Over 1 million disabled people could be set to lose thousands of pounds under the government’s welfare overhaul. James asks his listeners if these changes go too far. Also, Former England football manager Sir Gareth Southgate says that young men are suffering from a lack of positive role models and are being influenced by toxic online figures, gambling and pornography. Why are young men so susceptible to these dangers? And, James speaks with Suzanne O'Sullivan, neurologist and author of “The Age...
Mar 19, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 48
Despite the ceasefire, more than 400 Palestinians were killed by Israeli air strikes overnight, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Humanitarian organisations have expectably been overwhelmed. James speaks with Rosalia Bollen, spokesperson for Unicef, who is in Southern Gaza and asks listeners what the likelihood is that Benjamin Netanyahu will continue this war until Gaza is entirely destroyed? Also, millions of people in England and Wales should have their BMI checked regularly to curb obesit...
Mar 18, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 47
According to a new study, almost 4 in 10 members of Generation Z are considering leaving their job, with mental health identified as a “major driver” of this. Why is this happening and what can we do about it? Also, the author of the new book, “Why I Would Never Fight for My Country”, argues that ordinary people should never be sent into battle. The 27 year old German states that he’d “rather be occupied than dead.” Why is he wrong? And, I speak with Steve Herman, Chief National Correspondent fo...
Mar 17, 2025•59 min•Ep. 46
Sir Kier Starmer announced yesterday his intention to abolish NHS England to bring the healthcare service back under government control to reduce bureaucracy and costs. Today, James searched for the lived experiences of those who have worked with NHS England, to highlight why the abolition may be welcome. Following Monday’s focus on online safety, James also returned to this topic as the UK Schools Leader announced that social media platforms must be held accountable for their role in bullying a...
Mar 14, 2025•56 min•Ep. 45
United Nations experts have accused Israel of committing genocidal acts and sexual violence in the Gaza Strip, citing Israel’s systematic destruction of women’s healthcare facilities during the conflict. However, this raised the question of whether the world has ceased monitoring the situation in Gaza. What implications does this have for global affairs? James also reflected on Jamie Oliver’s call for increased government support for individuals with dyslexia. As one of the most prevalent learni...
Mar 13, 2025•50 min•Ep. 44
Donald Trump has intensified his trade war and implemented a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminium imports to the US, while the EU has retaliated. The president also used the White House driveway to promote Tesla cars after shares in the firm slumped. Is there method in the madness? To help us digest Trump’s second term so far, James speaks with Donie O'Sullivan, Senior Correspondent at CNN, who’s recently interviewed Steve Bannon, stood amongst supporters of the January 6th Insurgent criminals ...
Mar 12, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 43
Sir Keir Starmer has called the current benefits system unsustainable, indefensible and unfair. He’s vowed to cut £3bn over the next three years and is expected to announce billions more in savings from the personal independence payment (Pip), the main disability benefit. How hard or easy is it to claim disability benefits, and how worried are you at the prospect of cuts? Also, James speaks to Guy Shrubsole, author of “The Lie of the Land” and “Who Owns England”, for the details on the potential...
Mar 11, 2025•55 min•Ep. 42
It’s Online Safety Day at LBC, as James asks whether the new laws to be implemented under the Online Safety Act will be enough to protect children. LBC polling has found that almost three-quarters of people in Britain back the idea of raising the minimum age of social media use to 16. James speaks with with Ellen Roome and Lisa Kenevan, two mothers suing TikTok over their TikTok for the alleged wrongful deaths of their children. Also, LBC reporter Henry Riley shares all the details from the his ...
Mar 10, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 41
Prosecutors argued in court that Andrew Tate’s online misogyny fuelled Kyle Clifford’s triple murder, in which he raped his ex-girlfriend and killed her along with her mother and sister. When did you, as a woman, notice the effects of this type of misogyny on your life? Matthew Savill, Director of Military Sciences at RUSI and James discuss whether Europe can successfully fight Russia without the US. Also, James is joined by Sadiq Khan following a new report revealing the London boroughs most op...
Mar 07, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 40
EU leaders are to gather for an emergency defence summit to discuss Ukraine and wider European security, with France's President Emmanuel Macron warning that the continent is at a "turning point of history". No representative from the UK will be in attendance because of Brexit. Where does this leave us and what should Starmer do? Top doctors have urged the government to implement an outright ban on smacking children as evidence shows it offers no benefit and causes physical and emotional damage....
