The Daily T

Keir Starmer was probably hoping today would be another chance to reset his premiership, following the departure this weekend of Morgan McSweeney, his chief of staff.Instead he's been hit first by the departure of Tim Allan, his director of communications, and then by Anas Sarwar, the leader of Labour in Scotland, who became the most senior figure from his party to urge the PM to resign.Camilla and Tim speak to Lee Cain, former director of communications to Boris Johnson, to find out what it is like to be in Downing Street as a government comes to an end. They also react to the news that Thames Valley Police are assessing claims Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor forwarded sensitive information to Jeffrey Epstein while he was trade envoy.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/fromtheeditorProducers: Georgia Coan and Lilian FawcettSenior Producer: John CadiganExecutive Producer: Charlotte SeligmanVideo Producer: Will WaltersStudio Operator: Meghan SearleSocial Producer: Nada AggourEditor: Camilla Tominey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Keir Starmer’s visit to Beijing was meant to signal a reset in Britain’s relationship with China. Instead, it has sparked fresh questions about how far the UK should go in courting a global superpower accused of sliding back towards authoritarian rule.On today’s Daily T, Camilla and Tim speak to bestselling author Jung Chang, whose latest book Fly, Wild Swans traces China’s path from the horrors of Mao’s Cultural Revolution to the Xi Jinping era. Chang argues that Western leaders are ignoring uncomfortable truths about modern China, and warns that the country risks drifting back towards a darker past.She also reflects on her own extraordinary story: growing up under Mao, watching her father persecuted, and eventually escaping to Britain, where she would go on to write one of the most influential accounts of modern China ever published. So, as Britain looks east for trade and diplomacy, are we forgetting the lessons of history?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/fromtheeditorProducers: Georgia Coan and Lilian FawcettSenior Producer: John CadiganAdditional production from Annabel HoganExecutive Producer: Charlotte SeligmanVideo Producer: Will WaltersStudio Operator: Meghan SearleSocial Producer: Nada AggourEditor: Camilla Tominey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lucy Letby is modern Britain’s most prolific child killer.The former neonatal nurse was convicted of murdering seven newborn babies and attempting to kill seven more. But medical experts and others have since raised serious doubts about the evidence used to convict her and some are now calling the case one of the greatest miscarriages of justice ever.In an exclusive interview, The Daily T speaks to Letby’s lawyer, who tells Camilla Tominey he is convinced she is innocent – and reveals her state of mind as she serves a whole-life order in prison.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/fromtheeditorProducers: Lilian FawcettSenior Producer: John CadiganExecutive Producer: Charlotte SeligmanVideo Producer: Will WaltersStudio Operator: Meghan SearleSocial Producer: Nada AggourEditor: Camilla Tominey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sir Keir Starmer is facing a rebellion by Labour MPs over his handing of the Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Labour backbencher Andy McDonald tells Camilla and Tim the PM is “hanging by a thread” after the Government was forced into an embarrassing climbdown on the release of Mandelson’s vetting documents.Elswhere, Kemi Badenoch tells Camilla that “someone should lose their job” over the “number one” sleaze scandal of modern times.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/fromtheeditorProducers: Georgia Coan and Lilian FawcettSenior Producer: John CadiganExecutive Producer: Charlotte SeligmanVideo Producer: Will WaltersStudio Operator: Meghan SearleSocial Producer: Nada AggourEditor: Camilla Tominey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Keir Starmer was given a grilling at Prime Minister’s Questions this lunchtime, with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch forcing the Prime Minister into admitting that he was aware of Peter Mandelson’s ongoing relationship with Jeffrey Epstein at the time of his appointment as US ambassador, but decided to press ahead with the move anyway.Starmer, for his part, threw the one-time party grandee to the wolves, saying Mandelson had “lied repeatedly to his team, had “betrayed” his country with the apparent leaking of sensitive financial documents and “regretted appointing him”.On today’s Daily T, Camilla and Tim reflect on whether, with his own MPs turning on him again, and his self-ascribed reputation of being a squeaky clean man of integrity lying in tatters, Keir Starmer himself is now finished.