Britain's Mystery Prime Minister & The Odyssey Controversy | 7.21.26

Summary

Morning Wire Podcast Summary

Episode: Britain’s Mystery Prime Minister & The Odyssey Controversy
Date: July 21, 2026
Hosts: John Bickley & Georgia Howe

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Episode Overview

This episode of the Morning Wire delves into three major topics:

1. The ongoing escalation of US strikes against Iran and the lack of clear resolution or international reporting on the regional dynamics.
2. The rise of the UK’s new “mystery” Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, after Keir Starmer’s collapse, and the uncertainty and media narratives around his leadership.
3. The record-breaking debut and ensuing cultural debate over Christopher Nolan’s film adaptation of the Odyssey, particularly regarding accusations of “wokeness” and the responses from both audiences and conservative commentators.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. US-Iran Conflict Escalates

• US Strikes Continue:
  The US has launched sustained strikes on Iran, now on their tenth consecutive day, with the intent to degrade Iran’s attacks on commercial shipping (02:19).
• Shift in Targeting:
  General Mark Kemet explains that attacks have moved from purely military targets toward “dual use” infrastructure such as bridges, implying potential escalation (02:47).

  “We’re starting to go against dual use targets... I think we’ll see a ramping up of that and may even go further than just dual use. But then one wonders if that’s really going to make the difference.”
  – Gen. Mark Kemet (03:18)

• Underreported Angles:
  Gen. Kemet points out there’s virtually no coverage of the attitudes and calculations of Gulf countries—whether they’ll pressure the US to leave, or consider forming a coalition to oppose Iran (03:57).

  “I’d like to see journalists dig into that.”
  – Gen. Mark Kemet (04:30)

• Allies’ Position:
  The Gulf states' reactions to Iranian attacks on their infrastructure may determine if they acquiesce to Iranian demands or bolster support for offensive operations alongside the US (04:51).

  “They’ve got a lot of offensive capabilities... They haven’t done it so far... But again, I don’t think that’s sustainable in the long run.”
  – Gen. Mark Kemet (05:42)

• Collaboration with Allies:
  Indications are that the US is already pressing regional allies to take more active roles, even if reporting is limited (06:17).

Important Segment

• US-Iran escalation & Gulf states' role: [02:19–06:42]

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2. UK’s New “Mystery” Prime Minister: Andy Burnham

• Political Upheaval:
  After scandals and a loss of faith in Keir Starmer, Andy Burnham was installed as PM without first being an MP, raising questions about his mandate (09:01).

  “He hasn’t stood in a general election. He's taking over the mantle... and he’s now living in 10 Downing Street.”
  – Bev Turner (09:41)

• Media Narrative:
  Burnham is portrayed in the media as a savior figure—the “Messiah” and “King of the North”—despite his policy ambiguity (10:01).
  • Personal background: State-educated, working class roots, but Cambridge graduate.
  • Burnham is affable, self-effacing, and presents well on social media (10:20).

  “My fear... is that he’s a wolf in sheep's clothing. He can get things through because he’s a really nice guy.”
  – Bev Turner (10:48)

• First Policy Focus:
  Surprisingly, Burnham chose rough sleeping/homelessness as his first big issue, with general promises to address cost of living (11:36).
  • Little is known about his stance on more contentious issues.
• Immigration & International Relations:
  Burnham remains vague on immigration, a divisive issue in the UK.

  “He said nothing, John, and that's the key. The big issues he's just avoiding.”
  – Bev Turner (12:17)

  • Acknowledgement that Labour misjudged sentiment on Gaza; unclear approach to relations with Trump (12:57).
• Relationship with Trump:
  No significant rapport or prior relationship established. Trump’s reaction:

  “I don’t really know anything about him. He's a mayor of a town somewhere, I think, isn’t he? But...he's very liberal—and he is.”
  – Recapped by Bev Turner (13:27)

Important Segment

• Burnham’s rise, character, and challenges: [08:30–13:51]

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3. Christopher Nolan’s “Odyssey”: Box Office & Culture War

• Epic Debut:
  Nolan’s “Odyssey” scores a record-shattering $125 million North America, $140 million international opening, overcoming skepticism about its length, R rating, and classical source material (14:19).

