The Julia Hartley-Brewer Show

Keir Starmer is defying his own party, the public, and political gravity. But is he going anywhere? After a humiliating set of local, Welsh, and Scottish election results, the knives are out in the Parliamentary Labour Party. Yet the would-be challengers — Wes Streeting, Angela Rayner, Andy Burnham, Ed Miliband — can't seem to land a blow. Spiked Online's Brendan O'Neill joins Julia to break down why this isn't just a Starmer problem… it's a problem with the entire political class.Then, as King Charles delivers the King's Speech, the verdict is damning: recycled announcements, no serious plan for the economy, nothing on immigration, doubling down on net zero, and dragging the country back towards the EU. Robert Colvile, Director of the Centre for Policy Studies and Sunday Times columnist, digs into the numbers: Britain is borrowing over £100 billion a year, welfare spending now exceeds income tax receipts, and the bond markets don't care who leads the Labour Party… despite some MPs saying that the bond markets will have to ‘fall in line’.The brutal truth? Whoever takes over from Starmer inherits the same in-tray: wars in Ukraine and Iran, an energy crisis, a ballooning welfare bill, an ageing population, and a public that refuses to hear difficult choices. As Colvile puts it: you can change the Prime Minister, but you can't change the bond markets.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.

Can Keir Starmer survive the increasing assault on his leadership? In a dramatic, fast-paced day of political turmoil, cabinet ministers including Yvette Cooper, Shabana Mahmood and John Healey are reported to have told the Prime Minister he must set out a timetable to leave. Meanwhile, more and more MPs and even ministers have publicly called for him to go. Yet Starmer is digging in, daring his enemies to trigger a full leadership contest.Mail on Sunday commentator Dan Hodges breaks down Labour’s meltdown after a disastrous set of local election results. With nearly 100 MPs publicly calling for Starmer to go, Hodges explains why the Prime Minister's defiant stand is a surprisingly clever political manoeuvre… but ultimately a losing battle. Wes Streeting must move now. Andy Burnham remains the northern king-over-the-water. And Angela Rayner’s tax affairs are proving far more toxic on the doorstep than she would like.Then, Labour MP for North Durham Luke Akehurst mounts a staunch and unusually honest defence of the Prime Minister — pushing back hard on Julia's challenge that Starmer has delivered nothing of substance. From the Workers' Rights Act to the Renters' Rights Act, Akehurst makes the case for loyalty, stability and giving the government time to deliver. With the King's Speech tomorrow, more resignations expected, and the bond markets wobbling, the clock is ticking for Number 10.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.

Julia Hartley-Brewer examines Keir Starmer’s chances of staying as prime minister. After Labour lost over 1500 councillors in local elections on Thursday, the floodgates have opened: over 50 MPs have demanded Keir Starmer resign. They want a leadership contest - with Angela Rayner, Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting all listed as potential candidates. To garner any remaining support, the PM made a speech this morning, wherein he vowed to nationalise British steel, bring the UK to the ‘heart of Europe’, and a youth experience scheme with the EU. He also took responsibility for the local election results. But it wasn’t enough to stem the calls for him to go. Catherine West MP, a relatively unknown backbencher who caused panic over the weekend by saying she would challenge Keir Starmer if nobody in the cabinet did by this morning, decided the speech wasn’t enough to stop her from asking MPs to support a timeline for Sir Keir to leave. She did row back on her leadership challenge threat though. With her guests, Julia reacts to the speech. She debates Lord Foulkes, Labour peer, on whether Keir Starmer is right for the job. She asks Richard Tice MP about a £5m donation he didn’t declare, and a Reform councillor saying ‘Nigerians should be melted down to fill in potholes’. Then, Karl Turner diagnoses what’s wrong with the Labour party, and backs Angela Rayner as the next Labour leader. 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.

Julia Hartley-Brewer and Claire Pearsall discuss the news that Australia is preparing to receive - and arrest - ISIS linked families. With Chris Phillips, former counter terror officer, she questions the repatriation of “walking time bombs” who may have committed serious crimes following Islamist radicalisation. The conversation shifts to the latest health panic: the Hantavirus. As British passengers self-isolate following a cruise, Julia asks whether we are witnessing another bout of state-sponsored scaremongering. Professor Carl Heneghan joins to provide a dose of reality on the actual risks of human-to-human transmission.Finally, Julia unleashes on the "immorality" of Britain’s welfare system. With news that 1.5 million migrants are claiming Universal Credit, Julia and Claire debate the collapse of the social contract, as civil servants "swing the lead" at home and Britain deals with the culture of a lack of shame in living off the taxpayer.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.

