Pod Save the UK

This week, we take a minute to remember dear Dolly Parton (Comrade Dolly!); an extraordinary force of nature, talented musician, incredibly generous person and fierce ally, whose kindness and positivity inspired millions across the world–we’ve lost one of the good ones. 

Meanwhile, Coco gets the lowdown from Cody about his latest video being flagged for bullying (billionaire Mark Zuckerberg?!) during Meta’s child privacy trial. Since we recorded this episode, Meta has settled for $17bn, agreeing major changes to its platforms including usage limits and nighttime blocks. 

Also, Reform is at it again, unveiling a policy to prioritise social housing for ‘British born workers’ and married couples. But…you have to keep your gardens tidy? Coco & Cody discuss what sits at the heart of this latest divisive declaration. 

And: are we living in a Corrupted Kingdom? Robert Barrington thinks so. As the former head of Transparency International and professor of Anti-Corruption, he joins us to talk about why we’re reluctant to use the ‘C’ word in the UK, and what we can do to safeguard against corruption across all aspects of British society. 

USEFUL LINKS
https://www.transparency.org/en 
https://antislapp.uk/

Buy Robert’s Book! https://www.waterstones.com/book/corrupted-kingdom/robert-barrington/9781805223153 

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Pod Save the UK is an Intelligence Squared production for Crooked Media.

Don’t forget you can get in touch! Contact us via email: [email protected] if you want to share questions, thoughts, or general musings! 

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This week, it’s Coco & Cody Dahler while Nish is away at the Fringe! With the recent, shocking news of Jason Arday’s death, they’re joined by broadcaster and writer Natasha Devon to reflect on the role of legacy media, and where the line is drawn between public interest and pile ons. 

Also: is Britain living through a ‘nuance drought’? Coco, Cody, and Natasha wrestle with the decline of the ‘critical friend’ perspective, and ask how we can bring back the grey area when people are encouraged to pick a side–not just in politics, but wider society. 

And when pain is preferred to certainty, is Farage the devil we know? They discuss ideological fault lines, false binaries, social media bans, and burning everything down…

USEFUL LINKS
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised during this episode, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org 

Pre-order Natasha’s book here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-nuance-drought/natasha-devon/9781837733170 

Petition demanding a public inquiry into Jason Arday’s death: https://goodlawproject.org/petition/jason-arday-letter/ 

‘Farage Fest’ AI music video: https://x.com/reformparty_uk/status/2089464382925205526 

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Pod Save the UK is an Intelligence Squared production for Crooked Media.

Don’t forget you can get in touch! Contact us via email: [email protected] if you want to share questions, thoughts, or general musings! 

Like and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK 
Instagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk 
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This week, it’s just Nish, Coco, and you! You asked, they answered – thanks to everyone for their questions! Nish and Coco discuss how to stay positive amidst all the current political noise, how hopeful they are about our new Prime Minister, and what their favourite films have been this year…Plus, should we publish the faces of people who earn over a certain amount of money in the UK? 

Also: you listen to Nish & Coco every week, now we want to hear from you! We’re launching an audience survey to hear about what you like, dislike, and want to see more of from PSUK. Guests! Live shows! Topics! Explainers! And did we mention there’s a prize draw? You’ve got to be in it to win it - so fill out the survey here: https://forms.gle/fWp9xXb6tcWhPxSm8 

USEFUL LINKS
Audience survey here: https://forms.gle/fWp9xXb6tcWhPxSm8 

Nish’s ultimate taskmaster episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENMjwuvNZsA 

CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS 
VANTA: https://www.vanta.com/PSTUK
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Pod Save the UK is an Intelligence Squared production for Crooked Media.

Don’t forget you can get in touch! Contact us via email: [email protected] if you want to share questions, thoughts, or general musings! 

Like and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK 
Instagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk 
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This week, as Britain enters its fourth heatwave amidst blazing wildfires across Europe, Coco & Nish are joined by Climate scientist and educator Simon Clark to ask: is this the new normal? They discuss rising temperatures, online misinformation, fire clouds(!) and which policies the UK government could be championing to both mitigate and adapt to a warming climate–listen up, Andy! 

Also on the show: as Exeter proposes 150 job cuts which are expected to fall disproportionately on the humanities, Nish speaks to his friend and staff member at Exeter University, Dr Peter J Riley. They dig into the value of a humanities degree and what we’re missing when we make everything about money. 

And: Coco & Nish reflect on the UK’s first week with Burnham at the helm, as Labour leads Reform in the polls for the first time in almost 18 months. Is it too early to be optimistic? 

Plus - bonus content! We bring you a clip from a conversation with actor Siobhan McSweeney and Gazan student Mahmoud Hasanain as they discuss the government’s renewed scheme to evacuate Gazan students to study at UK universities–but only if they have fully-funded places. Siobhan, along with many other well-known faces from stage and screen, is auctioning off personal items in a bid to raise funds to support these students. You can catch the full episode on YouTube, and bid online here - until Friday 7th August!   

Plus: you listen to Nish & Coco every week, now we want to hear from you! We’re launching an audience survey to hear about what you like, dislike, and want to see more of from PSUK. Guests! Live shows! Topics! Explainers! And did we mention there’s a prize draw? You’ve got to be in it to win it - so fill out the survey here: https://forms.gle/fWp9xXb6tcWhPxSm8 

GUESTS 
Simon Clark 
Dr Peter Riley

USEFUL LINKS
Audience survey here: https://forms.gle/fWp9xXb6tcWhPxSm8 

University Cuts 
Petition to stop redundancies at Exeter University: https://www.change.org/p/stop-redundancies-at-the-university-of-exeter-706befbf-8195-4b87-a96c-13666e695878 
Exeter UCU: https://www.instagram.com/uniexeterucu/ 

Climate Crisis
DeSmog: https://www.desmog.com/2026/04/30/reform-uk-nigel-farage-millions-donations-fossil-fuel-interests-climate-science-deniers/ 
Matt Hughes and Nick Ames - Uefa accuses Fifa of ‘enriching themselves and their friends’ over World Cup sell-off
Share Action: https://shareaction.org/ 
Cool Earth: https://www.coolearth.org/ 
Fossil Free Media: https://fossilfree.media/ 

Gaza Auction: https://www.jumblebee.co.uk/ScholarshipsForGaza 

Keir’s goodbye video: https://www.tiktok.com/@keirstarmer/video/7664565924204203286?lang=en-GB 

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Pod Save the UK is an Intelligence Squared production for Crooked Media.

Don’t forget you can get in touch! Contact us via email: [email protected] if you want to share questions, thoughts, or general musings! 

Like and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK 
Instagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk 
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Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk 
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This week, Nish & Coco do a deep dive into the beginnings of Burnham’s Britain. He’s only been Prime Minister for a few days, but Andy has already pledged to end rough sleeping, cut electricity bills, and cap bus fares, as his new ‘cost of living government’ takes shape. 

They’re joined by Anoosh Chakelian, the New Statesman’s Britain Editor, who has interviewed Burnham several times over the last decade. Is he the flip-flopping, people-pleasing Prime Minister his critics say he’ll be, or do these early signals from No.10 suggest a clean break with the politics of the past? 

Anoosh, Coco & Nish talk through cabinet picks, what Trump might make of ‘Red Ed’ as foreign sec, and how social care reform–if done right–could be good for us all. All eyes on the seventh Prime Minister in a decade…

Plus: you listen to Nish & Coco every week, now we want to hear from you! We’re launching an audience survey to hear about what you like, dislike, and want to see more of from PSUK. Guests! Live shows! Topics! Explainers! And did we mention there’s a prize draw? You’ve got to be in it to win it - so fill out the survey here: https://forms.gle/fWp9xXb6tcWhPxSm8 

GUESTS 
Anoosh Chakelian 

USEFUL LINKS
Audience survey here: https://forms.gle/fWp9xXb6tcWhPxSm8 

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Pod Save the UK is an Intelligence Squared production for Crooked Media.

We’ll be filming another mailbag episode next week so get in touch! Contact us via email: [email protected] if you want to share questions, thoughts, or general musings! 

Like and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK 
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This week, with Andy Burnham’s coronation just days away, Coco & Zoe dig into why the whole thing felt like such a foregone conclusion, and unpack what we might expect from Burnham’s summer season.

Speaking of Burn-ing, the UK is literally on fire… so why are some politicians urging us to drop net zero targets altogether as we swelter through another heatwave? 

Also on the show: CEO of Women’s Aid, Farah Nazeer, joins to talk about their World Cup campaign, ‘The Other Kick Off’, and how we need cultural and structural changes to meaningfully move the dial on domestic abuse and violence against women and girls. Plus, as the news of Ann Widdecombe’s death shocks us all, Coco & Zoe discuss the reality of being a woman in the public eye. 

Content note: This episode contains discussions of rape, sexual assault and domestic abuse.  

GUESTS 
Farah Nazeer 

USEFUL LINKS
Women’s Aid 
Refuge 
Research Digital Misogynoir Report — Glitch
Women’s Aid Reveals ‘The Other ‘Kick Off’ Time Thousands of Women Dread During the World Cup 

CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS 
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Pod Save the UK is an Intelligence Squared production for Crooked Media.

We’ll be doing another mailbag episode soon so get in touch! Contact us via email: [email protected] if you want to share questions, thoughts, or general musings! 

Like and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK 
Instagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk 
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BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com 
Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk 
X: https://x.com/podsavetheuk

This week, we cancel our early celebrations at the news of Nigel Farage’s resignation, given that he announced in the same breath he would be standing in the very by-election he triggered… Another one?! While Nish is off on a glamorous sidequest, Coco’s joined by guest host journalist Zoë Grünewald to make sense of this latest stunt from Nige. Is this a political gamble that will pay off, or a final act of desperation?

Also on the show, we look to Ankara, where world leaders have descended for the latest NATO summit amidst rising geopolitical tensions... Author and foreign correspondent Hannah Lucinda Smith breaks down how warfare has changed, why we should be investing more in defence, and what the presumptive PM Andy Burnham could do to get Britain back on track on the world stage. 

USEFUL LINKS
Buy Hannah’s book! https://www.waterstones.com/book/hinterlands/hannah-lucinda-smith/9781805225416 

Sunday Times Investigation into ‘Daddy’ Farage and ‘Posh George’:  https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/revealed-nigel-farage-secretly-funded-by-convicted-criminal-j0brtrlnk 

GUESTS 
Hannah Lucinda Smith 

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Pod Save the UK is an Intelligence Squared production for Crooked Media.

We’ll be doing another mailbag episode soon so get in touch! Contact us via email: [email protected] if you want to share questions, thoughts, or general musings! 

Like and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK 
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“Are you ready for this?” Following Andy Burnham’s first big policy speech since becoming an MP, and with his sights set firmly on the top job, Coco & Nish dig into his promises of regeneration, reindustrialisation, and…a new pair of running shorts. From No10 North to nationalisation and the biggest council house building programme since the postwar period, they discuss their unanswered questions and first impressions of the Manchester man offering “growth in every postcode, and hope in every heart.” 

Plus, they’re joined by journalist and campaigner Adele Zeynep Walton who shares her first-hand experience of the consequences of online harms. We ask whether the proposed social media ban for under-16s really gets to the heart of the problem (spoiler alert: no), and how we can truly hold the tech industry to account. Content note: this discussion includes references to suicide. 

USEFUL LINKS
Buy Adele’s book: “Logging Off: The Human Cost of our Digital World” https://www.waterstones.com/book/logging-off/adele-zeynep-walton/9781398722941 

Write to your MP and support the call for a public inquiry into the scale of harm facilitated by online suicide forums: https://mollyrosefoundation.beaconforms.com/form/90ddb8e4  
https://mollyrosefoundation.org/campaigns/campaign-against-pro-suicide-forums/  

GUESTS 
Adele Zeynep Walton 

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Pod Save the UK is an Intelligence Squared production for Crooked Media.

We’ll be doing another mailbag episode soon so get in touch! Contact us via email: [email protected] if you want to share questions, thoughts, or general musings! 

Like and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK 
Instagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk 
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Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk 
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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, explains 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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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: [email protected] we’d love to hear from you as we plan to do a mailbag episode soon: end any questions, thoughts, or musings our way!

Like and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK 
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As Makerfield goes to the polls today, Nish and Coco take a look back at Andy's campaign. They interrogate Burnham’s ‘King of the North’ brand, and dig into what ‘Manchesterism’ actually is —asking 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: [email protected] 
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 
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