Pod Save the UK

Coco and Nish are joined by top author and tech expert Jamie Bartlett. His new book is a deep dive into the ways AI is being used - highlighting its pitfalls and also where it might be beneficial.Jamie even created an AI alter-ego to help people understand how the technology really works, its strengths and its limitations. Plus, your questions, answered! From the new electoral system in Wales to favourite conspiracy theories - you’ll learn and you’ll laugh!Don’t forget to leave a review - it gives the show a boost and we love to see your comments.CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS VANTA: https://www.vanta.com/PSTUKSHOPIFY: https://shopify.co.uk/podsavetheukWISE: https://www.wise.comGUESTS Jamie Bartlett, Author, ‘How To Talk To AI (And How Not To)’ and Host of Everything is Fake (And Nobody Cares) on BBC SoundsSpecial guest appearance: Jimmy BotlettUSEFUL LINKS‘How To Talk To AI (And How Not To)’: Out April 9th. https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/475950/how-to-talk-to-ai-by-bartlett-jamie/9780753561980Welsh Assembly election guidehttps://senedd.wales/senedd-now/senedd-blog/senedd-election-2026-what-is-the-d-hondt-formula-and-how-does-it-work/Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.Get in touch - contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukLike and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUKInstagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.comFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheukX: https://x.com/podsavetheuk

Comedian and columnist Stewart Lee joins Nish and Coco to discuss the week’s big stories.They talk about Donald Trump’s deadly and yet utterly confusing war with Iran, as the US President continues to contradict his own statements about the Strait of Hormuz and peace talks, almost in the same breath. It certainly means a new, live, UK sketch show has plenty of material - but how should comedy respond to the challenging times we are all living through?Plus - why having a weekly opinion column is good for your mental health and why news organisations need to do more to tackle the lies and extreme rhetoric coming from politicians.Don’t forget to leave a review - it gives the show a boost and we love to see your comments.CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS VANTA: https://www.vanta.com/PSTUKSHOPIFY: https://shopify.co.uk/podsavetheukINCOGNI: https://www.incogni.com/podsavetheuk Code: podsavetheuk GUESTS Stewart Lee, Comedian and columnist for The NerveUSEFUL LINKSGuide to Senedd voting system: https://senedd.wales/senedd-now/senedd-blog/how-will-the-new-voting-system-work-at-the-next-senedd-election/CREDITSSaturday Night Live UK, Sky OnePod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.Get in touch - contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukLike and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUKInstagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.comFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheukX: https://x.com/podsavetheuk

Last summer - fuelled by the far right - a rash of St George and Union Jack flags spread across the country. Flag-waving became a symbol of prejudice, not pride. In that context it's hard as progressives to feel particularly patriotic. So what is Britishness… and does it even matter?Someone who is hopeful that our national identity is worth saving is writer, a DJ and broadcaster Zakia Sewell. In this bonus episode of PSUK, she tells Nish and Coco about her journey to uncover an alternative version of Britishness - one that unifies rather than divides.CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS BABBEL: https://www.babbel.com/PSUKWISE: https://www.wise.comSHOPIFY: https://shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk GUESTZakia Sewell, writer, DJ & broadcasterUSEFUL LINKS“Finding Albion: Myth, Folklore and the Quest for Hidden Britain” - out now.https://www.waterstones.com/book/finding-albion/zakia-sewell/9781399735902Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.Get in touch - contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukLike and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUKInstagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.comFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheukX: https://x.com/podsavetheuk

Reform UK is getting into the lottery business - inviting people to sign up for a chance to have their energy bills paid for a year. But is the real prize a massive database of voters ahead of the next General Election? Plus - party leader Nigel Farage has been caught saying some pretty questionable stuff for money on Cameo. Is that really the kind of thing we should expect from someone who plans to be our next Prime Minister?Nish and Coco are joined by authors Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff. Their new book Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed looks at the billionaire manbaby in a whole new way. If you want to understand what’s driving Musk and what it could mean for all of us - this is the chat for you.And POLITICO’s Anne McElvoy is on hand as the former Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner pops up to point out all the ways Labour is getting it wrong at the moment - subtext: without her they’re lost.Reminder to send in your burning questions for Nish and Coco to psuk@reducedlistening.co.ukCHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS BABBEL: https://www.babbel.com/PSUKWISE: https://www.wise.comSHOPIFY: https://shopify.co.uk/podsavetheukGUESTS Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff, Authors. Muskism: A Guide for the PerplexedOut on March 24thAnne McElvoy, Executive Editor, POLITICO and co-host Politics at Sam and Anne’sUSEFUL LINKSThe Podcast Show - https://www.thepodcastshowlondon.com/explore-passesMuskism: A Guide for the Perplexedhttps://www.penguin.co.uk/books/477340/muskism-by-tarnoff-quinn-slobodian-and-ben/9780241805114CREDITSThe Guardian - YouTubeThe Independent - YouTubeReform UK - YouTubeToday in Focus - The GuardianPod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.Get in touch - contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukLike and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUKInstagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.comFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheukX: https://x.com/podsavetheuk