  “It did this despite the fact that it was facing several potential obstacles...not as easy of a sell as something like the Avengers.”
  – Megan Basham (14:38)

• Casting Controversy:
  Backlash focused on Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy and Elliot (formerly Ellen) Page as the male Greek warrior Sinon—fueling pre-release debates about “wokeness” (15:36).
• Critical & Audience Reactions:
  Despite concerns, critical and audience reviews are strong. Even some high-profile conservatives praised the film beyond its controversial casting.
  • Ben Shapiro noted there are flaws, but ultimately called it a “masterpiece” (16:31).

    “The movie is a masterpiece. It is.”
    – Gen. Mark Kemet recapping conservative sentiment (16:34)

  • Chris Ruffo argued the film isn't “woke” but embodies a kind of “therapeutic boomer liberalism” (16:36).
• Nolan's Approach:
  Nolan has altogether avoided engaging with the culture war; his comments focus on the universal and timeless nature of the Odyssey (17:00).

  "You know, it touches on timeless things, universal truths... each generation can find its relevance."
  – Christopher Nolan, quoted by John Bickley (17:22)

• Canonical Stewardship:
  Megan Basham suggests Nolan is positioning himself as a steward of the Western canon, with conservatives embracing his non-ideological approach (17:49).

Important Segment

• The Odyssey’s success & debates: [13:54–18:16]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Gulf States’ Positioning:
  "I’d like to see journalists dig into that."
  -- Gen. Mark Kemet (04:30)
• On Burnham's Uncertain Mandate:
  “If you look at what the mainstream media are saying, John, you would think the Messiah has risen and he's going to save us all.”
  -- Bev Turner (09:51)
• On Addressing 'Wokeness':
  “But overall, the movie is... a masterpiece. It is."
  -- Gen. Mark Kemet (on conservative reaction to Nolan’s Odyssey, 16:34)
• On Nolan’s Strategy:
  “Rather than rebuking conservatives for having some of these complaints... he has really just said nothing. And he said, I’m going to let this film stand on its own merits.”
  -- Megan Basham (17:00)

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• US-Iran Escalation & Gulf States — [02:19–06:42]
• Britain’s Mystery PM, Andy Burnham — [08:30–13:51]
• Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey & Culture War — [13:54–18:16]

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Tone and Takeaways

The episode maintains a skeptical yet pragmatic tone, emphasizing the lack of mainstream reporting on complex international and political developments, and the tendency of both media and the public to embrace or vilify personalities in a climate of uncertainty. The discussion of The Odyssey film underscores the volatile intersection of culture, art, and politics, with nuanced responses challenging binary culture war narratives.

For listeners who missed the episode:

• The latest developments in the Gulf highlight the fragility of US regional influence and underappreciated complexities in allied relationships.
• The UK’s new Prime Minister may be a media darling but is untested, with pressing questions about his true politics, mandate, and potential relationship with the Trump administration.
• Nolan’s Odyssey proves that audiences can still rally behind epic stories, even as debates over representation and canon continue—the film’s success points to a possible path forward that bridges cultural divides rather than inflames them.

Transcript

[Georgia Howe]

The escalation of US Strikes on Iran are pushing the conflict to another breaking point.

[John Bickley]

What role are US Allies in the region prepared to play and how far will the US have to go to force Iran's hand?

[General Mark Kemet]

They may go after the islands, but certainly I do not see either in terms of a willingness nor fielded capacity to conduct a ground invasion.

[Georgia Howe]

I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Executive Editor John Bickley. It's Tuesday, July 21st, and this is Morning Wire.

[John Bickley]

The UK officially has a new prime minister. What do we know about the new PM and will he help or hurt the UK's relationship with Trump?

