Talk Drive with Kevin O'Sullivan

Former Conservative Defence Minister, Sir Gerald Howarth, joins Kevin O’Sullivan following the announcement that aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales is not expected to deploy to the Middle East, despite having been placed on advanced readiness.Iranian political activist, Kambiz Irani, claims the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, may not be alive, citing the apparent lack of any recent confirmed sightings.Plus, an exclusive from Talk’s Samara Gill.

As the war in the Middle East rages on, Kevin O’Sullivan is joined on Talk Drive by a range of guests to unpack the latest developments. Colonel Richard Kemp explains the military picture, reporter Tom Cleaver brings an update from Cyprus as Britain continues to dither over protecting the site, and columnist Matthew Syed shares his insights.

On Talk Drive, Kevin O'Sullivan is joined by Reform UK's Darren Grimes, deputy leader of Durham County Council, Akhmed Yakoob, co-founder of the Independent Candidates Alliance and Dr Ben Jones, senior lecturer in naval history at the University of Portsmouth.They break down the latest developments in Iran and what it could mean for UK security, as HMS Dragon remains in Portsmouth and is not expected to sail to help defend Cyprus until at least next week.After Donald Trump said "this is not Winston Churchill we're dealing with," Keir Starmer attended an event for Muslims breaking their fast and said "on Iran, I want to make clear the UK was not involved in the offensive strikes of the US and Israel."Meanwhile as the war continues, controversial footage has been released of MPs dancing with Strictly Come Dancing stars Angela Rippon and Alex Kingston at Portcullis House.

On Talk Drive, Kevin O'Sullivan is joined by former U.S. diplomat Jim Jatras, former government special adviser James Price and former NATO and Royal Navy commander Rear Admiral Chris Parry to analyse the escalating conflict involving Iran.They discuss the latest developments as U.S. President Donald Trump has slammed Keir Starmer for his initial response saying "'this is not Winston Churchill we're dealing with."They also examine the UK’s military move to deploy air-defence destroyer HMS Dragon to Cyprus, following Iranian drones striking an RAF base.

On Talk Drive, Kevin O’Sullivan is joined by Talk’s international editor Isabel Oakeshott, The Times and The Sunday Times columnist Matthew Syed, and Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman Rick Gates for the latest on the escalating conflict involving Iran.They examine Keir Starmer’s defence of his initial decision not to allow the US to use UK bases for strikes against Iran, and the subsequent shift on Sunday when the UK did permit the use of British bases to target Iranian missile launchers.Donald Trump stated he was “very disappointed” the UK originally refused access to the Diego Garcia UK–US base, as the fallout from the killing of the Ayatollah continues.

On Talk Drive, Kevin O'Sullivan is joined by Graham Stringer, MP for Labour in Blackley and Middleton South, to discuss the result of the Gorton and Denton by-election, as the Green Party's Hannah Spencer won the seat, with Reform UK's Matt Goodwin coming second and Labour's Angeliki Stogia coming in third.Plus writer Graham Linehan provides his view, as leader of Reform UK Nigel Farage has reported concerns over "family voting" to Greater Manchester Police and the Electoral Commission.

On Talk Drive, Kevin O'Sullivan is joined by Ben Habib, leader of Advance UK, to discuss the latest developments in small boat migrant crossings on the English Channel, as improving weather leads to increased activity.Andrew Lownie, author of 'Entitled', shares his expert view on Rachel Reeves demanding that any taxpayer money “found to have been misused” by Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor should be repaid.Plus, retired prison governor, Mark Hammersley, assesses the state of British prisons, as convicted murderer Ian Huntley has been beaten unconscious with a metal pole in jail and is now in a life-threatening condition.

On Talk Drive, Kevin O’Sullivan is joined by Talk’s International Editor Isabel Oakeshott for a wide-ranging discussion on today’s biggest political stories. From the rise in migrant small-boat crossings as weather conditions improve, to the row over school uniform and gender after Bridget Phillipson suggested boys should be allowed to wear skirts.The pair also discuss Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle revealing he provided information to the police before they arrested Peter Mandelson.Political commentator Young Bob (Thomas Moffatt) gives his side of the story, after he was attacked whilst attempting to interview members of the public in Whitechapel, following police being called over a Christian preacher.Plus, former policeman and whistle-blower Jon Wedger, gives his expert perspective on grooming gangs in London.