presented by Steve Richards. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fifteen days in… Is Burnham's government actually shaping up to be quite good? Impossible to say for certain, but the PM's policy blitz seems to be landing pretty well, buoyed by Labour's Greater Manchester mayoral win. Is the Age of Andy working out as well as it seems – and can the momentum last? Plus, following the astonishing scenes of migrants breaking into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta over the weekend, how is Europe's far-right weaponising it? And Gianni Infantino face open revolt from his own top brass and football associations worldwide after trying to sell off the World Cup. Can he cling on?  • Read Martyn Ziegler's brilliant expose of Gianni Infantino's machinations before and during the World Cup.  • Questions for But Your Emails? Thoughts? Comments? Email us at ogwn@podmasters.co.uk.  ESCAPE ROUTES • Raf went to watch Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds supported by Flaming Lips and English Teacher at Brighton's Preston Park.  • Marie decided to rewatch Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves   • James has been rewatching noughties legal political drama The Good Wife • Andrew saw downtempo duo The Thievery Corporation live at Camden's Roundhouse. [Not for Patreon] www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Group Editor Andrew Harrison with James Ball, Marie Le Conte and Rafael Behr. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Chris Jones. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune: Tom Taylor and Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Smart 7 is an award winning daily podcast, in association with METRO, that gives you everything you need to know in 7 minutes, at 7am, 7 days a week…With over 20 million downloads and consistently charting, including as No. 1 News Podcast on Spotify, we're a trusted source for people every day and we've won Gold at the Signal International Podcast awardsIf you're enjoying it, please follow, share, or even post a review, it all helps... Today's episode includes the following:https://x.com/SkyNews/status/2083518600644550991/video/1 https://x.com/TimesRadio/status/2083536630770508077/video/1https://x.com/g_s_world/status/2083303689914073533/video/1 https://x.com/clashreport/status/2083608731078562288/video/1 https://x.com/SkyNews/status/2083583562880545097/video/1 https://x.com/StateDept/status/2083736403527995611/video/1https://x.com/i/status/2083867830739493365 https://www.today.com/video/charlie-puth-talks-journey-from-music-prodigy-to-global-pop-star-267645509506 https://youtu.be/HawnwLREoP8 Contact us over @TheSmart7pod or visit www.thesmart7.com or find out more at www.metro.co.uk Voiced by Jamie East, using AI, written by Liam Thompson, researched by Lucie Lewis and produced by Daft Doris. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

VOV1 - Sau nhiều thập kỷ bị coi là “bài toán không lời giải” của chính trường Anh, cải cách hệ thống chăm sóc xã hội đang được tân Thủ tướng Andy Burnham đặt vào vị trí ưu tiên hàng đầu trong chương trình nghị sự.Thủ tướng Andy Burnham hôm qua đã tới thăm một viện dưỡng lão ở thủ đô London. Tại đây, ông khẳng định hệ thống chăm sóc xã hội hiện nay đang tạo gánh nặng cho khu vực công khi phụ thuộc quá nhiều vào các doanh nghiệp tư nhân hoạt động vì lợi nhuận. Theo ông, việc nhiều người cao tuổi, người khuyết tật và những người dễ bị tổn thương phải chi trả gần như toàn bộ tài sản để được chăm sóc là một thực trạng bất công.Nhà lãnh đạo 56 tuổi thừa nhận các thế hệ chính trị gia, trong đó có chính bản thân ông đã không giải quyết được vấn đề này trong nhiều năm qua. Khi còn giữ cương vị Bộ trưởng Y tế năm 2009 dưới thời cựu Thủ tướng Gordon Brown, ông từng đề xuất cải cách nhưng không thành công. Lần trở lại chính phủ sau hơn một thập kỷ trên cương vị Thị trưởng vùng Greater Manchester vì thế được xem là cơ hội để ông hiện thực hóa cam kết còn dang dở.“Đây là sự thiếu trách nhiệm nghiêm trọng đối với nghĩa vụ công khi Quốc hội đã không dám đối mặt với một trong những thách thức cơ bản nhất liên quan trực tiếp đến cuộc sống của người dân. Chúng ta sẽ không thể giải quyết vấn đề này bằng cách làm chính trị như lâu nay. Cần có một cách tiếp cận hoàn toàn khác. Vì vậy, tôi rất vui khi hôm nay cả hai đảng đối lập lớn đã chấp nhận lời mời của tôi để bắt đầu các cuộc đối thoại.”Khác với nhiều nỗ lực cải cách trước đây vốn nhanh chóng vấp phải chia rẽ đảng phái, Thủ tướng Andy Burnham lựa chọn cách tiếp cận đồng thuận. Ông mời lãnh đạo các đảng đối lập tham gia đối thoại, với mục tiêu xây dựng một “Dịch vụ Chăm sóc quốc gia” hoạt động song hành với “Dịch vụ Y tế quốc gia” (NHS). Cuộc họp đầu tiên đã có sự tham dự của cả đảng Bảo thủ và đảng Dân chủ Tự do, trong đó lãnh đạo đảng Dân chủ Tự do Ed Davey đánh giá các cuộc trao đổi mang tính xây dựng. Chính phủ cũng giao chuyên gia về chính sách xã hội Louise Casey chủ trì một “Cuộc đối thoại lớn” trên phạm vi toàn quốc nhằm lấy ý kiến người dân trước khi công bố báo cáo cải cách vào mùa hè năm tới. Động lực của ông Andy Burnham không chỉ đến từ yêu cầu chính sách mà còn mang tính cá nhân. Cha của ông đang mắc bệnh Alzheimer, khiến những khó khăn của hệ thống chăm sóc hiện nay trở nên gần gũi hơn bao giờ hết. Tuy nhiên, con đường phía trước được dự báo không hề dễ dàng. Sau nhiều năm cắt giảm chi tiêu công, hệ thống chăm sóc xã hội của Anh đang thiếu nhân lực, thiếu nguồn lực tài chính và khiến nhiều bệnh nhân cao tuổi phải nằm lại bệnh viện vì không có điều kiện chăm sóc tại cộng đồng. Thủ tướng Andy Burnham thừa nhận sẽ phải đưa ra những quyết định khó khăn, bao gồm khả năng điều chỉnh thuế, cải thiện tiền lương và đào tạo cho lực lượng chăm sóc, đồng thời xem xét lại vai trò của các doanh nghiệp tư nhân đang vận hành phần lớn các viện dưỡng lão.Thành công của cải cách vì thế không chỉ phụ thuộc vào nguồn tài chính mà còn ở khả năng tạo được đồng thuận xã hội đối với những lựa chọn khó tránh khỏi. Vượt qua được thất bại của các chính phủ tiền nhiệm sẽ không chỉ tạo ra bước ngoặt cho hệ thống phúc lợi của Anh, mà còn là phép thử quan trọng đối với năng lực lãnh đạo của tân Thủ tướng./.Thu Hoài/VOV1Thủ tướng Anh Andy Burnham thăm một viện dưỡng lão ở London ngày 29/7 (Ảnh: AP)