[Bev Turner]

We have to wait and see what he does policy wise because there are a lot of issues that he just isn't talking about.

[Georgia Howe]

And the official box office numbers are in for Christopher Nolan's blockbuster film the Odyssey. What proved essential to its success? And will Hollywood learn the right, right or wrong lessons from its epic haul?

[John Bickley]

Thanks for waking up with MORNING wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.

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[Georgia Howe]

a new round of strikes against Iran yesterday at President Trump's direction, with the goal of degrading Iran's ability to attack commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. This marks the tenth consecutive day of US Strikes against Iran.

[John Bickley]

Joining us now to discuss is General Mark Kemet, former assistant secretary of State for Political military affairs under George W. Bush. General Kimmitt, thank you so much for coming on, sir. Mike so first, where do things stand with the conflict between the US And Iran today?

[General Mark Kemet]

Well, I think, frankly, we're sort of at a status quo with the fighting going back and forth somewhat tit for tat. I think this can't go on for any length of time. There seems to be a necessity for some kind of breakpoint in one way or the other to this conflict. I think we might see our bombing campaign take on different tactics than we've seen up to this point. We've gone after primarily military targets up to this point. We're starting to go against dual use targets like infrastructure bridges that can be used by the military but also are used by the civilian population as well. I think we'll see a ramping up of that and may even go further than just dual use. But then one wonders if that's really going to make the difference. It's going to take a lot more punishment from the air, in my mind, before they're willing to truly negotiate.

[John Bickley]

What do you think is an aspect of this conflict that is being either underreported or maybe even misreported by the press at this point?

[General Mark Kemet]

That's a very good question. I don't think we really have a good grip on either the government or the public opinion of the Gulf countries. Where do they stand in this? Are they at this point considering saying, look, the only way to end this is by asking the Americans to leave, closing off the status of force agreement? Or is there a chance that these countries are actually considering building a coalition to participate in operations against the Iranians? I don't think that that has been underreported. I just don't think that those conversations have been reported at all. I'd like to see journalists dig into that.

[John Bickley]

Adding to that, how much will our allies in the region potentially prove the key if we really have to change the nature of the conflict to come to some sort of resolution?

[General Mark Kemet]

Look, I think the Iranians are counting on the Gulf countries, their Gulf neighbors, to be forced into acquiescing to the demands of the Iranians because of the attacks the Iranians are making on Gulf country infrastructure, the US Military bases that are in the region. I mean, for goodness sakes, the Iranians are attacking the desalination plants of these countries. So the question is, do those countries see that as a reason to acquiesce to the demands of the Iranians and take actions such as closing down the American bases? There or is that stiffening their spines and causing them to consider, either through the Gulf Cooperation Council or in discussions with the Americans to use their billions and billions of US Dollars of US equipment that they purchased and put it to offensive operations rather than simply defensive. They got very, very high technology aircraft. They have himars. They have, they've got a lot of offensive capabilities that they could bring into the fight. They haven't done it so far. They feel the best way to support their country is to support the United States and keep their heads down. But again, I don't think that's sustainable in the long run.

[John Bickley]

Yeah. Any sign that the US Is going to ask them to actually take some action?

[General Mark Kemet]

Oh, I think that's been done behind the scenes considerably. And that's one of those areas I'd like to see the journalists start reporting on.

[John Bickley]

We will see how the Trump administration handles this very difficult situation. Thank you so much for joining us.

[General Mark Kemet]

Thanks for having me.

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[Georgia Howe]

after the collapse in support for Keir Starmer, the UK now has a new Prime Minister and all eyes are watching how he'll affect the relationship with the us.

[John Bickley]

Joining us to discuss is Bev Turner, host of GB News the Late Show Live. Bev, great to see you.

[Bev Turner]

Thanks for having me.

[John Bickley]

All right, so you guys have yourself a new Prime Minister. After a bunch of scandal and backlash against Starmer, Andy Burnham was formally appointed on Monday. First big picture, what do we need to know about Burnham and is there optimism about him being the new Prime Minister?

