With the Tories moving ever more to the right while Labour moves left, there has been a lot of talk about whether the UK needs a new party, our answer to Emmanuel Macron’s En Marche!. Renew Britain wants to be that party. Founded in 2017, it hopes to occupy the abandoned centre ground in UK politics and to represent all those who feel like picking between red and blue is like being stuck between a rock and a hard place. But what exactly does the party stand for, what are it’s chances of success? We talked to James Torrance about how he went from being an accountant to an independent candidate in the 2017 general election to the co-founder of Renew and about why he wanted to found a new party in the first place. Of course, we also discuss the ever-present elephant in the room: Brexit. James ran as an anti-Brexit candidate and stopping Brexit is one of Renew’s core goals. But why and how do they plan to go about it?

Brexit Podcast

121: James Torrance founded a new party to stop Brexit and save the planet

One of the key issues in the Brexit negotiations – and one of the three highly contested matters to be put on the table this far – has been citizens rights. But all too often, both the media and politicians talk predominantly about EU citizens living in the UK while completely sidelining the fate of Brits living abroad. For today’s podcast we brought on Karen O’Reilly, a Sociologist and research dellow at Goldsmiths University to shed some light on the forgotten side of this coin. She is part of the Brexpats project which examines the issues of freedom of movement, citizenship and Brexit in the lives of Britons resident in the European Union. We already talked to Karen’s colleague Michaela for episode 89 back in July about the initial response of Brits in France. We thought it was time to check in with the project and talk to Karen in the wake of her field trip to Spain about how expats are feeling about the state of the negotiations this far, how they have progressed and what, to them, would be the ideal outcome.

120: Karen O'Reilly on how Brits in Spain think negotiations are progressing

The Remain campaign pinned all it's hopes on the intimidating power of statistics, assuming they would scare people into staying. But project fear failed. So what's the alternative for the Remainers that are staunchly continuing to advocate for a more europhilic Britain? The answer, according to artist and activist Madeleina Kay, is project fun. We talk to the 23-year-old about dressing up as EU Supergirl at a Brussels press conference and creating such catchy tunes as "Strong and Stable My Arse," all with the aim of bringing about a second referendum. #activist #artist #Brexit #BrexitPodcast #campaigner #eu #EUreferendum #eusupergirl #jenniferhahn #MadeleinaKay #news #olliedugmore #podcast #politics #rageagainstthebrexitmachine #Referendum #Remain #remainer #secondreferendum #TimHeming #UK

118: 'EU Supergirl' Madeleina Kay on her mission for a second referendum

Peter Hitchens is an author and columnist for the Mail on Sunday

119: Peter Hitchens says the UK is in a pre-civil war condition

The fashion industry employs over 880,000 individuals in the UK and generates upwards of £28billion for the economy, but is its voice being heard over Brexit? One woman who wants to make sure its concerns are on the agenda is Tamara Cincik, who is the brainchild behind Fashion Roundtable, a parliamentary lobbying project, that launches officially on November 21. Tamara joins Tim to discuss the role and concerns of the almost entirely pro-remain fashion industry as the UK’s exit from the European Union draws ever nearer. For more on the launch of Fashion Roundtable and to share your view visit http://fashionroundtable.co.uk/

116: Tamara Cincik on how Brexit is a monstrous fashion faux pas

What impact will Brexit have on scientific research? Will the UK suffer in terms of innovation and talent? And can any positives be taken from the democratic decision to leave the European Union? Dr Mike Galsworthy is the founder of Scientists for EU, a lobbying group set up before last year’s referendum to try and educate both government - and the public - on the pros and cons of voting In or Out. Mike joins Tim to outline the importance of scientific research to a healthy UK economy and discusses his fears of a hard Brexit. For more from Mike and Scientists4EU go to http://scientistsforeu.uk/ or follow on Twitter @Scientists4EU

115: Dr Mike Galsworthy on the importance of European collaboration for UK scientists

The last time we checked in with youth lobbying group Undivided it was for Episode 12 of the podcast, and fresh from the result of the EU referendum they were crowdsourcing a manifesto to take to parliament to outline the key Brexit issues for young people. Twelve months on, Tim is joined by campaign manager Elspeth Hoskins, who outlines their progress to date and explains how they are bending the ear of politicians to try and secure the future of Erasmus - the European student exchange programme - and improve political education for young people. Elspeth is also the convenor of the All Party Parliamentary group on A Better Brexit for Young People (@APPG_Brexit). For more on Undivided, visit www.weareundivided.co.uk or find them on Twitter @weareundivided.

114: Elspeth Hoskins of Undivided calls for better political education for our youth

The combative and eloquent Alastair Campbell has a reputation among many journalists for his belligerence. He is widely painted as a bully. YouTube is replete with videos of him going toe to toe with a who’s who of political figures and journalists. It’s clear Campbell has a public platform and voice that few others enjoy. He’s now setting about using it to try and stop Brexit.

