The Julia Hartley-Brewer Show

NHS maternity betrayal – is our health system fit for purpose? Plus: Trump describes Burnham as ‘extremely liberal’ 25.06.2026 36min

Britain's maternity scandal has been exposed in a fulsome report — revealing criminal negligence dressed up in bureaucratic incompetence. Hundreds of mothers and babies died or were left seriously injured at Nottingham University NHS Trust over 13 years, while it seems managers prioritised self-protection over saving lives. Julia Hartley-Brewer and former senior military intelligence officer Philip Ingram MBE tear into a toxic culture of cover-ups, box-ticking, and wasted six-figure salaries — while babies died. Former Sun political editor Trevor Kavanagh joins to ask why nobody ever seems to get sacked for these major failings. Meanwhile, Donald Trump has dismissed Andy Burnham as the mayor of a small town who is "extremely liberal" — sharing no warm wishes for the new PM tasked with turning the country round. With no Chancellor chosen, no policies confirmed, and his authority already crumbling, Burnham's leadership faces HUGE headwinds before it's even taken off.Plus: Kemi Badenoch's savage PMQs demolition of the Starmer government, heatwave hysteria, and homeowners being forced to rip out their air conditioning.Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Burnham faces defence crisis before he even gets to No10 – as his team wrangles with Starmer over investment plan 24.06.2026 47min

The defence community are sounding the alarm over Britain's crumbling defences. Former Head of the British Army, General Sir Peter Wall, joins Julia to lay bare the stark reality: the UK has gone from NATO's leading European nation to the bottom of the pile, with a defence funding gap so severe that the military is expecting to make significant cuts. With Keir Starmer limping toward a NATO summit empty-handed, and Andy Burnham preparing for a coronation without a plan, is there hope of a safe Britain?Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott pulls no punches on Britain's decline, the net-zero obsession strangling economic dynamism, and why a country that once assembled 40 warships in 48 hours now takes two weeks to deploy a single destroyer.Also: the grooming gang inquiry expands to London — so what does that mean for Sadiq Khan's repeated denials? Julia and Benedict Spencer dig in.Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Years of Brexit, Burnham's Britain and the £5 Million Donation to Farage 23.06.2026 23min

Ten years on from the biggest democratic vote in British history, Nigel Farage joins Julia Hartley-Brewer to take stock of what Brexit delivered — and where the political class failed to implement it.  Immigration went through the roof, EU regulations were barely touched, and the promises made to 17 million voters were quietly buried. But is Brexit itself to blame?With Keir Starmer apparently on his way out and Andy Burnham positioning himself for a coronation as Prime Minister — with no mandate, no manifesto, and no general election — Farage argues Britain is not just ungovernable, it is broken.Julia also presses Farage hard on the £5 million gift from a crypto billionaire in Thailand — an unconditional payment he refused to declare and still refuses to fully explain. Is Reform ready for a snap election? And could a pact with the Conservatives ever happen?Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Starmer RESIGNS: Julia and Talk listeners Celebrate… As Burnham Eyes No10 — And Reform Demands An Election 22.06.2026 44min

Keir Starmer has resigned as leader of the Labour Party after losing the confidence of his MPs.In reaction, Julia says Starmer was “dragged kicking and screaming” from the leadership after a disastrous premiership defined by broken promises, winter fuel cuts, tax rises, digital ID, the Chagos deal and failure on welfare reform.Former Conservative adviser Clare Pearsall joins Julia to assess Starmer’s downfall and whether Andy Burnham, now widely expected to take over, can offer anything more than “Keir Starmer in a black T-shirt”.Also: Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice celebrates Starmer’s exit and calls for a general election, warning Burnham has “no mandate” for a new socialist agenda. He also sets out Reform’s pitch on immigration, net zero and taking on Labour.And independent MP Karl Turner, who lost the Labour whip under Starmer, gives his verdict on the resignation, Burnham’s likely leadership, and whether he expects to return to the Labour fold.Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oxfordshire Council tries to ban Union Flags — after England win their first World Cup game 18.06.2026 25min

