Explore every episode of the podcast Afternoon Empire with Ian Collins

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Julia Hartley-Brewer, Kevin O'Sullivan, Mike Graham and Jeremy Kyle, join forces for 'Clash Of The Titans', to analyse, debate, discuss (and argue) over the biggest issues of the week. Topics this week include Southport killer Axel Rudakubana, Donald Trump declaring there are only two genders and Labour wanting to rejoin the EU.

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Mike Graham, Russell Quirk, Peter Cardwell and some guy called Kevin O'Sullivan, join forces for 'Clash Of The Titans', to analyse, debate, discuss (and argue) over the biggest issues of the week. Topics this week include Heathrow's new runway, migrants and Donald Trump.

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On today’s Afternoon Empire with Ian Collins, we start with Orla Minihane, who discusses the local and national impact of migration, from the plans to house hundreds of small-boat arrivals at a nearby Army Camp to the council’s CCTV upgrades and the wider fallout from a secret Afghan asylum scheme. 

Then Rear Admiral Chris Parry joins the conversation to unpack the international tensions sparked by Donald Trump’s renewed talk of Greenland, exploring the implications for NATO, Denmark, and global security. 

Finally, Mike Neville takes us through a series of stories at the intersection of law, policing, and justice from bereaved Manchester Arena families demanding accountability from MI5, to extremism and travel bans, controversial policing decisions in football, and the government’s stance on terrorism charge limits. It’s a gripping episode covering migration, geopolitics, and the challenges facing law and order today.  

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Over the weekend, Donald Trump ordered a U.S. operation capturing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, sparking global backlash. He's also reviving interest in Greenland, raising questions about U.S. direction. Ian debates if Trump was right, joined by former Trump deputy campaign manager Rick Gates who is in support of Trump’s decision, and U.S. commentator Laurie Laird who discusses the UK fallout, including pressure on Keir Starmer to condemn it despite no British involvement. 

Later, communications consultant and ex-Brexit Party press head Liam Deacon joins Ian to criticize Keir Starmer over fresh "Brexit betrayal" accusations amid plans for closer single market ties.

Finally, Ian addresses revelations that at least 30 dangerous patients released from secure hospitals have committed murders since 1993, often after secret tribunals excluding victims' families, calling for more transparency and tougher sentencing. He's joined by Emma Webber, mother of Barnaby Webber, killed in the 2023 Nottingham attacks by paranoid schizophrenic Valdo Calocane, who was deemed low-risk despite rising violence.

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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.

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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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Jonathan Gullis sits in for Ian Collins as we ask if Britain is too weak to defend itself?

Shadow Defence Minister Mark Francois reacts to the major review warning the UK is not ready for war - from depleted forces and missed spending targets to the risks facing Britain’s military and NATO commitments.

We then turn to Labour’s growing civil war as Green councillor Martin Abrams joins us to discuss the left-wing revolt against Keir Starmer, the Tribune Group’s manoeuvres, and fresh infighting across Labour and Your Party ahead of their inaugural conference.

Independent councillor John Edwards weighs in on the row over St George’s flags after a police chief branded them “tools of division," amid soaring public anger and renewed debate over national identity, policing and asylum reform.

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On today’s episode of The Ian Collins Show, Ian asks whether Shabana Mahmood’s new immigration crackdown can finally get control of Britain’s asylum system. The Home Secretary is preparing Trump-style UK visa bans for countries refusing to take back failed asylum seekers, alongside Denmark-inspired plans to seize valuables from illegal entrants to cover accommodation costs.

Baroness Maclean, Conservative Peer and former Home Office Minister, joins Ian to assess whether Mahmood’s plans are workable under the ECHR and Human Rights Act, and whether Labour’s approach can survive the legal challenges already being prepared. Amos Schonfield, Founder and CEO of Our Second Home, gives his perspective on how asylum seekers can be supported while the system faces major reform.

Mahmood’s proposals include visa sanctions on Angola, Namibia and the DRC, temporary refugee status with tougher reviews, and raising the wait for permanent settlement from five to twenty years. With 111,000 asylum claims in the year to June 2025, local protests over new accommodation sites, and Starmer promising to end hotel use by 2029, the question remains: will any of this fix Britain’s asylum crisis?

