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Afternoon Empire with Ian Collins
Talk
57 episodes
21 hours ago
Join Ian Collins on Talk for a lively, no-nonsense look at the day’s biggest stories, from politics and current affairs to culture and entertainment. Ian dives deep with expert guests, outspoken commentators, and compelling callers, bringing fresh angles and sharp analysis to everything making headlines.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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News Commentary
News,
Daily News,
Politics
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All content for Afternoon Empire with Ian Collins is the property of Talk and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
Join Ian Collins on Talk for a lively, no-nonsense look at the day’s biggest stories, from politics and current affairs to culture and entertainment. Ian dives deep with expert guests, outspoken commentators, and compelling callers, bringing fresh angles and sharp analysis to everything making headlines.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Show more...
News Commentary
News,
Daily News,
Politics
Episodes (20/57)
Afternoon Empire with Ian Collins
Unite or Lose? The Right’s Big Question

Ian Collins asks whether the Right should unite as fresh polling shows Kemi Badenoch closing in on Nigel Farage, but Reform UK and the Conservatives still failing to outpace a fractured Left. Green Party councillor Martin Abrams and Reform UK board member Gawain Towler debate the case for and against an election pact, as senior Tories openly discuss cooperation and questions grow about whether division is handing Labour an advantage.


Later, Annunziata Rees-Mogg, Head of Communications for Popular Conservatism and former MEP, responds to the EHRC chief’s claim that migration should not be described as a threat to Britain. She also reacts to reports of an Albanian kingpin allegedly smuggling migrant criminals out of the UK, raising wider questions about enforcement, border control and whether the political establishment is refusing to confront reality.



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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1 week ago
29 minutes 52 seconds

Afternoon Empire with Ian Collins
Speech on Trial: From “Intifada” Chants to Jailed Tweets

Kevin O’Sullivan sits in for Ian Collins as the show tackles the growing row over free speech and protest in Britain. Journalist Nicole Lampert joins us to discuss police moves to arrest pro-Palestine demonstrators who chant “globalise the intifada”, and whether the line between public order and political expression is being dangerously redrawn.


Later, Talk international editor Isabel Oakeshott reacts to the case of a man jailed over anti-immigrant social media posts seen by just 33 people, raising fresh questions about proportionality, policing online speech, and whether Britain is drifting towards criminalising opinions rather than actions.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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1 week ago
30 minutes 17 seconds

Afternoon Empire with Ian Collins
Britain Breaking: Strikes, State Media and Labour’s Mess

Ian Collins examines the mounting pressure on the NHS as junior doctors begin a five-day strike at the same time hospitals are grappling with a sharp winter flu surge. Dr Dean Eggitt, GP and CEO of Doncaster Local Medical Committee, breaks down the impact of industrial action on frontline services, staffing levels and patient safety, amid warnings that elderly patients could be left stranded in hospital over Christmas and into the New Year.


We then turn to the future of the BBC, as Labour proposals raise the prospect of free TV licences for benefits claimants, the introduction of advertising, and major programmes being placed behind a paywall. Rebecca Ryan, Campaign Director at Defund the BBC, joins the show to discuss whether the licence fee is finally becoming unsustainable, what BBC reform could look like, and how these changes would affect audiences, public trust and the broadcaster’s long-term future.


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2 weeks ago
27 minutes 9 seconds

Afternoon Empire with Ian Collins
Is Diversity Really Our Strength?

Ian Collins asks whether diversity really is Britain’s strength in the wake of the Bondi Beach massacre and the wider debate around multiculturalism and antisemitism. Philip Kiszely, senior fellow at the New Culture Forum, examines whether decades of multicultural policy have failed, while Danny Stone, CEO of the Antisemitism Policy Trust, discusses the surge in antisemitic rhetoric and activism following the attack, including protests chanting “long live the intifada” and revelations about the attacker’s radicalisation.


Reform UK chairman Dr David Bull joins us as fury grows over junior doctors pressing ahead with a five-day strike despite a worsening flu outbreak, and warnings that elderly patients could be left stranded in hospital over Christmas. We also hear from Sun columnist David Wooding, as he reacts to the sentencing of Paul Doyle following the city’s parade attack.


