Pod Save the UK

Starmer’s new Trump headache and making comedy under occupation

Donald Trump brings his particular brand of terrible speeches to the billionaires and bankers at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Nish and Coco try to work out how Keir Starmer can keep on track when facing the threat of US tariffs over Greenland as well as criticism of a lease deal with the Chagos Islands - which the US had previously praised.Liam Thorp, the Liverpool Echo’s Political Editor, is on hand to break down Labour’s big plan to make homes warmer, the fortunes of Reform and the latest delay to the Hillsborough LawPlus comedian Alaa Shehada, fresh from his show ‘The Horse of Jenin’, talks to Nish and Coco about the ‘Palestine Comedy Club’, a documentary which follows a group of Palestinians as they take their comedy show on tour in an occupied state.CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS SHOPIFYShopify.co.uk/podsavetheukWISEWise.comGUESTS Liam Thorp - Political Editor, Liverpool EchoTess Ingram, UNICEFAlaa Shehada - ComedianUSEFUL LINKSPalestine Comedy Club collectivehttps://www.palestinecomedyclub.com/Palestine Comedy Club documentaryhttps://filmsandfestivals.britishcouncil.org/projects/palestine-comedy-clubStarting Feb 27th:London - Rich Mix and Bertha Doc House Tywyn - Magic Lantern Cinema Birmingham - Mockingbird Cinema Brighton - Komedia Gloucester - Guildhall Belfast - Queen’s Film TheatreCREDITSDonald Trump - BBC Online‘Palestine Comedy Club’ - Tough CrowdPod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.Get in touch - contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukLike and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUKInstagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.comFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheukX: https://x.com/podsavetheuk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Grok AI Scandal: should we treat Big Tech like Big Tobacco? w/ Rutger Bregman

X has been firmly in the firing line after its Grok AI tool was used to create sexualised images of women and children. Elon Musk’s company could face a fine of up to 10% of its global earnings by internet regulator Ofcom, or a ban in the UK. He denies that the AI has done anything illegal and says users are responsible for the images they create.How can we regulate AI? Nish and Coco speak to Rutger Bregman, historian and author who called out billionaires at Davos. He argues Big Tech should be treated like Big Tobacco, and gives his take on Iran, as thousands of protestors take to the streets, and what a radical policy platform looks like for the UK Left today.Plus - what on earth is UKIP proposing as a terrifying rebrand? *Update on Palestinian Hunger Strikers*: On 14th Jan Heba, Kamran, and Lewie collectively paused their hunger strike. They made British history, lasting 73 days.CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS SHOPIFYShopify.co.uk/podsavetheukBABBELhttps://www.babbel.com/PSUK GUESTS Rutger Bregman - Historian and Author of Moral Ambition, out in paper back on 15th JanUSEFUL LINKShttps://www.moralambition.org/bookLet us know your experiences of SEND support in schools - or any other stories.CREDITSLiz Kendall MP, Technology Secretary - Parliament TVRutger Bregman - Publicae   Rutger Bregman and Tucker Carlson - Now ThisTehran protests - Shaparak Khorsandi/InstagramDonald Trump - New York TimesLaila Cunningham - Daily Express/YouTubeNadim Zahawi - Sky NewsPod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.Contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukLike and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUKInstagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.comFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheukX: https://x.com/podsavetheuk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump’s explosive start to 2026 - will Starmer find a backbone?

The US President put the season of goodwill behind him with a New Year Venezuelan coup and the threat of further action across Central America and the Caribbean. Then there’s the little matter of his promise to seize control of Greenland.Nish and Coco try to make sense of the senseless - and to assess the possibility that Donald Trump could end up destroying NATO - with Tommy Vietor from our sister podcasts Pod Save America and Pod Save the World. Plus, comedian Cody Dahler gives us his take on how 2026 will shape up for politicians and satirists. How easy is it to make jokes while the world - literally and metaphorically - is on fire? CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS WISEhttps://wise.com/BABBELhttps://www.babbel.com/PSUK GUESTS Cody Dahler, Comedian and Presenter of The Truth (In My Opinion)Tommy Vietor, Co-Host of Pod Save America and Pod Save the WorldNida JafriUSEFUL LINKSPalestine Action Hunger Strikers:How to write to your MP https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-an-mp-or-lord/contact-your-mp/Petition calling for action from the Justice Secretaryhttps://actionnetwork.org/petitions/call-on-mp-and-secretary-of-justice-david-lammy-to-intervene-and-protect-the-hunger-strikers/CREDITSParliament TVCody Dahler/TikTokSunday with Laura Kuenssberg/BBC OneTonight with Andrew Marr/LBCPod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.Contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukLike and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUKInsta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.comFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheukTwitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why does the Left make it so f***** hard? Question Time - PSUK-style

You asked, Nish and Coco answered!What are their most conservative opinions? Why do both the left and right hate NATO so much? Should we ditch GDP? Why doesn’t the UK have compulsory voting and why do some many progressives stay true to Labour when the party is failing to measure up?All that plus the latest on Coco’s love-hate relationship with AI and a quickfire round to make sure no question is left unanswered.CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS BABBELBabbel.com/PSUK SHOPIFYShopify.co.uk/podsavetheukCALMCalm.com/PTSUKPod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.Contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukSupport PSUK! Don’t forget to like and subscribe.Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUKTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukInsta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheukFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2025 in British politics: from Starmer’s flop-flops to AI slop

Warning: this episode contains a use of a racial slur.From the rollback of human rights and Trump’s BBC lawsuit to AI slop in politics - what the %@£! was that? Nish and Coco are joined by comedian Shappi Khorsandi and political commentator Jovan Owusu-Nepaul to make sense of the wild year that was. Labour’s first full year in office was marked by u-turns and an inability to use the word ‘genocide’ but there were some significant new bills that boosted the rights of renters and employees. Reform’s polling and local election success had mainstream parties running scared - but the reality of actually running stuff may have revealed the party’s limits. While Starmer focused on the threat from the right, the left was revitalised by the resurgence of the Greens and the (albeit chaotic) energy of Your Party - can they shift the political dial?As 2025 draws to a close - Nish and Coco hand out some very special awards and can we get a Palestinian lullaby to Christmas No.1?CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS AURA FRAMEShttps://www.auraframes.com Code: PSUKCALMcalm.com/PTSUKSHOPIFYShopify.co.uk/podsavetheukGUESTS Shappi Khorsandi, ComedianJovan Owusu-Nepaul, Co-Host of What’s Left? USEFUL LINKShttps://togetherforpalestine.bandcamp.com/album/lullabyCREDITSLabour Party/TikTok Parliament TVSky News/YouTube  Channel 4 News/YouTube Channel 4 News/YouTube BladeoftheSun/X Shaparak Khorsandi/TikTokThe Last Leg/Channel 4Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg/BBCBasil the Great/XSky News/YouTube5 Live/BBCPod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.Contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.comInsta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukTwitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheukTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheukYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices