Julia Hartley-Brewer Breakfast Briefing | Friday 27th August

The Government will look at reforming the licence fee and consider more commercial revenue options for the BBC in plans outlined in its royal charter review. It comes amid disruption at the BBC following resignations from top executives and a lawsuit from US president Donald Trump, who is seeking up to 10 billion US dollars (£7.5 billion) in damages in response to the editing of a speech he made before the 2021 attack on the Capitol that was featured in a Panorama episode. The charter sets out the BBC’s public purpose and is the constitutional basis for the corporation, which is predominately funded through the licence fee, paid by UK TV-watching households.Meanwhile, the Health Secretary has apologised to patients as doctors began a five-day walkout in England in an ongoing row over jobs and pay. It comes as healthcare leaders warned the impact of the strike will be “felt all the way into January and beyond”. Wes Streeting said the Government did “everything we could” to avoid the strike, including holding 11th-hour talks with British Medical Association (BMA) officials on Tuesday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The US president has filed a lawsuit against the BBC and is seeking up to 10 billion dollars (£7.5 billion) in damages in response to the editing of a speech he made before the 2021 attack on the Capitol.Donald Trump’s lawyers argue the depiction of him given in the edit, which aired in a Panorama documentary a week before the results of the 2024 US election, “was false and defamatory” and they also said “the BBC intentionally and maliciously sought to fully mislead its viewers around the world”.In the Panorama programme, a clip from Mr Trump’s speech on January 6 2021 was spliced to show him saying: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol… and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.”Speaking with Editor of Spiked Online's Tom Slater, Talk's Julia Hartley-Brewer says: “Everyone knows why they did it!" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two 17-year-old Afghan asylum seekers are jailed for abducting and raping a 15-year-old girl in Leamington Spa. Distressing phone footage captured the attack, with lawyers warning public release could spark disorder. Jahanzeb gets 10 years and Niazal gets 9 years. The judge says they robbed her of her childhood and recommends deportation. Reporting restrictions on their identities are lifted. Julia Hartley-Brewer chat to editor of Spiked Online, Tom Slater. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Julia Hartley-Brewer chats to Lord Young about Britain's Free Speech crisis as yet another Brit becomes the latest victim of Keir Starmer's two-tier nation. Today, it's Jamie Michael, who was initially charged with hate speech towards illegal migrants after posting a video on Facebook. Even though a jury took 17 minutes to find Jamie ‘not guilty’, local safeguarding authorities in Wales deemed him not to be allowed to work with kids. Jamie, a father of two, is no longer allowed to coach his daughter's local football team. Outraged by this decision, Julia is joined by Conservative Peer and Free Speech Union founder, Lord Young, as well as regular guest Sam Armstrong. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James Cleverly explodes on TalkTV: Labour's postponing four mayoral elections for two years is a "scandalous attempt to subvert democracy" – and they've done it twice now. "It absolutely stinks," he blasts. Julia Hartley-Brewer grills the Shadow Local Government Secretary in this fiery showdown. Is Starmer's crew killing fair elections? Tune in for the unfiltered takedown. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Julia Hartley-Brewer is joined by ex-Conservative Government adviser Claire Pearsall to go through the top stories of the day. Russia is prepared to go to war with Europe, Vladimir Putin has declared, as he accused European leaders of trying to scupper his peace talks with the US. The Russian president rejected the latest peace plan for Ukraine ahead of a meeting with Trump’s envoys behind closed doors in Moscow. Meanwhile, Nigel Farage has reportedly let slip that he would be open to doing a deal with the Tories, and trans girls, i.e. BOYS, will not be allowed to join the Girl Guides or Brownies... Good, they are boys. Finally, some common sense. All that and much more on The Julia Hartley-Brewer Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick blasts Labour’s chaos: prisoners accidentally freed and still on the run, a “part-time” David Lammy jetting off, plans to scrap jury trials, and Rachel Reeves accused of tanking the economy with £16bn of broken promises. Jenrick asks the question on everyone’s lips: why are Lammy and Reeves still in their jobs? Fiery from Julia Hartley-Brewer. Short, sharp, and unfiltered. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Keir Starmer calls his £70 billion tax-hiking Budget “a moment of personal pride”. Britain calls it a betrayal. Julia Hartley-Brewer rips into the Prime Minister live on air: “Forget sacking Rachel Reeves… Keir, sack YOURSELF!” Today, Julia exposes how Labour’s “black hole” turned out to be a £4.2 billion surplus the Chancellor conveniently forgot to mention. Sir Iain Duncan Smith says Reeves must resign for misleading Parliament. Was the entire crisis manufactured to justify the biggest tax grab in history?Then, the story that’s chilling free speech across Britain: childminder Lucy Connolly, jailed for a tweet after the Southport murders, now watches her innocent young daughter get banned from school in an act of collective punishment. Julia publicly retracts her earlier stance on air: “Lucy should never have gone to prison. I was wrong.”Raw clips, no spin, zero apologies. This is the Britain they don’t want you to see. Buckle up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this explosive episode of the podcast, host Alex Phillips sits down with veteran journalist Trevor Kavanagh to dissect the mounting chaos under Keir Starmer's Labour government. Kicking off with the shocking U-turn on Angela Rayner's flagship workers' rights bill, where day-one unfair dismissal protections have been scrapped amid business backlash and accusations of manifesto betrayal, the duo explores how this climbdown exposes deepening rifts within Labour's ranks. They then turn to the alarming "brain drain" gripping Britain—record 110,051 asylum claims in the year to September, fueling a surge in hotel housing costs, while over 174,000 young Britons aged 16-34 flee the high-tax, socialist policies for better opportunities abroad. Wrapping up, Phillips and Kavanagh spotlight the international embarrassment as US diplomats, under Trump's directive, are ordered to log migrant-linked crimes in the UK, highlighting policies that critics say favor newcomers at the expense of locals—especially as asylum seekers now account for nearly half of net migration, straining resources and public safety. Tune in for unfiltered analysis on why Britain's borders and economy are buckling under the weight of unchecked inflows. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this hard-hitting episode, legendary journalist and broadcaster Andrew Neil sits down with host Julia Hartley-Brewer to deliver a blistering verdict on Chancellor Rachel Reeves' Autumn Budget 2025. Labeling it the "biggest tax increase of any government since the 1970s," Neil slams the £26 billion hike as a betrayal of voter trust—funding soaring welfare costs while squeezing workers, savers, and businesses. "Nobody voted for any of this. It's bad for democracy," he warns, unpacking how this "watershed" moment could stall economic growth, fuel inflation, and deepen the UK's fiscal woes. From scrapped benefit caps to record-high taxes, explore the real impact on everyday Brits and whether Labour's promises are crumbling under the weight of reality. Essential listening for anyone feeling the pinch—subscribe now for unfiltered political insight! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.