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2 weeks ago
27 minutes 38 seconds

Afternoon Empire with Ian Collins
Bondi Beach Massacre: Terror at a Jewish Festival

Ian Collins examines the Bondi Beach massacre after gunmen were revealed as a father and son who killed 15 people in an attack described as an act of pure evil at a Jewish festival. Security analyst and international terrorism expert Duncan Gardham breaks down what we know about the attackers, the ideology behind the violence, and the wider terror threat facing Jewish communities. Keith Fraser, founder of an Israel solidarity movement, joins us to discuss the impact on diaspora communities and fears of rising antisemitic violence.


Later, Reform councillor in Westminster and former Crown Prosecutor Laila Cunningham analyses mounting tensions over migration policy, as thousands march in Crowborough for a sixth consecutive week against plans to house 600 migrants in army barracks. We also examine Labour’s admission that its small boats strategy is failing after 40,000 crossings this year, and the controversy over migrants citing trauma and PTSD in court to seek reduced sentences for serious sexual offences.


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2 weeks ago
25 minutes 21 seconds

Afternoon Empire with Ian Collins
Are We Sleepwalking Into New Lockdowns?

Ian Collins examines whether Britain is sliding back toward pandemic-style measures after Wes Streeting warns the NHS could “collapse” under record flu hospitalisations and looming strikes. Professor Karol Sikora analyses why hospitals are overwhelmed, whether masks or lockdown-style steps could return, and what the government should be doing instead.


Richard Kilpatrick from the European Movement and Gawain Towler of Reform UK debate explosive claims from leaked US documents suggesting Donald Trump wants to push four countries out of the EU as part of a “Make Europe Great Again” strategy — and what this could mean for Britain and Europe.


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2 weeks ago
25 minutes 38 seconds

Afternoon Empire with Ian Collins
Should Ethnicity Matter in Crime?

Ian Collins asks whether ethnicity should play any role in how Britain understands and tackles crime. Former Labour adviser James Matthewson joins us to break down the row after Labour MPs complained about a minister’s comments on race, as the Government prepares a new grooming-gangs inquiry that will explicitly examine the ethnicity and religion of offenders. Social commentator David Shipley assesses whether this marks a necessary moment of reckoning or a dangerous political shift.


Later, Amy Gallagher — commentator at the New Culture Forum and former NHS nurse at the Tavistock Clinic — reacts to growing outrage over Labour’s new puberty-blocker trial for 220 children, branded “grotesque” by critics and accused of amounting to “chemical castration”.


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2 weeks ago
29 minutes 35 seconds

Afternoon Empire with Ian Collins
Starmer’s Migration Crackdown: Is the ECHR the Real Block?

Ian Collins examines Sir Keir Starmer’s call to curb the powers of the European Court of Human Rights as Labour scrambles to get a grip on illegal migration. Liam Deacon, former Brexit Party Head of Press, breaks down the scale of the asylum crisis from spiralling absconding rates to a Home Office that can’t even say how many migrants have vanished. Dr Mike Galsworthy of the European Movement UK joins to challenge the premise, arguing that stripping back ECHR protections would create legal and diplomatic chaos rather than solutions.


James Melville responds to extraordinary guidance from NHS leaders urging people with a common cold to wear masks in public, raising questions about public health policy, social pressure and whether Britain is drifting back towards a “new normal” without debate.


Later, Dorset publican Andy Lennox, spokesman for the “No Labour MPs in Pubs” campaign, explains why hospitality bosses are banning Labour MPs over business-rates changes they say could devastate the sector, and what the industry wants Rachel Reeves to hear before it’s too late.


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3 weeks ago
32 minutes 12 seconds

Afternoon Empire with Ian Collins
Is Calling Britain Christian Now a Crime?

Ian Collins asks whether Britain is still a Christian country after a teacher is banned for telling a Muslim pupil that the UK has a Christian heritage. Tim Dieppe, Head of Public Policy at Christian Concern, explains what this case means for free expression, British identity, and whether stating historical fact is now professionally dangerous.


David Wooding, Columnist at The Sun, joins Ian in the studio to examine Sir Keir Starmer’s latest attempt to “connect with voters” on TikTok and why Labour insiders say he needed a ‘grown-up’s guide’ to using the app.


Later, Susan Hall, Conservative London Assembly member, reacts to shocking claims that full footage of an Afghan asylum seeker’s attack on a schoolgirl “would start a riot” if released. She discusses public confidence, policing, transparency, and what this case reveals about Labour’s broader handling of crime and migration.


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3 weeks ago
28 minutes 36 seconds

Afternoon Empire with Ian Collins
Is Being Right-Wing Now a Crime in Britain?

Ian Collins asks whether free speech is being criminalised in Britain after shocking revelations that right-wing individuals are being labelled a “danger to children." Jamie Michael, the man at the centre of the story, joins us to explain how he discovered he’d been placed on an extremist safeguarding list, what it means for ordinary people, and why he believes political speech is now being treated as a public-safety threat.


Independent MP and Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe reacts to Labour’s new welfare and employment proposals, including plans to push jobless young people into hospitality roles and moves to encourage widespread union membership through the Employment Rights Bill.


Former Apprentice star and commentator Lubna Zaidi breaks down the growing backlash against Labour’s proposed Islamophobia definition, why campaigners warn it risks silencing women, and what Kemi Badenoch’s alternative grooming-gangs inquiry could mean for victims who feel ignored.


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3 weeks ago
32 minutes 53 seconds

Afternoon Empire with Ian Collins
Farage Versus the BBC

Ian Collins delves into the controversy surrounding Nigel Farage’s accusation of BBC hypocrisy, after a presenter questioned Richard Tice MP about claims that Farage made racist and antisemitic remarks during his school days. At a press conference yesterday, Farage condemned the line of questioning as “despicable.” Ian is joined by Robin Aitken, former BBC journalist, to unpack the fallout and discuss whether the broadcaster has crossed a line.


Later in the programme, Ian turns to Brexit and David Lammy’s refusal to rule out a future return to a customs union, a move seen by some as a softening of Labour’s stance. Ian speaks to former MEP Annunziata Rees-Mogg, who is outraged by what she and many others call a “backtrack on Brexit,” and then gets an opposing perspective from Peter Wilding, Chairman of British Influence, who argues that many Labour MPs quietly share Lammy’s view.


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3 weeks ago
31 minutes 28 seconds

Afternoon Empire with Ian Collins
Should We Fear Facial Recognition?

Ian Collins asks the big question: should we fear facial recognition technology? He’s joined by former Met Police DCI Mike Neville, who has long called for wider use of the technology, and James Melville, social and political commentator, who shares his perspective on the ethical and societal implications.

Later in the show, Ian turns to politics discussing Labour’s decision to postpone four mayoral elections following accusations from Reform UK that the delays are politically motivated to prevent Reform victories. Labour insists the postponements are due to internal reorganisation. Joining Ian to unpack it all is Dame Andrea Jenkyns, Reform UK’s Mayoral candidate for Greater Lincolnshire.


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3 weeks ago
29 minutes 39 seconds

Afternoon Empire with Ian Collins
Are we ready for war?

Are we ready for war with Russia? Ian Collins asks the question head-on. Former White House adviser Steve Gill backs Trump’s Ukraine peace deal as the only way to avoid catastrophe, while ex-Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood warns it’s capitulation that invites the next invasion.


Then the political earthquake: Nigel Farage has told donors he expects a Reform-Tory deal before the next election. Reform UK’s Alex Wilson joins to reveal what’s really happening. No spin, just the unfiltered truth.



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4 weeks ago
23 minutes 45 seconds

Afternoon Empire with Ian Collins
How To Reform the Justice System?

Ian Collins tears into Justice Secretary David Lammy's controversial reforms, slamming plans to restrict jury trials for sentences under three years as "not right" and a betrayal of peer justice and Magna Carta principles that hands unchecked power to judges while victims suffer endless delays.


Former prisoner and writer/researcher, David Shipley and former Justice Secretary (2019–2021) under Boris Johnson, Sir Robert Buckland join Ian to dissect the Ministry of Justice's u-turn.


Later on, Ian is joined by Jaya Pathak, External Relations lead at the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, to assess whether PM Starmer's warning on China's "national security threats" to the UK engagement or endangerment.



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4 weeks ago
29 minutes 3 seconds

Afternoon Empire with Ian Collins
Should Rachel Reeves Resign?

Ian Collins asks whether Rachel Reeves should resign as she faces an ethics inquiry into whether she lied over the public state of the country’s finances ahead of the budget last week.


London assembly member Susan Hall joins Ian as she urges Reeves to resign as chancellor. Ian is also joined by independent economist Julian Jessop to dig deep into the issues surrounding the recent budget.  


Later on, barrister and former Attorney General, Sir Michael Ellis KC provides his thoughts on whether David Lammy considering restricting jury trials is the way forward.