The first wave of Mandelson files have been published. We all wanted to know what Keir Starmer knew, and when he knew it. Now we can see it in black and white. And as it turns out - Starmer was warned there was a “general reputational risk” over Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein ahead of his confirmation as US ambassador. Nish and Coco make sense of this perilous moment for the PM.Then critical theorist and viral creator Louisa Munch helps us make sense of the government’s new social cohesion strategy. But is tackling extremism and yet more surveillance the answer to fraying social ties?Plus - as Iran names its new supreme leader oil prices skyrocket - for a PM obsessed with the cost of living, this is shaping up to be a bit of a nightmare.Remember to send your questions in for Nish and Coco to psuk@reducedlistening.co.uk and they’ll spill the tea! CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS AURA FRAMES: https://www.auraframes.com Code: PSTUKBABBEL: https://www.babbel.com/PSUKGUESTS Louisa Munch, Critical TheoristMinnie Rahman, CEO PraxisUSEFUL LINKS“Nish, Don’t Kill My Vibe” + Q&A with James Acaster at The Ritzy, Brixton - 18th Marchhttps://picturehouses.com/movie-details/000/HO00017471/nish-kumar-nish-don-t-kill-my-vibe-q-a?filter=Open letter opposing planned changes to the immigration settlement routes: https://act.praxis.org.uk/open-letter-earned-settlementCREDITSDarren Jones MP, Cabinet Office minister - Parliament TVSteve Reed MP, Communities Secretary - Parliament TVMike Tapp MP, Migration minister - Parliament TVMinnie Rahman, Praxis CEOFrederik Pleitgen, CNN International Senior Correspondent - CNNPod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.Get in touch - contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukLike and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUKInstagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.comFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheukX: https://x.com/podsavetheuk

A world leader has been assassinated, schools and hospitals have been hit, and Donald Trump thinks that Keir Starmer is no Winston Churchill. It’s all kicking off as the US and Israel’s illegal war escalates across the Middle East. All of this with the open admission of no real plan for what comes next. Struggling to absorb it all? Wondering if there’s another way? British-Iranian peace strategist Sanam Naraghi Anderlini MBE is here to fill us in. She joins Coco and comedian Sophie Duker, who is in the hotseat for Nish this week.Soaring oil prices was not the backdrop Chancellor Rachel Reeves was hoping for ahead of her second Spring Statement. Finalised before the conflict broke out, her economic plan was “Trumped” before it was even delivered - so where does this leave the UK?Plus - just as the UK gets dragged into this latest destabilising conflict, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood rips up the rules on UK asylum. Got a burning question for Nish or Coco? Big or small - they will be answered in a special episode! Email: psuk@reducedlistening.co.uk CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS WISEhttps://www.wise.comSHOPIFY https://www.shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk SURFSHARKhttps://www.surfshark.com/podsave Code: PODSAVEGUESTSanam Naraghi Anderlini MBE, founder and CEO of the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN)USEFUL LINKSSophie Dukerhttps://thesophieduker.com/If You Were In Charge with Sanam Naraghi Anderlini and Kavita Nandini Ramdas.https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/if-you-were-in-charge/id1770618616CREDITSSophie Duker - Live at the Apollo / BBC One Keir Starmer / XParliament TV PBS News Hour / YouTubeBBC News Zoe Gardner / IGManchester Evening News Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.Get in touch - contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukLike and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUKInstagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.comFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheukX: https://x.com/podsavetheuk

