Up next in 10
Labour's election ‘disaster', Palestine ‘hate marches’, and Farage’s crypto ties explained
May 4, 2026
This week, Lewis Goodall and LBC's Deputy Political Editor Aggie Chambre sat down and discussed: 0:00 - Local elections 05:00 - Labour leadership ramifications 10:23 - Zack Polanski 13:37 - Pro-Palestine marches 17:55 - Farage’s crypto ties The Transport Secretary has hit back at accusations made by Zack Polanski that she and the Prime Minister are using the fear of Jewish people to "threaten authoritarian restrictions on peaceful protests". The Green Party leader made the remarks amid the controversy over a post he shared about the Golders Green officers following the attack on Wednesday. Asked what her response would be to Polanski having accused her and the Prime Minister of "using the pain and fear of Jewish people to threaten further authoritarian restrictions on peaceful protest", Ms Alexander said: "I don't accept that". Speaking to LBC's Sunday with Lewis Goodall, she added: "I'm not going to take any lessons from a man who, within hours of that incident happening in Golders Green, was retweeting an uninformed commentator about the actions of the police." Listen to the full show on the all-new LBC App: https://app.af.lbc.co.uk/btnc/thenewlbcapp #lewisgoodall #politics #polanski #greens #farage #crypto #labour #starmer #LBC LBC is the home of live debate around news and current affairs in the UK. Join in the conversation and listen at https://www.lbc.co.uk/ Sign up to LBC’s weekly newsletter here: https://l-bc.co/signup
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0:00
Just get straight to it
0:00
It's a huge political week because we've got basically the biggest set of local elections, indeed national elections in Scotland and Wales, biggest democratic test
0:06
basically the size of the next general election. Oh, how happy Keir Starmer is
0:10
I think this has been the moment that we have been waiting for for months and months
0:14
Well, you and I have, but we're very unusual people. Sorry, it's not everybody been waiting for those crucial set of elections
0:20
14 more sleeps. To see just four more sleeps now. But to see whether or not Keir Starmer could survive
0:27
And I think this has been the moment that so many people in the Labour Party have been looking towards to see how bad the damage might be, whether or not they could get through it and whether or not they would need to replace Keir Starmer after this week
0:41
Just to remind people, essentially on Thursday, most of, though not all of, the voters in Great Britain, mainland UK, across the country will be able to vote either in English local elections, which are happening across the country, but also Scottish parliamentary elections and Welsh parliamentary elections for the devolved parliaments
1:00
and pretty much across the board, the Labour Party is expecting a bloodbath
1:06
both in terms of hemorrhaging support to the left, the Greens and Zach Polanski
1:09
but also potentially as well to the right and reform. Yeah, and that word bloodbath you use
1:15
that is being used by Labour figures. And it's so difficult always to disentangle
1:20
what's expectation management and what's realistic. But obviously on your show, you heard from a pollster from Rod Ford
1:27
who's a professor of politics at Manchester University. The great Rob Ford. The great Rob Ford. And this is what he said might happen
1:35
The level of loss that we are likely to see that the polling suggests and that most strategists are anticipating is, frankly, very much at the top end of the scale, if not off the scale in terms of past history
1:49
It's quite possible that records will be broken for the share of seats lost by Labour, for the number of seats lost by Labour
1:58
There will be councils falling in England that haven't been anything but Labour for 50 or 60 years or more
2:04
And, of course, in Wales, a country that has returned Labour MPs, Labour Senate members, Labour councillors, Labour everything for the best part of 100 years
2:15
All of the polling suggests Labour will come third. this is not midterm business as usual so i think my impression is you talk about expectation
2:24
management and it's absolutely true you know in all these sorts of things politicians speak to
2:28
people like you and me and they're always managing expectations either because they think they're
2:32
going to do well but they don't want everyone to think they're going to do exceptionally well so
2:37
when they actually do do well it looks like they've done well rather than badly or when they're doing
2:40
badly and they do a little bit better than everyone thought they can say well actually it wasn't a
2:44
complete disaster i don't know about you but i get the impression that actually it's not expectation management from Labour people
2:49
I think they genuinely have their head in their hands and are pretty terrified about what's to come
2:54
