Talk War

In a major blow for Keir Starmer's defence funding plans, Secretary of State for Defence John Healey and Armed Forces Minister Al Carns resigned yesterday in protest over Treasury's refusal to sign off the requested budget to fully fund the country's defence. It has put renewed pressure on the Prime Minister, who insisted today that the country's defence remains his top priority. To discuss, Ian Collins is joined by Bob Seely, former Conservative MP and military expert, who discusses how Labour’s priorities are not those of much of Britain, and how Starmer hasn’t got the power to overrule Rachel Reeves.And Kevin O'Sullivan is joined by former Head of MI6, Sir Richard Dearlove, to discuss how the Government has chosen welfare over safety of the nation, what sort of defence budget we should be aiming, the growing threat to our security, and the desperate state of our defences.

The Government could be about to drop the long awaited defence spending plan, showing how Labour plans to improve a crisis that is leaving Britain at risk. However, rumours are abound that the plan could drop on Friday when Parliament isn't sitting, meaning the Government would not face questions on the plan. Speaker Lindsay Hoyle has weighed in, cautioning the Government against a Friday drop. And how will we pay for such a plan? Well, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has opened the door to more tax rises in order to fund the spending, saying that the money "has to come from somewhere". To discuss the news, Ian Collins is joined on this episode of Talk War by Mark Francois, Shadow Defence Minister, who says that this is causing a Parliamentary row, and dropping the plan on Friday prevents Opposition from holding the Government to account. And he calls for the money to come from a cut to welfare spending. And Anne Strickland, researcher at The Taxpayers' Alliance, echoes those calls, telling Ian that the country's defence capabilities are not up to scratch, but the answer isn't higher taxes - and our welfare bill at the end of this decade is going to be more than £400bn.

The world is still reeling from the sudden return of strikes between Israel and Iran over the weekend - and is waiting to see if alleged peace talks will pan out, or if they will fail once again. But the strikes have shown President Donald Trump taking a firmer stance with Israel, with the President reportedly pushing for Israel to pause hostilities. So what happens now that both sides have scaled back the fighting? To discuss, Ian Collins was joined by Emily Schrader, journalist and Middle East Expert, who discusses Iran's threat to continue fighting if Israel continues to fire on Lebanon, who the victims are in this scenario, and what weight Trump's comments have had.And Kevin O'Sullivan is joined by Jim Jatras, former U.S. Diplomat, Foreign Policy Adviser for the Republican Leadership In The U.S. Senate, on the 'pickle' that Trump has found himself in.

The Gulf Crisis took another turn this weekend. As Israel continued to fire rockets towards southern Lebanon, aiming at Hezbollah targets despite an ongoing ceasefire, prompting Iran to strike at Israel for the first time since Israel. The two countries exchanged rockets across the weekend, prompting US President Donald Trump to tell the two countries to "stop shooting". The countries are reportedly negotiating a ceasefire, according to Trump, and Iran has said it is ending operations in Israel - but will escalate if the fighting continues in Lebanon. To discuss the latest developments, Jeremy Kyle is joined by Sean Bell, former fight pilot turned military analyst, to take stock of the wider conflict and is peace can actually be achieved. And Erol Morkoc, spokesman for Republicans Overseas UK, talks to Julia Hartley-Brewer about how Trump truly feels about the conflict.Former Israeli Government Spokesman Eylon Levy tells Julia that it’s crucial Israel can’t treat Lebanon as its backyard, and that while Israel and the US have convergent interests, they are two sovereign countries with their own concerns.And after news of the ceasefire Andrew Fox, Senior Associate Fellow at the Henry Jackson Society & Former Major in the Parachute Regiment, tells Julia how Iran's wants are dragging out the negotiations.

The head of the military, Chief of the Defence Staff Sir Richard Knighton has warned that the threats to the UK are at their greatest since the Cold War, telling the BBC that "This is the most dangerous period that I have known", and Russia is "raising the stakes and risks crossing a line".On this episode of Talk War, Ian Collins is joined by Col. Simon Diggings, retired British Army Colonel and defence analyst, to discuss the growing frequency and danger of cyber attacks, the chaos they can cause, and why we need to build our resilience as a country.Plus, Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves and John Healey are reportedly in a standoff over an extra £28 BILLION needed for the Government to meet their defence spending pledges.Ex-Minister Tobias Ellwood joins Duncan Barkes to discuss how this standoff is a dangerous distraction from the issues facing the UK.

U.S. President Donald Trump has signalled that a deal with Iran is 'largely negotiated' and could be announced soon - a deal that would see the Strait of Hormuz reopened and Tehran surrenders its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Iran and negotiators Pakistan have not confirmed the news though. On this episode of Talk War, Ian Collins is joined by Sean Bell, former fighter pilot and military analyst, and Michael Yaki, U.S. political analyst, to discuss what the end of the war would mean for global trade. And Petrie Hosken is joined by Colonel Simon Diggins, military and defence analyst, who analyses how the U.S. underestimated Iran and their resilience.

An Iraqi immigrant has been granted the right to stay in Britain because he could be killed by Shia militia in home country, as his his father was a captain in Saddam Hussein's army. And UK's defence weakness has been exposed once again, as a new report alleges that Britain only has enough drones to last ONE WEEK of a war against Russia! To discuss the story, Kevin O'Sullivan is joined by Colonel Simon Diggins, former Defence attache in Kabul.They discuss why we need a change of law to address our asylum system, why the area of Iraq where the immigrant comes from is not as dangerous as he makes it out to be, and why the drone story highlights the ongoing resourcing issues in our defence system.

Donald Trump’s faltering Iran strategy, the escalating Strait of Hormuz blockade and the growing threat to the global economy take centre stage in this high-stakes episode of Talk War. Former Defence Select Committee chair Tobias Ellwood delivers a brutal assessment of Washington’s handling of the conflict, branding it a textbook case of how not to wage war — with no clear objectives, shaky strategy, contradictory messaging and Iran’s regime still standing stronger than many expected.