Keir Starmer could be gone within days. That's the verdict of Sun columnist David Wooding, who reveals Westminster is awash with leadership chatter — including claims that Ed Miliband has already been offered the Chancellorship by a rival contender. With Cabinet ministers refusing the Prime Minister's calls and resignations potentially imminent, the clock may finally be ticking on Starmer's tenure.Then, as England's World Cup campaign kicks off, Oxfordshire County Council is seeking a legal injunction — backed by taxpayer money — to ban Union flags and England flags from lampposts. Philip Kiszeley of the New Culture Forum joins Julia to expose the jaw-dropping double standards of a political class that celebrates Pride and Palestinian flags whilst treating patriotism as a hate crime.Plus: the BBC's £500 million cuts, a Question Time migrant plant scandal, and civil servants being paid to play Grand Theft Auto and role-play as earthworms in the name of public policy.Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russia Fires Warning Shots at British Pensioners in the Channel — is Britain defenceless? 17.06.2026 22min

A retired British couple sailing in the English Channel found themselves in the crosshairs of a Russian warship — and then they accused the MoD of trying to bury the story. Rear Admiral Chris Parry, former Royal Navy Commander, cuts through the noise to explain exactly who was in the right, why Russian captains are paranoid about suicide vessels, and why Britain's hollowed-out frigate and destroyer force means we simply cannot go toe-to-toe with the Russians when it matters. With arson attacks on the Prime Minister's home, the seizure of a shadow fleet tanker, and now live fire in British waters, the question is no longer whether Russia is testing us — it's whether we have anything left to test back with.Then, rebel Labour MP Karl Turner — who lost the whip for standing up to his own government — gives his blunt verdict on Keir Starmer's disintegrating authority. With the Macclesfield by-election looming and Andy Burnham waiting in the wings, is Labour heading for a coronation or chaos? And with half a million people claiming disability benefits for anxiety alone, will any Labour leader ever make the hard choices Britain desperately needs?Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Britain's Defence Crisis Laid Bare on the World Stage — Starmer meets global leaders as Military Chiefs Sound the Alarm 16.06.2026 30min

Keir Starmer struts across the G7 stage in Evian — but with a resigned Defence Secretary, a furious Armed Forces Minister, and a Chief of the Defence Staff warning that Britain can barely afford to train its own troops, world leaders are greeting him with what Sir David Davis bluntly calls "ill-disguised pity."Former head of the British Army, Lord Dannatt, joins Julia in the studio to dissect the defence spending catastrophe, drawing a chilling parallel with 1935 — the last time Britain was this exposed. He warns that if we fail to deter Russia now, the cost of hot war will be one hundred times greater than what we are currently refusing to spend.Sir David Davis tears into the Iran deal, calling it a "pathetic negotiation" that has handed Tehran a revenue stream it never knew it had, set a dangerous precedent over international waters, and left Gulf states quietly furious.Plus — Starmer's social media ban for under-16s: good intentions or yet another half-baked headline grabber with zero detail?Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Labour's Defence Shambles — The Minister Who Walked Away Speaks Out 15.06.2026 35min

Former Armed Forces Minister Al Carnes made headlines when he followed Defence Secretary John Healey out the door — and now he's telling us exactly why. In a frank and at times fiery exchange with Julia Hartley-Brewer, Carnes lays bare the uncomfortable truth: Britain is preparing for the last war, not the next one, and the Treasury's refusal to meaningfully fund defence is leaving this country dangerously exposed.With Russia on the march, threats multiplying in the Middle East, and intelligence agencies warning of potential attack by 2030, Carnes argues that national security must become the central, cohering function of government — not an afterthought buried beneath fiscal rules. He also clashes head-on with Julia over welfare reform, the two-child benefit cap, youth unemployment, and whether Nigel Farage and Reform are offering real solutions or simply selling umbrellas in a storm of their own making.Then, veteran broadcaster and journalist Andrew Neil delivers his characteristically sharp verdict on the government's social media ban — sceptical, probing, and cutting straight to the heart of who's really responsible for protecting children online. He also takes aim at Keir Starmer's hollow posturing on the world stage, questions whether Andy Burnham is remotely ready for Number 10, and pays tribute to the late Roy Hattersley — a politician from an era when serious people did serious politics.Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Keir Starmer's Defence Secretary resigns over paltry defence investment - after second night of Belfast disorder 11.06.2026 56min