Zack Polanski’s Green Party surge comes under fierce scrutiny as Julia Hartley-Brewer asks whether the bubble has finally burst amid allegations of antisemitism, radical policies and growing questions over the party leader’s past claims.Former Senior Military Intelligence Officer Philip Ingram MBE joins Julia to examine the Greens’ controversial platform — from wealth taxes and net zero targets to leaving NATO, scrapping Trident and legalising drugs — and whether protest voters are now seeing what lies beneath the party’s “nice” image.As local elections loom, the pressure on Keir Starmer intensifies. With Labour facing potentially disastrous results in Wales, Scotland, London and the Red Wall, Julia and Philip discuss whether the Prime Minister could soon face rebellion from his own MPs, a major reshuffle, or even a leadership challenge. Rachel Reeves’ future also comes under the spotlight as UK borrowing costs rise and the markets react nervously to Labour’s economic direction.Then, Julia turns to the escalating Iran crisis. Donald Trump’s shifting position on escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, fears of military escalation, and the West’s ability — or inability — to confront hostile regimes are all on the table.Also on the podcast, Spiked Online’s Brendan O’Neill delivers a blistering assessment of Zack Polanski, the Green Party, antisemitism allegations and what the rise of radical protest politics says about Britain today. He also weighs in on Labour’s collapse in its traditional heartlands and whether anyone — from Andy Burnham to Angela Rayner, Wes Streeting or Ed Miliband — can rescue the party from freefall.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.

Keir Starmer faces mounting pressure on borders, crime and national security as small boat arrivals over the Channel head towards 200,000 since the crisis began. Only a fraction have been removed from Britain.Julia Hartley-Brewer is joined by Spiked Online editor Tom Slater to take on the biggest stories shaking Westminster: alleged Iranian attempts to destabilise Britain, rising antisemitism on UK streets, the failure to proscribe the IRGC, and growing anger over “two-tier policing” at protests and football fixtures.As Labour battles a collapse in support among Muslim voters and the Greens surge in some inner-city areas, Julia asks whether Starmer’s party has lost control of the debate on Gaza, antisemitism and public order.Also: Reform UK’s proposal to build migrant detention centres in Green-voting areas — and deport hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants. Is it serious policy, political theatre, or a brutal challenge to the open-borders Left?Former Sun political editor Trevor Kavanagh joins Julia to react to the small boats milestone, the scale of illegal migration, and whether any government can regain control of Britain’s borders.Plus: Kemi Badenoch’s pitch on zero-tolerance policing, shoplifting, vandalism and street crime; Nigel Farage’s rising profile; Labour’s local election nightmare; and the growing speculation over who could replace Keir Starmer if the party turns on him — Angela Rayner, Andy Burnham, Wes Streeting or Shabana Mahmood?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.

Julia Hartley-Brewer takes on the day’s biggest stories as Keir Starmer faces a crunch Commons showdown over claims he misled Parliament on Peter Mandelson’s vetting. With bombshell evidence, Labour unrest and fresh questions over trust, competence and cover-up, is the Prime Minister finished? Plus, the King addresses Congress, shoplifting chaos on Britain’s high streets, and growing alarm over Iran-linked threats. Ruthless, fair and unmissable from Talk.

Julia Hartley-Brewer takes on the biggest stories shaking Britain and beyond — from growing pressure on Keir Starmer over sleaze claims and Labour infighting, to the latest Donald Trump assassination attempt, royal diplomacy in America, and outrage over attacks on British troops. Ruthless, fair and unmissable, this is the Julia Hartley-Brewer Podcast from Talk.

Keir Starmer says closer co-operation with France will help stop the small boats crisis — but is Britain paying hundreds of millions for more failure and inaction?Alex Phillips - stepping in for Julia - is joined by former Border Force chief Tony Smith to break down Labour’s latest Channel deal, including the extra cash for France, the promise of tougher beach enforcement, the role of French riot police, and why surveillance alone will not stop illegal crossings in the Channel.They also look at the key questions ministers still have not answered: what happens when migrants are intercepted, why detention capacity matters, whether Belgium is now becoming a new launch point, and how people-smuggling gangs are using social media and encrypted platforms to stay one step ahead. If you want serious insight into border security, illegal migration and the real-world limits of government policy, this is essential listening.Also: Andrew Allison from Popular Conservatism joins Alex to discuss the mounting pressure on Keir Starmer, the mood inside Labour, and the growing row around Attorney General Lord Hermer.They examine concerns over the power of unelected figures at the heart of government, the controversy surrounding legal claims brought against British soldiers, and wider questions over who is really shaping policy on national sovereignty, immigration and the Chagos Islands.In response to claims he had prosecuted British soldiers despite knowing claimants were lying, a spokesman for Lord Hermer said that he had “always acted with the highest professional standards, and the suggestion the Attorney acted for individuals with the knowledge that their claims were false is categorically untrue”.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.