The Sceptic

Why a major anti-Muslim terror scare appears to have been built on almost nothing, who’s really pulling the strings in Britain’s public debate and is the Government finally rowing back on Net Zero?
In Episode 89 of the Sceptic, Ellie Hodges sits down with journalist Charlotte Gill to discuss the growing influence of taxpayer-funded activist groups, the blurred line between activism and journalism and why critics of mass migration are so often smeared as “far-Right”.
Author Steven Tucker dissects the anti-Muslim terror plot in Suffolk that collapsed on contact with the facts and applies “eventism” – the theory that fear of an event is equivalent to the event itself – to explain why almost nobody involved has walked it back.
And for our premium subscribers, the Daily Sceptic’s Environment Editor Chris Morrison asks whether the new Government’s backing for more North Sea oil and gas is a genuine change of direction or just a change in rhetoric.
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Produced by Richard Eldred. Filmed at the Westminster Podcast Studio.
 
00:00 Intro
01:55 Charlotte Gill and the Tarbell Fellowship
04:06 Transparency Concerns Around Funded Journalism
05:43 Bureau Of Investigative Journalism
07:56 The Far Right Label
08:46 Power of Migration Charities
10:14 Valentine's Day Cards Controversy
13:00 Scrutiny of the Charity Sector
14:44 Reforming Charity Funding Rules
16:18 Changing Landscape of Journalism
17:47 State of the MSM
19:32 Burnham's First Weeks in Office
20:52 Is Labour Turning Left?
21:57 Can the Tories Bounce Back?
23:00 The Greens' Uneasy Coalition
24:36 Steven Tucker on the Terror Plot That Wasn't
30:07 Why No One Has Retracted the Claims
38:10 What is Eventism?
42:19 Anticipatory Violence
49:25 Connecting The Dots Between The Two Stories
53:50 Chris Morrison on Burnham's U-Turn on Oil And Gas
01:00:44 Why the CAN Bill Matters
01:06:35 Who is Funding Net Zero?
01:09:43 Britain's Sky High Electricity Prices
 

The absolute state of British politics, how a vicar fell foul of the Church of England over Christian beliefs and why Net Zero is now a national security risk.
In Episode 88 of the Sceptic, Ellie Hodges sits down with PopCon’s Mark Littlewood to make sense of Andy Burnham’s chaotic first days in No 10, the sharp Left turn in his Cabinet and whether Farage's Clacton by-election battle is really the joke the media's making it out to be.
Dr Rev Bernard Randall tells his extraordinary story: suspended, reported to Prevent as a terror suspect and put through a seven-year church safeguarding battle – all for a sermon that was in keeping with Christian doctrine.
And for our premium subscribers, Ellie talks to former MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove about why he believes Britain’s Net Zero policy has become a national security liability.
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Produced by Richard Eldred. Filmed at the Westminster Podcast Studio.
00:00 Intro
02:23 Mark Littlewood On Burnham's Coronation
02:50 Radical Left-Wing Policy Or Just "Vibes"?
04:28 Does Changing Labour's Leader Change Anything?
07:43 "No 10 Of The North" Devolution
09:14 Burnham's Cabinet Reshuffle
16:19 How Serious Is The Clacton By-Election Really?
18:59 Count Binface - Establishment Stooge?
22:27 Farage - Establishment Hit Job?
24:11 Is Farage "Part Of The Establishment"?
26:16 Can Kemi's Tories Stage A Comeback?
30:54 Predictions For The Next General Election
33:48 Bernard Randall And His CofE Ordeal
37:24 What Was It Like Being Reported To Prevent?
39:24 The Toll On Him And His Family
42:15 Why The Controversy?
44:50 Was 2019 "Peak Woke" — Has It Improved?
46:32 What's Next And Advice For Other Chaplains
49:48 Sir Richard Dearlove On Net Zero's Security Risk
53:19 Top Energy-Security Priorities For Burnham
55:38 How Real Is The China/EV/Grid Threat?
59:33 Where Does Energy Rank Among National Security Threats?
1:01:02 Will Britain Be Forced Into A German-Style Rethink?
1:04:11 Doesn't Cutting Fossil Fuels Make Britain Safer?
1:05:11 Is It Too Late?
 