Belfast is burning — and the government's answer is to crack down on you for talking about it. A second night of disorder gripped the city after knife-attack suspect Hadi Alodid, a Sudanese national, was granted asylum via a Tory fast-track scheme requiring nothing more than a ten-page questionnaire. No face-to-face interview. No proper vetting. Just a tick-box exercise — and five years' leave to remain.Julia Hartley-Brewer is joined by former senior military intelligence officer Philip Ingram, who warns that foreign powers — Russia, China, Iran — are actively stoking division on British streets, and that the rioting in Belfast is exactly the kind of domestic chaos they want to see. Meanwhile, only one asylum seeker has been returned to Ireland since 2020, despite a formal agreement to do so, as people-smuggling gangs exploit the open Irish border with impunity.Then, in a bombshell moment live on air, news breaks that Defence Secretary John Healey has resigned — unable to secure the funding Britain desperately needs to defend itself. Sir Ian Duncan Smith calls it out bluntly: a Chancellor blocking the Defence Investment Plan, a Prime Minister too weak to overrule her, and a nation sleepwalking into the most dangerous geopolitical moment since the 1930s. Ships tied up in port. No Royal Navy presence in the Mediterranean. And a government more concerned with appeasing its own backbenchers than protecting the realm.The message is clear — our borders are open, our defences are crumbling, and the real crime, according to this government, is noticing.Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Belfast on the Brink — Knife Attack, Riots and Britain at the limit? 10.06.2026 39min

A Sudanese asylum seeker, Hadi Alodid, has appeared in Belfast Magistrates Court charged with attempted murder, threats to kill, and possession of a knife — after a horrific street attack that left victim Stephen Ogilvie, an NHS radiographer, fighting for his life and without his left eye. Bail was refused. The court heard the suspect told medical staff "I will kill you" and was found armed with a knife on top of his victim when police arrived.The attack has ignited violent disorder on the streets of Belfast — firebombing, masked mobs going door to door, and clashes with police. Julia Hartley-Brewer is joined by conservative commentator Benedict Spencer to unpick the rage, the politics, and the uncomfortable truth that governments have ignored the warnings of the British public for decades.Siobhan Whyte, mother of Rhiannon Whyte — murdered in a frenzied 23-stab attack by an asylum seeker at a Walsall hotel — joins Julia to demand answers. She reveals her daughter's killer had already been denied asylum in Germany and Italy, and arrested in Germany before being welcomed into England.Former police officer Norman Brennan, with nearly 50 years in law enforcement, warns that unless the government gets a firm grip on borders and crime, Britain is heading towards full-scale civil disorder. He also lifts the lid on stop and search, knife crime statistics, and why so many officers have been left unable to do their jobs.Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Belfast ‘Beheading’, Billions of Foreign Aid to Terrorists — and how DEI is rotting Britain away 09.06.2026 41min

