PoliticsJOE Podcast

For millions of graduates, student loans are just another deduction on the payslip. But what does Plan 2 actually mean — and why has it become one of the most controversial policies affecting young people in Britain?This week, Ava Santina takes a deep dive into the student loan system created under the Cameron-Clegg coalition and asks whether today's graduates have been sold a raw deal. From £9,000 tuition fees and RPI-linked interest rates to frozen repayment thresholds and balances that seem to grow despite years of repayments, Ava unpacks how the system works and why it has become a political flashpoint.Joining the podcast is former Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, who reflects on the origins of the policy, the political decisions that shaped it, and whether governments have underestimated the impact on a generation of graduates.With young people facing soaring housing costs, stagnant living standards and mounting debt, Ava asks whether Sir Keir Starmer's government should go further to reform Plan 2 loans. Would reducing interest rates, raising repayment thresholds or redesigning the system altogether put more money back into the pockets of younger workers? And can politicians afford to ignore the growing backlash?

At the centre of this week's PMQs was the tragic killing of Henry Nowak, which some political figures seem to have used for their own ends. Seán is joined by Charlie Herbert of The London Economic to breakdown the session.EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/politicsjoe. Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee

Simon Dubbins is the Head of International at Unite the union, and came by the JOE studios to speak to us before the leadership race for General Secretary in one of Britain's biggest unions. He speaks to Laura and Andy about the union's changing relationship with the Labour party, the shift in member's politics, and how to reignite the ties between the Labour party and the workers' movement

Monday has come around again. Andy and Seán react to Nicola Sturgeon's headline interview with Laura Kuenssberg yesterday in light of her estranged husband's admission to embezzling funds from the SNP, as well as to the news that Twitch streamer Hasan Piker has been barred from entering the UK.

Taylor Lorenz is the journalist mapping out the culture of the internet and everything surrounding it. She took time out to swing by the JOE dungeon to speak to us about the growing power of the right in the online world, their ever-tightening grip on regulations of the internet and speech in the digital space, and how to fight back against it.Download SAILY in your app store and use our code joesunday at checkout to get an exclusive 15% off your first purchase! For further details go to https://saily.com/joesunday

As Britain faces a lost generation of over a million young people not in education or employment, the author of a sobering report into the epidemic, Alan Milburn, speaks to Ava about what the government need to do to put an end to the crisis in opportunities for young people.Download SAILY in your app store and use our code politicsjoe at checkout to get an exclusive 15% off your first purchase! For further details go to https://saily.com/politicsjoe