Iain Dale - The Whole Show

Why has the government axed the world's biggest quango?

Is Reform UK in trouble?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are businessman and crossbench peer Lord Bilimoria, political commentator Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, Labour MP Luke Charters and Henry Hill from ConservativeHome.

Will Putin accept a ceasefire proposal?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are journalist and free speech campaigner Inaya Folarin Iman, Lib Dem MP Munira Wilson, Labour MP Will Stone and former Conservative MP Daniel Kawczynski.

How do we keep children safe online?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth, jeweller and businesswoman Kiki McDonough, Conservative MP Rebecca Smith and former Corbyn adviser Andrew Fisher.

Why are agencies like the Sentencing Council allowed to handle key issues like criminal sentencing policy?Plus 'Question Marks' sees LBC's US Correspondent Simon Marks takes your calls on all things Trump.

Which public spending would you cut first?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are former Conservative minister Dame Tracey Crouch, Labour MP Natalie Fleet, historian Dr Tessa Dunlop and The Spectator's James Heale.

Does JD Vance respect the UK?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are Labour MP Josh Simons, Conservative peer and former defence minister Lord Robathan, theatre director Jude Kelly and Robert Shrimsley from the Financial Times.

Can Trump's America still be relied upon as a dependable ally?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are Liberal Democrat MP and defence spokesperson Helen Maguire, former Conservative MP and Chief Whip Simon Hart, the Sunday Telegraph columnist Zoe Strimpel and LBC's Political Correspondent Aggie Chambre.

Everything you need to hear as the prime minister comes face to face with President Trump.

Why don't kids read anymore?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are Labour MP Yuan Yang, Conservative MP and shadow farming minister Robbie Moore, former Corbyn adviser James Schneider and former Farage adviser Gawain Towler.

Is the PM right to cut foreign aid to boost defence?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are Labour MP Jeevun Sandher, Conservative MP Sir Ashley Fox, podcaster Marina Purkiss and commentator Samuel Kasumu.

Where will Ukraine be in a year's time?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are Labour MP and defence committee chair Tan Dhesi, former Conservative armed forces minister James Heappey, political commentator Suzanne Evans and Sam Freedman from the Institute for Government think tank.

Should we cut the foreign aid budget to spend more on defence?Plus, Lord Sumption takes your calls on the state of our justice system. And should we give the Benin bronzes back?

When even the US President is now wildly spreading disinformation, how can the damage it does be tackled?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are the new Fire Brigades Union General Secretary Steve Wright, former Conservative minister Paul Scully, former Brexit Party and Conservative MEP Lucy Harris and Labour MP Barry Gardiner.

Should we send British troops to peacekeep in Ukraine?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are Labour MP Dame Siobhain McDonagh, former Conservative MP and minister Tim Loughton, Reform UK member of the London Assembly Alex Wilson and journalist Christina Patterson.

Keir Starmer to raise defence spending but is this a good idea?

Is Reform UK a serious party?Plus, former KGB spy Jack Barsky takes your calls.And are you changing your mind about assisted dying?

If Trump gets his way, does Putin win? Plus, skills minister Baroness Jacqui Smith takes your calls for National Apprenticeship Week.Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are energy consumers minister and Labour MP Miatta Fahnbulleh, former Conservative cabinet minister Sir Ranil Jayawardena, entrepreneur Piers Linney and political scientist Professor Anand Menon.

Is the Gaza ceasefire about to end?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are Labour MP and Northern Ireland committee chair Tonia Antoniazzi, LBC presenter Rachel Johnson, Conservative MP Joe Robertson and broadcaster Gavin Esler.

Are we being too hard on MPs telling jokes on WhatsApp?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are Conservative MP and shadow business minister Jerome Mayhew, Lib Dem MP and hospitals and primary care spokesperson Jess Brown-Fuller, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and former Labour councillor Phil Rosenberg and political commentator Salma Shah.

How hard should it be to become a British citizen?

Would Trump's Gaza plan amount to ethnic cleansing?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are Labour MP Tom Hayes, Conservative MP and shadow paymaster general Richard Holden, environmentalist Rupert Read and former Tory adviser who now supports Reform UK Emma Barr.

How should we define Islamophobia?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are Labour MP Sarah Smith, Conservative MP and shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith, Miqdaad Versi from the Muslim Council of Britain and Times journalist and political commentator Sebastian Payne.

Should we cosy up to tariff-loving Trump?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are Labour MP Dan Tomlinson, anti-racism activist Imarn Ayton, broadcaster Albie Amankona and Tory adviser Christopher Howarth.

Was Trump's anti-diversity scheme message sensible or just offensive?Journalist Rachel Shabi takes your calls on her book on anti-Semitism.And what effect will Trump's extraordinary press conference have on disabled people?

Is expanding Heathrow key to solving Britain's economic malaise? And is the only solution to universities' funding crisis a big increase in tuition fees?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are former Conservative Transport Secretary Mark Harper, Lib Dem frontbencher Sarah Olney, Telegraph columnist Ella Whelan & the writer and broadcaster Paul Mason.

Should young rioters have their criminal records wiped? Plus, Bill Browder takes your calls on whether Trump can push Putin to the table.Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are SNP MP Kirsty Blackman, Tory MP Greg Smith, immigration campaigner Zoe Gardner and political commentator James Starkie.