I think that's probably right. And I have to mention at this stage what happened the last time Labour went to the polls
3:00
which was in the Gorton and Denton by-election. And there was this absolutely extraordinary expectation management
3:05
where they basically kept saying, we're going to win it. I know. We're going to win it. No, lad, you've got it the wrong way around
3:09
And they came third. I know. And people afterwards, genuinely speaking of people with their heads in their hands, that happened
3:14
So I think you're right. I don't think it is just expectation management
3:18
I do think it is going to be, I mean, terrible for them. And obviously, Rob Ford is not trying to do any kind of expectation management
3:26
But I think then the question is, what on earth happens next? I think there are three places where I think the sort of pain is going to be felt very acutely
3:34
And if there is an impact on Starmer, I think it will be because of almost the kind of bereavement and grief that Labour sees from it
3:40
So I think Scotland, everyone kind of, they've kind of given up on for a while. that's been SNP-dominated for so long now
3:45
although they had hoped to come back not so long ago. And I think that's worth saying, right
3:49
It is worth saying, yeah. The reason that they won't win, lots of people think
3:53
if they don't win in Scotland, is because of what has happened in Westminster. Yeah, because they'd had a great general election result in Scotland
3:58
where they got lots of seats back across the central belt that had previously been lost to SNP. But I think they're so braced for that
4:04
that I don't think it will make a huge difference. And Anasarwa, of course, has already called for Starmer to go
4:08
their leader in Scotland, so he's already kind of fired that bullet. I think in Wales it will be, I think, a genuine sense of greed
4:14
in the sense that, you know, as Rob was saying there, Labour have been in office in Wales
4:20
ever since the then Welsh Assembly, now Welsh Parliament, was created in 1999
4:24
I mean, it's an extraordinary track record of Labour domination in Wales, one of the sort of places where the party
4:29
both literally but also kind of spiritually, was founded. And it looks like they're going to lead support to Placumry
4:34
who are going to overtake them and reform. And that's going to be pretty awful. And the other thing I'm really looking at is London
4:40
because these are like Labour's heartlands now, really. the London boroughs and the schools
4:44
dozens of Labour MPs that are now sitting in the capital, dominated there for the last 15 years
4:50
I think some of these boroughs, losses to the Greens in some of these places, could genuinely terrify Labour MPs
4:55
I think those three places, I don't know what you think, but I think those three places are the ones where, never mind stuff in reform and Northern England and everything like that
5:01
you add that into the mix as well, but those three places are things that all Labour MPs are going to be talking about this time next week
5:06
Yes, I think that's completely right, and I think also watching those figures and how they respond as well
5:10
You say Anna Sawa's already called for Keir Starmer to go. But I think watching what Leonard Morgan does in the hours after..
5:17
The Welsh First Minister. Welsh First Minister, if indeed that does happen and they do lose control
5:23
And also seeing what London Labour MPs do too. Because, as you say, this is just... It truly is unprecedented
5:30
Well, we had the Transport Secretary on this morning, Heidi Alexander, who's a close ally of Keir Starmer. This is what she had to say
5:36
Do you think the Prime Minister should stay in his job? I do think the Prime Minister should stay in his job because I don't think the country
5:43
would thank us if we turned inward on ourselves and became some sort of self-indulgent debating society
5:51
No matter how bad they are. You know, there are pockets of the world that feel like they're going to hell in a handcart
5:56
at the moment, Lewis. And I think the work that the Prime Minister is doing to try and get the Straits of Hormuz reopened which in normal times have 20 of the world oil and liquefied natural gas coming through it on vessels and oil tankers
6:10
is so important for people's life in the UK because it will have a direct impact upon energy bills this winter
6:18
prices at the petrol pumps, the cost of airline tickets, the cost of food in the supermarket
6:22
it. And, you know, I just feel asking the Prime Minister to in effect reapply for his job when he
6:30
is one of only two living people who has stood in a general election as leader of the Labour Party
6:38
and won. I think people who are countenancing this at the moment, they probably need to give
6:45
their heads a slight level. So you won't be one of those people who will be going to the Prime
6:49
minister was reportedly considering going to the prime minister and saying after the elections you need to set out a timetable no i won't be and the cabinet's totally united behind him i believe in
6:58
the conversations that i've had with cabinet members i believe they are what does giving your
7:02
head a slight wobble mean in this context i guess just sort of shaking it shaking it to get yourself
7:07
a little tremor yeah small tremor i did enjoy how she answered that last question as well lewis
7:11
where you said is the cabinet behind him so i believe and then was like oh no hang on from the
7:16
conversations I've had I believe so and wanted to correct which could mean she's just Billy
7:19
Nomader in the cabinet no one's asking her I mean look the three the three scenarios that you know
7:24
people have put to me over the course of the last few days about what happened this weekend
7:27
and they feel right I don't know you think they feel right one is um that the results are so bad
7:33
prime minister maybe tries to reshuffle his cabinet doesn't necessarily have the authority to reshuffle his cabinet because if you don't want to lose your job or move job you could just
7:42
turn around to the prime minister and say no you're too weak to actually tell me what to do
7:45
which also lest we forget happened in the last reshuffle as well
7:50
Ed Miliband basically said no thanks but no thanks to moving jobs and I think he's weaker now
7:54
than he was then way weaker then yeah now than then exactly and that
7:58
the results are so bad that there's a kind of delegation from enough cabinet ministers
8:02
who go to him and go you know Prime Minister we need a timetable you don't need to go right now but we do want a timetable
8:07
maybe up to the next party conference and that would allow Andy Burnham
8:10
time to get back into Parliament and I think that's the preferred schedule
8:14
or idea from allies of Burnham. Then there's a second idea, which is actually someone just goes for a challenge
8:19
and maybe a West Streeting or someone like that who doesn't really fancy the idea of giving Andy Burnham lots of time
8:24
to get back into Parliament might do that. And then third is that nothing happens
8:29
because the Labour Party is very good at talking itself into the idea of something happening
8:34
but then actually when it comes to it, doesn't have the bottle or the will or even the plan really to make it happen
8:40
I think, and I'm going to properly stick my neck out and things are never deleted on the internet
8:45
But I think the most likely scenario from the conversations I have had at the moment is option three, that there is a lot of sound, a lot of fury, but then nothing actually happens
8:56
The all do nothing option for the Labour Party. The all do nothing option. And I think the reason for that is because of those people that you've just mentioned
9:04
Wes Streeting, he's briefed people or his allies have briefed people that he's not going to challenge. He doesn't want to go first
9:10
Angela Rayne has done the same thing. She still hasn't paid her tax bill. Andy Burnham, who's the preferred option among so many Labour MPs and indeed among Labour members, does not have a seat
9:19
And yes, there's reporting around that maybe the NEC, the National Executive Committee, has changed its mind
9:24
Potentially, they would be up for granting him the ability to go for a seat
9:29
I was talking to people on the NEC who say the complete opposite. So it's really difficult still to see whether or not he would be able to have this route into Westminster
9:36
And again, the timing right now doesn't work for him. But I think to your point, I think the most likely reason that Keir Starmer is that he is challenged or people, many, many, many people calling for him to go without a plan is that exact point of that sort of grief and standing, sitting all night, overnight in that sort of local election in your council and watching your mates lose their seats and the effect that will have on people that maybe they don't even really see coming
10:05
Yeah, and it can become, and we've seen this with parties in the past when stuff like this happens, it becomes a sort of form of grief, bereavement
10:11
And people do things when they're grieving that they might not ordinarily do
10:16
So it does feel to me, it's almost how emotional the Labour Party feels over the course of the next few days
10:23
One thing is definitely certain, which is that these elections are going to bring home the idea that we have and realise the idea that we have this deeply fragmented multi-party system now
10:35
operating within first-past-the-post. It is really notable, and we've barely talked about them, in fact not talked about them at all here, but
10:41
it is really notable that normally when a governing party is hemorrhaging support
10:45
the main opposition party is the usual beneficiary of that problem. But not in this case. We're actually expecting the Conservatives
10:51
