James O'Brien Daily

Angela Rayner guest hosts the James O’Brien Daily podcast and brings a mix of optimism, anger and straight-talking politics.
After England’s World Cup victory over Mexico lifted the mood, Angela asks what needs to change in Britain to make life feel fairer and more hopeful - from flexible working and better jobs to stronger public services and more opportunity for young people. She also takes on Nigel Farage over fresh questions about money, donations and transparency, and later turns to the care system to hear from those living and working through its daily pressures.
This week's guest hosts:
Tuesday: Former Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting
Wednesday: Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley Jess Phillips
Thursday: Reform UK Treasury Spokesperson Robert Jenrick
Friday: Independent MP Karl Turner
This episode was recorded on the 4th of July. James O'Brien Daily is a Global production, available every week day on Global Player, or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.

For his final turn in James' chair for now, Lewis Goodall asks whether Andy Burnham’s promised “circuit breaker” in British politics could really change anything at all.
After Burnham sets out his ambition to do politics differently - less point scoring, more problem solving, more power outside Westminster - Lewis and callers explore what people most dislike about the way British politics works now: the adversarial culture, the whipping system, the media-politics machine, and the grip of Whitehall. But even if everyone agrees the system is broken, can it actually be fixed from within?
This episode was recorded on the 3rd of July. James O'Brien Daily is a Global production, available every week day on Global Player, or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Lewis Goodall sits in for James O’Brien and takes on a quiet but profound crisis: Britain’s birth rate has fallen so far that deaths are now outnumbering births for the first time.
What does that mean for the future of the country, the economy, and the welfare state? And why are so many people choosing not to have children - or finding that they simply can’t afford to? From childcare costs and housing to careers, relationships and changing expectations, callers share the personal realities behind a huge national shift.
This episode was recorded on the 2nd of July. James O'Brien Daily is a Global production, available every week day on Global Player, or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Lewis Goodall sits in for James and asks a blunt question about Nigel Farage: if you want to be Prime Minister, how much outside money is too much?
With fresh questions over Farage’s earnings from a gold bullion company, on top of the already controversial £5 million gift from a crypto billionaire, Lewis explores whether Reform’s leader is starting to look less like an anti-establishment insurgent and more like a politician with too many financial interests to explain away. As callers weigh in, the debate turns to trust, standards in public life, and whether British politics is becoming numb to conflicts of interest that would once have ended careers.
This episode was recorded on the 1st of July. James O'Brien Daily is a Global production, available every week day on Global Player, or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Lewis Goodall sits in for James O’Brien and takes on one of the biggest questions facing the country: are we spending enough on defence in a far more dangerous world?
As Keir Starmer unveils his final defence investment plan in what feels like one of the last big acts of his premiership, Lewis asks whether Britain is genuinely prepared for the threats ahead - from Russia and the High North to cyber warfare and a less reliable America. With ministers promising more money for drones and deterrence, but critics warning it still falls short, the debate turns to what the UK can actually do, what it can’t, and whether politicians are being honest enough about the risks.
This episode was recorded on the 30th of June. James O'Brien Daily is a Global production, available every week day on Global Player, or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.