Labour's Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy discusses the spy scandal in Parliament and Labour's position on the threat posed by China. The podcast also explores the UK's global position outside of the EU, the negative impact of Brexit, and the UK-US relationship. Lord Sugar becomes the hero of the week while tax dodgers are discussed.
Parliamentary researcher's arrest for spying intensifies concerns over reliance on advisors and Labour's position on China.
Ghostwriting negative articles with black and brown faces undermines journalistic independence and raises racial representation concerns.
Deep dives
Lord Sugar pays £186 million in tax
Lord Sugar, the founder of Amstrad and presenter of the British version of The Apprentice, has paid a tax bill of £186 million. This payment comes after an attempt to avoid the payment by claiming non-domicile status due to spending time in Australia hosting their version of The Apprentice. However, as a member of the House of Lords, Lord Sugar is automatically considered a resident of the United Kingdom and therefore could not claim this status. The payment is significant, especially considering the cost of fixing school buildings affected by crumbling concrete, estimated at £150 million. Despite the attempt to avoid payment, Lord Sugar has been vocal in the past about the importance of paying taxes.
Daily Mail accused of ghostwriting negative articles
The Daily Mail has been accused of ghostwriting negative and potentially racist articles and putting black and brown faces on them to give them false legitimacy. The accusation arose after journalist Dominique Samuels revealed that she was asked to be the face of a ghostwritten negative article about the Nottingham Carnival, but turned it down as it misrepresented her experience while attending the event. Samuels also stated that ghostwriting was an industry standard practice. Critics argue that this practice undermines journalistic independence and raises concerns about racial representation in media. The Daily Mail responded by stating that the commissioning process involves discussing points to be raised with authors and occasionally providing help with drafting, with articles only being published with the author's cooperation and approval.
Criticism of Welsh Water's pollution record
Welsh Water, which is run on a not-for-profit basis, has faced criticism for its pollution record. Concerns were raised after it was revealed that Welsh Water had dumped sewage for 6,959 hours into the River Y in 2022, contributing to the river's ecological collapse. There were also nearly 600,000 hours of total sewage dumping in England and Wales the same year, accounting for over 25% of the total for all water companies. Critics argue that while Welsh Water operates differently from for-profit water companies, its pollution record raises significant environmental concerns. Welsh Water defended itself by highlighting that 41% of rivers in Wales are of good status under the Water Framework Directive compared to 14% in England. However, they acknowledged that improvements in water quality are needed.
Response to listener comment on Labour's stance on trans rights and poverty
Listeners raised concerns about Labour's stance on trans rights and poverty during an interview with Chris Bryant. They felt that Bryant's response, stating that certain issues would have to wait, suggested that these issues were not a priority for the party. They called for more robust discussion and disagreement with politicians to address these concerns. The comments highlight the need for further clarification and discussion on Labour's stance and priorities in relation to trans rights and poverty reduction.
Labour’s Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy reveals what it was like in Westminster when the news broke that a parliamentary researcher, with close links to leading Tory politicians, had been arrested on suspicion of spying for China. Mr Lammy tells Nish and Coco that the atmosphere at Westminster is “febrile”, with MPs having to think carefully about who they rely on for advice and research. He also sets out Labour’s position on the threat posed by China. Plus as Vladimir Putin and Kim Jung Un hold an “evil bro hangout”, just how worried should we be?
Find out what UK Apprentice presenter Lord Sugar did to become our inadvertent hero of the week, while Coco calls out the Daily Mail for trying to use a black writer to publish critical views of the Notting Hill Carnival. Plus, British v Indian cold remedies - who comes out on top?
Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.