How the Government’s social media ban for kids is a Trojan horse for digital ID, why Britain’s free speech laws are broken and the eye-watering cost of Net Zero.
In Episode 87 of the Sceptic, Ellie Hodges is joined by Alan Miller, co-founder of the Together Declaration, to discuss the Government’s plans for an under-16s social media ban, the push for digital ID checks, VPN restrictions and what they could mean for free speech and privacy.
Barrister John Holbrook explains why he thinks Britain’s hate speech laws are failing, how they have helped fuel cancel culture and why he believes free speech protections need a major rethink.
And for premium subscribers, energy analyst and author Richard Lyon digs into the eye-watering cost of renewable subsidies – now topping £227 billion! – the growing pressures on the UK grid and why he believes Net Zero could leave Britain facing a serious energy trap.
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Produced by Richard Eldred.
Filmed at the Westminster Podcast Studio.
 
00:00 Intro
02:29 Alan Miller on the Incoming Social Media Ban
09:13 Response to Katherine Birbalsingh on Child Safety
12:47 Has Australia’s Under-16 Ban Worked?
14:45 Expectations Under a Burnham Government
17:39 What Will Britain’s Internet Look Like in 5 Years?
23:57 Jon Holbrook on Being Cancelled
28:29 What Language Should Be Criminalised?
31:42 Repeal All Hate Speech Laws?
34:12 Protected Beliefs vs Cancel Culture
37:48 Reforming Online Speech Laws
41:08 Can These Reforms Roll Back Cancel Culture?
45:19 Richard Lyon on the True Cost of Net Zero
48:07 The Subsidy Clock
51:16 What Is the Energy Trap?
55:27 Being a Climate Sceptic is Irrelevant
1:04:15 A Sensible UK Energy Policy

How the Government plans to control the UK’s online media landscape, and is Britain’s electricity grid being pushed towards breaking point?
In Episode 86 of the Sceptic, host Ellie Hodges talks to journalist, lawyer and UsForThem founder Molly Kingsley about the Government’s little-noticed plans to reshape Britain’s online media landscape, why she believes they could sideline independent voices in favour of establishment broadcasters and what they could mean for free speech online.
And for our premium subscribers, Ellie sits down with independent energy consultant Kathryn Porter to discuss whether Britain’s electricity grid is being pushed to breaking point. They dig into recent low-frequency events, claims that NESO is downplaying serious risks, explosive whistleblower allegations and whether this winter could bring a real risk of blackouts.
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Produced by Richard Eldred.
Filmed at the Westminster Podcast Studio.
 
00:00 Intro
01:25 Molly Kingsley on the Government's Sinister New Green Paper
04:02 Why "Trusted News" Is a Dangerous Framing
05:11 What This Means for Your Social Media Feeds
07:43 Is the Government Picking Winners & Losers
09:23 Protecting BBC Influence
14:06 Is There Still Time to Stop It?
19:08 The Shift Toward State Control Online
24:53 Kathryn Porter on the Grid's Near Miss
32:06 Whistleblower Allegations
35:47 Why NESO Stayed Quiet
42:51 Real Time Grid Risk
47:48 How Worried Should We Be This Winter?
51:03 What Needs to Happen Next

