Pod Save the UK

Who Really Owns Britain? w/Hettie O’Brien. Plus: We Read Tony Blair So You Don’t Have To


Published: 28 May 2026 at 02:00 Europe/London

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Episode notes

This week, Nish and Coco head back to Makerfield, where the by-election campaign is already turning into a political demolition derby; Andy Burnham is just ahead of Reform, the far right is fighting itself, Elon Musk has wandered into the discourse, and Nigel Farage has reappeared after questions over his £5 million gift.

Plus: they’re joined by Hettie O’Brien, journalist and author of The Asset Class, to break down how private equity quietly bought up the services we rely on, from nurseries and care homes to vets and water companies, and why that matters for the broken economy we’re all living in.

GUESTS 
Hettie O'Brien, journalist and author of The Asset Class: How Private Equity Turned Capitalism Against Itself

USEFUL LINKS
Amnesty Report | Like a snowball: the growth and impact of the gender critical movement in the UK
Tony Blair Article | The Labour Party Is Playing With Fire Over Its Future and the Future of the Country by 

CLIP CREDITS
Carol Vorderman via Instagram, (@carolvorders)

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Pod Save the UK is an Intelligence Squared production for Crooked Media.

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