Politics Uncensored

After Andy Burnham was blocked to stand as an MP, Ali Milani asks: How can Keir Starmer still be Prime Minister if he hands Gorton and Denton to Reform.In the week unwrapped Ali and Zoe discuss if the UK a surveillance state! Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced new sweeping powers for Police including 40 new live facial recognition vans and the use of AI to track down criminals. Shabana Mahmood has said that forces are “fighting crime in a digital age with analogue methods”Then they break down Home secretary Suella Braverman's defection to Reform UK. In a not so shocking move, another former Tory MP has jumped ship and joined Nigel Farage’s Reform, with Braverman stating that she “feels like she's come home” After this they round up the segment by discussing Keir Starmer's trip to China. The broadcast of the meeting was all smiles and positivity from Xi Jinping and the PM. As the so called special relationship with the US looks and more and more unreliable, is the UK turning to China for security guarantees?For the first big topic the two discuss Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham being denied by the NEC to stand as an MP in the Gorton and Denton by election. The official Labour leadership line is that Burnham was blocked due to the cost and risk of also running a mayoral election. However, many would claim that the decision was instead about concerns over Burnham challenging Keir Starmer as PM. Labour retained a sizeable 13,413 majority in Gorton and Denton at the 2024 general election, with 50.8 per cent of the vote. However, this was down substantially from the 2019 result, when the party held a 22,175 majority and 67.2 per cent vote share.Reform came second, with 14.1 per cent of the vote – a 9.2 point increase on 2019 – while the Greens came third, with 13.2 per cent (up 10.7 points). The turnout was also down from 61.7 per cent to 46.8.Nigel Farage’s party has unveiled right-wing activist Matt Goodwin as its candidate to contest the seat. Speaking at a party press conference in the constituency, Mr Goodwin said: “This by-election is a referendum on Keir Starmer.“It’s a chance for the hardworking law abiding tax paying people from this seat to have their say on Keir Starmer and to make political history.”To round up the show Zoe and Ali discuss the several killings by ICE in Minnesota, including Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Trump has signalled 'more relaxed' federal tactics in the state but is there an end in sight to Trump's spiralling authoritarianism? Hosts: Ali Milani and Zoe Grunewald Producer: Hugh Smiley

Donald Trump is a CHILD, a BAD ACTOR and CANNOT BE TRUSTED as an ally.This week on the week unwrapped:Former Tory MP, former shadow Minister and still the MP for Romford Andrew Rosindell has defected to reform. This comes after Robert Generic’s not so shocking defection last week. Andrew Rosindell has resigned from the Conservative Party and defected to Reform UK.The former shadow minister and MP for Romford said the Tories were "irreparably bound to the mistakes of previous governments" and not willing to take "meaningful accountability" for poor decisions.He said he had spoken to Nigel Farage on Sunday evening before agreeing to join his party. The Reform UK leader called him "a great patriot" who "will be a great addition to our team".Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has not ruled out banning British under-16-year-olds from social media, saying "all options are on the table".Sir Keir said: "We need to better protect children from social media."We're looking at what is happening in Australia - all options are on the table in relation to what further protections we can put in place - whether that's under-16s on social media or an issue I am very concerned about, under fives and screen time."Children are turning up age four at reception having spent far too much time on screens."Then after this Ali and Zoe discuss Blue Monday, which refers specifically to the third Monday in January, though some variations place it on the second or fourth. In 2026, it lands on 19 January, coinciding with the current date and amplifying its relevance amid ongoing winter conditions.Then Ali and Zoe discuss Keir Starmer's response to Donald Trump's threat of a 10% tariff on NATO allies for opposing US control of Greenland.The Prime minister pushed back in his speech this morning, calling for “calm discussion between allies” and stating that Trump was “completely wrong” to slap tariffs on the UK and other European countries.Keir Starmer has stated that the decision about the future of Greenland “belongs to the people of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark alone.” (Source, BBC)“The use of tariffs is completely wrong” Keir Starmer“A partnership does not mean abandoning principle.” Keir StarmerStarmer has also added that a tariff war isn’t in anybody’s interests because it will be businesses, workers and families across the country who will be hit by a trade war.”Then to wrap up the show the two discuss Zoe's new Substack article When “what’s good for us” stops meaning "us". About how wellness culture promises control and self-care — but what happens when it starts to hollow out our shared collective lives? --Politics Uncensored gives you the news that matters. With unfiltered analysis and debate from leading politicians, journalists and experts, this show removes the political fluff to offer an honest and uncensored look at how Westminster really works. --FUBAR is radio as it should be: uncensored talk, comedy, entertainment, sports, and music without the long, boring commercial breaks. FUBAR has the best presenters and comedians fronting shows you won’t hear anywhere else. It’s like hearing them live at a gig, or on post-watershed TV—but all coming from that shiny vibrating biscuit you keep in your pocket. Or the screen in front of you now.