How the Equality Act has morphed from anti-discrimination law into a vast tool of social engineering, and whether the Met Office’s recent temperature records really are the ‘hottest evah’.
In Episode 85 of the Sceptic, host Ellie Hodges speaks to Alka Sehgal Cuthbert, Director of Don’t Divide Us and co-author of the new report Some More Equal Than Others: The Case Against the Equality Act, on how the 2010 Act has morphed from anti-discrimination law into a vast tool of social engineering, its corrosive effects on workplaces and free speech and why it should be repealed.
And for our premium subscribers, Ellie speaks to Chris Morrison, the Daily Sceptic’s Environment Editor, on the latest so-called record-breaking heatwave, whether the Met Office’s temperature records are really the ‘hottest evah’ and why the data is nowhere near robust enough to justify the madness of Net Zero.
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Produced by Richard Eldred.
Filmed at the Westminster Podcast Studio.
00:00 Intro
01:21 Alka Sehgal Cuthbert on the Equality Act
03:44 Should the Equality Act Be Repealed?
06:15 Existing Laws Before the Act
08:28 Public Sector Equality Duty & Positive Action
13:27 Protected Characteristics
15:44 The Granger Test & Protecting Beliefs
18:28 Appetite to Reform the Act?
19:48 Chris Morrison on the Hottest Summer Evah?
29:34 How Does It Compare to 1976?
35:51 Is the Data Robust?
 

Sir Bill Cash on the 10th anniversary of Brexit, his 40-year fight to restore British sovereignty and why we must resist Labour’s EU reset.
In Episode 84 of the Sceptic, guest host Jack Hadfield speaks to Sir Bill Cash, lifelong Eurosceptic, former MP and chairman of the European Scrutiny Committee, on the 10th anniversary of the Brexit vote, his 40-year battle to restore British sovereignty and why Labour’s “EU reset” is a dangerous path back into subjugation.
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Produced by Richard Eldred.
Filmed at the Westminster Podcast Studio.
 
00:00 Intro
00:56 Bill Cash on the EU Problem
08:08 The Maastricht Rebellion
10:35 When Brexit Became Possible
12:46 Brexit Night 2016
16:06 Has Brexit Been Delivered?
19:31 Brexit's Biggest Missed Opportunity
22:02 Labour's EU Reset and Andy Burnham
26:48 Warning Signs of Backdoor Rejoin
34:32 Immigration and Taking Back Control
40:01 Brexit 2.0 and International Law
45:18 Optimism for Britain's Future

Charles Talbot on how the Blob is stifling democracy in Britain and turning the state against itself.
In Episode 83 of the Sceptic, guest host Michael Murphy speaks to Charles Talbot, author of the new Cambridge Circus Research report ‘Breaking the Blob’, about how a sprawling ecosystem of activist charities, quangos and captured institutions exerts a powerful chokehold on British political life, undermines government policy and leaves Britain feeling increasingly like a state at war with itself.
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Read ‘Breaking the Blob’ here.
Produced by Richard Eldred.
Filmed at the Westminster Podcast Studio.
 
00:00 Intro
00:00:47 Charles Talbot on the Blob
00:03:35 The Blob's Left-Wing Bias
00:05:16 A State at War with Itself
00:07:41 Why Government Funds Its Own Opponents
00:10:17 How the Blob Kills Policies it Doesn't Like
00:14:15 The Rwanda Scheme
00:16:17 Can Any Policy Survive the Blob?
00:18:19 Laws That Must Change
00:20:20 The Funnel Model & Weak Regulation
00:24:37 Charity vs Political Activism
00:27:12 Should Government Track Undermining Spending?
00:29:11 The Media’s Role in Aiding the Blob
00:36:08 What a Serious Government Must Do
00:39:05 Radical Reforms
00:42:29 Conspiracy or Ideological Alignment?
00:45:52 Future Work from Cambridge Circus Research
00:52:15 Where to Find the Report

Dr Ben Jones on how 30 years of mass migration have created the conditions for rising unrest, and Dr Gwythian Prins on why green zealotry weakens Britain in a dangerous world.
In Episode 82 of the Sceptic, host David Shipley speaks to Dr Ben Jones, Director of Cases at the Free Speech Union and author of Island of Strangers, on how 30 years of mass migration and hyper-diversity have transformed Britain into a fragmented “society of societies”, eroded free speech, fuelled cancel culture and created the conditions for two-tier policing and rising unrest.
And for our premium subscribers, David speaks to Dr Gwythian Prins, Emeritus Professor at the London School of Economics and convenor of the Hartwell Group, on the fatal technical, economic and security flaws of Net Zero, why climate models are fundamentally broken, the impossibility of a renewables transition and how this green madness weakens Britain in a dangerous world.
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Read Gwythian’s article on the Daily Sceptic here.
Produced by Richard Eldred.
Filmed at the Westminster Podcast Studio.
 