A Sudanese man has been arrested in north Belfast following what can only be described as an attempted beheading — a horrific, graphic attack captured on video.  Meanwhile, the BBC initially buried it beneath the headline: "Man taken to hospital with serious injuries after Belfast stabbing." Julia Hartley-Brewer is joined by Henry Hill, Political Editor of The Critic, who explains why journalists strip out the most critical details of violent crimes — and why the Public Order Act is being weaponised to protect hypothetical racists over real victims.Reform UK Deputy Leader Richard Tice joins live as the Belfast attacker's identity is confirmed on air. He pulls no punches: the public has a right to know the full history of this individual — now, not in two years' time after a court case. He also reacts to the bombshell Telegraph revelation that £28 billion in taxpayers' money was handed to terrorist groups including ISIS, hostile states such as Russia, and Chinese military-linked companies — through foreign aid and COVID relief loans — which was then actively covered up by the Conservative government.Lord Daniel Hannan, Director of the Institute of Economic Affairs, connects the dots: a bloated, unaccountable, ideologically captured state that selects in favour of dangerous migrants, funds our enemies abroad, and then buries the evidence. He also takes aim at Kemi Badenoch's pledge to scrap the public sector equality duty — welcome, he says, but the real rot runs far deeper than any single piece of legislation.Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Lammy disagrees with JD Vance over the Henry Nowak Fallout, Israel strikes Iran, and Labour's leadership uncertainty as Makerfield by-election looms 08.06.2026 50min

Keir Starmer is busying himself with AI summits and an expected announcement of social media bans for under-16s — a move that looks suspiciously timed ahead of the Makerfield by-election. Is it genuine child protection, or is it political theatre designed to sustain the PM’s legacy? Also, the murder of Henry Nowak continues to dominate the national conversation. JD Vance's claim that Henry died "the way a civilisation dies", while also placing the blame on mass migration, sparked a furious response from David Lammy — who rang up the US Vice President to tell him he was wrong. Mail on Sunday commentator Dan Hodges joins Julia to dissect whether Vance crossed a line, and why linking the killing directly to mass migration was both deliberate and dangerous. Independent MP Karl Turner goes further — calling Lammy's TV appearance an embarrassment and urging Number 10 to keep him well away from the cameras.And with Andy Burnham widely tipped to win Makerfield and launch a Labour leadership bid, both guests weigh in on whether he has any actual plan — or whether charisma and a casual wardrobe are all he's bringing to the table.Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bleksley Blasts Bobbies Over Nowak Tragedy 05.06.2026 51min

Charlie Rowley reacts as Burnham’s Makerfield pitch fuelled Labour leadership rumours, as Henry Nowak’s murder intensified policing rows and political pressure. Nowak’s family met Badenoch and Starmer, while Elon Musk’s comments drew rebukes amid calls for calm and accountability. Royal finances faced scrutiny over Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s cottage arrangements, raising questions about privilege, transparency and public trust.Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Henry Nowak's family call for 'common sense' equality: Kemi Badenoch reacts to her meeting with the family 04.06.2026 52min

The Prime Minister and Hampshire's Chief Constable insist there is no two-tier policing. But Hampshire Police's own documents, in black and white, explicitly state that officers must not treat people the same or be colourblind. Officers who underwent the force's mandatory DEI training reported feeling pressured — afraid to say the wrong thing. One in five feared being rejected for speaking their minds. Is this institutionalised groupthink running through policing, the NHS, the civil service, and more?Brendan O'Neill argues that Keir Starmer is not protecting Henry Nowak's legacy — he is using it as a political shield to deflect scrutiny from the very policies that shaped this tragedy. Nigel Farage was heckled in the Commons while bringing up many people’s experience of two-tier policing. Yet in 2020, the same political class praised Black Lives Matter rage from the rooftops.Kemi Badenoch, fresh from a meeting with Henry's family, makes the case for sweeping away identity politics entirely — and explains why consistency under the law, not special treatment for any group, is the only path forward.Plus: Lord Mann's report recommends banning all political badges in the NHS — and Julia asks why anyone ever thought that was acceptable in the first place.Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Henry Nowak: Two-Tier Policing, Race Bias and the Death of Equality Before the Law 03.06.2026 42min