Robert Jenrick has defected to Nigel Farage's Reform UK - what does this mean for the future of the Tories? Robert Jenrick was sacked from the shadow cabinet today with Kemi Badenoch citing “irrefutable evidence” that he was planning on defecting to Reform in the most damaging way possible. Perhaps that evidence is everything he’s done since Kemi became leader, or perhaps, the fact that he has now ditched the Conservatives.After discussing Robert Jenrick's not so shocking departure, Callum Mason, deputy money editor at the I joins the show to discuss how student loans have screwed over young people.Kemi Badenoch's Statement:Badenoch said in a statement: “I have sacked Robert Jenrick from the shadow cabinet, removed the whip and suspended his party membership with immediate effect.“I was presented with clear, irrefutable evidence that he was plotting in secret to defect in a way designed to be as damaging as possible to his shadow cabinet colleagues and the wider Conservative party.“The British public are tired of political psychodrama and so am I. They saw too much of it in the last government, they’re seeing too much of it in THIS government. I will not repeat those mistakes.”“When I was elected leader, I committed to doing politics differently. Disloyalty and dishonesty undermine trust in politics,” she said.“When individuals choose to walk away from that effort for personal ambition, that tells you nothing about the Conservative party and everything you need to know about them.”Student Loans:Since 2017 interest on student loans has vastly overtaken the annual loan repayments made by university leavers, with the total interest added reaching £15bn in 2023-2024.In 2012, tuition fees were tripled – from £3,000 to £9,000 a year – and the terms of student loans were changed so that we paid sky-high amounts of interest on the balance.Zoe and Ali then discuss Former Conservative former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi defects to Reform ‘after begging Tories for peerage’ and Increasingly further far right party UKIP have taken their next big leap forward by choosing a logo that looks suspiciously like the Nazi iron cross… allegedly Guest bio: Callum Mason is a Money and Business Reporter at The i Paper. He specializes in finance, personal finance, construction and real estate, as well as banking and financial services, exploring the intricate dynamics of financial markets. Callum's work has been featured in notable publications such as Tes, Global Finance Herald, Headlinemoney, and Cigalah Group.

Donald Trump has caused international chaos as the US kidnapped Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro and has set his eyes on Greenland.Joining Ali and Zoe to try make sense of this break down in international order is Professor of International Studies at the Clinton Institute in Dublin, and founder of the EA WorldView, Scott Lucas.Beyond the international chaos, the three discuss internal struggles as well. ICE (Immigration Customs Enforcement) shot Renee Nicole Good, in her car in Minnesota. They claimed that she attempted to run over ICE officers but videos of the incident suggest she was attempting to drive away."What has happened to my country" says Scott Lucas as he outlines the increasing divide in the US. A Fox news host highlighting that Renee Nicole Good, the woman killed, has “pronouns in her bio” and “leaves behind a lesbian partner and a child from a previous marriage”. JD Vance on Twitter described her as a “deranged leftist”.On Greenland, the three outlines the weak response from the UK and other European countries:Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has since warned that, in the event of a US invasion of the territory, "everything stops… including NATO"."It makes absolutely no sense to ⁠talk about the US needing to take over Greenland."The US has no right to annex any of the three countries in ​the Danish Kingdom."I would therefore strongly urge the ‌US to stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people, who have very clearly ​said that they are not for sale."Responding, Sir Keir told Sky News: "I stand with her. She's right about the future of Greenland.""Denmark is a close European ally, a close NATO ally. And the future therefore has to be for Greenland, for the Kingdom of Denmark, and only for Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark."In the week unwrapped Ali and Zoe discuss the backlash to Elon Musk's X Ai Grok unconsensually undressing women, even minors on the platform. Keir Starmer has responded to Elon Musk's inaction describing the issue as “disgraceful, it’s disgusting and it’s not to be tolerated. X has got to get a grip of this”. Elon Musk has since limited the image editing feature of Grok to paid users.Guest BioScott Lucas became Professor of International Politics in 2014, having been on the staff of the University of Birmingham since 1989 and a Professor of American Studies since 1997.He began his career as a specialist in US and British foreign policy, but his research interests now also cover current international affairs --- especially North Africa, the Middle East, and Iran --- New Media, and Intelligence Services.A professional journalist since 1979, Professor Lucas is the founder and editor of EA WorldView, a leading website in daily news and analysis of Iran, Turkey, Syria, and the wider Middle East, as well as US foreign policy.Scott Lucas has also featured on Times Radio and Politics JoeSources:https://www.ucdclinton.ie/our-staff/scott-lucashttps://eaworldview.com/about/the-editor/https://news.sky.com/story/trump-says-hes-very-serious-about-taking-greenland-despite-warnings-it-will-end-nato-13490953

2025 was certainly... a year in politics! From Donald Trump's best friend, Keir Starmer's 67 meme to Robert Jenrick playing vigilante, here are the best and worst bits of 2025. Ali is Unfortunately ill today but host of Privacy Settings Will Sebag-Montefiore steps in take us through the horrors of 2025.