to lose seats, despite the fact that they've now been in opposition for nearly two years, to actually lose seats
10:55
and instead the main beneficiaries are going to be either in Scotland and Wales, Plaid and
10:59
the SNP, but in England, the Greens and reform. And no surprise
11:03
surprise therefore to see so much focus from the Labour Party on Zach Polanski, the leader of the
11:09
Greens, who they've been criticising for retweeting something which basically was criticising the Met
11:16
Police and their handling of the Golders Green knife attacks earlier this week. Something I put
11:21
to Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary. I think, I don't think he's exercising responsibility
11:27
in the position that he holds. I think what he said about the actions
11:32
of those two brave metropolitan police officers was pretty disgusting. He's rightly apologised
11:39
but I do think someone that is so quick to jump to their phone
11:43
to be retweeting that type of content is not really fit to be leading
11:47
a political party in this country. Well, so tweeting something stupid is disqualifying from leading a political party
11:53
but appointing a friend of one of the worst paedophiles of our age for the most prestigious diplomatic posts we have
11:58
That's not disqualifying. Well look we had weeks of discussion about Peter Mandelson and the Prime Minister has said he made a mistake and he apologised for that I never seen our Prime Minister criticise the Metropolitan Police
12:17
who were doing an incredibly brave job. You've only got to look at that video and the footage
12:22
of what was going on there. He just appointed someone who was a friend
12:27
of one of the worst pedophiles of our age, but that's not disqualifying. but retweeting something stupid, that is disqualifying
12:32
But based upon information where, you know, he and his staff weren't given full information
12:39
he was effectively lied to about the nature of the relationship between Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein
12:46
We've seen all of the problems that have emerged around, you know, the vetting process, who told him what he's had
12:53
The Prime Minister's basically had his character impugned because someone didn't tell him something
12:58
he has admitted and said that actually I did get this judgment wrong and it is on me
13:07
And Lewis, Zach Polanski has done an interview this morning too where he's actually criticised
13:13
Mark Rowley, Sir Mark Rowley who's the Metropolitan Police Chief and Sir Mark Rowley criticised
13:18
Zach Polanski for this and wrote a letter and Zach Polanski said that he doesn't think open
13:22
letters are an appropriate way to do politics either in a local election and he's going to have
13:27
a conversation with the commissioner. But of course, he has apologized. But he said the reason he's apologized
13:32
was because he accepts that social media wasn't the appropriate forum for that
13:37
Yeah, and look, this question of the marches, the pro-Palestine, anti-Israeli government action
13:45
in Gaza and Lebanon, they're continuing to dominate politics. Obviously, we had the appalling knifings
13:51
stabbings in Golders Green earlier in the week, anti-Semitism attacks on the rise throughout the UK
13:58
Lots of British Jews saying they feel really, really unsafe. And naturally, rightly, lots of political concern about it
14:03
But the question then becomes, is it right to ban these marches
14:07
which the Conservatives, among others, are calling hate marches? This is where the line should be drawn in terms of freedom of speech
14:16
and freedom of expression and the right not to be afraid by something that you find fearful
14:21
This is a point that I put to the Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Helen Waitley, from the Conservatives
14:25
and this has to be called out. It is not okay. They're truly, they're not just peaceful protests
14:31
They are truly hate marches calling for the end of Israel. You're saying that all the people on there are conducting hate
14:37
I think what you see, if you see those marches, that is what is going on
14:42
I've certainly seen pockets of that, but let's be clear. I mean, you're saying these marches should be banned. Yeah, and marches in their own right
14:48
are a process of radicalization being involved in them. Of course, I'm not talking about every single person
14:52
but you have to overrule that the thing that is happening here, And we have to say in our society, that's one of the things that can happen in a march
15:01
That is what is going on in our country. And we have to say, this is not all right
15:05
We are a tolerant society. We're not going to have this happening. We want to be a place where if you're Jewish, you know that you can live in safety
15:12
And that is not the case, not how people are feeling. So let's be clear. So you're saying that those marches should be banned, partly because they're marches, as you say, of radicalization