” She was a quiet rebel in class, a diamond sifter in a gravel pitCaroline Aherne left Manchester with a comedic legacy that went on to redefine British TV.One of the many people she inspired is Dave Scott, the poet and author who you might know better as Argh Kid. Dave's latest book ‘Rebel in Disguise', is a love letter to Caroline's work as a writer, actress and comedian.Host Lisa Morton recorded this conversation at the We Built This City afternoon tea at Cloud 23 in The Manchester Deansgate Hotel, to celebrate the launch of Dave's book.Dave has built a career out of finding the poetry in the lives of everyday Mancunians; from the phrases, the humour and the heart that makes this city region different. So it's no surprise that Caroline and The Royle Family had a huge impact on him. As you'll hear him say, watching the show felt just like watching his own family; something many people who grew up in Greater Manchester will resonate with.In this episode, you'll hear why Dave believes Caroline was Greater Manchester's greatest artist; why he wanted to make her the focus of his next book, and you'll also hear readings from the book that beautifully encapsulate Caroline's genius.--------------------Your host, Lisa Morton, started PR company Roland Dransfield in 1996, one month after the fateful IRA bomb that tore apart the city centre. From that point, the business and its team members have been involved in helping to support the creation of Modern Manchester – across regeneration, business, charity, leisure and hospitality, sport and culture.To celebrate the 30 years that Roland Dransfield has spent creating these bonds, Lisa is gathering together some of her Greater Mancunian ‘family' and will be exploring how they have created their own purposeful relationships with the best place in the world.Connect with Dave and buy his bookVia Instagram Get the bookConnect with Lisa and Roland Dransfield:Via our websiteOn InstagramOn X Thanks to our partners on this episode of We Built This City, Car Finance 247. You can visit CarFinance247.co.uk or follow Car Finance 247 on LinkedIn to find out more about them.

In the wake of the new PM's bold pledge, Helen Pidd heads to a village for homeless people in Greater Manchester, where the former mayor first promised to take action. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Andy Burnham has laid out some of his top policy agendas for his premiership. Top of the list is to tackle homelessness – something the former Manchester mayor pledged to solve in Greater Manchester too, but the numbers have suggested the outcome was otherwise. What really needs to be done to fix homelessness in Britain? And how does his other policy of rent controls work against ending rough sleeping? Michael Simmons takes a look at the data.This episode is brought to you by Alliance Witan investment trust. To learn more about the trust and how we're helping investors find their comfort zone, please visit Alliance Witan (ALW) | Investment Trust. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Setting up the stories of the next seven days… France and Spain suffer apocalyptic fires and mass evacuations. Will this be the tipping point for European climate policy? Andy Burnham starts to tackle the big stuff in his second week as PM, starting with an issue that has defeated successive governments: social care. Plus the aftermath of the Berlin Pride terror attack, the Greater Manchester mayoral election, the Cockroach Protests in India… and who decided the Spider-Man movie was the standard bearer of anti-woke? Ros Taylor and Andrew Harrison look at the stories that will shape the week ahead. Support us on Patreon. Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. www.podmasters.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There have been many tributes this week to our dear colleague Edward Stourton, who died last weekend at the age of 68. They've come from across the media, from the churches and faith communities he covered for so long, and from listeners who simply trusted his voice on a Sunday morning. William Crawley looks back at his extraordinary contribution to religious broadcasting.Also in the programme, Andy Burnham's first visit as prime minister was to a Catholic run homeless shelter in London called the Passage. He made his first pledge as PM to end rough sleeping. People familiar with his work as mayor of Greater Manchester will know it's a promise he made when he was elected in 2017. Emily Buchanan visits a project set up by a Christian charity in the city to hear about his track record there and his ambition for the country. Every day, dozens of Palestinian patients from the occupied West Bank cross into Israel for desperately needed specialised medical care they can't get at home. Waiting to drive them to hospital are Israeli volunteers who have increased in number since the October 7th attacks in 2023. Since the war started, it's become an increasingly rare space for Israelis and Palestinians to speak and build trust. A meeting of two worlds amid the trauma of war. Naomi Scherbel-Ball has been joining the patients and volunteers for the journeys from the checkpoints to hospitals in Israel. Presenter: Emily Buchanan Producers: Katy Booth, Rosie Dawson, Catherine Murray, Dan Tierney and Carmel Lonergan Studio Managers: Lynsey Akehurst and Catherine Everatt Editor: Tim Pemberton

