Matthew Torbitt, a former Labour advisor and now talking head across (mainly right-wing but also centrist) broadcast media is the first guest to grace the hot seat at What's Left HQ.

Matt is a rare thing in British politics: a self-proclaimed "gobshite", who has made his way from being a homeless teen with a criminal record to campaigning in Parliament as a leading political commentator on the telly.

The point of 'What's Left?' is to hear from the broad spectrum of thought leaders across our political movement - asking them what it really means to be a card-carrying member of the 'political left'.

This is the literal main reason we set up this podcast.

But because we were having such a bloomin' good time (and we currently lack the sufficient funds to hire a producer (for now)) we forgot to ask Matt. So, apologies, here's his answer:

"A politics that leads with compassion and empathy and aims to look after one another. It means standing with the powerless against the powerful. It’s about dignity for every person, public services that serve people—not profit—and a belief that society works best when we take care of each other." Matthew Torbitt, 2025.

During this unconstrained conversation, the boys cover a wide range of topics, from sliding in the dms to father-son relationships and prison reform (and everything in between). It's an honest reflection on the trade-offs of Government and the challenges rarely given a fair hearing by our right-wing press.

And while Matthew isn't one who shies away from holding the Labour Party to account (and his GB News audience creams for it), it appears that he has a lot of sympathy for some of the tough decisions our Labour Government have had to make. But obvs, they can do better!

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