Roundtable

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has called for closer cooperation with the European Union, saying "sticking with the status quo is not good enough for Britain".

He says a new deal could boost growth and tackle illegal immigration. Burnham's comments come ahead of a UK-EU summit in November, and after he stated that leaving the EU had done Britain "more harm than good".

The Brexit referendum took place in May 2016, with the UK finally leaving the EU at the end of January 2020.

Opposition leader Kemi Badernoch Badenoch warns Burnham is "not going to get a better deal".

European leaders have welcomed Burnham’s intentions, but Brussels has made it clear, Britain can’t pick and choose which parts of Europe it wants.

So how much closer will the UK get to the EU and will Brexit eventually be overturned?

Joining Enda Brady for this discussion:

Adam Boulton

Political Broadcaster

James Lyons

Former Head of Strategic Communications for Downing Street under Keir Starmer

Zoë Grünewald

Political Journalist

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In this special episode of Roundtable, Enda Brady speaks to Husam Zomlot, Palestine’s Ambassador to the UK.

Three years after Israel began its war on Gaza, Zomlot says there has been a ‘public and political shift towards Palestine’ globally.

He says it is experiencing a 'South Africa moment' when global opposition towards the apartheid gathered pace.

Zomlot praises the beginning of a ‘new approach’ from Britain towards Israel under Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband.

The UK recently imposed sanctions on Israeli settlers in occupied West Bank and last year formally recognised the State of Palestine.

Zomlot says Britain has moved ‘from words to action’ as he details the global switch in sentiment towards Israel and increasing public support for Palestine, and how he is hopeful to see a Palestinian state in his lifetime.

Follow the podcast to keep up to date and access the back catalogue of Roundtable discussions at https://www.youtube.com/@RoundtableTRTWorld

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The reconstruction of Gaza is estimated to cost $71 billion and could take up to a decade, but who will pay to rebuild the devastated region?

Nearly 75,000 people have been killed in Gaza, in the three years since Israel began its war on Gaza after October the 7th.

Most of Gaza's 2.1 million population are displaced and 82% of buildings destroyed or damaged.

Despite a fragile ceasefire, the EU has launched its Team Gaza initiative, with an initial $1 billion for early reconstruction efforts.

President Trump's Board of Peace has pledged $2.45 billion, but will it materialise and where will the rest of money come from?

Is a rebuild even possible with Israeli airstrikes continuing and limited access into Gaza?

Joining Enda Brady for this discussion

Jane Kinninmont

CEO at the United Nations Association UK

Faten Elwan Palestinian journalist and broadcaster

Hugh Lovatt Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations

Follow the podcast to keep up to date and access the back catalogue of Roundtable discussions at https://www.youtube.com/@RoundtableTRTWorld

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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his party the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) are facing an existential crisis following bruising regional election defeats.

The Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania election saw the centre-right CDU fail to reach the five percent threshold, for the first time in a state election since 1949. The far-right AfD won with 38 percent of the vote.

Merz, who has been chancellor for just 16 months, has record-low approval ratings, but is vowing to stay on and push through unpopular reforms aimed at reviving Germany's sluggish economy.

As the political centre erodes and the far-right AfD makes major gains, can the CDU recover, and how long can Merz possibly last as German Chancellor?

Tabea Schaumann

Policy Analyst at the European Policy Centre

Wolfgang Muno

Chair of Comparative Government at University of Rostock

Hajo Funke

Political Scientist

Edward Knudsen

Economic Security Analyst at RAND Europe

Follow the podcast to keep up to date and access the back catalogue of Roundtable discussions at https://www.youtube.com/@RoundtableTRTWorld

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Leading voices in big tech, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI's Sam Altman, are warning AI development needs to slow down to address serious safety risks.

It's an issue that AI insider Connor Leahy has been sounding the alarm about for years, believing it could wipe out humanity and we are very close to a "tipping point".

TRT World’s Roundtable's Enda Brady speaks to Leahy, US Executive Director of Control AI, about the threat. Leahy says he has been 'horrified' after witnessing swarms of artificial superintelligence disobey orders, escape secure facilities and be willing to commit crimes.

He says the rise of superintelligence is humanity’s ultimate threat because it could outcompete human intelligence.

But will governments investing big in AI such as China and the US heed Leahy’s warning - and what will happen if they don't?

Follow the podcast to keep up to date and access the back catalogue of Roundtable discussions at https://www.youtube.com/@RoundtableTRTWorld

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Canada and the EU look to be drawing closer together after Ursula von der Leyen made an unprecedented offer of associate membership of the European Union to Canada.

The two have pledged to work together in the face of what they see as aggression from President Trump’s America.

Trump says the membership offer is ‘laughable’. Relations between Ottawa and Washington have deteriorated sharply since Trump took office.

He's repeatedly said Canada should become America's 51st state and they are locked in a tit-for-tat trade war.

The bloc has 27 member countries, with several others in lengthy talks to join. Plus, EU rules mean Canada can never be one of them.

So what does an associate membership actually mean? Could Canada become the first country to create a whole new type of relationship with the EU?

Joining Enda Brady for this discussion:

Tony Chapman, Podcast Host

Stephen Azzi, Professor of Political Management, History, and Political Science

Tinatin Akhvlediani, Head of EU Enlargement at the Centre for European Policy Studies

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The nationalist parties of the UK's devolved governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have warned 'Westminster’s time is coming to an end'.

The Scottish National Party, Wales’ Plaid Cymru and all-Ireland Sinn Féin joined forces to sign a declaration on their ‘right to self determination’.

Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney and Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill called for independence referendums while Wales’ First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth hasn’t given a specific timetable for one in his country.

US President Donald Trump has given his blessing for the unification of Ireland, saying he would 'love' to see it and that it 'may as well happen now’.

So, is the breakup of the United Kingdom becoming a real possibility? What would Scottish or Welsh independence or Irish reunification actually look like?

Joining Enda Brady for this discussion:

Kitty Donaldson, Chief Political Commentator at The i Paper

Neil Findlay Former Labour Member of the Scottish Parliament

Kevin Meagher, Author of ' A United Ireland'

Follow the podcast to keep up to date and access the back catalogue of Roundtable discussions at https://www.youtube.com/@RoundtableTRTWorld

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The 81st UN General Assembly is underway in New York, with nearly 130 world leaders gathering to discuss wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, humanitarian crises and the rapid development of AI.

This year’s theme is ‘Restoring trust, managing transformation: a United Nations that delivers for all.’

But behind the speeches is another pressing question: who can the UN rely on for financial support?

The EU and its member states provided more than one third of the UN system’s voluntary funding in 2025.

While US support for international assistance has been sharply reduced under President Trump. The US owes over $4 billion to the UN in unpaid mandatory contributions.

So, as the United States steps back, is Europe becoming an increasingly important partner for the United Nations?

Joining Enda Brady for this discussion:

Mark Seddon

Former Speech Writer for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Jane Kinninmont

Chief Executive Officer at the United Nations Association - UK

Oliver Drewes

Former EU Commission Spokesperson

Follow the podcast to keep up to date and access the back catalogue of Roundtable discussions at https://www.youtube.com/@RoundtableTRTWorld

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Mass anti-migrant protests have been erupting in Britain with hundreds of masked men blocking England's busiest port Dover and in Portsmouth where a mega dinghy carrying 140 migrants landed.

Riot police clashed with the demonstrators as they tried to stop a bus carrying asylum seekers from leaving.

During the most recent protests in Portsmouth two men and a teenage boy were arrested.

The government has condemned the violent behaviour calling it "thuggish and intimidating".

Anti-immigration group Patriot Platform led by influencer Danny Thomas organised the protests and donations have been rolling in for the platform.

So why is Britain experiencing an increase in anti-immigrant sentiment when the number of small boats arriving has actually dropped since last year's record highs.

Plus, how will the arrival of new mega dinghies along a different migration impact numbers? Can the boats be stopped? And if they are, will it calm anti-migrant tensions?

Joining Enda Brady for this discussion:

Claire Pearsall

Former Special Adviser at the UK's Home Office

Sebastian Salek

Former Labour Councillor and Political Journalist

Mihnea Cuibus

Senior Researcher at The Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford

Follow the podcast to keep up to date and access the back catalogue of Roundtable discussions at https://www.youtube.com/@RoundtableTRTWorld

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The Alternative for Deutschland party has won an historic victory in the Saxony-Anhalt state election.

The right-wing anti-migrant party took 43.8% of the vote to win its first state premiership and is in seeking support from other parties in order to govern.

For months the AfD has also been riding high in national opinion polls as the country’s most popular party.

Where does this leave the unpopular German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his centre-right CDU? Could this be the start of the AfD's path to ruling Germany?

Joining Enda Brady for this discussion:

Frank-Christian Hansel, Member of the Berlin parliament for the AFD

Author, John Kampfner

Javier Carbonell, Analyst at the European Policy Centre

Ed Turner, Co-director for the Centre for Europe at Aston University

Follow the podcast to keep up to date and access the back catalogue of Roundtable discussions at https://www.youtube.com/@RoundtableTRTWorld

#AfD #GermanPolitics #SaxonyAnhalt #Europe #europeanpolitics

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