U-turn after U-turn: who is the real Keir Starmer?

Pod Save the UK

Crooked Media

News Commentary, News, Government, Politics

4.6 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 19 June 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Keir Starmer is not afraid of a U-turn. From abandoned policy pledges to reinstating the winter-fuel allowance, the list is growing. To add to this - this week, the PM has expressed his support for Israel’s military action against Iran, despite criticising Israel’s actions in Gaza. Then he caved in to calls for a full national inquiry into grooming gangs, despite earlier dismissing them as amplifying far-right demands. Whether you think these are sensible or sly, these political backflips have certainly led to a lot of headscratching when it comes to one question: what does our Prime Minister actually stand for? Nish and Coco sit down with New Statesman Editor in Chief, Tom McTague, who has spent months with Starmer trying to find out what lies beneath the title. The Government’s new Welfare Reform Bill is introduced in Parliament this week, which experts say will lead to nearly a quarter of a million more families being pushed into poverty. Nish heads down to Westminster to meet with hundreds of people who have gathered to call for an end to the rising tide of hunger and hardship in the UK. Nish speaks to Labour MP Brian Leishman, Liberal Democrat Wendy Chamberlain and Green Siân Berry about the calls for an essentials guarantee - while hearing from the lived experience of people working at food banks around the UK. And as the Government's new data bill finally passes in the House of Lords, Nish and Coco voice their concerns about what it means for the creative industries. CHECK OUT THIS DEAL FROM OUR SPONSOR https://www.shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk Guests: Tom McTague Siân Berry Brian Leishman Wendy Chamberlain Helen Barnard Emma Revie Useful links: Tom McTague’s profile of Keir Starmer https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2025/06/what-keir-starmer-cant-say Support the Trussell Trust’s call for an Essential Guarantee! https://www.trussell.org.uk/support-us/guarantee-our-essentials Write to your MP https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-an-mp-or-lord/contact-your-mp/ Audio Credits: BBC Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media. Contact us via email: [email protected] BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	After 21 defeats in a row, Harry Rednapps trying one last roll of the dice.
0:06.0	Hi, I'm Gary Neville.
0:08.0	That's right, one of the biggest names in Punditry is going to analyse every miss kick of Tunley's season.
0:15.0	So Harry, why have you brought me down to Somerset?
0:17.0	We've brought you down here to save us, really.
0:19.0	What's the main problems with? Conceding goals and not scoring them.
0:21.6	Did that it?
0:22.6	Follow Tunley Athletics' journey by searching Speck Savers' best worst team on YouTube now.
0:28.6	Hi, this is Pod Save the UK. I'm Nish Kumar.
0:32.6	And I'm Cocoa Khan, and if you hear some strange noises in the background, it's because there's a bunch of school kids in the park opposite my flat doing Sports Day.
0:42.6	It brings back the memories, doesn't it, Nish?
0:44.3	All those memories of sporting, unsuccess and being really embarrassed in front of your classmates and your parents.
0:50.2	So that was a good day for us.
0:54.2	Yeah, not some of my finest moments at school, I'll say sports days.
0:58.1	It was not my time to shine.
1:00.8	Anyways, today, as the Prime Minister attempts the latest of his political backflips,
1:05.8	first over the UK support for Israel, and then the Grooming Gang inquiry,
1:09.7	will be speaking to the editor-in-chief
1:11.3	of the new statesman Tom McTay about who the real Kirstama is.
1:15.9	Then I'll be heading down to Westminster where hundreds of people have gathered to call
1:19.4	on the government to ensure that everyone in the UK can afford life's essentials.
1:27.4	Nearly one year into government, Prime Minister Sarkir Sarka remains something of an enigma.
	...

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