15:19
Would you be happy with, say, Tommy Robinson's marches, which included Elon Musk calling for the overthrow of our government
15:24
You're happy for that to go ahead? I don't believe that Tommy Robinson here is talking about wanting to get rid of Israel and eradicate the Jewish people
15:32
So that is a completely different thing. But at multiple demonstrations, not just his, but including Britain First rallies, for example
15:38
we've seen crowds chanting things like Allah is a paedophile, Muslim bombers off our streets
15:42
signs reading stop Islam, ban Islam, or framing Islam as inherently violent or incompatible with Britain
15:49
Lots of Muslims would see that and think that threatens me. should they be banned? So I want a tolerant society
15:54
and I want people to be able to, you know, freely protest and express their views
15:58
But what I don't want is a situation where we start tolerating events
16:04
which are basically calling for the eradication of the Jewish population. They're calling for Muslims to be left
16:10
to be deported from Britain. All right. Yeah, but I don't want to see much as where people
16:15
where Jewish people are basically under threat and it's seen as somehow acceptable
16:19
And that's completely fine. And I'm just wondering where the line is, because you're saying that that's a problem and lots of people will agree with you
16:25
But there'll be lots of Muslims who think that those things I've just described are also a problem, make them feel unsafe
16:30
But you're saying that's fine. I think if somebody's calling to death to all Muslims, I'd be against that, too
16:36
I'd treat the same things, treat those things equally. But that is not what I'm hearing
16:40
What I'm hearing is different things going on here. and as I said what is very clearly
16:44
wrong and what has gone wrong in this country is allowing marches which are essentially calling death
16:50
to Jewish people I mean you're saying that not everyone I mean you know not everyone clearly
16:56
at those marches for Gaza and Palestine would be racist clearly they wouldn't be but you're saying that some of
17:02
the people there are racist and are calling for violent appalling things
17:06
so on the basis of that logic you would ban Tommy Robinson's rally because some of the people
17:10
Not all the people are racist and calling for appalling things, but some people are
17:14
I've explained my position. It feels to me like we're going around and around in circles
17:20
Well, I think we did go around and around in circles, but I was trying to escape the circle and I'm not entirely sure that I managed it
17:27
I think we had the full 360 degrees. Would you not agree? I really would agree
17:32
Are we still in the circle? How meta, how existential. Sure. There's one other thing we should talk about, which I don't think has received nearly enough attention
17:39
Right. Which is this extraordinary set of stories that we're hearing about how Nigel Farage and reform are being funded
17:47
And I separate those things, two things deliberately, because the two things, though connected, we've now learned, are basically being funded by the same person
17:56
So we knew last year that this guy rather secretive figure Christopher Harbourn who is a Thailand he a British citizen but he a Thailand lives in Thailand And he has a Thai name He also curiously enough has a Thai name Yes he has a Thai name and owns a sort of wellness resort in Thailand among other things
18:17
He's also a crypto-billionaire. And we knew last year that he gave the single biggest donation in British political history to reform £9 million
18:28
Previously back the Conservative Party and the Brexit Party. He then, in the last quarter, gave another donation of three million
18:35
And just to put that into context, if we take all of the donations of 2025 to all of the political parties across Britain
18:41
they tot up to about, according to the Electoral Commission, about 65 million. So we're talking there of 12 million coming from one guy of the total 65 million to every party from one guy to one party
18:54
So enormous sum, enormous sums. And now The Guardian this week have revealed that this same man, Christopher Bourne, gave, gifted, unconditionally we're told, $5 million to Nigel Farage before he returned as an MP, or as elected I should say as an MP, in July 2024 for Farage says his private security
19:17
So total of 17 million and perhaps more to Farage, his party, from this one Thailand-based crypto billionaire
19:25
And to think, like, do you remember at the start of the Starmer government, we had huge political row for week after week after week about Starmer taking some free glasses or some free suits
19:35
That were declared. Which were declared. Or the chancellor going to some, getting some Sabrina Carpenter tickets
19:41
Now, we can argue all day long about whether we think that's OK and freebies and whatever. But this is of a different order of magnitude in terms of support from one person
