James O'Brien Daily

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has defended sweeping changes to the UK's asylum system. Refugee status will become temporary, guaranteed housing support for asylum seekers will end and "safe and legal routes" into the UK will be created. Will these policies actually reduce racism and anti-immigrant sentiment, as Mahmood says?And, according to new research, the vast majority of people who earn six figure salaries and have more than £1 million in cash savings do not feel rich. Why is this the case?This episode was recorded on the 18th of November. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.

Today, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced sweeping reforms to the UK's asylum system. Most refugees will now have to wait 20 years to apply to settle permanently, with deportations sped up when claims are rejected. Also, “Trump-style” visa bans on Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo are to be applied if their governments don’t cooperate more on deportations. Why is the Home Secretary doing this, who is she trying to appeal to and what would it take to diffuse the negative immigration rhetoric that has taken over the UK? This episode was recorded on the 17th of November. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has decided against breaking Labour's manifesto promise and raising income tax at the upcoming Budget - despite giving strong indications that she would be. How do you greet this news, and why has Reeves done this?And, London has been named the best city in the world to live, work and visit for the 11th year in a row by Forbes. Why then do right-wing political figures like Elon Musk and Nigel Farage tell lies about the capital’s crime rates and paint London as a cess-pit of violence?This episode was recorded on the 14th of November. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.

Thousands of documents from disgraced financier and convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein have been released, many of which reference Donald Trump, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Peter Mandelson. Why did Donald Trump campaign on a promise to release the Epstein files, considering he is now so desperate to keep them secret? And, UK unemployment has risen to 5%, the highest level in four years. James asks his listeners to share the reality of losing a job and what support, if any, is readily available afterwards.This episode was recorded on the 13th of November. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.

Downing Street was "on alert" last night amid suggestions that Health Secretary Wes Streeting was leading a plot to oust the Prime Minister. Today, Streeting labeled these reports as "ridiculous". However, there is serious dissatisfaction with Keir Starmer, both within and outside of the government. Why is this? Do you want Starmer to go? And, James is joined by LBC’s Washington Correspondent Simon Marks to talk through everything from the UK halting intelligence sharing with the US to the threat from Donald Trump to sue the BBC for $1bn.This episode was recorded on the 12th of November. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.

Rachel Reeves has hinted that she is planning to remove the two-child benefit cap in the November budget, in a move that could cost more than £3bn but lift 350,000 children out of poverty. Why is the cap removal so unpopular with the public? Also, Black and Asian NHS staff who do home visits fear some areas have become “no-go zones” for them - areas strewn with St George’s flags. Was this the point all along?And, Prince William has said that he and Kate decided to be as open as possible in answering “difficult questions” from their children after she was diagnosed with cancer… James hears about your personal experiences around diagnosis.This episode was recorded on the 11th of November. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.

BBC director general Tim Davie and CEO of News Deborah Turness resigned last night after criticism that Panorama misled viewers by editing a speech by Donald Trump. Trump has since threatened legal action against the BBC… James breaks it all down.And, it’s highly probable that Chancellor Rachel Reeves will be raising income tax in the upcoming Budget. Considering she promised not to do this in Labour’s manifesto of course, how will we know if it’s the right decision?This episode was recorded on the 10th of November. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.

An internal Metropolitan police review has found the “racial harm” the force inflicts on black people is “institutionally defended”. Also, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has warned of a “rising tide” of “1970s and 1980s style racism” in the NHS and Britain more widely. What is the difference between racism and institutional racism?And, the parents of the three girls murdered by Axel Rudakubana have condemned the parents of the killer for their failures to prevent the Southport attack. Indeed, Rudakabana’s father stated he was aware of the “small arsenal of weapons” his son had collected and was “ashamed” he hadn’t called the police. What is it like to be frightened of your own child and what help can parents get? This episode was recorded on the 7th of November. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.

Two prisoners were mistakenly released from Wandsworth Prison in the last week. William Smith handed himself back in to HMP Wandsworth today, while a manhunt is still underway for Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, an Algerian national who is a sex offender. How can this be happening?Also, 15 local areas have closed ADHD support waiting lists and another 31 that have introduced tighter criteria, making it more difficult to access support. What impact will this have on people with ADHD and what difference did a diagnosis make for you?And, James speaks with Tom Cheshire, Sky News correspondent, who explains the investigation that has revealed that X’s (formerly known as Twitter) algorithm amplifies right-wing and extreme content and, in turn, right wing UK politics.This episode was recorded on the 6th of November. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.

Following the first review of the national curriculum in over a decade, children will be taught about budgeting, mortgages and how to spot fake news and AI generated content. Sounds dangerously useful. What do you wish you’d been taught in school, and how do you teach disinformation discernment?And, Zohran Mamdani is the new Mayor of New York City - the first South Asian and muslim person to be so. This is a significant blow to Donald Trump and the Republicans. James speaks with Ross Barkan, who collaborated with Mamdani on his own New York Senate campaign, to find out more about the Mayor.This episode was recorded on the 5th of November. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.