Known for his use of devolved powers, during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham now has the opportunity to bring his local blueprint to the national stage. But what does this mean for the future of health and social care? Our panel explore the deeply rooted health inequalities tied to the social determinants of health, the disconnect between local decision-making and national infrastructure, and the urgent need to extend the ability to access social care to more of England's population. We're joined by Michael Marmot: Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London (UCL) and author of the landmark Marmot Review. Sarah Woolnough: Chief Executive of the health think tank, The King's Fund. Matt Sutton: Professor of Health Economics at the University of Manchester. Reading List Devolution can create new opportunities for better health Will devolving powers to mayors close England's health gap? Andy Burnham's goal of good growth could be a health-creating mission that supports environmental action The King's Fund responds to Andy Burnham's comments on social care 

Andy Burnham has officially become the UK's new prime minister. The former Greater Manchester mayor is Britain's fourth prime minister in five years, the seventh since 2016. 

On January 6th 1991, a father and son went fishing in Pennington Flash in Leigh, Greater Manchester. They discovered body parts floating in bin bags. The remains were that of Maria Christina Requena who worked as a sex worker in Manchester city centre. Her murder caused much uproar and speculation that there was a killer on the loose targeting women in the area. The third so far that had taken place around the East Lancs road.Important information provided by: Contemporary articles: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/homehttps://news.sky.com/story/30-year-old-cold-case-new-appeal-to-catch-sex-workers-killer-11528397https://www.wigantoday.net/news/crime/a-fresh-appeal-is-made-to-find-the-killer-of-a-sex-worker-whose-dismembered-body-was-found-in-a-wigan-borough-lake-35-years-ago-5455160Crimewatch reconstruction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg9GN6T3Dlkhttps://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/brutal-unsolved-murders-carried-out-11814382https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/thirty-years-ago-mum-murdered-21398954Music by: dl-sounds.comFollow the Unseen Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-unseen-podcast/id1318473466?uo=4Follow the Unseen Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0xWK7Mu3bTP6oziZvxrwSK?si=QxvyPkZ2TdCDscnfxyeRawJoin our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/unseenpodFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theunseenpodFollow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/theunseenpod/Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theunseenpod?fan_landing=trueSubscribe to 10 Minute True Crime: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/10-minute-true-crime/id1591474862

An attack outside a federal building in Manhattan is raising fresh alarms about political violence in America. Officials say the suspect, who has a history of anti-ICE activity, detonated an incendiary device on Monday. The attack is just the latest example in a growing wave of political violence in recent years. FOX News contributor and retired FBI supervisory special agent James Gagliano breaks down what's driving this spike—and what can be done to curb it. As Britain welcomes its seventh prime minister in just ten years, the ascension of self-styled socialist Andy Burnham marks a dramatic leftward pivot for the country's leadership. The former mayor of Greater Manchester now faces the monumental task of delivering on ambitious nationalization plans while navigating a precarious economy, tax policy debates, and incoming diplomatic pressure from President Trump over energy and military base access. Fox News Senior Correspondent and Searching for Heroes podcast host Benjamin Hall joins to discuss Burnham's agenda, the political landmines awaiting his government, and what this changing of the guard means for the future of U.K.-U.S. relations. PLUS, commentary by FOX News Digital Columnist David Marcus. PHOTO CREDIT: Robert Sullivan via AP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An attack outside a federal building in Manhattan is raising fresh alarms about political violence in America. Officials say the suspect, who has a history of anti-ICE activity, detonated an incendiary device on Monday. The attack is just the latest example in a growing wave of political violence in recent years. FOX News contributor and retired FBI supervisory special agent James Gagliano breaks down what's driving this spike—and what can be done to curb it. As Britain welcomes its seventh prime minister in just ten years, the ascension of self-styled socialist Andy Burnham marks a dramatic leftward pivot for the country's leadership. The former mayor of Greater Manchester now faces the monumental task of delivering on ambitious nationalization plans while navigating a precarious economy, tax policy debates, and incoming diplomatic pressure from President Trump over energy and military base access. Fox News Senior Correspondent and Searching for Heroes podcast host Benjamin Hall joins to discuss Burnham's agenda, the political landmines awaiting his government, and what this changing of the guard means for the future of U.K.-U.S. relations. PLUS, commentary by FOX News Digital Columnist David Marcus. PHOTO CREDIT: Robert Sullivan via AP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You’re listening to American Ground Radio with Stephen Parr and Louis R. Avallone. This is the full show for July 17, 2026. We open with the Trump administration's straightforward approach to election security funding — if your state wants federal Homeland Security dollars, it must demonstrate it is taking basic, credible steps to protect its elections. The requirement: devote 3% of the grant toward election security. That's it. We explain why this is not extreme, not unprecedented, and not controversial to anyone acting in good faith — highway funding comes with rules, education funding comes with requirements, and the foundation of our entire system of self-government deserves at least the same standard of accountability as a road project. We also walk through every argument the left makes against voter integrity measures and explain why each one is a red herring designed to obscure the only real reason to oppose them. We dig deep into President Trump's primetime address on election security — laying out the five points he made and the documents he says back them up. China hacked voter rolls and now possesses the name, address, Social Security number, and driver's license of roughly 220 million registered American voters. China ran an influence campaign in 2020 to prevent Trump's reelection and may have attempted to create fraudulent ballots. That intelligence was intentionally concealed from Trump by U.S. intelligence agencies between 2018 and 2020. Evidence of fraud in Michigan was covered up and not robustly investigated by the Biden FBI. And more than 250,000 non-citizens are registered to vote in the United States, documented in four cooperating states alone. We note what the speech did not do — it did not claim the 2020 election was stolen or produce proof of widespread cheating. It presented declassified evidence of vulnerabilities, foreign interference, and institutional failures, and put pressure on the Senate to pass the SAVE Act. The people calling it election denialism didn't listen to it. In our Top 3 Things You Need to Know, a federal appeals court ruled that the Pentagon can require reporters to be escorted through the building and register before gaining access — overturning a lower court ruling that had sided with the New York Times, and finding that the policy was applied evenly to all media. Then Maine Democrats held a debate to replace Graham Plattner — featuring eight candidates, the first four of whom all lost their primary races this year, and a final candidate whose listed qualifications were that he writes songs and books. And Britain has a new prime minister — Andy Burnham, former mayor of Greater Manchester, replacing Keir Starmer whose Labour Party's popularity has collapsed under the weight of rising crime, mass immigration, and a government crackdown on free speech. Burnham will be the seventh prime minister since 2016. We are not optimistic about his relationship with President Trump. Our American Mamas Teri Netterville and Kimberly Burleson take on the question of whether America has canceled grandma — and the answer is complicated. There's a legitimate version of the concern, where grandparents try to override parenting decisions while the parents are present, and a much more troubling version, where adult children cut off grandparents entirely for political or ideological reasons. Teri and Kimberly draw the distinction between a grandparent who steps in to discipline when a parent is right there versus a grandparent who is being pushed out because they're Trump supporters who like guns. One is a boundary conversation. The other is a tragedy. The Constitution's preamble says we are building this country for ourselves and our posterity — and cutting grandparents out of children's lives cuts the very thread of generational wisdom our republic depends on. We also cover what James Carville got right this week — that CNN should have aired President Trump's primetime address, even if they disagree with everything he says. Sunlight is the greatest disinfectant. Free speech works precisely because it trusts the American people to evaluate what they hear. The network that aired statements from the Chinese Communist Party without a fact-check decided it needed to fact-check the sitting president of the United States in real time. None of it holds together. We also take on the WNBA's treatment of Caitlin Clark — the greatest female basketball player in the history of the sport, who is being harassed by fellow players, subjected to demands that she denounce her own fans, and choked on the floor with no technical foul called. We offer the only explanation that fits all the evidence: it is racism, and it is the only category of racism the left refuses to acknowledge. Then it's Fake News Friday — including whether Trump wants to purge legitimate voters, whether a CNN poll found 125% of Americans disbelieve the election interference claims, whether Speaker Johnson has 1,500 unread texts, whether you can buy a piece of the MetLife Stadium World Cup field for $450, whether Mamdani watched the World Cup with Rikers Island inmates, whether Sacramento sanitation workers are photographing your trash, whether a man robbed a bank using a stolen kitten, and whether Pete Hegseth ordered soldiers with low testosterone transferred to the Navy. One of those is really fake news. For our Bright Spot, Senator Marsha Blackburn is reintroducing the Ban Birth Tourism Act — in direct response to the Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling — making the case that you should not be able to create a permanent legal anchor to the United States simply by giving birth on American soil without any commitment to this country whatsoever. And we close with 92-year-old Martin Gill of Wilmington, North Carolina — who retired from the oil fields, got bored, worked as a greeter at Sam's Club until that position was eliminated, and has now been the host at his local Chick-fil-A for six years. He says if you enjoy what you're doing, it's not work. He doesn't know what 92 is supposed to feel like — but he feels great. It's his pleasure. May your pursuit of happiness bring you joy. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, visit AmericanGroundRadio.com, and join the conversation at 866-AGR-1776!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An attack outside a federal building in Manhattan is raising fresh alarms about political violence in America. Officials say the suspect, who has a history of anti-ICE activity, detonated an incendiary device on Monday. The attack is just the latest example in a growing wave of political violence in recent years. FOX News contributor and retired FBI supervisory special agent James Gagliano breaks down what's driving this spike—and what can be done to curb it. As Britain welcomes its seventh prime minister in just ten years, the ascension of self-styled socialist Andy Burnham marks a dramatic leftward pivot for the country's leadership. The former mayor of Greater Manchester now faces the monumental task of delivering on ambitious nationalization plans while navigating a precarious economy, tax policy debates, and incoming diplomatic pressure from President Trump over energy and military base access. Fox News Senior Correspondent and Searching for Heroes podcast host Benjamin Hall joins to discuss Burnham's agenda, the political landmines awaiting his government, and what this changing of the guard means for the future of U.K.-U.S. relations. PLUS, commentary by FOX News Digital Columnist David Marcus. PHOTO CREDIT: Robert Sullivan via AP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Andy Burnham ist Großbritanniens siebter Premier in zehn Jahren – die frühere ARD-London-Korrespondentin Annette Dittert ordnet den neuen Labour-Chef ein. Der „King of the North" und langjährige Bürgermeister von Greater Manchester wolle Macht in die Regionen verlagern und dem Rechtspopulisten Nigel Farage Paroli bieten, dessen Reform UK die Umfragen anführt [06:45]Nach Jens Spahns Rücktritt wählt die Unionsfraktion am Mittwoch der kommenden Woche einen neuen Vorsitzenden. Favorit ist Kanzleramtschef Thorsten Frei – Kanzler Merz sucht einen diskreten Machtorganisator ohne öffentliches Ego, keinen Bühnenpolitiker. [01:31]Christiane Hoffmann, Journalistin und bis 2025 stellvertretende Regierungssprecherin unter Kanzler Scholz, fragt in ihrem Buch „Die Träume, die wir hatten", ob der russische Überfall vermeidbar gewesen wäre. Bei all den Fragen nach westlichen Versäumnissen sei eines klar: „Die Kriegsschuld liegt bei Russland und bei niemandem sonst." [14:29]Table.Briefings - For better informed decisions.Sie entscheiden besser, weil Sie besser informiert sind – das ist das Ziel von Table.Briefings. Wir verschaffen Ihnen mit jedem Professional Briefing, mit jeder Analyse und mit jedem Hintergrundstück einen Informationsvorsprung, am besten sogar einen Wettbewerbsvorteil. Table.Briefings bietet „Deep Journalism“, wir verbinden den Qualitätsanspruch von Leitmedien mit der Tiefenschärfe von Fachinformationen. Professional Briefings kostenlos kennenlernen: table.media/testenHier geht es zu unseren WerbepartnernHol dir deine persönlichen Daten mit Incogni zurück und hol dir 60 % Rabatt auf ein Jahresabo: https://incogni.com/tabletodayImpressum: https://table.media/impressumDatenschutz: https://table.media/datenschutzerklaerungBei Interesse an Audio-Werbung in diesem Podcast melden Sie sich gerne bei Jan Puhlmann: jan.puhlmann@table.media Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester and new leader of the Labour Party, took the final steps on Monday to succeed Keir Starmer and become the UK's seventh prime minister in a decade.The Department of War on Monday identified two U.S. soldiers who were killed in Iranian strikes in Jordan. First Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, were killed during Friday's attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.

