James O'Brien Daily

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May 16, 2025 • 45min

Is Scotland's stance on immigration better than England's?

Interest from American buyers in UK property has reached its highest level in eight years, with Edinburgh emerging as the most popular destination, according to new figures. James asks why Scotland has such a different attitude towards immigrants than the rest of the UK.And, James speaks with Victoria Rose, consultant plastic surgeon, who is currently working at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, South Gaza. Today alone, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza had reportedly killed at least 93 people. This episode was recorded on the 16th May. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.
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May 15, 2025 • 1h

Keir Starmer in talks to send failed asylum seekers abroad

Sir Keir Starmer’s post-Brexit 'reset' talks with Brussels have met a hitch over fishing. British fishing waters were one of the most effective tools of the Leave Campaign, but what’s actually happened to our fishing industry since Brexit, and why did fishing become so important before disappearing overnight? James also speaks with Peter Foster, World Trade Editor of the Financial Times, for his take on the UK’s relationship with the EU. LBC’s Political Correspondent Aggie Chambre shares the details on Keir Starmer’s asylum seeker “return hub” plans.And, analysis from the University of Oxford has shown that people taking weight loss jabs such as Mounjaro can expect to regain the weight within a year of stopping. James ask his callers who use these drugs whether they’re just too good to be true.This episode was recorded on the 15th May. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.
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May 14, 2025 • 56min

Is Keir Starmer targeting all immigrants?

Downing Street has defended Sir Keir Starmer’s language on immigration, which some on the left has likened to that used by Enoch Powell. The questions remain, who exactly is Starmer targeting and how does it feel to be on the receiving end?Unsurprisingly, Starmer is grilled on his speech in today’s Prime Minister’s Questions - James and LBC’s Political Editor Natasha Clark listen and analyse.And, James speaks with Lucy Easthope, international adviser on disaster recovery, to discuss her new book “Come What May: Life-Changing Lessons for Coping with Crisis”, detailing how one can apply the lessons from her career to everyday, smaller disasters.This episode was recorded on the 14th May. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.
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May 13, 2025 • 58min

Sadiq Khan on Starmer’s controversial immigration speech

Starmer’s speech on the government’s immigration white paper in which he warned that “we risk becoming an island of strangers” has been likened to Enoch Powell’s infamous Rivers of Blood speech. Who is the Prime Minister speaking to with this?Also, it’s Speak to Sadiq - the Mayor of London joins me in the studio to answer James and the callers’ most pressing questions - Keir Starmer’s speech, Gaza and Thames Water were on the agenda.And, James speaks with Peter Geoghegan, Editor of the Democracy for Sale, with an exclusive story on the US spy-tech firm Palantir and its data platform that NHS hospitals have been rejecting.This episode was recorded on the 12th May. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.
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May 12, 2025 • 1h 1min

Famine in Gaza is imminent - why do so many ignore the horror?

Sir Keir Starmer will be drastically tightening immigration policy. He says the reforms will see net migration drop even further, but do the numbers actually matter to the people this new policy is supposed to please?And, UN-backed assessment has said that Gaza's population of around 2.1 million Palestinians is at "critical risk" of famine, as an Israeli blockade on food and humanitarian aid continues. Why are we closing our eyes to Gaza’s horror?This episode was recorded on the 12th May. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.
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May 9, 2025 • 1h 4min

History is made: a new Pope and a UK-US trade deal

Sir Keir Starmer says the new UK-US trade deal will save thousands of jobs in the car and steel industries. James breaks down the detail with Dmitry Grozoubinski, Founder of Explain Trade, and asks if Starmer could have done any better.Also, two men have been found guilty of felling the world famous Sycamore Gap Tree, a crime that enraged the nation. As a country, why were we so emotionally invested, and should the men be sent to prison for chopping down a tree?And, Cardinal Robert Prevost has been elected as Pope Leo XIV. The 69-year-old is a Chicago native and the first American to hold the papacy. How much influence and importance does the Pope have in the 21st Century?This episode was recorded on the 9th May. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.
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May 8, 2025 • 60min

Should immigrants have to speak A-Level standard English?

Even in the wake of the UK-India trade deal, an actual benefit of Brexit, many Brexiteers are forgoing celebrations and instead painting Indian workers as the winners, and UK workers as the losers. In this anti-immigrant political climate, how can Labour prove to the electorate that it is benefiting them?Also, migrants coming to live and work in the UK will be required to speak A-Level standard English under a new proposal from the Government. Who is this policy designed to appease, and will it work?And, James also speaks with historian, broadcaster and host of the History Hit Podcast, Dan Snow, who shares some very important lessons from the past as we honour VE Day.This episode was recorded on the 8th May. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.
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May 7, 2025 • 1h 3min

Why is India bombing Pakistan?

India launched air strikes on Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir last night, leaving many civilians dead, in the worst fighting between the two nations for decades. This has coincided with the near completion of a UK-India trade deal. What are the stakes here and what happens if the conflict escalates?Also, a new report into last summer’s far-right anti-immigrant riots has found that the police force is ill-equipped to tackle the impact of online misinformation - which fuelled the disorder. Why do people spread misinformation? Is the battle with the tech platforms that have the power to restrict such content already lost?And, James speaks with journalist Harry Shukman, author of “Year of the Rat: Undercover in the British Far Right”, to hear exactly what he learned while working undercover with various far-right groups.This episode was recorded on the 7th May. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.
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May 6, 2025 • 58min

Israel’s indefinite occupation of Gaza

The Government is rethinking its controversial winter fuel payment cut as anxiety grows at potential electoral repercussions. How big a deal is the winter fuel allowance, and how would you fix it?The Israeli security cabinet has approved a plan to 'capture' Gaza, in which troops will indefinitely occupy the region and forcibly relocate the 2.1 million Palestinians living there to the southern enclave. Was this the plan all along?This episode was recorded on the 6th May. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.
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May 5, 2025 • 49min

Bonus: Mystery Hour

This is a catch-up version of James O'Brien's Mystery Hour from the 1st May. The James O'Brien Daily Podcast will return after the bank holiday, on Tuesday 6th May. Have a wonderful weekend!

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