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On today’s episode of The Ian Collins Show, Ian asks the key question facing the Government: if Rachel Reeves has dropped her income tax rise, where does the money now come from? Reeves has informed the OBR that the manifesto-breaking tax raid is gone, alongside her abandoned £2bn ‘exit tax’ after a fierce backlash from business. With millionaire flight rising, tech leaders like Herman Narula considering moves to Dubai, and Henley & Partners forecasting 16,500 wealthy individuals leaving the UK next year, Labour is scrambling to fill a growing Budget gap. Kemi Badenoch has welcomed the retreat but is demanding guarantees that no new taxes will be introduced.

David Buik, Financial Adviser and Markets Commentator at Aquis Exchange, joins Ian to analyse what options are left for Reeves and whether Labour is heading toward further tax rises or forced spending cuts.

Ian then turns to Shabana Mahmood’s plan to model Britain’s asylum policy on Denmark’s system, which cut claims by nearly 90 per cent. Colin Freeman, former Chief Foreign Correspondent at The Sunday Telegraph, explains why Denmark’s strict rules on work requirements, taxes, language, good behaviour and delayed residency may not translate to the UK. With 111,000 asylum claims recorded to June 2025 and a backlog of 224,742, Labour faces a major challenge and internal resistance to Danish-style reforms.

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In this blockbuster episode of The Ian Collins Show, Ian Collins tackles the explosive question: “Who would replace Keir Starmer?” as leadership of the Labour Party and Prime Minister of the UK. Ministers are demanding the sacking of his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney after hostile briefings allegedly targeting Wes Streeting. Leaks, counter-leaks and internal leaks are hitting the heart of Downing Street — just as ministers speak openly about regime change.

Joining Ian to dissect the mess:

•Sebastian Salek — insider strategist on Labour Party dynamics and power plays.

•James Matthewson — veteran political journalist breaking down Westminster’s next move.

•Plus a powerful caller from the public: Georgina from London, who rings in live to ask what this chaos means for Britain’s future.

Topics on the agenda:

•Why ministers are demanding the ousting of Morgan McSweeney and whether Starmer will survive the pressure.

•The briefing war inside Labour — how anonymous attacks, “juvenile” briefings and internal factionalism are exposing a party in crisis.

•Overview of the leadership battlefield: Who is positioning, who is waiting, and who might step up if Starmer falls?

•What this means for British politics, Labour’s agenda, and the next UK general election.

If you’re interested in Labour leadership, Keir Starmer’s future, Wes Streeting speculation, Morgan McSweeney scandal, UK politics 2025, Downing Street leaks, Labour power struggle, this episode is essential.

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In this powerful episode of The Ian Collins Show on Talk, Ian asks whether Britain has lost its drive and its faith.

With unemployment rising, businesses struggling to hire, and millions claiming benefits without ever needing to work, Ian unpacks the state of a nation in decline. Under Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves, more than 1,000 jobs a day are now being lost, while over 4 million people are on benefits exempt from seeking employment.

Tina McKenzie MBE, Chair of Policy & Advocacy at the Federation of Small Businesses, joins Ian to explain how anti-enterprise policies and red tape are crushing entrepreneurs and stopping Britain from hiring again.

Then, shifting from economics to faith, Bishop Ceirion Dewar from the Confessing Anglican Church explores the rise of Christian nationalism and why Britain’s churches are losing touch with people. “It’s not about the platform or the politics,” he says “it’s about the people.”

From Starmer’s socialist paradise to a nation of non-workers, and from empty pews to failing policies, Ian Collins exposes the cultural and spiritual crisis shaping modern Britain.

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Trump vs the BBC: The $1 Billion Showdown - In this explosive episode of The Ian Collins Show on Talk, Ian breaks down the story shaking global media: Donald Trump suing the BBC for $1 billion, and what that means for the future of Britain’s national broadcaster.

With Tim Davie and Deborah Turness both resigning amid mounting pressure, former BBC presenter Sally Jones joins Ian to ask whether the Trump threat was the final straw and if the BBC can ever learn to leave politics at the studio door.

Then Ed Gemmell, leader of The Climate Party, defends the existence of COP summits, arguing they’re vital to Britain’s economic and environmental future - potentially worth £20 billion a week to the UK economy - while others question whether Net Zero conferences have lost all credibility.