Sir Keir Starmer has officially resigned, and Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester, has accepted the invitation of King Charles to form a government. Burnham spoke outside Downing Street, with no lectern, and no notes. BBC political correspondent Rob Watson spoke to John Campbell from London.

Britain's governing Labour Party has elected Andy Burnham as leader. The 56-year-old Greater Manchester mayor is now set to become the country's next prime minister.

Three months ago, Andy Burnham's desk was filled with the business of running Greater Manchester. Buses. Housing. Policing. This mayoral region in the north of England is home to 3 million people and Burnham, a former minister in the Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, has been its mayor for nearly a decade.But after a whirlwind ten weeks, Burnham travelled to Buckingham Palace on July 20 to meet King Charles, who appointed him as Britain's new prime minister.At the heart of Burnham's plans for power lies Manchesterism, a political philosophy that centres on giving cities and towns outside London more political control. In this episode, we explore how running Greater Manchester shaped Andy Burnham's politics with researchers Kirsty Fairclough from Manchester Metropolitan University and Philip Brown from the University of Huddersfield. They assess what Burnham achieved as mayor and discuss whether a philosophy designed around one city can work on a national level for the UK.This episode was written and produced by Gemma Ware and Mend Mariwany. Mixing by Michelle Macklem and theme music by Neeta Sarl. Read the full credits for this episode and sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation.If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation, an independent, not-for-profit news organisation.Why Andy Burnham's radical plan relies on the Treasury being a friend of devolutionThis is what Andy Burnham's devolution plans need to consider – expert panelThis episode is part of a series on Manchesterism – a guide to Burnham's Britain

How should local and regional leaders encourage investment in their communities? Around the world, cities struggle with a legacy of industrial decline. In England, devolution of planning policy to mayoral combined authorities has allowed for regions like Greater Manchester to outpace national growth. But within regions, local areas can themselves fall behind, and require a joined up approach to planning and investment. When this episode was first recorded in September 2024, the focus was on how places can unlock investment by understanding their own histories, strengths and opportunities. Today, as the debate around Britain's infrastructure ambitions intensifies, and the former Mayor of Greater Manchester looks increasingly likely to become the next Prime Minister, the intentions of the government in this area are worthy of speculation. The infrastructure industry is not waiting, an open letter from leading infrastructure and construction organisations, including the Association for Consultancy has called on the next government to prioritise long-term infrastructure delivery and provide greater certainty for investment. Could the principles of Manchester transfer to the nation at large? Will infrastructure be a priority for the incoming government? Can the required investment be funded? The engineering sector waits to see. Guests Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester Susan Hinchliffe, Council Leader, Bradford City Council Tim Newns, MD, Levelling Up, Office for Investment, UK Department for International Trade Richard Robinson, CEO, UK and Europe, AtkinsRéalis John Rayson, MD for Northern Transformation, AtkinsRéalis Resources For the open letter from the ACE to Andy Burnham, click hereThe post #371 Revisited: Place is the Space for Growth first appeared on Engineering Matters.

Andy Burnham discusses his political beliefs and the events that shaped them in this in depth interview with Byline Times editor Hardeep Matharu, recorded in July 2025 at the Byline Festival, Keele University. At the time, Burnham was Mayor of Greater Manchester and had no inkling that withing 12 months he'd become PM. The result is an unusually revealing conversation. Video - Sean Byrne Roberts. Produced by Adrian Goldberg and Harvey White. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode of The Daily T, Camilla Tominey and Tim Stanley discuss whether Nigel Farage has committed the ultimate act of self-sabotage by triggering another by-election in his constituency of Clacton. As Reform UK orders its northern activists to abandon the Greater Manchester mayoral race and head to the campaign trail in Essex, has Farage completely overplayed his hand?They also delve into the profile of Farage's only opponent so far, Count Binface, and his chances of winning. Camilla and Tim also break down the hilarious conspiracy theory that Tim is secretly the man behind the intergalactic silver waste receptacle.Elsewhere, the pair discuss Prince Harry's financial woes as he faces stumping up a share of a £50m legal bill after losing his case against the publisher of The Daily Mail.We want to hear from you! Email us at thedailyt@telegraph.co.uk or find @dailytpodcast on TikTok, Instagram and X► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditorStudio Operator: Meghan SearleProducers: Emma Williams and David LeveneVideo Producer: Will WaltersExecutive Producer: Charlotte SeligmanEditor: Camilla TomineyHighlights:Has Nigel Farage committed political self-sabotage by running against Count Binface in the Clacton by-election?How much of his £50m legal bill will Prince Harry have to pay? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The bad news isn't stopping for Reform and Nigel Farage. He's facing fresh questions about the timeline surrounding the £5m gift from a crypto billionaire. The police are investigating a separate donation made to Robert Jenrick (who has described the claims as a politically motivated smear). The party has urged volunteers to divert from the Greater Manchester mayoral contest - in an effort to shore up Nigel Farage in a contest against a bin that he himself has triggered.Just a few days ago, Farage thought his by-election gamble would put the focus squarely on him and pit his as a champion of the people wrestling against the establishment? Has that backfired in the most almighty way? And his the entire Farage project imploding?It was Rupert Lowe - and not Farage - who became the first UK politician to appear on Joe Rogan's podcast yesterday. Over two hours he said stuff that was weird, inaccurate and inflammatory - but will his comments about the Dunblane massacre come back to haunt him?The News Agents is a Global Production.The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