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/fromtheeditorProducers: Georgia Coan and Lilian FawcettSenior Producer: John CadiganExecutive Producer: Charlotte SeligmanVideo Producer: Will WaltersStudio Operator: Meghan SearleSocial Producer: Nada AggourEditor: Camilla Tominey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Peter Mandelson is under criminal investigation by the Metropolitan Police over claims that he leaked confidential government emails to Jeffrey Epstein.The Labour peer finally stepped down from the House of Lords today following a damaging week for the Government, after newly released material laid bare his relationship with the convicted sex offender.The revelations have intensified pressure on Labour and reopened questions about why the twice-disgraced former Cabinet minister was brought back into the fold time and again.Camilla and Tim assess what Lord Mandelson’s resignation means for Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership, and Tim explains the web of Labour relationships that linked Mandy to Epstein.Plus, attention turns again to Andrew Mountabatten-Windsor, amid reports he could imminently leave Royal Lodge for accommodation on the Sandringham estate as a potential criminal investigation hangs over him.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/fromtheeditorProducers: Georgia Coan and Lilian FawcettSenior Producer: John CadiganExecutive Producer: Charlotte SeligmanVideo Producer: Will WaltersStudio Operator: Meghan SearleSocial Producer: Nada AggourEditor: Camilla Tominey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amongst the three million files released by the US department of justice pertaining to the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein, two people in particular emerge badly: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Lord Mandelson.Camilla and Tim reflect on the calls for Lord Mandelson to be stripped of his peerage following the revelations, including that he leaked confidential government documents to the disgraced financier. They also question why Keir Starmer ever appointed him as US ambassador.Later, royal biographer Andrew Lownie assesses the damage to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, after pictures emerged of the former Duke of York on all fours over an unidentified woman.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/fromtheeditorProducer: Lilian Fawcett and Georgia CoanSenior Producer: John CadiganExecutive Producer: Charlotte SeligmanVideo Producer: Will WaltersStudio Operator: Meghan SearleSocial Producer: Nada AggourEditor: Camilla Tominey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Knife crime in the UK has reached “national epidemic” levels, with 53,000 offences recorded in England and Wales in the year to March 2025. But how has this tragedy become so dangerously normalised, and what is the Labour government actually doing to tackle it?We look into the tragic killing of 16-year-old Ronan Kanda, who was murdered in 2022 with a ninja sword purchased online by two 17-year-olds in a case of mistaken identity. Ronan’s mother, Pooja Kanda, joins us to discuss the campaign that led to ‘Ronan’s Law’ - banning these deadly weapons and increasing sentences for illegal sales. Pooja also talks about the now-closed company, DNA Leisure, which sold the sword that killed Ronan and is linked to multiple teenage murders. Plus, we’re joined by The Telegraph’s crime editor, Martin Evans, to break down the latest government response, including the new Knife Licensing Consultation and the launch of the National Knife Crime Coordination Centre.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/fromtheeditorProducer: Georgia Coan Senior Producer: John CadiganExecutive Producer: Charlotte SeligmanVideo Producer: Will WaltersStudio Operator: Meghan SearleSocial Producer: Nada AggourEditor: Camilla Tominey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since being forced to resign over a mini-Budget that spooked the markets, Liz Truss has become something of a bogeyman for not just the Left but the Tories too.But Ms Truss insists she was “sabotaged” by the Bank of England and the Blob, and that Britain is being run by an “unelected technocracy”.The former prime minister tells Tim and guest host Rachel Johnson how she was “radicalised” by being in government; why she admires Donald Trump; and, with Keir Starmer in Beijing this week, how “British officialdom is beholden to China”.Plus, she reveals whether she would join Nigel Farage’s party, following Robert Jenrick’s defection, and warns: “the Blob is trying to infiltrate Reform”.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/fromtheeditorProducer: Georgia Coan and Lilian FawcettSenior Producer: John CadiganExecutive Producer: Charlotte SeligmanVideo Producer: Will WaltersStudio Operator: Meghan SearleSocial Producer: Nada AggourEditor: Camilla Tominey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kemi Badenoch has attacked both Labour and Reform for being “addicted to psychodrama”, and called recent defectors from her party “drama queens”. Tim is joined by Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg to digest the speech.Tim also spoke to the Tory leader after she’d stepped off stage and put to her the suggestion – made by Sir Jacob on social media – that the Tories shouldn’t field a candidate in Gorton and Denton in order to leave Reform a clear path.Elsewhere, Rees-Mogg makes the case for Shamima Begum to be allowed to return to the UK, and the Reverend Richard Coles talks to Tim and Jacob about the confirmation of new Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally.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/fromtheeditorProducer: Georgia Coan and Lilian FawcettSenior Producer: John CadiganExecutive Producer: Charlotte SeligmanVideo Producer: Will WaltersStudio Operator: Meghan SearleSocial Producer: Nada AggourEditor: Camilla Tominey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Camilla and Tim are joined by political commentator and co-founder of the ‘Triggernometry’ podcast, Konstantin Kisin.Kisin, Russian by birth but a British citizen who’s lived in the UK for the last thirty years, does not hold back on why Britain is “increasingly irrelevant” in the global pecking order, whether it’s through the “industrial suicide” of net zero, the “weakness” of diversity or Keir Starmer’s “cosying up to China” instead of aligning more closely with Donald Trump.He also explains why Reform offer the best hope of fixing Britain’s current malaise, despite potentially having to balance a diverse coalition of voters.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/fromtheeditorProducer: Lilian FawcettSenior Producer: John CadiganExecutive Producer: Charlotte SeligmanVideo Producer: Will WaltersStudio Operator: Meghan SearleSocial Producer: Nada AggourEditor: Camilla Tominey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Could the last Right-winger in the Conservative Party please turn out the lights?Suella Braverman, former home secretary, has become the latest Tory to join Reform, telling a press conference: “I feel like I’ve come home”.Camilla and Tim consider what is now left of the Conservatives and explain why Nigel Farage must avoid alienating the Tories so much that a Right-wing coalition becomes impossible.Later, Keir Starmer has risked starting a Labour civil war after blocking Manchester mayor Andy Burnham’s bid to return to Westminster.Former Labour MP Rosie Duffield tells The Daily T it is time for the "middle manager" PM to go and that she would return to the party if Burnham took the reins.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/fromtheeditorProducer: Lilian Fawcett and Georgia CoanExecutive Producer: Charlotte SeligmanVideo Producer: Will WaltersCamera Operator: Aaron WheelerSocial Producer: Nada AggourEditor: Camilla Tominey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One pub a day closed in 2025, as Labour clobbered the hospitality industry with higher business rates, a National Insurance and minimum wage hike, and an increase in alcohol duty.With The Telegraph’s Save Our Pubs campaign calling on the Government to cease its assault on the Great British boozer, Camilla and Tim are in to Dorset to meet landlord Andy Lennox who is actively barring Labour MPs from his pubs.They also speak to celebrity chef, restauranteur and publican Tom Kerridge, who pleads with the government to drop VAT to 10% in order to help the hospitality industry survive.Read more about The Telegraph's Save Our Pubs campaignWe 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/fromtheeditorProducer: Lilian FawcettExecutive Producer: Charlotte SeligmanVideo Producer: Will WaltersCamera Operator: Aaron WheelerSocial Producer: Nada AggourEditor: Camilla Tominey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump has overseen the formation of the ‘Board of Peace’, a project which started as an effort to rebuild Gaza but has now morphed into a world peacekeeping force that could rival the United Nations.But Keir Starmer and other European leaders have snubbed the invitation over Vladimir Putin’s possible involvement.Allister tells Camilla and Tim why he’s “sick of Trump” and his "disgusting" diplomacy over Greenland, and why the Board of Peace won’t work.Plus, is Keir Starmer’s worst nightmare about to come true? Labour MP Andrew Gwynne is set to resign, paving the way for Manchester mayor Andy Burnham to return to Westminster and make a bid to topple the PM.Read Allister's column: Trump’s imperial delirium could trigger a catastropheWe 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/fromtheeditorProducer: Lilian Fawcett and Georgia CoanSenior Producer: John CadiganExecutive Producer: Charlotte SeligmanVideo Producer: Will WaltersSocial Producer: Nada AggourStudio Director: Meghan SearleEditor: Camilla Tominey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump finally made it to Davos, three hours late.After a flashing-light emergency on Air Force One, Mr Trump used the World Economic Forum platform to unload on Europe, the UK and pretty much anyone else in range. Marking a year since his inauguration, the US president mocked green energy, accused Britain of crippling itself by refusing to drill the North Sea, and claimed Europe has “destroyed itself”. Back home, Sir Keir Starmer showed unexpected steel at PMQs, saying he will not yield to Mr Trump’s pressure on Greenland.Camilla and Tim unpack Mr Trump’s freewheeling Davos speech, from his fresh push to “acquire” Greenland (while confusing it with Iceland), to digs at Emmanuel Macron’s sunglasses, Canada’s “freebies”, and a promise to build a “golden dome” to protect North America. We ask what all of this tells us about the new world order.