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1 month ago
25 minutes 30 seconds

Afternoon Empire with Ian Collins
Missing 53,000: Britain’s Immigration Meltdown

Ian Collins breaks down shocking new Home Office figures revealing that more than 53,000 illegal migrants are currently missing from the UK system.


Former Border Force chief Tony Smith explains how Britain lost track of tens of thousands of arrivals and whether Shabana Mahmood’s crackdown can restore control.


Immigration lawyer Harjap Singh Bhangal joins us to unpack what these numbers really mean, why enforcement keeps failing, and how the system could be fixed.


Plus, barrister Chris Daw KC examines Labour’s explosive proposal to remove juries from up to 95% of Crown Court cases, a reform critics say will undermine centuries of British justice. We look at what the plans actually involve, whether they could survive legal challenge, and why the criminal courts are buckling in the first place.


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1 month ago
30 minutes 44 seconds

Afternoon Empire with Ian Collins
The Budget That Hit Britain Hard
Ian Collins tears into Rachel Reeves’ Budget as she targets workers, savers and pensioners with tax hikes, frozen thresholds and a raid on retirement pots — all while trying to plug a £30bn black hole. Former Special Adviser James Price breaks down the ISA cuts, the new charges on £2m-plus properties, pay-per-mile plans for EV owners and the Government’s decision to scrap green levies while expanding welfare spending. Labour councillor Sebastian Salek gives the party perspective as Reeves raises the National Living Wage but faces anger from families set to pay more by 2030, plus the fallout from the OBR accidentally publishing Budget details before she even spoke. Shadow Exchequer Secretary James Wild MP joins to deliver the Conservative response, warning that Reeves’ Budget risks deepening Britain’s economic crisis rather than fixing it.

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1 month ago
26 minutes 45 seconds

Afternoon Empire with Ian Collins
Budget of Trust…or Bust?

Ian Collins asks what Rachel Reeves must deliver in the Budget to restore public trust as speculation intensifies over tax rises, raids on savings and claims that millions are being paid not to work. Kristian Niemietz, Editorial Director and Head of Political Economy at the IEA, and Henri Murison, CEO of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership and former Labour adviser, break down the proposed measures, the risks for workers and pensioners, and the political consequences if Labour gets it wrong.


Later, Owen Bennett, author of Following Farage: On the Trail of the People’s Army, reacts to Nigel Farage’s defence of his resurfaced teenage comments, which he insists were “banter” rather than racism.



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1 month ago
27 minutes 1 second

Afternoon Empire with Ian Collins
Will a Wealth Tax Save Britain or Sink It?

Ian Collins asks whether Rachel Reeves’ mansion tax and proposed wealth-tax measures can really save Britain’s economy.


Professor Len Shackleton breaks down Reeves’ £15bn welfare expansion, the plan to hit 100,000 homes with a mansion tax, and growing warnings that the Budget could hammer working-class families. Stephen Kinsella from Patriotic Millionaires argues why taxing wealth is the only way out as union bosses tell Sir Keir Starmer he must go if the Budget backfires.


Lucy White joins us to examine the growing fury over migrant accommodation at military camps, from free wellbeing sessions and sports events to anti-migrant protesters urging council-tax boycotts, and the row over migrants who cheated citizenship tests being allowed to retake them.


Plus, motoring expert Steve Berry looks at the rise of ultra-cheap Chinese ‘Temu cars’ now undercutting Porsche and Rolls Royce and what it means for Britain’s car industry.


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1 month ago
28 minutes 30 seconds

Afternoon Empire with Ian Collins
The Lockdown Mistake: Britain Speaks Out
Ian Collins asks the question gripping Britain: Did we lock down for nothing? Professor Simon Wood breaks down the Covid Inquiry’s explosive finding that lockdowns could have been avoided entirely, while virologist Dr Chris Smith weighs in on what the science really showed in 2020. Dan Hodges joins us to discuss why the £200m Covid Inquiry is being branded an “I told you so” waste of money — and whether anyone in government will be held accountable for the social, economic and medical fallout. Plus, we cover Shabana Mahmood’s latest migration crackdown, from paying illegal migrants to leave to restricting benefits to British citizens only, and the proposed 25-year wait for settled status.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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1 month ago
33 minutes 23 seconds

Afternoon Empire with Ian Collins
Join Ian Collins on Talk for a lively, no-nonsense look at the day’s biggest stories, from politics and current affairs to culture and entertainment. Ian dives deep with expert guests, outspoken commentators, and compelling callers, bringing fresh angles and sharp analysis to everything making headlines.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.