Rochdale row tests Starmer’s leadership, plus the woman who helped take down Weinstein
A week that was supposed to bring more woe for Rishi Sunak has turned into arguably the biggest test of Keir Starmer’s leadership. Labour has had to suspend two of its parliamentary candidates for making comments about Israel. For Starmer, who’s staked his reputation on ridding Labour of anti-semitism, it’s been hugely embarrassing. Nish and Coco reflect on the farcical situation in Rochdale, where Azhar Ali will appear as a Labour candidate on the by-election ballot in a couple of weeks, despite the party having removed its support for him. With the Horizon Post Office scandal having put the use of non-disclosure agreements back in the spotlight, we hear from a woman who has made it her mission to stop NDAs being used to silence victims. Zelda Perkins, a former assistant to Harvey Weinstein, tells Nish and Coco about the traumatic experience of signing her NDA, which she likens to “legal waterboarding”, and why she chose to break it to help expose the film producer’s crimes. On an optimistic note, she reveals how politicians from across the political divide are helping her to achieve change.