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/fromtheeditorProducer: Georgia CoanSenior Producer: John CadiganExecutive Producer: Charlotte SeligmanVideo Producer: Will WaltersStudio Director: Meghan SearleSocial Producer: Nada AggourEditor: Camilla Tominey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Keir Starmer’s belief that he’s the ‘Trump Whisperer’ appears to be in tatters. Having managed to say nothing of any great substance in response to the President’s tariff threats, the Prime Minister was on the end of a brutal social media evisceration overnight - as Trump took to Truth Social to call Labour’s Chagos Islands giveaway “stupid”.Camilla and Tim question why Starmer has allowed himself to be bullied by Trump, how today’s approving of plans for the controversial Chinese super-embassy will surely only inflame tensions further, and just why - when it’s his favourite place in the world - Sir Keir isn’t moving heaven and earth to meet the President in Davos this week. Elsewhere, Camilla and Tim discuss Brooklyn Beckham torching relations with his own family, and ask whether he’s the victim of “Brand Beckham’s” media control, or just a spoilt nepo baby?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/fromtheeditorProducer: Lilian Fawcett and Georgia CoanSenior Producer: John CadiganExecutive Producer: Charlotte SeligmanVideo Producer: Will WaltersSocial Producer: Nada AggourStudio Director: Meghan SearleEditor: Camilla Tominey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on the UK and seven other EU countries if they don’t give him what he wants: full US control of Greenland. In an emergency Downing Street press conference on Monday, Keir Starmer announced, well, not very much.Camilla and Tim speak to The Telegraph’s Chief Foreign Affairs Commentator, David Blair, about the PM's attempt to keep the president and the EU happy, why Trump is really just after territory, and the future of the “special relationship”.Later, Reform's newest MP, Andrew Rosindell, gives the inside story of how Nigel Farage convinced him to defect during a phone call on Saturday night.Read: Trump has just handed Putin the prize he’s always wanted, by David BlairWe 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/fromtheeditorProducer: Lilian Fawcett and Georgia CoanSenior Producer: John CadiganExecutive Producer: Charlotte SeligmanVideo Producer: Will WaltersSocial Producer: Nada AggourStudio Director: Meghan SearleEditor: Camilla Tominey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A US asylum seeker has been living in Britain for over a year with free accommodation and benefits, despite his claim being refused as ‘clearly unfounded’.Olabode Shoniregun, 27, fled Las Vegas claiming persecution and sexual assault by US law enforcement, yet admits he'd happily return 'to visit'.What makes matters even worse is the string of Home Office blunders that mean he’s still in the country despite agreeing to be deported. The case shows the farcical chaos of the British asylum system, where a failed asylum seeker was housed and given benefits by a local council, only to be left stranded after a failed voluntary returns attempt.Camilla and Tim explain the 14-month saga that has caused alarm at the highest levels of government and reveal the full extent of Labour's failings.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/fromtheeditorProducer: Lilian Fawcett and Georgia CoanSenior Producer: John CadiganExecutive Producer: Charlotte SeligmanVideo Producer: Will WaltersSocial Producer: Nada AggourEditor: Camilla Tominey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Robert Jenrick has defected to Reform UK after his dramatic sacking earlier today. During a press conference with Nigel Farage, Jenrick accused the Conservatives of “breaking Britain” in his first speech as a Reform MP.Kemi Badenoch pulled a political U-turn the Prime Minister would be proud of when she announced her shadow justice secretary had been dumped over “irrefutable evidence” he was plotting a defection to Reform UK.Camilla and Tim dissect the events of a wild day in Westminster as they look at the evidence compiled by the Tories against Jenrick, the Reform leader’s denial of any “plot,” and what this massive political drama means for the future of the Conservatives and Reform. Plus, did Camilla’s weekend column predicting the defection play a part?Read: Brilliant Badenoch gambit or boon for Farage? Tim and Camilla go head-to-headWe 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/fromtheeditorProducer: Lilian Fawcett and Georgia CoanExecutive Producer: Charlotte Seligman and Louisa WellsVideo Producer: Will WaltersSocial Producer: Nada AggourEditor: Camilla Tominey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You could be forgiven for losing count of how many screeching about-turns the Government has now made on policy.Camilla and Tim discuss the newest addition to that long list: digital ID cards, which Kemi Badenoch skewered Keir Starmer on at PMQs. Meanwhile, West Midlands Police is in crisis after the Home Secretary announced its chief Craig Guildford no longer has her confidence, over revelations that the force used AI-generate content to justify its Maccabi Tel Aviv football fan ban.Tory MP Nick Timothy tells Tim and Camilla that Shabana Mahmood "failed as Home Secretary" over the issue.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/fromtheeditorProducer: Lilian Fawcett and Georgia CoanSenior Producer: John CadiganExecutive Producer: Charlotte Seligman Video Producer: Will WaltersSocial Producer: Nada AggourEditor: Camilla Tominey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.