James O’Brien is back - and straight into the storm.

In today’s episode, James asks whether this time really is different for Nigel Farage, as questions mount over his secretive £5 million "gift', his shifting explanations, and a response that James argues has made him look rattled, thin-skinned and weak.

If Farage has always sold himself as the outsider taking on the establishment, has the mask finally slipped?

This episode was recorded on the 13th of July. James O'Brien Daily is a Global production, available every week day on Global Player, or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Independent MP Karl Turner guest presents James O’Brien Daily as he asks whether Andy Burnham would make a better Prime Minister than Keir Starmer.

Callers weigh in on Burnham’s communication style, Labour’s direction after Starmer, the pressures of modern media scrutiny, and whether a more devolved, regionally driven model of government could reconnect Westminster with the rest of the country.

(James is back on Monday!)

This episode was recorded on the 10th of July. James O'Brien Daily is a Global production, available every week day on Global Player, or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Robert Jenrick guest hosts the James O’Brien Daily podcast as Nigel Farage’s shock decision to quit as MP for Clacton and trigger a by-election dominates the national conversation.

Is this a bold democratic move that puts the question back to voters — or a political stunt designed to dodge scrutiny? Robert hears from callers on both sides as they clash over accountability, the parliamentary standards process, media coverage, and whether Farage is being targeted by the establishment or simply refusing to face the facts.

This week's guest hosts:

Friday: Independent MP Karl Turner

This episode was recorded on the 8th of July. James O'Brien Daily is a Global production, available every week day on Global Player, or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Jess Phillips guest hosts the James O’Brien Daily podcast and doesn’t hold back.

With Nigel Farage triggering a by-election in Clacton rather than facing parliamentary scrutiny over questions about his finances, Jess asks whether this is political genius, political cowardice, or just a desperate grab for attention. As callers weigh in, the conversation turns to standards in public life, accountability, and whether Farage is playing the public for fools.

This week's guest hosts:

Thursday: Reform UK Treasury Spokesperson Robert Jenrick

Friday: Independent MP Karl Turner

This episode was recorded on the 8th of July. James O'Brien Daily is a Global production, available every week day on Global Player, or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Former Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting guest hosts the James O’Brien Daily podcast and takes on one of the biggest rows in public life: should NHS consultants be demanding more pay right now?

Drawing on his time in government, Wes reflects on the strikes threat, the pressures facing the NHS, and the difficult balance between valuing doctors properly and protecting the wider health service. Along the way, callers share powerful personal experiences of care, waste, staffing shortages, disability support, student debt, and what it really feels like trying to build a life in Britain today.

This week's guest hosts:

Wednesday: Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley Jess Phillips

Thursday: Reform UK Treasury Spokesperson Robert Jenrick

Friday: Independent MP Karl Turner

This episode was recorded on the 7th of July. James O'Brien Daily is a Global production, available every week day on Global Player, or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Angela Rayner guest hosts the James O’Brien Daily podcast and brings a mix of optimism, anger and straight-talking politics.

After England’s World Cup victory over Mexico lifted the mood, Angela asks what needs to change in Britain to make life feel fairer and more hopeful - from flexible working and better jobs to stronger public services and more opportunity for young people. She also takes on Nigel Farage over fresh questions about money, donations and transparency, and later turns to the care system to hear from those living and working through its daily pressures.

This week's guest hosts:

Tuesday: Former Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting

Wednesday: Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley Jess Phillips

Thursday: Reform UK Treasury Spokesperson Robert Jenrick

Friday: Independent MP Karl Turner

This episode was recorded on the 4th of July. James O'Brien Daily is a Global production, available every week day on Global Player, or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.

For his final turn in James' chair for now, Lewis Goodall asks whether Andy Burnham’s promised “circuit breaker” in British politics could really change anything at all.

After Burnham sets out his ambition to do politics differently - less point scoring, more problem solving, more power outside Westminster - Lewis and callers explore what people most dislike about the way British politics works now: the adversarial culture, the whipping system, the media-politics machine, and the grip of Whitehall. But even if everyone agrees the system is broken, can it actually be fixed from within?

This episode was recorded on the 3rd of July. James O'Brien Daily is a Global production, available every week day on Global Player, or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Lewis Goodall sits in for James O’Brien and takes on a quiet but profound crisis: Britain’s birth rate has fallen so far that deaths are now outnumbering births for the first time.

What does that mean for the future of the country, the economy, and the welfare state? And why are so many people choosing not to have children - or finding that they simply can’t afford to? From childcare costs and housing to careers, relationships and changing expectations, callers share the personal realities behind a huge national shift.

This episode was recorded on the 2nd of July. James O'Brien Daily is a Global production, available every week day on Global Player, or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.