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Top 5 at 5: Is UK Politics Fracturing?
45 mins·17:00, 11 May 2026
Top 5 at 5: Is UK Politics Fracturing?
45 mins
·
17:00, 11 May 2026
·
Recommended
Guest: Benjamin Barton, Head of School and Associate Professor at the School of Politics, History and International Relations, University of Nottingham Malaysia
Local elections in the UK happened last week, with some surprising twists: Nigel Farage's Reform UK surged to nearly 1,500 council seats, while Kier Starmer's Labour government suffered a historic collapse, and smaller parties made unprecedented gains. We discuss what this means for UK's broader political landscape, with Benjamin Barton. (Starts at 23:20)
• New trade federation in the making: The Registrar of Societies has temporarily dissolved the Malaysian Trades Union Congress over compliance failures, leading unions to form the Malaysian Federation of Trade Unions. We speak about this with its pro-tem secretary general, Gopal Krishnan Nadesan. (Starts at 18:18)
• Should the rich get fuel subsidies?: The government is currently discussing whether changes to our fuel subsidies should apply to the T20, T15, T10 or even T5 groups. We discuss whether this is a good idea, and how it might be implemented. (Starts at 13:15)
• Dangers to chewing betel quid: Experts from Universiti Malaya warn that chewing betel quid, a practice rooted in cultural tradition, carries severe oral health risks, including cancer and oral submucous fibrosis. We speak to Associate Professor Dr Nor Azlida Mohamad Nor and Dr Goh Yet Ching, both from the Faculty of Dentistry at University Malaya about the outreach programmes the faculty has organised to raise awareness. (Starts at 6:45)
• Vijay, the new Tamil Nadu chief minister: Tamil cinema icon Vijay has officially become the new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu after his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, pulled off a stunning upset in the recent state elections. We unpack why actor-politicians continue to resonate so strongly in Tamil Nadu. (Starts at 0:21)
Image Credit: Shutterstock
Presenter: Dashran Yohan, Sudais Ferhard
Producer: Sudais Ferhard, Dashran Yohan, Alia Zefri, Juliet Jacobs, Sneha Harikannan
vijaytamil nadufuel subsidiest20Budi95ron95oral hygienelabourconservative partykier starmernigel farage
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