Mar 06, 2025•56 min•Ep. 39
US Vice President JD Vance has denied insulting British troops after describing a UK-backed proposal as "20,000 troops from some random country that hasn't fought a war in 30 or 40 years". Does the UK actually have any power to influence the Ukrainian peace process? Why does Vance keep attacking the UK specifically? Also, Donald Trump has imposed the latest round of tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China. James speaks with Dmitry Grozoubinski, Founder of ExplainTrade and author of "Why Politicians ...
Mar 05, 2025•58 min•Ep. 38
President Donald Trump has paused US military aid to Ukraine, in a shocking move that has been welcomed by the Kremlin. Can Europe cope without America’s support? Why is Donald Trump aligning with a nation that has historically been the sworn enemy? And, has the need for a re-armed and re-unified Europe ever been more urgent? This episode was recorded on the 4th March. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.
Mar 04, 2025•55 min•Ep. 37
Donald Trump and his Vice President JD Vance’s Oval Office meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky descended into a huge row, such that the Ukrainian President was asked to leave without signing a deal with the US that would have jointly developed Ukraine's valuable minerals as part of a peace-settlement. What, if anything, did Trump and Vance achieve on Friday, and what does their vilification of the Ukrainian president mean? This episode was recorded on the 3rd March. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from...
Mar 03, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 36
James analyses Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s meeting with President Donald Trump yesterday with the help of LBC’s Political Editor Natasha Clark, who was one of the journalists at the White House, and Phillips O'Brien, Professor of Strategic Studies at the University of St Andrews. Was the meeting a success? A 14-year-old boy has lost a court case he brought against his own parents after they moved him from London to a Ghanaian boarding school. He claims they tricked him into the move by saying ...
Feb 28, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 35
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has arrived in Washington for talks with US President Donald Trump. He intends to negotiate for a US security guarantee in Ukraine. What will success look like for Starmer and, by association, Ukraine? Teachers want guidance on schooling children about the “manosphere” to tackle the spread of Andrew Tate-style misogyny in classrooms. How has online misogyny manifested itself in your life? This episode was recorded on the 27th February. Catch James O'Brien weekdays fro...
Feb 27, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 34
Defence Secretary John Healey has said the “world has changed” and that Britain must prioritise “hard power” over “soft power”. What actually is soft power, and is he right? Donald Trump has shared an AI generated video of “Trump Gaza”, featuring golden Trump statues, bearded belly dancers and Benjamin Netanyahu on a sunbed. James and his listeners try to work out exactly what the US Government hope to achieve with this. And, it’s Wednesday, which means James and LBC Political Correspondent Aggi...
Feb 26, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 33
The US has sided twice with Russia in votes at the United Nations on resolutions marking the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. What does this mean for Ukraine, and the free world? Also, James presses play on some of Keir Starmer’s announcement of the "biggest sustained defense budget increase since the Cold War", in which the Prime Minister specifies how he intends to support peace in Ukraine. And, Labour’s 1.5 million new homes pledge is in doubt due to a shortage of skilled...
Feb 25, 2025•52 min•Ep. 32
The far-right AfD Party has made historic gains in Germany’s federal election, winning a record 20.8%, but does the AfD offer anything to its supporters other than anti-migrant rhetoric? And, polling shows almost a third of children in the UK have refused to go to school at least once in the past year. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has indicated that this is linked to “casual parenting”, but what is the difference between “I won't” go to school and “I can't”? This episode was recorded o...
Feb 24, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 31
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has indicated that spending cuts will have to be found to fund a boost to the defence budget. How do you persuade the public that we need to spend more on defence and what is the current state of the British military? Prime Minister Keir Starmer is meeting with Donald Trump next Thursday, in his first visit to the White House since the President’s inauguration. How should Starmer approach this visit and the lies that Trump has told about Ukraine and President Volodymyr Z...
Feb 21, 2025•54 min•Ep. 30
US President Donald Trump has escalated his attack on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling him a "dictator" and saying he is to blame the war with Russia. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has defended Zelensky as "Ukraine's democratically elected leader". What should we do when the leader of the free world, Donald Trump, is in the pocket of Vladimir Putin? James speaks with Sir Bill Browder, anti-corruption campaigner and head of the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign, to find out. This epi...