This week Nish and Coco are joined by friend of the pod, Ash Sarkar from Novara Media to talk about political scandal, trust and compromise. Ash’s book, Minority Rule, has a new afterword which talks about two progressive movements which have tried to build different kinds of relationships with voters. Is that the way forward - or are we stuck in an endless cycle of broken promises from our leaders? One of those leaders - Keir Starmer - seems to be lurching from crisis to nightmare, so can he rise above the latest headlines about Peter Mandelson’s arrest and the Labour Together scandal?Plus Reform’s new immigration policies, the new proposals to change the SEND system - and some good news about two protest groups.CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS BABBEL: https://www.babbel.com/PSUKWISE: https://www.wise.comSURFSHARK: https://www.surfshark.com/podsave  CODE: PODSAVE  GUESTS Ash Sarkar, Contributing Editor at Novara Media and author of Minority Rule: Adventures in the Culture War - out now in paperback.USEFUL LINKSJumaane Williams’ thoughtful response following the outcry about the handling of a racial slur at the Baftas.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgaqKIxS4Hs&t=1sCREDITSDaily Express - YouTubeNigel Farage - YouTube@sendra.uk - InstagramNida JafriPod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.Get in touch - contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukLike and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUKInstagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.comFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheukX: https://x.com/podsavetheuk

This week Coco is joined by the comedian Cody Dahler while Nish takes a brief break and there’s so much to talk about!The Greens' Hannah Spencer has become the unexpected bookies favourite to win the Gorton and Denton by-election but does she have what it takes to turn good odds into a win at the ballot box? We speak to her about the importance of fighting to improve lives, her favourite false rumour and why walking her dogs helped form her political outlook.Plus Keir Starmer is back with another U-turn and another inquiry. We try to work out what he’s hoping to achieve this week. And Amnesty International’s UK Director of Law and Human Rights, Tom Southerden, updates us on their High Court victory as they challenge the proscription of Palestine Action.CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS BABBEL: https://www.babbel.com/PSUKSHOPIFY: https://www.shopify.co.uk/podsavetheukGUESTS Hannah Spencer, Green Party candidate, Gorton and Denton by-electionTom Southerden, UK Law and Human Rights Director, Amnesty InternationalUSEFUL LINKSGorton and Denton by-election candidate list https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/elections/parl.gorton-and-denton.by.2026-02-26/gorton-and-denton/CREDITSTikTok / @mrcodydahlerGreen Party of England and Wales / FacebookHannah Spencer / InstagramPaul Holden, Investigative journalist and author of "The Fraud"High Court protest reaction - Amnesty International footage@mrcodydahler / InstagramOtto, Budding ComedianPod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.Get in touch - contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukLike and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUKInstagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.comFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheukX: https://x.com/podsavetheuk

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

The release of the latest Epstein files triggered a deluge of revelations, spelling the end for one of UK’s biggest political characters. Nish and Coco chat about Lord Mandelson’s fall and the damage done to Keir Starmer and his government as well as the new police investigation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.Economist Ann Pettifor, one of the few who predicted the 2008 financial crash, is the author of a new book “The Global Casino”. She has a lot to say about the Mandelson scandal, the financial systems that control our lives and what governments need to do to challenge the global billionaires who speculate with our money every day.Plus - move over Barbenheimer, Nish and Coco give their take on two premieres: The Moment and Melania.CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS  SHOPIFYhttps://www.shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk AURA FRAMEShttps://www.auraframes.com Code: PSTUKGUEST Ann Pettifor, economist and author of ‘The Global Casino’USEFUL LINKSNish Tour Ticketshttps://www.nishkumar.co.uk/gigs/The Global Casino: How Wall Street Gambles with People and the Planethttps://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/3258-the-global-casinoCREDITSKeir Starmer MP / Parliament TVLord Mandelson / ‘Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg’ BBC OneMelania Trailer Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.Get in touch - contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukLike and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUKInstagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.comFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheukX: https://x.com/podsavetheuk

Keir Starmer jets off to Beijing, leaving Westminster - once again - bubbling with rumours about his future. The King of the North might be off the cards, but Angela Rayner and even Ed Miliband are eyeing up the top spot. Reform thinks GB News Presenter and right-wing activist Matt Goodwin is the right man to be their MP candidate in Gorton and Denton - if only he can shelve his disdain for Manchester… Nish and Coco chew it all over with political journalist Zoë Grünewald.Away from the psychodrama, controversial plans to overhaul special educational needs education in England risk children’s legal rights to cut costs. Campaigners Rachel Filmer and Carrie Grant share their concerns with Coco.And surveillance firm Palantir is using medical records to target people for ICE in the US - could the UK be next?This podcast has been edited to remove a story about Matt Goodwin after he clarified the context of his comments about Manchester. We regret the error.CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS SHOPIFYhttps://www.shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk GUESTS Zoë Grünewald, journalist, broadcaster and political commentatorDr Carrie Grant MBE, TV presenter and voice coachRachel Filmer, SEND campaignerUSEFUL LINKSSave Our Children’s Rights Campaignhttps://www.saveourchildrensrights.org.uk/Stop Palantir in the NHShttps://goodlawproject.org/campaign/stop-palantir-in-the-nhsCREDITSKeir Starmer / TikTokPod Save America / XGood Law Project / InstagramSky News / YouTubeUKLabour / XPod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.Get in touch - contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukLike and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUKInstagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.comFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheukX: https://x.com/podsavetheuk

