Pod Save the UK

As Ben Rhodes says on this week’s episode, “we’re in a revolutionary moment globally”. Joining Nish and Coco from sister show Pod Save the World, Ben shares (and despairs) about the state of UK and US politics, and tells us what we can take from the Democrats’ disaster of 2024. Isn’t it time that progressives got their own populist?
Plus, we hear about Ben’s new book, ‘All We Say’, tracing American history through some of its most famous–and infamous–speeches. We talk to him about the similarities between Britain and America both losing their way when it comes to national identity, and how our leaders need to tell it like it is. We can handle the truth! 
Also on the show, New Statesman Editor Tom McTague dissects Starmer’s swan song, his last minute decision not to challenge Burnham for leadership, and sets out why it all went wrong for a man who won a landslide victory less than two years ago. 
USEFUL LINKS
Grab a copy of Ben’s new book, All We Say: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/470622/all-we-say-by-rhodes-ben/9781847928887 
Ailbhe Rea’s recent piece in the New Statesman: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/labour/2026/06/what-happens-now 
Tom McTague’s interview with Keir Starmer: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2025/06/what-keir-starmer-cant-say 
GUESTS 
Ben Rhodes 
Tom McTague 
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SAILY: https://www.saily.com/podsave 
HRF Power Plays: Search Power Plays wherever you get your podcasts.
VANTA: https://www.vanta.com/PSTUK
WISE: https://www.wise.com
BT: Search ‘Why BT’ to find out more.
Pod Save the UK is an Intelligence Squared production for Crooked Media.
Get in touch - contact us via email: podsavetheuk@crooked.com we’d love to hear from you as we plan to do a mailbag episode soon: end any questions, thoughts, or musings our way!
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As Makerfield goes to the polls today, Nish and Coco take a look back at the campaign, interrogate Andy Burnham’s ‘King of the North’ brand, and dig into what ‘Manchesterism’ actually is–and how it could work on a national scale. 
They’re joined by Jack Dulhanty, journalist at Manchester Mill, to break down whether we can expect a people-pleaser for our next Prime Minister, how voting intentions have split households, and why a four-month old political party has given Reform a run for its money. 
Plus: following the Court of Appeal’s ruling upholding the ban on Palestine Action and the terror sentencing of the ‘Filton 4’ activists, we speak to Akiko Hart, director of Liberty, the UK’s oldest human rights organisation, to understand the consequences of applying such a broad definition of terrorism.  
And, as a social media ban looms for under-16s, what could this mean for the future of digital privacy in the UK? 
USEFUL LINKS
See Ben Rhodes and Coco Khan live! Tickets here.
Liberty breaks down the Palestine Action ruling: https://www.libertyhumanrights.org.uk/issue/breaking-down-the-court-of-appeal-judgment-on-palestine-actions-proscription/#:~:text=On%2015%20June%202026%2C%20the%20Court%20of%20Appeal%20ruled%20in,proscription%20was%20lawful%20and%20proportionate. 
GUESTS 
Akiko Hart 
Jack Dulhanty
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SAILY: https://www.saily.com/podsave 
BT: Search ‘Why BT’ to find out more.
SHOPIFY: https://www.shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk
VANTA: https://www.vanta.com/PSTUK
Pod Save the UK is an Intelligence Squared production for Crooked Media.
Get in touch - contact us via email: podsavetheuk@crooked.com 
Like and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK 
Instagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk 
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This week, as the far-right continues to fan the flames of violence and division, Coco and Nish are joined by Hasan Piker: Twitch streamer, influencer, and left-wing political commentator who was recently blocked from entering the UK. They dig into what makes him “not conducive to the public good”, and why it’s important to speak the truth–however that comes across. 
They also talk about political allegiances, the future of progressive politics, and the worrying rise of far-right MAGA movements across the world. Does a Labour government have the answer?
GUESTS 
Hasan Piker 
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AURA FRAMES:https://www.auraframes.co.uk Code: PSTUK
WISE: https://www.wise.com
BT: Search ‘Why BT’ to find out more. 
Pod Save the UK is an Intelligence Squared production for Crooked Media.
Get in touch - contact us via email: podsavetheuk@crooked.com
Like and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK
Instagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk
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This week, Nish and Coco dig into the latest release of files around Peter Mandelson’s appointment as UK ambassador to the US, and what the hundreds of emails and WhatsApps reveal about Labour’s internal panic, Keir Starmer’s leadership, and a government that seems increasingly unsure of itself.
They also unpack Alan Milburn’s major review into youth unemployment. Is Britain dealing with a generation that doesn’t want to work, or a broken system that has stripped away routes into jobs, training and support?
Plus: Nish and Coco are joined by Sabah Choudrey, speaker, consultant and founder of Trans Pride Brighton, to discuss the EHRC’s new guidance on single-sex spaces, the worsening climate for trans people in the UK, and how a small network of gender-critical organisations has helped push trans rights into the centre of the culture war.
GUESTS 
Zoë Crowther
Sabah Choudrey
USEFUL LINKS
Updated EHRC Code of Practice: GI’s response | Gendered Intelligence
Join the trans lobby on the 25th June: Mass Lobby for Trans Equality 
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SHOPIFY: https://shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk
VANTA: https://www.vanta.com/PSTUK 
AURA FRAMES: https://www.auraframes.com Code: PSTUK 
BT: Search ‘Why BT’ to find out more.
Pod Save the UK is an Intelligence Squared production for Crooked Media.
Get in touch - contact us via email: podsavetheuk@crooked.com
Like and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK
Instagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk
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Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk
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This week, Nish and Coco head back to Makerfield, where the by-election campaign is already turning into a political demolition derby; Andy Burnham is just ahead of Reform, the far right is fighting itself, Elon Musk has wandered into the discourse, and Nigel Farage has reappeared after questions over his £5 million gift.
Plus: they’re joined by Hettie O’Brien, journalist and author of The Asset Class, to break down how private equity quietly bought up the services we rely on, from nurseries and care homes to vets and water companies, and why that matters for the broken economy we’re all living in.
GUESTS 
Hettie O'Brien, journalist and author of The Asset Class: How Private Equity Turned Capitalism Against Itself
USEFUL LINKS
Amnesty Report | Like a snowball: the growth and impact of the gender critical movement in the UK
Tony Blair Article | The Labour Party Is Playing With Fire Over Its Future and the Future of the Country by 
CLIP CREDITS
Carol Vorderman via Instagram, (@carolvorders)
CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS 
VANTA: https://www.vanta.com/PSTUK 
SHOPIFY: https://shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk
AURA FRAMES: https://www.auraframes.com Code: PSTUK 
BT: Search ‘Why BT’ to find out more.
Pod Save the UK is an Intelligence Squared production for Crooked Media.
Get in touch - contact us via email: podsavetheuk@crooked.com
Like and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK
Instagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk
X: https://x.com/podsavetheuk