For his final turn in James' chair for now, Lewis Goodall asks whether Andy Burnham’s promised “circuit breaker” in British politics could really change anything at all.

After Burnham sets out his ambition to do politics differently - less point scoring, more problem solving, more power outside Westminster - Lewis and callers explore what people most dislike about the way British politics works now: the adversarial culture, the whipping system, the media-politics machine, and the grip of Whitehall. But even if everyone agrees the system is broken, can it actually be fixed from within?

This episode was recorded on the 3rd of July. James O'Brien Daily is a Global production, available every week day on Global Player, or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Lewis Goodall sits in for James O’Brien and takes on a quiet but profound crisis: Britain’s birth rate has fallen so far that deaths are now outnumbering births for the first time.

What does that mean for the future of the country, the economy, and the welfare state? And why are so many people choosing not to have children - or finding that they simply can’t afford to? From childcare costs and housing to careers, relationships and changing expectations, callers share the personal realities behind a huge national shift.

This episode was recorded on the 2nd of July. James O'Brien Daily is a Global production, available every week day on Global Player, or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Lewis Goodall sits in for James and asks a blunt question about Nigel Farage: if you want to be Prime Minister, how much outside money is too much?

With fresh questions over Farage’s earnings from a gold bullion company, on top of the already controversial £5 million gift from a crypto billionaire, Lewis explores whether Reform’s leader is starting to look less like an anti-establishment insurgent and more like a politician with too many financial interests to explain away. As callers weigh in, the debate turns to trust, standards in public life, and whether British politics is becoming numb to conflicts of interest that would once have ended careers.

This episode was recorded on the 1st of July. James O'Brien Daily is a Global production, available every week day on Global Player, or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Lewis Goodall sits in for James O’Brien and takes on one of the biggest questions facing the country: are we spending enough on defence in a far more dangerous world?

As Keir Starmer unveils his final defence investment plan in what feels like one of the last big acts of his premiership, Lewis asks whether Britain is genuinely prepared for the threats ahead - from Russia and the High North to cyber warfare and a less reliable America. With ministers promising more money for drones and deterrence, but critics warning it still falls short, the debate turns to what the UK can actually do, what it can’t, and whether politicians are being honest enough about the risks.

This episode was recorded on the 30th of June. James O'Brien Daily is a Global production, available every week day on Global Player, or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Lewis Goodall sits in for James O’Brien and reacts to Andy Burnham’s first major speech as Prime Minister-in-waiting.

Broadcast from Manchester, Burnham sets out an ambitious vision for a “rewired Britain” - with a new Number 10 North, a huge shift of power away from Whitehall, major council house building, industrial strategy, and a promise to spread “good growth in every postcode and hope in every heart”. Lewis and callers ask the big question: is this the bold reset Britain has been waiting for, or a hopeful speech without the money to match?

This episode was recorded on the 29th of June. James O'Brien Daily is a Global production, available every week day on Global Player, or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.

With scientists linking the extreme temperatures directly to fossil fuel emissions, James explores why so many people still look away, why net zero is under political attack, and whether the heat itself might finally succeed where years of warnings have failed.

This episode was recorded on the 26th of June. James O'Brien Daily is a Global production, available every week day on Global Player, or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.

As Britain braces for another record-breaking June scorcher, James O’Brien asks the question beyond the weather forecast: what are we actually going to do about extreme heat becoming the new normal?

Then, with Andy Burnham reportedly looking to move part of Number 10’s operation to Manchester, James turns to a thorny political and cultural question: does it matter if the next Prime Minister has a northern accent - and if so, why?

This episode was recorded on the 25th of June. James O'Brien Daily is a Global production, available every week day on Global Player, or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.

The UK is experiencing another red weather warning heatwave this week. So why, even as temperatures soar and climate warnings become impossible to ignore, don't we feel the urgency?

And, on the 10th anniversary of Brexit, James O’Brien asks the question that still matters most: who was most responsible for it? From David Cameron and Boris Johnson to the media, Jeremy Corbyn and beyond, James and his callers revisit the decisions, lies and absurd moments that pushed Britain towards a national act of self-harm.

This episode was recorded on the 24th of June. James O'Brien Daily is a Global production, available every week day on Global Player, or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.