Donald Trump brings his particular brand of terrible speeches to the billionaires and bankers at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Nish and Coco try to work out how Keir Starmer can keep on track when facing the threat of US tariffs over Greenland as well as criticism of a lease deal with the Chagos Islands - which the US had previously praised.Liam Thorp, the Liverpool Echo’s Political Editor, is on hand to break down Labour’s big plan to make homes warmer, the fortunes of Reform and the latest delay to the Hillsborough LawPlus comedian Alaa Shehada, fresh from his show ‘The Horse of Jenin’, talks to Nish and Coco about the ‘Palestine Comedy Club’, a documentary which follows a group of Palestinians as they take their comedy show on tour in an occupied state.CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS SHOPIFYShopify.co.uk/podsavetheukWISEWise.comGUESTS Liam Thorp - Political Editor, Liverpool EchoTess Ingram, UNICEFAlaa Shehada - ComedianUSEFUL LINKSPalestine Comedy Club collectivehttps://www.palestinecomedyclub.com/Palestine Comedy Club documentaryhttps://filmsandfestivals.britishcouncil.org/projects/palestine-comedy-clubStarting Feb 27th:London - Rich Mix and Bertha Doc House Tywyn - Magic Lantern Cinema Birmingham - Mockingbird Cinema Brighton - Komedia Gloucester - Guildhall Belfast - Queen’s Film TheatreCREDITSDonald Trump - BBC Online‘Palestine Comedy Club’ - Tough CrowdPod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.Get in touch - contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukLike and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUKInstagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.comFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheukX: https://x.com/podsavetheuk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