00:00 Intro
00:01:36 Ben Jones on His New Book 'Island of Strangers'
00:03:23 The Link Between Multiculturalism and Free Speech Restrictions
00:06:41 How US Woke Ideology Invaded UK
00:09:02 Why Are the Elite So Wedded to These Worldviews?
00:12:36 What Is the Solution to UK’s Free Speech Crisis?
00:15:44 Two-Tier Policing and Division
00:19:56 Prof Gwydion Prins on the Problems With Climate Modelling
00:24:32 Why Renewables Cannot Power a Stable Grid
00:28:27 The Security Implications of Net Zero
00:32:33 Can Sanity Return?

Ex-cop Paul Birch on the gross failures of the Nowak arrest and Jack Hadfield on the protests. Plus: Blair’s shameless green U-turn.
In Episode 81 of the Sceptic, host Laurie Wastell speaks to Paul Birch, former Metropolitan Police officer and commentator, on the police’s gross failures over the arrest of Henry Nowak after he was stabbed – and exactly how anti-racist ideology warps day-to-day policing.
Jack Hadfield, independent journalist, on the fierce protests and political fallout over the Nowak outrage and whether there’s more to come.
And for our premium subscribers, Laurie speaks to Ben Pile, journalist and Daily Sceptic regular, on Tony Blair’s latest intervention criticising Net Zero, his baleful legacy and why our dimwitted political class, incredibly, still takes him seriously.
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Read his article on the Daily Sceptic here.
Produced by Richard Eldred.
Filmed at the Westminster Podcast Studio.
00:00 Intro
00:02:24 Paul Birch on Henry Nowak Arrest
00:05:03 Why Was Henry Nowak Handcuffed?
00:09:20 Did Anti-Racism Training Shape the Response?
00:14:46 Individual Failures or Institutional Culture?
00:20:58 Poor Training and Woke Ideology
00:23:51 Will the IOPC Deliver Real Accountability?
00:28:59 What Real Police Reform Looks Like
00:34:00 Jack Hadfield on Southampton Protests
00:39:35 Disorder and Crowd Sentiment
00:43:54 Wider Protests This Summer?
00:46:53 Should Henry Nowak’s Murder Be Politicised?
00:51:24 Ben Pile on Blair’s Net Zero Intervention
00:55:44 Why Blair is Shameless
00:59:42 Ideological Roots of Failures

Doug Stokes on whether peace is possible in Ukraine, America’s fading global dominance, the future of NATO and why Britain’s rush to rearm could spell trouble for Net Zero.
The Sceptic is away this week, so we’re bringing you an episode from the archive.
In May 2025, host Laurie Wastell caught up with Doug Stokes, Professor of International Security and Strategy at Exeter University, Senior Advisor at the Prosperity Institute and author of books including Against Decolonisation: Campus Culture Wars and the Decline of the West.
Professor Stokes’s insight into the undercurrents to America’s changing global position remain as relevant as ever. Doug and Laurie discuss whether peace is on the cards in Ukraine, the effect of the war on Russia’s geopolitical position, whether MAGA is right to lament America’s position as global superintendent, the future of NATO and what the war means for Europe and Trump’s trade war and whether it will spell the end of dollar hegemony.
They also consider the long-term possibility of detente with Russia, whether the need to re-arm will mean the end of the Net Zero here in Britain and the roots of the free-speech crisis in Britain's universities.
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Follow Laurie on X.
Follow Doug on X.00:00 Intro00:40 Ukraine Ceasefire07:03 Russia and China07:25 NATO’s Future11:04 Europe and Dependency18:57 Trump’s Trade War23:14 Europe’s Role27:19 Rearming Europe27:31 Nord Stream Fallout38:26 Defence and Net Zero40:58 Britain’s Industrial Decline41:13 Free Speech Crisis46:54 Kathleen Stock Case47:19 Universities and Trans Ideology