Feb 20, 2025•53 min•Ep. 29
Unbelievably, US President Donald Trump has blamed the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for starting the war with Russia, while continuing to exclude Ukraine from its own peace-talks. Considering this and the unprecedented appeasement of the Kremlin by the White House - has Putin already won the war? Also, James interviews the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who takes your phone calls. A report from the Commons' Women and Equalities Committee is warning against "ageist stereotyping" across the...
Feb 19, 2025•59 min•Ep. 28
Successive governments trying to look "tough on crime" have driven a rising prison population that's overwhelmed the system, according to a new report. Why doesn’t prison work? Why does the public still think that it does? Also, Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch has said “our country and all of western civilisation will be lost” if efforts to promote rightwing ideas fail. She implored Brits to get up off their knees and “fight”. What does she mean and who does she want us to fight? And, the head...
Feb 18, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 27
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said he is "ready and willing" to put UK troops on the ground in Ukraine to help guarantee its security as part of a peace deal. Should British troops be sent to Ukraine? And, US Vice-President JD Vance has verbally attacked European democracies, saying the greatest threat facing the continent was not from Russia and China, but "from within". Why is he saying this? This episode was recorded on the 17th February. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC....
Feb 17, 2025•48 min•Ep. 26
With Donald Trump at the helm, America’s role within international politics and its relationship with Russia is changing. Do we actually understand what it means for America to stop being the leader and protector of the free world? And, according to The Times Generation Z survey, people aged 18-27 are more unhappy, in greater debt and far more pessimistic about Britain than their parents. What’s it like being Gen Z today? For those with Gen-Z children, what’s it like knowing you might not leave ...
Feb 14, 2025•48 min•Ep. 25
The man himself, James O’Brien, is back! Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have agreed to begin negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. As part of a peace settlement, according to the US Defence Secretary, Ukraine should abandon hopes of winning all its territory back from Russia. Is this simply appeasement? Also, more than 100 new towns could be built under the UK government's plans for the "largest housebuilding programme since the post-war era". How’re we going to build them, and what’s it like...
Feb 13, 2025•56 min•Ep. 24
Lewis Goodall of The News Agents podcast is covering for James O’Brien, live on LBC from 10am, and of course, right here on James O’Brien Daily. The government is making it almost impossible for refugees arriving on small boats to become British citizens. Will this prevent small boat crossings and are Labour acting too much like the Conservatives? Lewis speaks with Labour MP Stella Creasy, who disagrees with the change. Also, rebel Labour MPs are pushing the Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner,...
Feb 12, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 23
Lewis Goodall of The News Agents podcast is covering for James O’Brien, live on LBC from 10am, and of course, right here on James O’Brien Daily. Labour MP Kim Leadbeater would change her proposed assisted dying bill so that cases are signed off by experts rather than a judge. Critics believe this could threaten impartial decision-making. Lewis asks whether this change would strengthen or weaken the bill and speaks with Labour MP Dr Peter Prinsley, who's in favour of the legislation. Also, Elon M...
Feb 11, 2025•46 min•Ep. 22
Lewis Goodall of The News Agents podcast is covering for James O’Brien, live on LBC from 10am, and of course, right here on James O’Brien Daily. Labour have been accused of mimicking Reform UK’s approach to immigration after sharing videos of migrant raids online. Will this tactic work to combat Reform's growing popularity? Lewis speaks with Labour MP for Hackney North & Stoke Newington Diane Abbott, who shares her view. Also, a second Labour MP has apologised for offensive comments made in ...
Feb 10, 2025•57 min•Ep. 21
Lewis Goodall of The News Agents podcast is covering for James O’Brien all this week live on LBC from 10am, and of course, right here on James O’Brien Daily. Government figures show the number of young people who do not work because of long-term sickness with a mental health condition has increased by 26% in the last year. Remarking on this, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall has said that too many young people see the world of work as stressful and accused some benefit claimants of “taking...
Feb 07, 2025•50 min•Ep. 20
Lewis Goodall of The News Agents podcast is covering for James O’Brien all this week live on LBC from 10am, and of course, right here on James O’Brien Daily. Britain’s head of counter-terrorism has compared the harm social media can do to children to that of cancer by smoking. Indeed, social media’s potential to radicalise was highlighted by the Southport killer Axel Rudakubana, who watched violent and extremist videos online prior to killing three girls. Should there be a social media ban for c...
Feb 06, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 19
