PoliticsJOE Podcast

Laura and Seán take to the studio to piece together the winners and losers of the 2026 local elections, as Labour's catastrophic run of form sees no sign of letting up.

Reform were the big winners with a landslide in councils across the country, with the Greens eating away at Starmer's left flank with notable wins in Hackney and Edinburgh.

In Wales, Labour's First Minister FAILED to gain reelection as the parties woes fell deeper into the abyss. Can Keir Starmer survive?
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Donald Trump's war with Iran has led many to a rethink of the global economy. With his presidency already weakening relations between Britain and the US and uniting European nations, events like the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz raise further questions about our dependency on the global oil markets, as well as fossil fuels altogether.

Edward Fitzpatrick of ConFlow Power Group joins Ava to imagine what greener, smarter, genuinely resilient infrastructure could look like in Britain and beyond, and peels back the curtain on the AI powering it.
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James Meadway is an economist and Green Party candidate for Tower Hamlets council in tomorrow's local elections.

He joined us in studio to talk about the campaign, his journey from being a member of Jeremy Corbyn's inner circle in his years of leadership of Labour to running for the Greens, and the need for the government to work in the interests of the people rather than to kow tow to big business.

The candidates running in Bromley North are:

Hirra Khan Adeogun - Green Party
John Bullard - Reform UK
Hamim Chowdhury - Labour Party
Simon Nicholas Herbert - Liberal Democrats
Samia Hersi - Conservative and Unionist Party
Mohammed Ilyas - Aspire
David Andre Lurie - Liberal Democrats
Abdul Mannan - Aspire
James George Edward Meadway - Green Party
Abdul Mumin - Tower Hamlets Independents
Sheikh Mohammed Nashar - Tower Hamlets Independents
Shaheda Rowshonara Rahman - Labour Party
Alex Reeves - Conservative and Unionist Party
Lauren Riley - Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
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It's gloves off between Reform and the Greens, with Zia Yusuf vowing that, if elected, Reform will prioritise putting migrant detention centres in constituencies that vote for Zack Polanski. Also, Seán, Laura, and Andy wade into the controversy surrounding Polanski after he shared a tweet critical of the police's use of force in detaining a suspect in the Golders Green attack.
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On this episode of the PoliticsJOE Podcast, Alliance MP Sorcha Eastwood joins the team for a candid and unfiltered conversation about the realities of representing her constituents—and why she believes Keir Starmer isn’t delivering for people like them.

Sorcha pulls no punches as she explains her frustrations with decisions coming from Westminster, arguing that too many ordinary voters are being left behind. She reflects on the growing disconnect between political leadership and everyday life, and why she feels her constituents deserve far better.

The conversation also turns to the culture inside Parliament itself. Sorcha shares her exhaustion with what she describes as “gentlemen’s club” politics—an outdated, exclusionary environment that still shapes how decisions are made and who gets heard. She discusses the barriers this creates, particularly for women and those outside the traditional political mould, and why meaningful change has been so slow.
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