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Pod Save the UK

Pod Save the UK

Pod Save the UK is your weekly fix of political news, big ideas and a shot of inspiration. Each week hosts, comedian Nish Kumar and journalist Coco Khan are joined by politicians, experts, and famous friends to unpick the latest news, look for solutions, and inspire action. From Crooked Media – the creators of Pod Save America – in partnership with Reduced Listening, tune in to new episodes of Pod Save the UK every Thursday wherever you pod.

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57 min•
1 May

The UK Supreme Court ruling and the fight for trans rights

In the wake of the UK Supreme Court ruling that the legal definition of woman should be based on biological sex, Nish and Zoë speak to LGBTQ+ activist Ellen Jones, author of "Outrage: Why the fight for LGBTQ+ equality is not yet won and what we can do about it" about the implications for trans people .  They discuss how the campaigning of reactionaries like billionaire author JK Rowling led to the decision that has seen Prime Minister Keir Starmer backflipping on his support for the trans community. Ellen speaks on the dangers of the recent ruling and practical ways to resist and support the trans community. Then, as the Tories flounder ahead of the local elections, Zoë hedges her bets. And we take a look at two shocking attempts to seize the limelight by Liz Truss and Tony Blair. Plus, ahead of the Australian election this weekend, Nish speaks to former Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan about how, in the wake of Trump's tariffs and attacks on allies, the commonwealth might be more important than ever and what the US and UK could learn from Australia's compulsory preferential voting system. CORRECTION: In this episode we at one point refer to the EHCR incorrectly, for clarity, it is the Equality and Human Rights Commission. CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS  AURA FRAMES https://www.auraframes.com CODE: PSUK SHOPIFY https://www.shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk  Guests: Ellen Jones Wayne Swan Useful links: Outrage: Why the fight for LGBTQ+ equality is not yet won and what we can do about it by Ellen Jones https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/ellen-jones/outrage/9781035030606 The Good Law Project Crowdfunder to legally challenge the Supreme Court Decision https://goodlawproject.org/crowdfunder/supreme-court-human-rights-for-trans-people/ Compilation of protests against the Supreme Court Decision https://whatthetrans.com/compilation-of-protests-against-the-supreme-court/  Volunteer at your local trans pride - London Trans Pride call for stewards https://www.instagram.com/londontranspride Write to your MP https://transactual.org.uk/change-actions/write-to-your-mp/ Reclaim the framing of UK trans rights https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTWR6sdj_xWKoOGLmwp0JotSL3NBrYSd1Dy3VZOIIKJKy0Ej6cFPt32IIKan3qCq6fG4lpgrw46ewO0/pub?urp=gmail_link Protect the Dolls T-shirt in support of Trans Lifeline, a US-based charity https://connerives.com/products/pre-order-protect-the-dolls-t-shirt Info on voting in the Australian Election abroad: ALPABROAD.ORG  Audio Credits Sky News ITV News Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media. Contact us via email: [email protected] Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk BlueSky: @podsavetheuk.crooked.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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44 min•
17 Apr

Nish and Coco spill the tea: your questions answered

As Parliament sits for Easter Recess, Nish and Coco dive into the PSUK mailbag to answer your burning questions.  There’s the serious political questions - who are the real progressive party? How can we fight Reform? Should we all just leave the UK?? But there’s some curveballs, too - like what’s up with Bob Dylan’s instagram posting? Boxers or briefs? And most importantly… Has Nish Kumar ever eaten a pot noodle in the bath?  CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS  SHOPIFY: https://www.shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk  Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media. Contact us via email: [email protected] Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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50 min•
10 Apr

Trump’s Tariffs: are you feeling liberated?