It's a funeral taking place over six days, five cities and two countries. Crowds have overwhelmed the streets of Iran to mourn or just watch the funeral procession for the late Ayatollah Khamenei. He and other family members died in February in attacks by the US and Israel. Khamenei ran a brutal regime that killed an estimated 40,000 demonstrators earlier this year, but his funeral has become a rallying point for the nation. The man set to become the next prime minister of Britain, Andy Burnham, is best known as the popular and successful mayor of Greater Manchester in northern England. But long before that, he was a pious altar boy in his local Catholic church in Liverpool. Burnham has referred frequently to his Catholic background and values, even if he observes only some of the church's teaching. How much will faith shape his prime ministership? One of the hallmarks of an authoritarian regime is severe restrictions on religious practice. But there's also been a marked increase in religious repression by individuals, sometimes in defiance of more liberal government policies. The Pew Research Center in Washington has been monitoring this situation.GUESTS:Dr Ali Mamouri  is a Middle East specialist at Deakin University and a former adviser to an earlier reform government in neighbouring Iraq.Hannah Rich is a senior researcher at the London-based think tank Theos.Samirah Majumdar is the lead author of Pew Research's recent report.This program is made on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation

Britain is changing prime ministers again: Keir Starmer is out after two years, with Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham the favourite to replace him — inheriting an underfunded defence plan and the wreckage of Peter Mandelson's Epstein-tainted appointment, all of it driven by the fear of Reform. Chris and Matt then ask what happens when the mole is a machine, using Anthropic's Claude blackmail experiment and Melissa Graves's Lawfare essay to reframe AI in intelligence work as a counterintelligence problem. Finally, Ken Harbaugh's Atlantic report on Ukraine's "warrior-witches" — women running honeypots and directing drone strikes from occupied ground, where the oldest tradecraft still wins. Trigger Warning: In the last story after the second AD Break there is mention of violence against women in the Russian War on Ukraine Subscribe and share to stay ahead in the world of intelligence, global issues, and current affairs. Take our audience survey: https://forms.gle/eFx59XntNtiKzNQa8 Support Secrets and Spies Become a “Friend of the Podcast” on Patreon for £3/$4: https://www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpies Buy merchandise from our Redbubble shop: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/60934996 Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/secretsandspies Subscribe to our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVB23lrHr3KFeXq4VU36dg For more information about the podcast, check out our website: https://secretsandspiespodcast.com Articles discussed in today's episode "Keir Starmer to step down as prime minister two years after historic election victory" by Pippa Crerar | The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jun/22/keir-starmer-resigns-as-prime-minister "How UK's Keir Starmer went from election landslide to downfall" by Jill Lawless & Pan Pylas | Associated Press: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/how-uks-keir-starmer-went-from-election-landslide-to-downfall "Andy Burnham soft-launches his premiership" by Dan Bloom | Politico Europe: https://www.politico.eu/article/andy-burnham-uk-soft-launches-his-premiership/ "Starmer backs 5 billion drone overhaul for UK forces in DIP" by George Allison | UK Defence Journal: https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/starmer-backs-5-billion-drone-overhaul-for-uk-forces-in-dip/ "The Next Counterintelligence Problem Is Artificial" by Melissa Graves | Lawfare: https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-next-counterintelligence-problem-is-artificial "The Warrior-Witches of Ukraine's Resistance" by Ken Harbaugh | The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/2026/06/underground-intelligence-network-russia-ukraine/687578/ Connect with us on social media Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/secretsandspies.bsky.social Instagram: https://instagram.com/secretsandspies Facebook: https://facebook.com/secretsandspies Spoutible: https://spoutible.com/SecretsAndSpies Twitter/X: https://x.com/SecretsAndSpies Follow Chris and Matt on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/chriscarrfilm.bsky.social https://bsky.app/profile/mattfulton.net Secrets and Spies is produced by Films & Podcasts LTD: https://filmsandpodcasts.co.uk/ Music by Andrew R. Bird Photos by Alamy, UK Government Secrets and Spies sits at the intersection of intelligence, covert action, real-world espionage, and broader geopolitics in a way that is digestible but serious. Hosted by filmmaker Chris Carr and writer Matt Fulton, each episode examines the very topics that real intelligence officers and analysts consider on a daily basis through the lens of global events and geopolitics, featuring expert insights from former spies, authors, and journalists. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news. This week:(00:23) Andy Burnham may not be Prime Minister yet, but he's setting out his economic agenda, and its based on his old stomping ground, Greater Manchester. We ask whether the official figures that seem to show an economic miracle can be fully believed, and how much credit he deserves.(10:09) As our towns and cities get hotter, would turning to air conditioning really drive outside temperatures up by 10 to 12 degrees celcius? We learn about the fascinating world of ‘urban heat islands'.(15:40) We turn to homophones in an attempt to continue a running joke. This week, we follow six items about Wales with an item about whales - are our cetacean friends the carbon sinks of our dreams? Will we ever write a stranger paragraph?(22:10) Cult director and maths fanboy Werner Herzog has been waxing lyrical about the intruiging mysteries of prime numbers. Tim cracks out a surprisingly decent impression and we learn about one of the most inscrutable problems in mathematics - what's not to like?More or Less is the programme that looks at numbers and statistics in news and in life. We're always looking for questions from listeners - you can contact us on moreorless@bbc.co.uk.Guests: Paul Swinney - Chief Economist at The Data City Liam Sides - Associate Director at Oxford Economics Dimple Rana - Heat Resilience Leader at Arup Sue Grimmond - Professor of Meteorology, University of Reading Dr Olaf Meynecke - Marine Ecologist, Griffith University James Grime - Mathematician and star of YouTube channel NumberphileSpecial Guest Appearance: The Voice of Werner HerzogPresenter: Tim Harford Series Producer: Tom Colls Reporter: Nathan Gower Producers: Josh McMinn, Lizzy McNeill Editor: Richard Vadon Programme Coordinator: Brenda Brown Sound Engineer: James Beard

