Keir Starmer Is BEYOND SAVING - Jury Trials, Trans Rights and Peter Mandelson

Politics Uncensored

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Friday, 13 March 2026 - 49 minutes

Keir Starmer is beyond saving and it's time to jump ship - Ben Smoke.On todays show, the government plan to end jury trials for crimes with expected sentences of under 3 years. Ali and Zoe are joined by journalist Ben Smoke to discuss rising authoritarianism form the Labour Party. Then Pink News writer Amelia Hansford joins the show to break down NHS England’s review into HRT for trans adults.Before this, its the week unwrapped! From warnings over ‘reputational risk’ t to a £75,000 taxpayer-funded payout, the first tranche of Peter Mandelson files have been published! How damaging is this story for Keir Starmer? Ali and Zoe discuss.Here are the key points:Mandelson paid out £75,000Mandelson was offered a severance payment of £75,000 after initially asking the Foreign Office to pay him more than £500,000Starmer Warned It was flagged to Sir Keir that "Mandelson reportedly stayed in Epstein's house while he was in jail in June 2009" and noted there was "general reputational risk" over his relationship with Epstein .It warned the PM that a political appointment - Lord Mandelson - rather than a diplomatic one was more risky: "If anything goes wrong, you could be more exposed as the individual is more connected to you personally."Powell Mandelson's Appointment “Weirdly” rushedPowell, one of Sir Keir's most trusted advisers, found Lord Mandelson's appointment in December 2024 was "weirdly rushed" and that he had been "particularly cautious about the appointment".Minutes of a call in September 2025 show that Mr Powell had "raised concerns about the individual and reputation" to Morgan McSweeney, the PM's then chief of staff, and adds: "MM responded that the issues had been addressed."--The Iran war continues as deaths continue to rise and concerns of rising inflation mount here in the UK. Ali and Zoe break down the conflict so far and the consequences internationally.Iran's new supreme leader says key oil route will remain closed Iran’s new Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said in first appointment the critical Strait of Hormuz will remain essentially closed as a “tool of pressure” and that Iran’s neighbors are being targeted due to US bases.US- Israeli targets Oil facilities causing widespread health concernBBC identify at least 4 US-Israeli airstrikes on Iranian oil facilitiesSmoke plumes caused by oil depot and refinery strikes drifted across Tehran on Monday, satellite images show, as the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that attacks on oil facilities could pose serious health risks to residents.--David Lammy’s plans to scrap Jury trials for crimes with sentences of less than three years has passed its first hurdle in the House, despite Labour rebels making their opposition known.Journalist Ben Smoke joins to discuss the reforms, what they mean and if Keir Starmer is an authoritarian. The measures, announced in December after a review by a retired judge Sir Brian Leveson, would scrap jury trials in England and Wales for crimes that carry a likely sentence of less than three years.MPs have voted to allow a bill that would curb access to jury trials in England and Wales to progress to the next stage, despite some Labour MPs stating their opposition to the reforms.The Courts and Tribunals Bill passed by 304 votes to 203, a majority of 101, with 10 Labour MPs rebelling against the government, and dozens abstaining.--Then Pink News journalist Amelia Hansford joins to discuss NHS England's ‘evidence review’ into HRT for trans adults, a move which has some concerned about trans people's ability to access medical careNHS England is reportedly reviewing the evidence on the effectiveness of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for transgender adults as part of its newly announced consultation.The public health service confirmed the evidence review and several others in a report published as part of an upcoming public consultation into proposed changes to NHS youth gender services.The Equality and Health Inequalities Impact Assessment (EHIA) report was published after NHS England announced the decision to ban new masculinising and feminising (MAF) hormone prescriptions for under-18s, claiming the evidence for the medication’s benefits are “really weak.”Hosts: Zoe Grunewald and Ali MilaniGuests: Ben Smoke and Amelia HansfordProducers: Hugh Smiley and Jules Bradford

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