UPDATE: 10/04/25: President Trump has planned to pause extended tariffs on most countries for 90 days, while pushing ahead on plans to implement a 104% tariff on Chinese goods. A flat 10% tariff remains in place. Trump’s tariffs continue to cause chaos in the stock markets and the threat of a recession looms. As Rachel Reeves put it in her Spring Statement - the world is changing before our eyes - but is it enough to see her back down on her precious fiscal rules? Co-host Zoë Grünewald joins Nish to make sense of it all. Can ‘the most dangerous man in Britain’ shed light on this moment of global chaos? Author and education campaigner Melissa Benn, daughter of the late great politician Tony Benn, reflects on her father’s relevance today and the future of the left.  Plus, Melissa takes a look at what’s in Labour’s new education bill. Kemi Badenoch has labelled it “an act of vandalism” - but are the reforms as revolutionary as critics claim? And a couple of monumental WTF’s for you this week - Israel has barred two Labour MPs, just as human rights lawyers deliver a landmark report to the Met Police’s War Crimes Team, making accusations of war crimes against 10 Britons, who served in the Israeli military in Gaza. It’s chilling stuff. CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS  Shopify https://www.shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk  VOY https://www.joinvoy.com/psuk Useful Links The Most Dangerous Man in Britain?: The Political Writing by Tony Benn https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/3318-the-most-dangerous-man-in-britain?srsltid=AfmBOoqeWPvXcuRrm3zzK1FZ0GZ0JYD7BY6lSBtIpztZdp5gR12u7fmr Guests Melissa Benn Audio Credits CBS News Sky The Guardian Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media. Contact us via email: [email protected] Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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59 min•
3 Apr

Waiting For The Apocalypse: tariffs, food security and the right to protest

Warning: this episode contains descriptions of sexually explicit and sexist song lyrics. While we wait to see if Trump’s tariff juggernaut is going to squash our fragile economy, Nish and Coco count the cost of the “bill-mageddon” we already face. It’s a perfect storm of steep rises in household bills and a bonkers global trade war.  While we’re staring economic apocalypse in the face, we seem to be losing our rights to protest. If the Quakers get raided, who’s safe from heavy handed policing and draconian laws? And have you prepared yourself for food shortages? Your stash of beans might not cut it. Professor Tim Lang - author of a major report on food security- has a plan we all need to hear.  On the bright side, 2025 is the year the Labour Party has decided to embrace social media and podcasts. What can possibly go wrong?  CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS  VOY https://www.joinvoy.com/psuk  Guests Tim Lang Zoë Grünewald Audio Credits C4 Garys Economics Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media. Contact us via email: [email protected] Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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53 min•
27 Mar

Austerity 2.0: can Reeves cut her way to growth?

First the good news: we might just manage to build a lot of new houses. And the bad news? Millions of people will be worse off and about fifty thousand children will be pushed into poverty by welfare reform. Nish and Coco unpack Rachel Reeves’ Spring Statement with the help of economist James Meadway, former advisor to John McDonnell. It was pretty bleak stuff from Reeves: the world is scary, growth is low, and cuts are coming. All with a strong whiff of austerity 2.0. The Chancellor says her fiscal rules are “non-negotiable”. But James has an alternative Spring Statement to banish the gloom and challenge the way we think about growth. Plus, as the great Signal security cock up rumbles on in the US, Nish and Coco wonder why they've never been included in a top-secret military chat. It’s just not fair. And it’s got the UK talking, but will the Netflix drama ‘Adolescence’ make a difference in the real world? CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS  SKY SPORTS F1 https://www.sky.com/tv/sports   Guests: James Meadway   Audio Credits Parliament TV   Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media. Contact us via email: [email protected] Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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48 min•
20 Mar

Welfare cuts: are Labour copying Tory homework?

After weeks of speculation, Liz Kendall has confirmed what benefits are to be axed in order to save £5 billion from the welfare bill - but at what cost for sick and disabled people? Keir Starmer says the rising benefit bill is “devastating for public finances” and has “wreaked a terrible human cost”. But many of his own Labour MPs have accused him of selling cuts as compassion and in the words of Clive Lewis “causing pain for millions”. Zoë Grünewald steps in for Nish to survey the fallout with Coco.  And the cuts don’t stop there - NHS England’s abolition and unprecedented cost-cutting could see up to 30,000 jobs lost. Zoë and Coco discuss the “high-stakes” move, which the Institute of Fiscal Studies has said is “not fully thought through”. Next up, the Tories and Reform are trying to seize the news-agenda with a pair of not-so special special announcements. And Coco has one of her own…   CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS  VOY https://www.joinvoy.com/psuk SHOPIFY https://www.shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk   Guests Mikey Erhardt Zoë Grünewald   Audio Credits Sky News BBC   Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media. Contact us via email: [email protected] Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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