Andy Burnham will surely become prime minister in a matter of weeks. But what kind of government would he lead and how can he prepare for the biggest job in British politics? As Burnham sets out his policy priorities, and with much speculation about the key appointments he will make to his top team, this webinar brought together leading IfG experts to explore the challenges awaiting the next prime minister – and the skills and he experience he will need for job. How can Burnham best use the time available to prepare for succeeding Keir Starmer as prime minister? What are the decisions that need to be taken before a transition of power? What do we know so far about the choices he could make on personnel and policies? And how will Burnham's experiences of Mayor of Greater Manchester equip him for the job of prime minister? Sam Freedman, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government Dr Catherine Haddon, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government Akash Paun, Programme Director at the Institute for Government This event was chaired by Dr Hannah White, CEO of the Institute for Government.

In today's episode of The Daily T, Camilla Tominey and Tim Stanley discuss Andy Burnham's first significant speech since returning to Westminster as an MP. The former mayor of Greater Manchester set out his vision for Britain as part of his campaign to be the next prime minister and Labour leader.They dissect Burnham's “Manchesterism” blueprint, and ask whether his call for cross-party collaboration is actually a front for “socialism via the back door”.We want to hear from you! Email us at thedailyt@telegraph.co.uk or find @dailytpodcast on TikTok, Instagram and X► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditorStudio Operator: Meghan SearleProducers: Georgia Coan and Emma WilliamsVideo Producer: Will WaltersSocial Media Producer: Conor ClarkExecutive Producer: Charlotte SeligmanEditor: Camilla TomineyHighlights:Why Andy Burnham's "Manchesterism" blueprint is a dangerous new form of socialismBurnham's plans for devolution could spell disaster and a lack of political accountability Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Greater Manchester mayoralty made Andy Burnham famous. Now he's hoping he can take the approach he developed in the city to the whole country. This week on Westminster Insider, host Sascha O'Sullivan speaks to four serving mayors — and one former one about whether the role will prepare Burnham for the highest office in the land. Labour Mayor of the East Midlands Claire Ward, who was a minister in Gordon Brown's government, told Sascha that mayors have much more power than junior minister. Oliver Coppard, the Labour Mayor of South Yorkshire, explains how the job requires you to manage different competing interests, albeit on a smaller scale than as a prime minister. But former Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street warns that when it comes to financial responsibility and party management — two pitfalls of Keir Starmer's leadership — the job of mayor is "totally different". Helen Godwin, West of England Mayor, and Kim McGuinness, Mayor of the North East, have graciously said they won't kick Burnham out of the Labour mayors' WhatsApp group if he becomes PM. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Harry and Stelios are joined by Lewis Brackpool to discuss Restore standing in the Greater Manchester mayoral election, the dark future of the Democratic Party, and the mysterious death of Doctor Who.

Makerfield has proved to be the making of Andy Burnham's bid for the top job, but could it also be the moment that Nigel Farage's ambitions for Number 10 took a knock?  While Reform UK continues to lead the national polls, it failed to capture the Greater Manchester seat last week and was beaten into third place by the Conservatives, the party it's seeking to replace, in two Scottish by-elections. Is the wind going off Reform's sails just as Labour hopes to revive its fortunes under a new prime minister, who is being dubbed the "Reform slayer" after his by-election victory?  In this bonus interview edition of Westminster Insider, Anne McElvoy talks to Robert Jenrick, Reform's Treasury Spokesman, about how Reform will respond to a Burnham-led government. The former Conservative minister and leadership candidate left his party earlier this year, claiming that he wanted to “unite the Right”. Following a dispute with Reform's Zia Yusuf over the party's policy on the deportation of migrants, Jenrick is trying to carve out a distinctive position on economic policy, including a new "big bang" for the City of London. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

His departure, even with a parliamentary majority of 174 seats, was in discussion after Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham secured commanding victory in Makerfield by-election.

Keir Starmer is on his way out and Andy Burnham looks set to become Britain's next Prime Minister. After years as Mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham appears to have cleared the field, with Labour MPs rallying behind him and potential rivals standing aside. But what happens next?Can Burnham turn his popularity into a successful premiership? Does he have a plan for Britain's sluggish economy, rising welfare costs and growing defence commitments? What exactly is "Manchesterism", and can it work across the whole country?To discuss all of this and more, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is in Westminster, speaking to Channel 4 News Political Editor Gary Gibbon about Burnham's path to Number 10, the likely shape of his government, the future of Labour, and what Nigel Farage and Reform UK make of the challenge ahead. He's joined by Labour peer Ayesha Hazarika, the i Paper's Kitty Donaldson, and Ipsos UK Chief Executive Kelly Beaver to assess what a Burnham premiership could mean for British politics.

The Rise of Andy Burnham in UK Politics. Guest: Anatol Lieven. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is emerging as a formidable potential successor to Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Though Burnham enjoys strong regional support, he faces daunting national issues, including the funding crisis in the NHS and Britain's inability to borrow like the United States. 141918```

Andy Burnham's resounding win in the Makerfield byelection has set the stage for a leadership battle with Keir Starmer. The outgoing mayor of Greater Manchester received more votes than Reform and Restore combined, and the nature of the victory has prompted speculation he could replace Starmer as prime minister within weeks, if not days. Annie Kelly speaks to political correspondent Alexandra Topping UK politics – live updates Andy Burnham wins by huge majority. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

In the end, it was not even close. Andy Burnham has won the Makerfield by-election by a landslide, putting him on course to be Britain's next prime minister.The Mayor of Greater Manchester managed to unite the left behind his ‘Stop Reform' campaign, beating even the most optimistic polls with 24,937 votes (54.8 per cent). That put him more than 20 points ahead of Reform's Robert Kenyon, who won 15,696 votes (34.5 per cent), and in a distant third came Restore Britain's Rebecca Shepherd, who took 3,111 votes (6.8 per cent).Now that Burnham has proved he is the man who can take the fight to Reform in a constituency full of ‘their kind of people', what happens next?Oscar Edmondson speaks to Tim Shipman.Produced by Oscar Edmondson.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andy Burnham will return to Westminster as an MP, and potential challenger to Keir Starmer, after decisively beating Reform UK to win the Makerfield byelection. Kiran Stacey and Jessica Elgot chat through what happens next. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Simon Constable discusses the upcoming by-election in Makerfield, where Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham challenges Prime Minister Keir Starmer's leadership. The segment explores internal Labour Party power struggles and the physical process of UK voting, highlighting Starmer's refusal to step down despite mounting pressure from prospective rivals. (2)

After Andy Burnham's landslide win against Nigel Farage's Reform party in Makerfield, we thought you'd love to hear his interview with James O'Brien again, first released in 2022Dubbed 'King of the North' at the height of the pandemic, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham speaks to James about why he sees the country of his birth as containing 'two Englands'. After growing up in a catholic Labour family in Aintree, Burnham went on to study at Cambridge but did not fit in. He tells James why.

Helen Pidd goes to Makerfield where the Labour candidate and would-be prime minister Andy Burnham faces Reform UK in a crucial byelection. With reporting from Josh Halliday. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

We're at a pivotal moment in world geopolitics. Increasingly the masks and the gloves are both off - but it's not a binary choice any more between two sets of suits in slightly different coloured ties: now we have the right showing its true colours  - and a chance for the progressive majority in this country to find its feet and lead us towards a genuinely thoughtful, emotionally literate, high-bandwidth politics that ditches the toxic tribalism and instead lays the ground for a future that could actually work. We're joined this week by Neal Lawson, co-founder and Executive Director of the progressive pressure group, Compass; and Rupert Read, Co-Director of the Climate Majority Project. Neal is a member of the Labour Party, and Rupert of the Green party and we came together to discuss the forthcoming by-election in Makerfield, where Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester is standing as a candidate, with a view to standing for leadership of the Labour Party if he wins.  His main challenger is the Reform party led by Nigel Farage.  The Greens are newly invigorated after their recent win in the Gorton and Denton by-election in Manchester, so there has been a lot of conversation in progressive circles as to whether the Greens should step away to give Burnham a clear run. This seemed a good moment to have a vigorous conversation - to explore the possibilities and potential and the routes forward should Burnham win. CompassThe Climate Majority ProjectAndy Burnham in the Observer committing to PR Jamie Driscoll's post in The Canary - There's Nothing Pragmatic About Centrism The Fraud by Paul Holden —About Accidental Gods—We offer three strands all rooted in the same soil, drawing from the same river: Accidental Gods, Dreaming Awake and the Thrutopia Writing Masterclass Our next Open Gathering offered as part of our Accidental Gods Programme is 'WALKING THE PATH OF THE INNER WARRIOR' which will run on Sunday 28th June 2026 from 16:00 - 20:00 GMT - details are here. You don't have to be a member of Accidental Gods to come along - but if you are, all Gatherings are half price.If you'd like to join us at Accidental Gods, this is the membership where we endeavour to help you to connect fully with the living web of life. If you'd like to train more deeply in the contemporary shamanic work at Dreaming Awake, you'll find us here. If you'd like to explore the recordings from our last Thrutopia Writing Masterclass, the details are hereManda and Louise both offer one-to-one Mentoring Calls.  Manda is fully booked just now, but if you'd like to contact Louise, details are here.

Daniel Trilling on the far-right party threatening Reform's chances in the Makerfield byelection. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Today, we find out more about Reform's candidate Robert Kenyon back story and why his old posts on social media are making headlines. Plus, what impact could Restore Britain have on the Reform UK vote and how Andy Burnham has outgrown Mayor of Greater Manchester. Adam is joined by Annabel Tiffin, political editor for BBC Northwest, Lara Spirit, the Deputy Political Editor for The Sunday Times, and More in Common's Luke Tryl. A full list of candidates and loads more information about the Makerfield by-election is available here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgrp1z8n4w2oYou can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscordGet in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.New episodes are released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Miranda Slade and Chris Gray with Gabriel Purcell-Davis. The social producer was Joe Wilkinson. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Josh Halliday on why Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is tipped to be the future Labour leader … if he wins the Makerfield byelection. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus