Keir Starmer - the unlikely leader of the free world?

Keir Starmer - the unlikely leader of the free world?

Author: Pod Save the UK March 6, 2025 Duration: 57:39
A shouting match in the Oval Office probably should have been on everyone’s Trump 25 bingo card - but the extraordinary breakdown in relations between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy shocked the world. Keir Starmer rolled up his sleeves and spent the weekend in full-blown diplomacy mode - leading to Politico calling him the “unlikely leader of the free world”.  But with Trump pulling the plug on military aid to Ukraine, leaving the UK and Europe scrambling to increase defence spending - will Starmer’s peace plan work? And what does it all mean for the future of the war? Coco and Nish discuss. With International Women’s Day this week, Political Editor at PoliticsJoe Ava-Santina Evans calls in to discuss what the government has achieved when it comes to women’s equality. And with less than one in five young women identifying as a feminist and self-described feminists like Kemi Badenoch calling maternity pay ‘excessive’ - Coco wants to know if changing labels and groups would make...

The political landscape in Britain is often dissected from within the Westminster bubble, but Pod Save the UK offers a different kind of conversation. This podcast cuts through the noise of the daily headlines with a blend of sharp analysis and relatable frustration, asking the bigger questions about power, policy, and what it all means for people across the country. The hosts, seasoned in activism and political commentary, break down the week’s events without relying on insider jargon or dry parliamentary procedure. You’ll hear discussions that connect government decisions to everyday life, exploring the real-world impact of legislation and the forces shaping national debates. It’s a space for understanding the mechanics of British politics while challenging the status quo, always with an eye on how to build a more equitable future. For anyone feeling adrift in the constant churn of news cycles, this series provides clarity and a sense of shared perspective, making complex issues accessible and engaging. Tune in for a candid, often witty, and consistently insightful take on the state of the nation, where the focus is on substance over spin and holding power to account.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

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Podcast Episodes
[Moral] Panic on the streets of Glastonbury [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:08
Nish’s inappropriate occurrences report at Glastonbury is in: there were people kissing, some people had their butts out and nobody seemed to be slapping on the SPF - all very inappropriate. But this isn’t what the right…
Does Trump know what the F#@! he’s doing? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:35
After a rollercoaster week of news - the threat of World War 3 suddenly felt a little overstated. But a few short hours after a ceasefire between Israel and Iran - both countries returned to a war of words and missiles -…
U-turn after U-turn: who is the real Keir Starmer? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:04
Keir Starmer is not afraid of a U-turn. From abandoned policy pledges to reinstating the winter-fuel allowance, the list is growing. To add to this - this week, the PM has expressed his support for Israel’s military acti…
Is Labour finally being Labour? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:08
Rachel Reeves has delivered her very first spending review, promising to ‘renew Britain’ with big cash boosts for the NHS, housing and defence. It’s a marked change of tone but the Tories are calling her approach “spend…
How to protect abortion rights from the far-right [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:14
England and Wales is still - unbelievably - operating under an 1861 law that criminalises abortion access. An unprecedented rise in prosecutions and the rise of an aggressive US-style anti-abortion movement in the UK hav…
Babies, Benefits and Black Lives Matter [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:47
Stay out of wombs Nigel! Reform UK leader Nigel Farage wants us to have more babies - which for new mum Coco feels like being bamboozled into being rightwing. Not only this, Farage is even coming for abortion - saying it…
Gaza and Benefits: is Starmer changing course? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:05
Reunited, Coco and Nish are finally back together in the studio to talk U turns, disability benefits, Brexit and… gimp masks? There’s a lot of politics to catch up on including some big shifts from the Labour government.…
Pod Save an Island of Strangers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:59
Coco’s back! She’s both sleep and politics deprived, but Nish is ready to fill her in. The government's shake-up of legal migration laws landed this week - but the news has been dominated by one question. Is Keir Starmer…
The UK Supreme Court ruling and the fight for trans rights [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:41
In the wake of the UK Supreme Court ruling that the legal definition of woman should be based on biological sex, Nish and Zoë speak to LGBTQ+ activist Ellen Jones, author of "Outrage: Why the fight for LGBTQ+ equality is…