The Julia Hartley-Brewer Show

Tom Slater on the Jason Arday vigil, incendiary ‘lynching’ claims and the push to silence Britain’s press — plus Labour stalls North Sea drilling, and Angela Rayner clears the way for more traveller sites

Peer Lord Simon Woolley declared that Arday had been publicly “assassinated” and “lynched” — but the explosive words were conspicuously missing from footage distributed to news organisations by the Press Association.

Julia Hartley-Brewer asks why reporters are refusing to defend themselves against accusations of racism and murder — and warns that a tragic death is being exploited to advance demands for media censorship.

Also: Labour is accused of delaying decisions on the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas projects because approving new drilling during summer heatwaves and wildfires could look politically awkward.

And Angela Rayner tears up key planning protections governing traveller sites, leaving rural communities fearing unauthorised developments and demanding one law for everyone.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘Reform UK has unveiled plans to radically overhaul Britain’s welfare state — cutting £50 billion from the bill, introducing in-person disability assessments and barring more than a million foreign nationals from claiming most benefits.

Also: the furious row following the death of former Cambridge professor Jason Arday, as supporters demand an inquiry into his treatment by the media and a crowdfunding appeal passes £145,000.

Julia examines the allegations surrounding Arday’s academic record, Cambridge University’s failure to conduct proper checks, and the students who say they were failed by the institution.

And Britain’s emergency mobile-alert system causes panic after millions receive a wildfire warning — despite officials reportedly advising that the system should be reserved for genuine national emergencies.

Plus: paedophiles and domestic abusers spared prison under controversial sentencing rules, and fresh speculation over whether Andy Burnham could seek an early general election.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.’

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andy Burnham's plan to redistribute asylum seekers to wealthier areas has sparked fury, with critics branding it a tacit admission that illegal migration is a burden on communities nationwide.

Brendan O'Neill questions of climate alarmism amid a summer of heatwaves and wildfires, plus the Cambridge University scandal engulfing disgraced academic Jason Arday.

Robert Bates of the Centre for Migration Control reveals the staggering £17.5 billion cost of asylum accommodation since 2020, and why the government is fighting to block publication of migrant crime statistics that could expose uncomfortable truths about criminality rates among Channel crossers.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM. 

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andy Burnham faces mounting pressure over his plan to place more asylum seekers in middle-class areas, as Julia Hartley-Brewer looks at the financial and social costs for local communities.

Conservative commentator Benedict Spence assesses Labour’s polling bounce, Burnham’s lack of a clear plan and the collapse of any prospective Reform–Restore pact.

Plus, Crowborough Shiled chairman Kim Bailey condemns the use of taxpayer-funded asylum accommodation in Sussex.

Julia also tackles police demands to block the early release of PC Andrew Harper’s killers, Britain’s crisis of confidence in criminal justice and Donald Trump’s dramatic security escape from Turkey.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A record 230 migrants arrive in Britain aboard a 49-foot “mega-dinghy”, intensifying pressure on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to tackle illegal immigration. 

Julia Hartley-Brewer clashes with Dan Hodges over border failures, deportations and the ECHR, before examining plans that could see dangerous prisoners released early. 

Matthew Syed and Tom Slater discuss Britain’s spiralling debt, political short-termism and the potentially existential threat posed by artificial intelligence. 

Also: vape shops, failing high streets and whether Britain’s leaders are ignoring the defining challenges of the age.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Julia Hartley-Brewer exposes Andy Burnham's tone-deaf "listening tour" as new figures reveal Labour's early prison release scheme could unleash 89,000 extra crimes by 2029 — including sex offences, robberies and the terrifying prospect of the 2006 liquid bomb terrorists walking free by Christmas.

Former government adviser Claire Pearsall says Burnham should be fixing policy, not touring pubs.

Plus: a record 230 migrants cross in a single dinghy, fresh questions over the Farage firebombing probe following Ann Widdecombe's murder, the Jason Arday Cambridge scandal unravels further, and Lord Redwood savages Starmer's EU reset and Burnham's costly two-site government.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Julia Hartley-Brewer unpicks the astonishing downfall of Cambridge professor Jason Arday, whose reportedly fabricated claims — from a non-existent published book to implausible marathon feats — have triggered his resignation. 

Former Senior Military Intelligence Officer Philip Ingram MBE questions why universities fail basic vetting checks. 

Academic Kehinde Andrews then joins for a fiery clash over race, credentials and Cambridge's record on diversity. 

Plus: Kemi Badenoch's defence of a reformed neo-Nazi council candidate, FIFA's Gianni Infantino clinging to power, long-overdue justice for the officer who shot dead gangster Chris Kaba, and fury over grooming gang members among early prison releases.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘New official guidance confirms that single-sex toilets and changing rooms must be organised according to biological sex — but Green-run Lambeth Council is already considering whether it can refuse to comply.

Meanwhile, more than 9,000 domestic abusers are expected to be released early over three years under Labour’s prison scheme — despite fears that victims could face revenge attacks and the perpetrators have a high risk of reoffending.

Kemi Badenoch defends the selection of former neo-Nazi activist Joshua Bonehill-Paine as a Conservative council candidate, arguing that he has been rehabilitated and now campaigns against antisemitism and extremism. But should redemption automatically qualify someone for public office?

Also: Labour’s plan to give 16 and 17-year-olds the vote could backfire spectacularly, with new figures suggesting younger voters may help elect more pro-Gaza independent candidates rather than deliver the electoral boost Labour expected.

And Julia and Brendan remember Rod Liddle while condemning the cruelty of those celebrating his death online.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘Andy Burnham insists he has pushed prison reforms “to the very limits” — yet killers, including two men convicted over the horrific death of PC Andrew Harper, could still be released halfway through their sentences.

Also: the Prime Minister heads off on a family holiday just two weeks after taking office — leaving Louise Haigh, who previously resigned after failing to disclose a fraud conviction, effectively in charge.

Reform UK unveils its plan to use the Royal Navy to return Channel migrants to France, even without French agreement — as a “mega-dinghy” carrying 160 people reportedly catches fire during an attempted crossing.

And the row between Nigel Farage and Rupert Lowe descends into public bickering over a possible pact between Reform and Restore, amid warnings that splitting the vote could hand Labour another government.

Plus, Julia and Tom pay tribute to the provocative and brilliantly funny columnist Rod Liddle — a singular writer who delighted in upsetting all the right people.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andy Burnham has promised a “relentless” new approach to the Channel crisis — but critics are asking what his plan actually involves after around 2,000 migrants arrived in a fortnight.

Julia Hartley-Brewer and former Conservative adviser Claire Pearsall examine Reform UK’s proposal to deploy the Royal Navy and return migrant boats to France, as well as the practical, diplomatic and military obstacles it could face.

They also discuss the mass crossing into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, fears over Europe’s borders and Rupert Lowe’s proposed pact between Restore Britain and Reform UK.

Plus: West Midlands Police invites non-Muslim officers and staff to fast during Ramadan in solidarity with colleagues.

Boy George parts company with his manager after recording a song honouring the victims of the October 7 attacks.

A controversial clinical trial involving puberty blockers for children is set to proceed after a High Court challenge fails.

And Cambridge professor Jason Arday faces further scrutiny over a series of remarkable claims about his childhood, academic career, fundraising and sporting achievements — including an assertion that he appeared in a BBC Up documentary.

Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10am to 1pm.

Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.