X has been firmly in the firing line after its Grok AI tool was used to create sexualised images of women and children. Elon Musk’s company could face a fine of up to 10% of its global earnings by internet regulator Ofcom, or a ban in the UK. He denies that the AI has done anything illegal and says users are responsible for the images they create.How can we regulate AI? Nish and Coco speak to Rutger Bregman, historian and author who called out billionaires at Davos. He argues Big Tech should be treated like Big Tobacco, and gives his take on Iran, as thousands of protestors take to the streets, and what a radical policy platform looks like for the UK Left today.Plus - what on earth is UKIP proposing as a terrifying rebrand? *Update on Palestinian Hunger Strikers*: On 14th Jan Heba, Kamran, and Lewie collectively paused their hunger strike. They made British history, lasting 73 days.CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS SHOPIFYShopify.co.uk/podsavetheukBABBELhttps://www.babbel.com/PSUK GUESTS Rutger Bregman - Historian and Author of Moral Ambition, out in paper back on 15th JanUSEFUL LINKShttps://www.moralambition.org/bookLet us know your experiences of SEND support in schools - or any other stories.CREDITSLiz Kendall MP, Technology Secretary - Parliament TVRutger Bregman - Publicae   Rutger Bregman and Tucker Carlson - Now ThisTehran protests - Shaparak Khorsandi/InstagramDonald Trump - New York TimesLaila Cunningham - Daily Express/YouTubeNadim Zahawi - Sky NewsPod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.Contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukLike and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUKInstagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.comFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheukX: https://x.com/podsavetheuk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The US President put the season of goodwill behind him with a New Year Venezuelan coup and the threat of further action across Central America and the Caribbean. Then there’s the little matter of his promise to seize control of Greenland.Nish and Coco try to make sense of the senseless - and to assess the possibility that Donald Trump could end up destroying NATO - with Tommy Vietor from our sister podcasts Pod Save America and Pod Save the World. Plus, comedian Cody Dahler gives us his take on how 2026 will shape up for politicians and satirists. How easy is it to make jokes while the world - literally and metaphorically - is on fire? CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS WISEhttps://wise.com/BABBELhttps://www.babbel.com/PSUK GUESTS Cody Dahler, Comedian and Presenter of The Truth (In My Opinion)Tommy Vietor, Co-Host of Pod Save America and Pod Save the WorldNida JafriUSEFUL LINKSPalestine Action Hunger Strikers:How to write to your MP https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-an-mp-or-lord/contact-your-mp/Petition calling for action from the Justice Secretaryhttps://actionnetwork.org/petitions/call-on-mp-and-secretary-of-justice-david-lammy-to-intervene-and-protect-the-hunger-strikers/CREDITSParliament TVCody Dahler/TikTokSunday with Laura Kuenssberg/BBC OneTonight with Andrew Marr/LBCPod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.Contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukLike and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUKInsta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.comFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheukTwitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You asked, Nish and Coco answered!What are their most conservative opinions? Why do both the left and right hate NATO so much? Should we ditch GDP? Why doesn’t the UK have compulsory voting and why do some many progressives stay true to Labour when the party is failing to measure up?All that plus the latest on Coco’s love-hate relationship with AI and a quickfire round to make sure no question is left unanswered.CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS BABBELBabbel.com/PSUK SHOPIFYShopify.co.uk/podsavetheukCALMCalm.com/PTSUKPod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.Contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukSupport PSUK! Don’t forget to like and subscribe.Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUKTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukInsta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheukFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Warning: this episode contains a use of a racial slur.From the rollback of human rights and Trump’s BBC lawsuit to AI slop in politics - what the %@£! was that? Nish and Coco are joined by comedian Shappi Khorsandi and political commentator Jovan Owusu-Nepaul to make sense of the wild year that was. Labour’s first full year in office was marked by u-turns and an inability to use the word ‘genocide’ but there were some significant new bills that boosted the rights of renters and employees. Reform’s polling and local election success had mainstream parties running scared - but the reality of actually running stuff may have revealed the party’s limits. While Starmer focused on the threat from the right, the left was revitalised by the resurgence of the Greens and the (albeit chaotic) energy of Your Party - can they shift the political dial?As 2025 draws to a close - Nish and Coco hand out some very special awards and can we get a Palestinian lullaby to Christmas No.1?CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS AURA FRAMEShttps://www.auraframes.com Code: PSUKCALMcalm.com/PTSUKSHOPIFYShopify.co.uk/podsavetheukGUESTS Shappi Khorsandi, ComedianJovan Owusu-Nepaul, Co-Host of What’s Left? USEFUL LINKShttps://togetherforpalestine.bandcamp.com/album/lullabyCREDITSLabour Party/TikTok Parliament TVSky News/YouTube  Channel 4 News/YouTube Channel 4 News/YouTube BladeoftheSun/X Shaparak Khorsandi/TikTokThe Last Leg/Channel 4Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg/BBCBasil the Great/XSky News/YouTube5 Live/BBCPod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.Contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.comInsta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukTwitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheukTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheukYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump has taken another swipe at Europe’s “weak” leaders over Ukraine and immigration including a special mention for - surprise surprise - Sadiq Khan, who got a shout out for being a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”. Honestly, why is he SO obsessed?! But a Labour government trying to convince European allies to water down human rights law to deport people faster seems perfectly in line with Trump's vision. Nish and Coco are joined by Sky’s Deputy Political Editor Sam Coates.They also take a dive into the latest allegation swirling around Reform UK - this time the party’s election spending in Nigel Farage’s Clacton constituency is