Keir Starmer is facing fresh questions over the Peter Mandelson vetting scandal after the explosive evidence from former senior civil servant Olly Robbins — and the pressure on No.10 is building. Julia Hartley-Brewer asks: is the Prime Minister a dead man walking? With claims of disquiet from inside Downing Street, accusations of “jobs for the boys”, and Labour figures openly turning on their own leader, this row is fast becoming a full-blown crisis for Starmer.
Joined by former Conservative adviser Claire Pearsall and independent MP Karl Turner, Julia tears into the toxic culture at the heart of government, whether Starmer misled Parliament, and why Labour nerves are jangling after PMQs and before the local elections. If the drip-drip of revelations continues, can No.10 survive the summer — or is this the scandal that finally breaks him?
Also: Julia reacts to the alarming poll showing half of young people would never fight for Britain, asking what it says about patriotism, identity and whether this country is still worth defending.
There’s also the growing fallout from the Iran crisis and disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, with warnings of higher fuel costs, rising energy bills, supply chain shocks and fresh pain for British households already squeezed by Rachel Reeves’ faltering economy.
And fury too over the tobacco and vapes bill, as MPs wave through a lifetime smoking ban for anyone born after 2008 — a common-sense health measure, or another open goal for smugglers, black-market gangs and the nanny state?
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.
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