19:48
Five million pounds is such an extraordinary amount of money. And Reform UK are very, very keen to say there was absolutely no link between Nigel Farage getting this money in early 2024 and deciding to re-enter frontline politics
20:03
And as you say, he says it was about security. I mean, this whole thing's meta, so we might as well say this too
20:09
But there's an absolutely extraordinary backstory, which you get into in your newsagents podcast on Friday, about The Guardian approaching Reform UK on the Monday morning, being passed around a couple of different people, being sent a legal letter
20:22
Threatening legal action, which is way too common these days from certain parties. And then on Wednesday morning, The Guardian held off publishing
20:29
They respected that legal letter and held off publishing, about to publish
20:33
And then in that time, Nigel Farage gave an interview to The Telegraph. With Christopher Harbourn
20:37
with Christopher Powerbomb where he revealed the five million pounds essentially sort of
20:42
scooping the Guardian. That's what we call spiking a story. Spiking a story
20:46
quite right. And also talked about the fact that it was for his security and talked about
20:50
this awful incident where he was, his house was firebombed. And of course
20:55
you know, we should say MP security is a massive, massive issue. And we know all too well
21:00
what can happen. But that happens, of course, after this donation was given
21:05
quite some time afterwards. And I just think that The way Reform UK have handled this story is worth commenting on
21:12
And the relative, as I say, lack of attention about it, when you consider the scale of the money, the amount of money involved and the fact that it's from one person and the fact that and both parties stress this has not changed party policy
21:24
It's unconditional. He's not asking for anything. But it should be noted that Reform almost certainly have the most pro crypto policies of any of the major political parties
21:35
This is a party which we're told repeatedly is heading for Downing Street, Farage potentially as prime minister
21:42
And at the same time, apparently financially dependent both personally and party politically on this foreign based crypto billionaire
21:50
And we hear barely a thing about it almost anywhere by comparison to, as I say, Freebygate before
21:57
We did. I mean, we did ask to speak to someone from reform about this. Extraordinarily enough, they weren't particularly keen to appear this morning to talk about this or indeed anything else
22:04
And Nigel Farage was supposed to do an alternative program, about which we do not talk
22:10
And pulled out. Yes. Funny that. Anyway, we did speak to one of the journalists who's been working on the story
22:14
This is Tom Burgess, who is from The Guardian. I did call up Gawain Towler, who's I'm sure, you know, and many of your listeners will know
22:23
he's been a sort of communications chief for a long time for Nigel Farage
22:27
And I said, well, where did Nigel Farage's enthusiasm for crypto begin
22:32
And Towler, he took it back to early 2019, those crucial months heading into those European elections that year when we still didn't know if leave or remain would triumph
22:43
And that's when Chris Harbourn arrived on the scene. The Brexit party was brand new
22:47
It was a shambles. In goes the beginning of Harbourn's donations, which will grow and grow and grow and grow into many millions
22:54
And yeah, there is no quid pro quo that anyone has ever identified of Harbourn saying to Farage
23:00
I'll give you this money if you back crypto. But you can see Farage becoming a huge crypto
23:06
enthusiast and specifically for a cryptocurrency called Tether, which is an enormous cryptocurrency
23:13
There are nearly $200 billion worth of these digital tokens around. And Farage lately has been
23:19
very energetically supporting this. He's been on LBC championing it. We do have statements from Reform UK too, and they have said the money was given as an unconditional gift to Nigel Farage
23:35
There we go. Well, it's going to be a great week or an interesting week or exciting week
23:40
It's going to be an amazing week. All of those things. And you will be able to, the most important thing for the show, of course, to announce is that you'll be able to see a special election night programme on LBC
23:48
both watch it and listen to it perhaps both simultaneously in stereo
23:52
from 10pm presented by me throughout the night for all of the first results
23:56
that are coming in doubtless doubtless we will see your wonderful visage
23:59
I hope so your shining gaze guiding us throughout so you'll be able to do that
24:04
and lots of coverage as well on the day after on LBC so remember join us from Thursday
24:08
and again next Sunday from 10
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