PoliticsJOE Podcast

Ava reports from Westminster as the attempted coup against Keir Starmer rages on. Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn, as well as Labour MPs Brian Leishman and Ian Lavery, react in real time to the unfolding crisis.

Ava and Seán make their way through the Labour runners and riders in a potential leadership election, as Keir Starmer battles to cling on to power while MPs implore him to resign.

Clive Lewis came by the PoliticsJOE studio this week to break down the runners and riders in a potential leadership challenge against Keir Starmer. After a disastrous showing in the local elections, questions over Keir Starmer's leadership of his party - and the country - have only intensified. Particularly from within his own ranks, the Prime Minister has been battling against backbenchers eager to share their fury with the running of the party. Clive Lewis has long been a critic of Keir Starmer, calling last year for Andy Burnham to take his Norwich seat in order to contest a leadership election. Today he joins Ava to break down where his party goes from here.

Kneecap joined PoliticsJOE, fresh off the back of having a terrorism case, against member Mo Chara, thrown out of the British Court. It's also the premise of their new album, which they discussed with our very own Irishman-in-residence Seán Hickey. If you somehow missed the trail of the UK and Ireland's most controversial musicians, here's the TLDR. Kneecap were involved in a UK court case because member Mo Chara, real name, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was accused of displaying a Hezbollah flag during a concert in London in November 2024.UK prosecutors said this could amount to an offence under the UK Terrorism Act because Hezbollah is a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK. Prosecutors also alleged slogans supporting Hezbollah and Hamas were shouted during the performance.The case was initially thrown out because prosecutors failed to get the Attorney General’s approval within the legal six-month time limit required to bring the charge. The Crown Prosecution Service later appealed, trying to reinstate the case.In March 2026, the High Court rejected that appeal, meaning Mo Chara didn't face trial. The judges said the prosecution had been started unlawfully due to the procedural error, not because the court ruled on whether the alleged conduct itself was legal or illegal.Kneecap argued the prosecution was politically motivated and linked to their outspoken support for Palestine. A media carnival, if you will. Hey, that's the name of one of the songs on their new album.

Laura and Seán take to the studio to piece together the winners and losers of the 2026 local elections, as Labour's catastrophic run of form sees no sign of letting up.Reform were the big winners with a landslide in councils across the country, with the Greens eating away at Starmer's left flank with notable wins in Hackney and Edinburgh.In Wales, Labour's First Minister FAILED to gain reelection as the parties woes fell deeper into the abyss. Can Keir Starmer survive?

Donald Trump's war with Iran has led many to a rethink of the global economy. With his presidency already weakening relations between Britain and the US and uniting European nations, events like the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz raise further questions about our dependency on the global oil markets, as well as fossil fuels altogether.Edward Fitzpatrick of ConFlow Power Group joins Ava to imagine what greener, smarter, genuinely resilient infrastructure could look like in Britain and beyond, and peels back the curtain on the AI powering it.

James Meadway is an economist and Green Party candidate for Tower Hamlets council in tomorrow's local elections.He joined us in studio to talk about the campaign, his journey from being a member of Jeremy Corbyn's inner circle in his years of leadership of Labour to running for the Greens, and the need for the government to work in the interests of the people rather than to kow tow to big business.The candidates running in Bromley North are:Hirra Khan Adeogun - Green PartyJohn Bullard - Reform UKHamim Chowdhury - Labour PartySimon Nicholas Herbert - Liberal DemocratsSamia Hersi - Conservative and Unionist PartyMohammed Ilyas - AspireDavid Andre Lurie - Liberal DemocratsAbdul Mannan - AspireJames George Edward Meadway - Green PartyAbdul Mumin - Tower Hamlets IndependentsSheikh Mohammed Nashar - Tower Hamlets IndependentsShaheda Rowshonara Rahman - Labour PartyAlex Reeves - Conservative and Unionist PartyLauren Riley - Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

It's gloves off between Reform and the Greens, with Zia Yusuf vowing that, if elected, Reform will prioritise putting migrant detention centres in constituencies that vote for Zack Polanski. Also, Seán, Laura, and Andy wade into the controversy surrounding Polanski after he shared a tweet critical of the police's use of force in detaining a suspect in the Golders Green attack.

On this episode of the PoliticsJOE Podcast, Alliance MP Sorcha Eastwood joins the team for a candid and unfiltered conversation about the realities of representing her constituents—and why she believes Keir Starmer isn’t delivering for people like them.Sorcha pulls no punches as she explains her frustrations with decisions coming from Westminster, arguing that too many ordinary voters are being left behind. She reflects on the growing disconnect between political leadership and everyday life, and why she feels her constituents deserve far better.The conversation also turns to the culture inside Parliament itself. Sorcha shares her exhaustion with what she describes as “gentlemen’s club” politics—an outdated, exclusionary environment that still shapes how decisions are made and who gets heard. She discusses the barriers this creates, particularly for women and those outside the traditional political mould, and why meaningful change has been so slow.