Why are young people losing faith in democracy?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are Labour MP and science, innovation and technology committee chair Chi Onwurah, Conservative MP and vice president of the NATO Parliamentary assembly Sir Alec Shelbrooke, commentator and author Nels Abbey and LBC's political editor Natasha Clark.

Has justice been done in the sentencing of Axel Rudakubana?

Will Trump's online rants achieve peace?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are defence minister and Labour MP Luke Pollard, former Conservative culture secretary Lucy Frazer, Financial Times columnist Stephen Bush and non-affiliated peer Claire Fox.

How do you stop 'lone wolves'?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are Green MP and co-leader Adrian Ramsay, former Tory MP Anna Firth, academic and Labour commentator Richard Power-Sayeed and broadcaster Angela Epstein.

On the day of President Trump's second inauguration, we ask what another four years of his presidency will mean for the world.Joining Iain Dale on this special edition of Cross Question are Jennifer Ewing from Republicans Overseas, former minister for the Americas during Trump's first term Sir Alan Duncan, playwright and commentator Bonnie Greer and American journalist and broadcaster Tom Rivers.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch takes your calls - and Simon Marks answers your questions ahead of the inauguration.

Will the Gaza ceasefire last?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are Conservative MP and shadow cabinet minister Alex Burghart, broadcaster Anne McElvoy, Labour MP Danny Beales and Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee.

How can Starmer save his government?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are former Tory MP Jonathan Gullis, Lib Dem MP and chief whip Wendy Chamberlain, Labour councillor and director of the Good Growth Foundation Praful Nargund and London Standard columnist Emily Sheffield.

Can Trump bring peace in the Middle East?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are Labour MP Stella Creasy, Conservative MP and shadow farming minister Robbie Moore, TUC general secretary Paul Nowak and social activist and commentator Nimco Ali.

Were we too hard on Liz Truss?

Should we take back British jihadis?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are Green MP Sian Berry, Tory MP Patrick Spencer, Lib Dem MP Christine Jardine and Sun political correspondent Jack Elsom.

Is Robert Jenrick being too divisive?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are Labour MP David Pinto-Duschinsky, former Conservative MP and minister Vicky Ford, the Spectator's Cindy Yu and campaigner and podcaster Mathew Hulbert.How do you deal with a cancer diagnosis?

Can Elon Musk be ignored?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are Labour MP Polly Billington, journalist and former Mirror editor Alison Phillips, Conservative peer Lord Ranger and the Spectator's Freddy Gray.

What would holding another grooming gangs inquiry achieve, how can using the phone while driving be made socially unacceptable again, and should the England men's cricket team boycott its upcoming match against Afghanistan over the Taliban's treatment of women?

Reaction to the New Orleans terror attack, should the school curriculum be made more fun, and is Dry January becoming a fashion statement?

Who would you nominate for a New Year honour?

Iain Dale sits in for Lewis Goodall on LBC and speaks to Greg Swenson of Republican overseas about what Trump will do in Ukraine once he becomes President and to journalist Hyunsu Yim in Seoul about the over 170 people killed in South Korea's worst plane crash in years.

Standing in for James O'Brien, Iain Dale challenges David Gauke, the Chair of the Ministry of Justice Independent Sentencing Review, over his comments that inmates should be put in a low-security jails to ease the prison crisis. Also, he asks whether you will partake in dry January as one-third of male adults will go sober next month. In the final hour, Iain speaks to former Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party and MP for Stoke-on-Trent North Jonathan Gullis about what the defeated tories are doing for work as he asks listeners how hard it is to change jobs. All of that and more on this episode of the Iain Dale whole show podcast.

Iain was once again in for James O'Brien, openining the show asking listeners for their festive traditions. Foreign Policy and Security Analyst Jimmy Rushton provided his expert opinion on Russia's Christmas Day missile attack on Ukraine, which President Zelenskyy branded as 'inhumane'. Iain also hosted an open-house hour, and, previewed the annual King's Christmas Speech.

Iain was standing in for James O'Brien, and asked callers for their thoughts on trail hunting, ahead of the mid-morning commencement of the annual tradition. Rachel Pearson, a survivor of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami disaster, shared her story on the 20th anniversary. Former LBC Presenter Larry Lamb discussed his 'Gavin & Stacey' and 'Eastenders' roles. Iain also spoke with callers on private school fee increases, and with Professor Giles Yeo MBE from the University of Cambridge, to discuss the possibility of the weight-loss medication Ozempic being used for advanced Alzheimer's patients.

Iain is in for James O'Brien, where he reflects on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Conservative Party Leader Kemi Badenoch's Christmas messages. He speaks with Political Impressionist and Comedian Rory Bremner, and asks callers what their messages are to political leaders. Nick Molden, Founder of Emissions Analytics, provides an explanation into the shift away from fossil-fuel powered cars to electric alternatives. Robbie Williams plans to resit his GCSE exams, and Iain speaks with ADHD expert Dr Tony Lloyd to discuss how the condition can affect school attainment. Tennis player Jack Draper revealed that he drives a second-hand car - Iain asks whether we are more materialistic than we used to be, and speaks with a Behavioural Economist to understand more.

Iain is in for James O'Brien, where he speaks with an executive member of Minister and Clergy Sexual Abuse Survivors, David Greenwood. He also speaks with Jamie Gray, the son of Kevin Gray who lost his Rolex after collapsing at a West Ham football match.

How do we tackle the dangers of binge drinking?Plus, tremendous author Robert Harris takes your calls!