Annie Thorpe

England

Head of Content at Moneymagpie

Freelance SEO Writer and Personal Finance Journalist at Freelance

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Articles

Gaza and Benefits: is Labour changing course?

2 weeks ago | crooked.com | Annie Thorpe

Reunited, Coco and Nish are finally back together in the studio to talk U turns, disability benefits, Brexit and… gimp masks? There’s a lot of politics to catch up on including some big shifts from the Labour government. First on Gaza – Keir Starmer and David Lammy changed tack with fierce criticism of the Israeli government. But critics argue that without an actual arms embargo talking tough with Israel is inadequate. So is it all too little, too late?
Pod Save an Island of Strangers

3 weeks ago | crooked.com | Annie Thorpe

Coco’s back! She’s both sleep and politics deprived, but Nish is ready to fill her in. The government’s shake-up of legal migration laws landed this week – but the news has been dominated by one question. Is Keir Starmer Enoch Powell incarnate? His speech warned that we ‘risk becoming an island of strangers, not a nation that walks together’ – a careless comment or a reaction to Reform gains?
The UK Supreme Court ruling and the fight for trans rights

1 month ago | crooked.com | Annie Thorpe

In the wake of the UK Supreme Court ruling that the legal definition of woman should be based on biological sex, Nish and Zoë speak to LGBTQ+ activist Ellen Jones, author of “Outrage: Why the fight for LGBTQ+ equality is not yet won and what we can do about it” about the implications for trans people.
Nish and Coco spill the tea: your questions answered

1 month ago | crooked.com | Annie Thorpe

As Parliament sits for Easter Recess, Nish and Coco dive into the PSUK mailbag to answer your burning questions. There’s the serious political questions – who are the real progressive party? How can we fight Reform? Should we all just leave the UK?? But there’s some curveballs, too – like what’s up with Bob Dylan’s instagram posting? Boxers or briefs? And most importantly… Has Nish Kumar ever eaten a pot noodle in the bath?
Trump’s Tariffs: are you feeling liberated?

1 month ago | crooked.com | Annie Thorpe

In This Episode UPDATE: 10/04/25: President Trump has planned to pause extended tariffs on most countries for 90 days, while pushing ahead on plans to implement a 104% tariff on Chinese goods. A flat 10% tariff remains in place. Trump’s tariffs continue to cause chaos in the stock markets and the threat of a recession looms. As Rachel Reeves put it in her Spring Statement – the world is changing before our eyes – but is it enough to see her back down on her precious fiscal rules?
Welfare cuts: are Labour copying Tory homework?

2 months ago | crooked.com | Annie Thorpe

After weeks of speculation, Liz Kendall has confirmed what benefits are to be axed in order to save £5 billion from the welfare bill – but at what cost for sick and disabled people? Keir Starmer says the rising benefit bill is “devastating for public finances” and has “wreaked a terrible human cost”. But many of his own Labour MPs have accused him of selling cuts as compassion and in the words of Clive Lewis “causing pain for millions”.
Welfare, Warehouses and Playlist Diplomacy

2 months ago | crooked.com | Annie Thorpe

We’ll start with the good news – Reform UK appears to be imploding. Nigel Farage has had a wildly public fallout with (now former) Reform MP Rupert Lowe, who was stripped of his whip and investigated by the police over alleged workplace bullying and “verbal threats” against the party chairman. As Reform flounders, the Government is busy making itself even more unpopular – if that’s possible – by trailing a series of public sector cuts ahead of the Spring Budget.
Keir Starmer - the unlikely leader of the free world?

Mar 6, 2025 | crooked.com | Annie Thorpe

A shouting match in the Oval Office probably should have been on everyone’s Trump 25 bingo card – but the extraordinary breakdown in relations between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy shocked the world. Keir Starmer rolled up his sleeves and spent the weekend in full-blown diplomacy mode – leading to Politico calling him the “unlikely leader of the free world”.
Dear Donald: Can Starmer Tame Trump? w/ Liberal Democrat Leader Sir Ed Davey

Feb 27, 2025 | crooked.com | Annie Thorpe

War – what is it good for? Absolutely nothing. But this week we found out that defending the UK from it is going to cost us a lot of money. And the losers will be the world’s poorest people – the money for Britain’s boosted defence budget will come from foreign aid. Sir Ed Davey – leader of the Lib Dems – tells Coco he has an alternative: bigger taxes on big tech (and some other ideas). And Coco goes a bit Yoko Ono, wondering how we give peace a chance.
Trump’s plan for “Peace” in Ukraine only pleases Putin + The Politics of Modern Love

Feb 20, 2025 | crooked.com | Annie Thorpe

As Europe looks on in disbelief, Donald Trump has been throwing his geopolitical weight around. A monumental meeting with Russia to discuss ending the war in Ukraine was held without Ukraine or Europe.Trump then branded Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator” and accused Ukraine of starting the conflict. Keir Starmer has said he is “ready and willing” to put UK troops on the ground in Ukraine. But is this the answer? And as shares in major arms manufacturers soar, who’s profiting?