113: Alastair Campbell says Brexit is political suicide

Henry Bolton is the new leader of UKIP and faces a fascinating challenge, needing to realign and strategise a party on the brink of electoral irrelevance when it loses its MEPs in 2019. Rather him than me. He spoke to the Brexit Podcast about becoming the Pro-Brexit opposition, UKIP’s intention to launch a positive future for a United Kingdom outside of the EU and, obviously, how he would vote if the referendum was rerun tomorrow.

112: Henry Bolton on UKIP and a new world order

Tony Connelly is Europe Editor for RTE, Ireland’s public broadcaster. He explained the contentious, at times mystifying, issue of the Irish border, what’s going to happen to Bailey’s and why the Brexit divorce may not reach a harmonious settlement.

111: Tony Connelly on the Irish border and the Good Friday Agreement

MEPs have voted to urge the EU not to open the next phase of Brexit talks unless there is a "major breakthrough". A motion in the European Parliament to back a delay in any decision over trade discussions was supported by 557 MEPs, with 92 against and 29 abstentions. The result was something of a foregone conclusion after last week's fourth round of negotiations, when Michel Barnier made it clear there were still stumbling blocks. Several MEPs claimed UK divisions were hampering the process, but UKIP's Nigel Farage accused the EU of "treating the UK like a hostage". William Bain is a trade and Brexit expert at the British Retail Consortium and a former Labour MP. He distilled the subtle botanicals of international trade in a post-Brexit world to a decidedly English-tasting gin. Now who’s exporting tonic water?

110: William Bain on trade talks (or not)

It's conference season for the political parties, and as a Tory view of free market capitalism in Manchester is pitted against Labour's push for state-funded services in Brighton, is there another way for UK businesses to be successful? Nick Temple, the deputy chief executive of Social Enterprise UK, certainly thinks so. He joins Tim to discuss his view on how sustainable business does not have to be strictly for-profit, but neither does it need to preclude a commercial focus. As one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy, Nick explains what social enterprises stand for and discusses the challenges Brexit brings in terms of the workforce and funding, and whether it could even lead to more ethical procurement decisions. If you want to find out more about social enterprise visit www.socialenterprise.org.uk - and if you'd like to become further involved then have a search for 'Social Saturday' taking place on Saturday, October 14. #Podcast #Brexit #BrexitPodcast #Referendum #EUReferendum #EU #UK #TimHeming #JenniferHahn #News #Politics #socialenterprise #business #economy #society #

109: Nick Temple on how social enterprises can embrace Brexit

How can the general public become more engaged with the Brexit process? Laura Townshend, communications director from 38 Degrees, joins Tim to explain how the campaigning organisation is lobbying those in power on a whole variety of issues… including its DIY Brexit campaign. She explains how they encourage millions of us to take positive action for issues we care about – from challenging Henry VIII powers to Jeremy Hunt’s governance of the NHS - and how being an activist can be a lot more than clicking on an online petition. For more from Laura and 38 Degrees, visit the website at https://home.38degrees.org.uk

108: Laura Townshend on how YOU can have your voice heard on Brexit

We talk about Brexit as a generation-defining issue, but when it comes to urgency and the scope of possible consequences, climate change takes the cake. We talked to Richard Macrory, the UK's first professor of environmental law and co-chair of the UK Environmental Law Association Brexit Task Force about how the country's environmental regulations might be impacted post-Brexit - for better or for worse. We also discuss how people interact with climate change, whether they are able to grasp its scope, what practical contributions can be made and how we shouldn't get discouraged by a lack of immediate results. #Podcast #Brexit #BrexitPodcast #Referendum #EUReferendum #EU #UK #TimHeming #JenniferHahn #News #Politics #environment #law #ukela #brexittaskforce #climatechange #globalwarming #wildlife #conservation #theresamay #government #richardmacrory #ucl #universitycollegelondon #regulation #legislation

107: Richard Macrory on Brexit's environmental impact

When it comes to defending parliamentary scrutiny, Gina Miller is on the ball. She's taken on the government twice about its failure to allow the legislature its say, first in Article 50 and more recently in the £1bn DUP deal. Now, as the Conservatives are being accused of a blatant 'power grab,' passing a motion that allows them to replace EU legislation without it being voted on or debated in parliament, we talk to Gina about what this means for the Brexit process and what can be done to prevent a government that is neither accountable to parliament nor to the people. Along the way, the self-proclaimed activist also shares her views on party infighting, Boris Johnson's latest antics and, on a more positive note, her advice on how anyone can stand up for the issues that matter to them and make their voice heard in politics. #Podcast #Brexit #BrexitPodcast #Referendum #EUReferendum #EU #UK #TimHeming #JenniferHahn #News #Politics #GinaMiller #DUP #parliament #government #powergrab #theresamay #borisjohnson #conservatives #tories #rise #activism

106: Gina Miller on government's 'power grab' to pass laws without parliament

We want to offer you some much needed clarity on Brexit by bringing in the most straight-talking experts from all fields, as well as normal people from all walks of life and from both sides of the issue, to document a snapshot of public opinion about this generation-defining issue.

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Brexit Podcast

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