The Top 100 Most Influential People on the Right 2015
- 6 Oct 2015
(+1) David Cameron Prime Minister Having won an unexpected majority at the election, David Cameron takes over the top place in this list once again, having lost it to both Nigel Farage and George Osborne in recent years. He now has two to three years to create a last...
ConHome Diary: Number Ten Bans Ministers From Ashcroft Book Launch
- 2 Oct 2015
The Labour conference was an odd experience, but I suspect next year’s will be even odder. Out with the smart suited twenty something men. In with the Trots. That’s if Jeremy Corbyn survives that long. My own view is that he will, but it was astonishing that more or less every...
It Shouldn't Happen to a Radio Presenter 38: When an Interviewee Goes Rogue...
- 30 Sep 2015
Yesterday on my LBC show I did something I’ve never done before. I terminated an interview because the guest wouldn’t stop ranting and refused to engage with the questions I was putting. We were discussing whether Britain should pay reparations to Jamaica for its part in t...
The Top 100 People on the Left 2015
- 29 Sep 2015
(NEW) Jeremy Corbyn Leader of the Labour Party There is no doubt that Jeremy Corbyn’s election to Labour’s leadership has changed the political weather. He’s galvanised the Labour left in a way no one has since Tony Benn or Ken Livingstone. But can he stick to his pr...
Book Review: Roy Jenkins - A Well Rounded Life by John Campbell
- 27 Sep 2015
It’s taken me several months to read this magnificent authorised biography of Roy Jenkins. I thought I knew all there was to know about the man whose tenure as Home Secretary heralded the so-called ‘permissive society’ and went on to lead the SDP, but I was wrong. My bedtimes...
ConHome Diary: The Truth About Me, Michael Ashcroft, Isabel Oakeshott & THAT Book!
- 25 Sep 2015
Well, this week certainly has not been dull. And as with any roller coaster ride, it’s had its highs, its lows, and I’m still a bit dazed. I published and was then damned! Some of you will say, “serves you right, you shouldn’t publish books that question anything about David ...
The Top 50 Liberal Democrats 2015
- 22 Sep 2015
Each year I convene three panels to compile lists of the Top 50 Liberal Democrats, the Top 100 People on the Left and the Top 100 People on the Right. Each list is published to coincide with the three party conferences. This is the eighth year I’ve been doing this, and a curso...
It Shouldn't Happen to a Radio Presenter 37: Six Years on LBC - But It's Not About Me...
- 20 Sep 2015
Six years ago this week I broadcast my first show on LBC. Five years ago today I started my first daily show. It’s the most wonderful privilege and the best job I have ever had, in part due to the the people I work with but mainly due to the people who take the time to call in...
Attitude Column: Why Nightclubs Are Closing
- 20 Sep 2015
I’ve never been a great frequenter of bars or nightclubs, gay or otherwise. I don’t know what it is about nightclubs but I can’t actually think of a visit to one I have enjoyed. Don’t get me wrong, I like to strut my funky stuff (oh yeah) with the best of them, but spending an...
ConHome Diary: Have the Corbyistas Learnt From the Cybernats?
- 18 Sep 2015
I really think some politicians are injected with some sort of serum before they go on the broadcast media, and that this serum turns normally sparkling, interesting people into complete drones whose only thought is to bore us to death about the long term economic plan and h...
It Shouldn't Happen to a Radio Presenter 36: When a Politician Insists on Sticking to a Script (Yes, You Priti Patel!)
- 12 Sep 2015
I love interviewing people. I even love interviewing politicians. I usually manage to get them to say interesting things. But there are some politicians who, no matter how hard you try, are always going to stick to a script that has been drilled into them by a party spin d...
It Shouldn't Happen to a Radio Presenter 35: Staying Classy When Saying Goodbye
- 12 Sep 2015
Every radio presenter knows that at some point, they will leave their radio station. Some see it coming. Some don’t. Some get to broadcast a final show to say goodbye, others don’t. Today XFM’s breakfast show host Jon Holmes broadcast his final show for the station. His...
ConHome Diary: Herding the Tory Mayoral Cats
- 11 Sep 2015
Herding cats is probably the best way of describing it. After hosting a Labour leadership debate and a Labour London mayoral hustings I expected the Conservative mayoral hustings to be a slightly more sedate affair. Boy was I wrong. It was spiky, tetchy and much more argumenta...
WATCH: The LBC Conservative London Mayoral Debate
- 9 Sep 2015
Spiky, tetchy, revealing. And a lot more.
WATCH: The Most Deadly Disease You've Never Heard Of
- 9 Sep 2015
Yesterday on my show I talked to Bafta award winning actor Jason Watkins (he played the lead in ‘The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferie’s and plays Simon in ‘W1A’) who lost his three year old daughter Maude to the silent killer Sepsis in 2011. One person dies in the world eve...
Yvette Cooper Has the Balls To Say We Should Take 10,000 Refugees And This Is Why She's Right
- 1 Sep 2015
Usually when I get back on the radio after a two week break, I’m a bit ring-rusty. It takes me a couple of shows to get back into my stride. Not today. In our 5pm hour I wanted to address the refugee crisis which is affecting many countries in southern and central Europe. Yvet...
It Shouldn't Happen to a Radio Presenter 34: When Four Hours Become Three
- 31 Aug 2015
I’m back on the radio tomorrow after my summer holidays. I’m raring to go, to be honest as I’ve really missed it. I always need two weeks off in the summer to recharge my batteries and believe me, I’m at 100% charge again! From now on the show will be three hours long and f...
The Curious Case of Harvey Proctor - Why Do the Police Agree With "Nick"?
- 30 Aug 2015
I am very troubled by the treatment of former Tory MP Harvey Proctor at the hands of the Metropolitan Police’s Operation Midland inquiry. In some ways it mirrors that of Paul Gambaccini’s terrible year at the mercy of Operation Yewtree. I’m publishing his story in September an...
WATCH: My Exclusive Interview with Harvey Proctor
- 25 Aug 2015
I’m on holiday at the moment but when you get the opportunity of an exclusive you don’t turn it down. So I got the train to London from Norwich this morning and went straight to St Ermin’s Hotel to attend Harvey Proctor’s press conference, having persuaded him to give me an ex...
LISTEN: My Political Books Podcasts with Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, Andrew Marr & Damian Barr
- 24 Aug 2015
Here are my latest political books podcasts with Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, Andrew Marr and Damian Barr. For thw full archive click HERE