From BBC bias and licence fee reform to Trump’s billion-dollar lawsuit and the future of COP, Ian Collins pulls no punches on money, media, and political hypocrisy.

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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.

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In this hard-hitting episode of The Ian Collins Show on Talk, Ian takes on two defining stories shaking Britain: the BBC’s internal collapse after Tim Davie’s shock resignation, and the migration mess that sees asylum seekers offered £100 a week to leave taxpayer-funded hotels.

Veteran broadcaster David Elstein, with over fifty years inside television — from the BBC to Channel 5 — joins Ian to expose the deep ideological fractures tearing through the BBC. Then Sonia Sodha, columnist and commentator, unpacks how the Corporation became “captured by minority gender ideology,” and what that says about modern media culture.

Between callers, Ian explores the asylum incentive scandal with Robert Bates from the Centre for Migration Control, asking whether paying migrants to leave is policy failure or pragmatic politics.

From BBC bias and newsroom infighting to Britain’s border breakdown, this episode pulls no punches on the state of the nation’s institutions — and the cost to the British taxpayer.

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In this explosive episode of The Ian Collins Show on Talk, Ian examines a nation on edge: falling national pride, rising division, and a leadership class doubling down on ideology instead of unity.

As polls reveal a frightening collapse in national pride and growing divides between Brits and migrants, writer and trade unionist Paul Embery joins Ian to ask whether Sir Keir Starmer’s Britain has lost its identity.

Live from Rio, our COP30 reporter breaks down Starmer’s declaration that Britain is “all in” on Net Zero, even as taxpayers face mounting costs and energy pressures back home. Then Reem Ibrahim from the Institute of Economic Ideas dissects the chaos at Villa Park, where police clashed with football fans and Palestine protesters amid another surge of public unrest.

And former Scotland Yard superintendent Nusrit Mehtab exposes the latest Met Police racism scandal, after an internal review brands the force “institutionally racist” — once again shaking public trust in British policing.

Ian Collins brings the straight talk you won’t hear anywhere else — cutting through spin, ideology, and media noise to ask: is Britain breaking down under the weight of its own divisions?

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Host Ian Collins turns the spotlight on three urgent crises hitting Britain now: the new pay-per-mile tax for EVs, warnings of a crime surge under the National Police Chiefs’ Council about the sentencing bill, and a major security operation in Birmingham ahead of the Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv match amid anti-Semitic protests.

First, meet our EV-guest Jordan (the EV Guy), who explains how the pay-per-mile tax will hit EV drivers and British taxpayers alike. Next, we’re joined by former Justice Minister Dr Phillip Lee, dissecting law-and-order breakdown: how the sentencing overhaul could invite thousands more offences and unleash chaos on our streets. Then caller Leanne from Birmingham shares her live experience preparing for the match under heavy police deployment — more than 700 officers in place as anti-Semitic protests threaten public safety.

If you’re concerned about EV tax, pay-per-mile charges, British taxpayers, crime surge UK, sentencing bill, Labour Party law reform, Aston Villa Maccabi Tel Aviv Birmingham, anti-Semitic protests UK, police deployment, then this episode is a must-listen.

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Episode 1 of the Afternoon Empire with Ian Collins exposes how left-wing politics, woke ideology, and weak leadership are breaking nations on both sides of the Atlantic. Ian Collins investigates how Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party is pushing Britain toward economic chaos and cultural division - while New York’s far-left figurehead Zohran Mamdani drives the same woke experiment in America.

From Britain’s “sick note” crisis costing billions, to Labour’s education reforms turning classrooms into ideological battlegrounds, Ian and his guests reveal how the left's obsession with virtue politics is bankrupting common sense and taxpayers alike.

Joining Ian Collins are:

• Chloe Dobbs, political commentator challenging the rise of woke culture.
• Jonathan Gullis, former Conservative MP fighting back against Labour’s radical agenda.
• Tom Rivers, veteran US broadcaster offering an American perspective from London.

Expect fearless conversation about Keir Starmer, Zohran Mamdani, woke Britain, education reform, UK politics, taxpayer spending, the culture wars, and the cost of progressive ideology.

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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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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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