The murder of Henry Nowak sent shockwaves across Britain, after the body cam footage of police handcuffing a dying, stabbed teenager whilst he told them he couldn’t breathe and had been stabbed.  Julia Hartley-Brewer unpacks what this case reveals: the deadly consequence of an institutionalised ideology that has infected British policing from top to bottom.Julia is joined by commentator Benedict Spence, who argues against the left’s narrative that Nigel Farage is politicising this story against the wishes of the family. He says murder is inherently political and that no victim's family holds a monopoly over public debate. Together they dissect the violent protests in Southampton, the accusations of exploitation levelled at Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch, and the uncomfortable truth that two-tier policing isn't a conspiracy theory — it's written down in black and white in policing race action plans.Then, Rick Prior — former Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, who was suspended for daring to say exactly this — joins Julia to explain how DEI training, the Police Race Action Plan, and the institutional obsession with "equality of outcomes" over equal treatment has left officers terrified of being labelled racist. The result is a culture where an accusation of racism outweighs a boy bleeding to death on the pavement.Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘I can’t breathe’: Did two-tier policing led to Henry Nowak’s death? The case that's shaking Britain 02.06.2026 35min

The body cam footage from the murder of Henry Novak is incredibly disturbing. A young man, stabbed and dying, tells police four times he's been stabbed and nine times he can't breathe — and is handcuffed and left to die with two pints of blood in his lungs. His killer was never even handcuffed.Julia Hartley-Brewer doesn't hold back. She is joined by Reform UK's Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick, Shadow Policing Minister and Conservative Deputy Chairman Matt Vickers, and former Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector Mike Neville.Is this proof of two-tier policing in Britain? All three guests say yes. The rot, they argue, runs far deeper than two officers at a crime scene. It goes straight to the top — the College of Policing, the National Police Chiefs Council, the Home Office race action plans, and decades of critical race theory embedded throughout the establishment.Why did Keir Starmer take the knee for George Floyd but stay silent for three days after Henry Nowak's killer was convicted? Why are words treated as more dangerous than knives? And what would it actually take to tear this broken system down?Also: the Mandelson Files and the bombshell WhatsApp message from Pat McFadden that exposes exactly what Labour MPs really think about taxpayers' money.Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More Mandelson files coming ... and Nicola Sturgeon defends herself over 'crime she didn't commit' 01.06.2026 38min

Julia Hartley-Brewer breaks down what hundreds of bombshell texts, WhatsApps, and emails are expected to reveal about Peter Mandelson's controversial appointment as UK Ambassador to the United States. Also under discussion is Nicola Sturgeon's BBC interview in which she claims to be serving a sentence for a crime she did not commit. Julia and former Conservative government adviser Claire Pearsall question the idea that Sturgeon knew nothing about her husband Peter Murrell embezzling £400,000 from the SNP — including an £80,000 Jaguar, a £125,000 camper van, and 108 loo rolls bought the day before Sturgeon told the nation not to stockpile.Plus: the Hague rules the UK does NOT have to pay Rwanda £100 million. Was the £700 million Rwanda scheme a catastrophic waste of your money?And Tory plans for benefit ration cards for criminals — sensible policy or political fantasy?Then, political commentator James Mathewson joins for a fiery on-air clash over trans rights, Donald Trump, Reform UK, and whether James Murray is a coward for finally admitting that trans women are not women.Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Britain's ‘Lost Generation’: One in Six Young People Face a Workless Future 28.05.2026 29min