under the spotlight.And the scale of the homelessness crisis always seems more acute at this time of year - so the Minister for Local Government and Homelessness, Alison McGovern, joins PSUK to explain how their new plan will be the one to finally make a difference.Finally - PSUK has watched the first episode of the Liz Truss Show, so you don’t have to. Nish and Coco give it a rating out of one to limp lettuce.CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS BABBELhttps://www.babbel.com/PSUK AURA FRAMEShttps://www.auraframes.com Code: PSUKSHOPIFYShopify.co.uk/podsavetheukGUESTS Sam Coates, Deputy Political Editor at Sky NewsAlison McGovern MP, Minister of State for Local Government and HomelessnessUSEFUL LINKS: Nish’s Carol Performance CREDITSPolitico The Liz Truss Show / YouTubeKeir Starmer MP / TikTokRishi Sunak MP / TikTokPod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.Contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.comInsta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukTwitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheukTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheukYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Dead and rotting seagulls within the roof insulation” and “maggots literally raining down on to the lobby” - this quote from a court in South Tyneside sums up the state of our creaking judicial system. So what are we going to do about it? Cut jury trials.Deputy PM and Justice Secretary David Lammy is hoping to clear the court backlog by scrapping jury trials for crimes with sentences of less than three years - but stories like these make Nish and Coco doubtful it will be the silver bullet Lammy hopes. Is removing one of the fundamental building blocks of our justice system worth some sweet sweet efficiency gains? Then - is this the next post office scandal? Nish and Coco are joined by Liz Sayce OBE to discuss her damning report into how the Department of Work and Pensions failed to notify unpaid carers that they were accruing enormous debt for years. And Your Party had its founding conference this weekend… and surprise surprise… it was a spicy one. In the end, Team Zarah’s collective vision for the party defeated Team Jeremy. Will this be a new chapter or - for a party prone to in-fighting - will this leadership model trip them up from the get go?Reminder to send in your questions for our mailbag special to psuk@reducedlistening.co.ukCHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS AURA FRAMEShttps://www.auraframes.com Code: PSUKBABBELhttps://www.babbel.com/PSUK WISEhttps://www.wise.comGUESTS Liz Sayce, OBECREDITSBBC NewsTurn Left MediaThe Mirror Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.Contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.comInsta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukTwitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheukTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheukYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Coco and Nish listened to Rachel Reeves' budget so you don't have to. But hang on, we could all have skipped the speech and read it online. Someone screwed up big time, pressing a button and releasing the budget before Reeves even stood up. That cock up was possibly the most exciting thing about Labour's second budget. A bit vanilla for you? Too much tax for ordinary workers? Too little for the wealthy?Journalist Zoë Grünewald tells Pod Save The UK why this budget might have done enough to pacify the Labour backbenches by lifting the two child benefit cap while soothing the markets with tax and spend plans...Dr Faiza Shaheen, Director of Tax Justice UK, was hoping for bolder action on wealth taxes, but she spots some reasons to be cheerful in the mix. In other news, Nigel Farage gets rattled by questions about his past. Nish and Coco enjoy the novelty of seeing him squirm but wonder if it will harm his electoral chances. And bring a bottle and bury the hatchets, can 'Your Party' make this weekend their kiss and make up moment?Send in your questions for Nish and Coco and they’ll answer them in our mailbag special. Email us at psuk@reducedlistening.co.ukCHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS SHOPIFY https://www.shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk CALM https://www.calm.com/PSTUK AURA FRAMES https://www.auraframes.com Code: PSUKGUESTS Zoë Grünewald, Journalist Faiza Shaheen, Director of Tax Justice UKUSEFUL LINKS https://www.yourparty.uk/founding-documents/ Aditya Chakrabortty Guardian articlehttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/20/wealth-tax-left-super-rich-britain-budget-2025CREDITSHouse of Commons LiveSky NewsThe New Statesman Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.Contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.comInsta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukTwitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheukTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheukYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Warning: this episode contains strong language and a term of racist abuse. Just when we thought the disasters of the government couldn’t get any worse… New Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has made it her “moral mission” to raise Nish and Coco’s blood pressure. Cruel new plans to end the permanent status of refugees and curb housing and support for asylum seekers do perhaps justify the government’s slogan of the biggest overhaul of the system “in modern history” - but at what cost?But - not to be outdone in terms of parties completely out of touch with reality - Your Party’s latest act of in-fighting leaves Nish and Coco with palms glued to their faces. Let’s face it - things have never been anything but fractious within the upstart political movement, but as their conference approaches the wind has never seemed further from their sails. And ahead of the budget next week Chancellor Rachel Reeves is entertaining big cuts to the Warm Homes Plan in efforts to bring down energy bills. Nish and Coco chat to Robert Palmer, Deputy Director of environmental organisation Uplift, about why this quick fix is wrong-headed and short sighted. CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS AURA FRAMEShttps://www.auraframes.com Code: PSUKCALMhttps://www.calm.com/PSTUK GUESTS Robert Palmer, Deputy Director of UpliftUSEFUL LINKS Claims of racism and antisemitism in Nigel Farage’s adolescence https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2025/nov/18/deeply-shocking-nigel-farage-faces-fresh-claims-of-racism-and-antisemitism-at-schoolCREDITSShabana Mahmood / XReform UKParliament TV Ed Miliband / IGPod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.Contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.comInsta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukTwitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheukTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheukYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices