Migrants Get Compensation
Talk Breakfast
Ricky Freelove
4.3 • 763 Ratings
🗓️ 16 February 2026
⏱️ 63 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Britain’s chief prosecutor insists “no one is above the law” as Mark Dolan takes on the growing storm around Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, with legendary royal insider Dickie Arbiter warning the disgraced ex-duke’s “protestations of innocence” have been crumbling since the 2019 Newsnight interview and demanding he “step forward” and answer questions on both sides of the Atlantic. With police “assessing” and the Palace under pressure, the show asks the uncomfortable question: is Andrew now heading for a Congress grilling, a UK investigation, or both?
The morning then turns to the Sun’s explosive “asylum farce” splash: £500,000 already paid in phone compensation to illegal migrants, with Mark summing up the mood as listeners rage that it’s become “make it make sense” Britain. Brendan O’Neill (Spiked) says taking phones is “a fundamental right” for a sovereign country, while former Tory leader Sir Ian Duncan-Smith brands the system “a complete mess”, backing tougher action on the ECHR and warning the bill could spiral into the millions.
Away from Westminster and the courts, Mark also wades into the culture wars as Bond fans clash over what 007 should look like, with historian and broadcaster Rafe Heydel-Mankoo arguing “if you want diverse spies, create your own new characters” and warning against tampering with the “tried and true formula” as Amazon takes the wheel. From royals to borders to Bond, it’s a morning of hard questions, sharp takes, and a single theme running through it all: the public’s patience is wearing thin.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | So, Britain's chief prosecutor has said no one is above the law, including Andrew Mountbatten, Windsor. |
| 0:07.4 | Let's get reaction now from a legend of royal broadcasting and journalism. |
| 0:12.3 | Dickie Arbiter, former press secretary to Queen Elizabeth II. |
| 0:16.2 | Dickie, good morning. Welcome to talk. |
| 0:17.8 | Morning, Mark. |
| 0:18.5 | Very good to see you. A fresh headache for the King and Andrew Mountbatten, Windsor. |
| 0:24.3 | It's not impossible that the King's younger brother could be imprisoned. |
| 0:29.1 | It's not impossible, but the police need to first investigate, |
| 0:33.1 | and they seem to be dragging their heels. |
| 0:34.9 | They are assessing. |
| 0:36.3 | What are they assessing? Are they assessing |
| 0:38.3 | Andrew's involvement in Epstein and Maxwell's trafficking? Or are they assessing Andrew's |
| 0:46.3 | handing over not necessarily secret documents, but confidential documents? Or are they assessing both? |
| 0:52.3 | They've got to get on with it because I think people are |
| 0:54.3 | getting heartily sick and tired of the authorities dragging their heels. Given the weight of evidence |
| 1:00.0 | now at the door of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, Dickie, are his protestations of innocence |
| 1:06.9 | becoming less and less credible by the day? Oh, I think they became less and less credible after that 2019 Newsnight interview. |
| 1:13.6 | The proof was there in the photograph, which he denied ever having been taken. |
| 1:18.6 | But Maxwell has crawled out of a jail cell and said in an email that it is genuine. |
| 1:24.6 | I think Andrew has got to step forward and say exactly what happened. |
| 1:29.6 | He can't continue hiding behind the veil of monarchy |
| 1:33.1 | because he's no longer part of that institution. |
... |
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