Over a million young people aged 16 to 24 are currently not in education, employment or training. Former Cabinet Minister Alan Milburn argues that without urgent action, that figure could rise to one in six within five years. How has this happened? Milburn points to young people’s ‘aspiration’, but a job market that is failing them, following increases to employer’s national insurance and the minimum wage. Julia adds young people’s attitudes… and failed parenting. Ryan Wayne from the Tony Blair Institute joins the show to discuss the report, as well as Tony Blair’s criticism of the government. Julia questions his boss’s legacy — mass immigration from Eastern Europe, the 50% university target, and net zero — arguing they systematically dismantled opportunities for a generation of young Brits.Lord Daniel Hannan, incoming Director General of the Institute of Economic Affairs, lays out the economics that have led to our current malaise: punishing hikes in National Insurance, the Rayner Employment Rights Bill, and a near two-thirds rise in the minimum wage since lockdown have made hiring young people a risk too far for businesses. Add to that a welfare system riddled with perverse incentives, a surge in mental health diagnoses with patients coached by online influencers, and a lockdown hangover we've barely begun to recover from — and the picture is bleak.Also: Dame Helen Mirren, 80 years old and walking through London with her husband, is subjected to a foul-mouthed tirade by a pro-Palestine activist. Philip Ingram MBE connects the dots between Iran's Revolutionary Guard and the radicalisation driving these shocking street confrontations.Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Blair criticises Starmer’s Labour for having no plan, the wrong policies on net zero, migration, and growth — and Reform in-fighting as Restore Britain improve in polls 27.05.2026 36min

Tony Blair has dropped a political bombshell on Keir Starmer's desk. In a scathing 5,700-word essay, the former Prime Minister and three-time election winner says Labour has no coherent plan to fix Britain, is governing from a "soft left comfort zone," and will lose the next general election unless it ditches net zero, slashes the welfare bill, stops the boats, and stops pretending that swapping leaders is the same as changing course.Julia Hartley-Brewer is joined by former Conservative Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, who finds remarkably little to disagree with in Blair's brutal assessment, despite their different parties. He breaks down exactly where this government went wrong — arriving with a historic landslide on just 33% of the vote and then standing completely still. No plan. No direction. Just a budget that hammered small businesses with national insurance hikes, a soaring minimum wage, and crippling business rates — the very engine room of British jobs and growth.IDS also reflects on his own record reforming welfare under Universal Credit — cutting between £28 and £32 billion from the budget and delivering the lowest number of workless households since records began — and why Labour's half-hearted attempts to repeat that are doomed to fail.Also: the Makerfield by-election is descending into farce, with Reform and the newly formed Restore Britain tearing chunks out of each other while Andy Burnham eyes the prize. Is this just a parade of oversized egos? Plus, Nicola Sturgeon and the motorhome that apparently nobody saw — for two years, on her mother-in-law's driveway.Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nicola Sturgeon's husband pleads guilty to embezzling party funds… did she know nothing? Plus: the teenage rapists spared prison time 26.05.2026 38min

Nicola Sturgeon's estranged husband Peter Murrell has pleaded guilty to embezzling £400,000 from SNP party funds. That money was used for four coffee machines worth £9,000, £2,000 on salt and pepper shakers, an £80,000 Jaguar, and a motorhome parked on his mother's driveway. Sturgeon claims she knew absolutely nothing about where the money came from.Julia Hartley-Brewer is joined by Tom Slater, editor of Spiked, to unpick whether that defence is credible. Julia is unconvinced. For a couple who travelled to work together, jointly led the SNP for years, and were legally responsible for signing off the party accounts, the "I saw nothing" response needs to be fully investigated.Also: two teenage boys convicted of rape are spared custodial sentence, despite overwhelming evidence — including footage they filmed themselves. During sentencing, the judge said he wanted to avoid unnecessarily criminalising them. The Attorney General Lord Hermer has now referred the case to the Court of Appeal, but as Julia and Tom argue, the real problem lies deeper, within the sentencing guidelines themselves, which appear to treat youth, low IQ, and ADHD as excuses.And with the Makerfield by-election looming, polling expert Sir John Curtice, Professor of Politics at the University of Strathclyde, joins Julia to break down why this is no ordinary by-election. With Andy Burnham's personal vote, a resurgent Reform UK, and Rupert Lowe's Restore Britain potentially splitting the right-wing vote, the result is likely to pave the way to a new Prime Minister. Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.