[Bev Turner]

Well, if you know anything, guys, I'd like you to tell me, because we don't actually know what we're gonna get here. With our new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham parachute into number 10. He wasn't an MP. Starmer was under so much pressure, he'd lost the faith of the public. And then he lost the faith of his cabinet and his team and they started resigning. Eventually the Labour Party said, you have to go. He didn't go. He stayed there. He waited for a by election in a little town called Makerfield, little area in the northwest of England. Andy Burnham left being Manchester Mayor, went a few miles across town, stood in that seat, became elected by about 25,000 people and therefore effectively becomes our Prime Minister sort of overnight. So he hasn't stood in a general election. He's taking over the mantle of the Labour Party, a very socialist party running the UK, and he's now living in 10 Downing Street. If you look at what the mainstream media are saying, John, you would think the Messiah has risen and he's going to save us all.

[John Bickley]

Yeah, I've literally seen the word messiah and the King of the North. I've also seen this as him referred to as. So there's not a lot we know politically about it. Something about him obviously was appealing, though, to the party. What do you think it is? Why? Why was he appointed in so rapidly?

[Bev Turner]

Andy is a lovely man. I've met him on many occasions. I've known him over the years. He is so normal. He's down to earth. He went to Cambridge University, but he's a state educated boy from a very normal kind of lower working class family. He's got a proper northern accent, a bit like mine used to be before I moved to London and went a bit posh. But he sounds very Mancunian. He doesn' sound like a Prime Minister. Now that slightly worries me because I think he's a better salesman than Keir Starmer. And there are a lot of controversial issues happening in the UK at the moment. And my fear, and those of us who might see ourselves as small c Conservative voters see him as a wolf in sheep's clothing. He can get things through because he's a really nice guy. His social media is completely different to Starmer. He's doing all these little TikTok videos. He's very self effacing, he's very self deprecating, he's very humble. That is how he appears. But we have to wait and see what he does policy wise because there are a lot of issues that he just isn't talking about. He's talking about all the easy stuff right now.

[John Bickley]

Now, his first big speech, as I understand it, was just really shredding Margaret Thatcher. Is that correct? Does that tell us anything about maybe his intentions?

[Bev Turner]

Yeah, we know that he is a socialist, but we just not quite sure where he's going to sit on that side spectrum at the moment. He's very much talking about cleaning up rough's sleeping. Interestingly, nobody really saw that coming, as is one of his first policy ambitions, it remains to be seen, but he's certainly talking about the cost of living, bringing down prices for people.

[John Bickley]

All right, so some focus on homelessness. Immigration has obviously been a massive issue in the UK and that's something we've talked to you repeatedly about. Protests in both directions about immigration. Any sense at all about his position on immigration and the Labor Party in general? Have they changed at all?

[Bev Turner]

He said nothing, John, and that's the key. The big issues he's just avoiding and that is a key one for us. He's done some very soft interviews. Illegal migration, particularly, as we've discussed, is a huge issue. Does he have a solution for that? How hard is he going to be on that? My suspicion is not very hard at all. And as we talked about before, where does he sit on the thorny issue of Islamism in the UK and the potentially pernicious influence of Islamic terrorism and jihadis living amongst us in the uk? We know that the Muslim voters are very important to Labour. One of the first statements he made was how he thinks that we. That the Labour Party got it wrong on Gaza and that they should have been much more critical of Trump and critical of Netanyahu about Gaza. So that tells us a little bit about how he feels. He also was asked about how he's going to handle President Trump and he said, I'm just going to kind of meet him where he is. I don't know what that means. We understand they've had a phone call, actually, and I've already texted the president to say, would you like to have a conversation with me about what you and Andy Burnham talked about? So let's see if he gets back to me because it would be interesting to know. I got the first line out of the president about who Andy Burnham was when, before he'd been parachuted in. And the president said, I don't really know anything about him. He's a mayor of a town somewhere, I think, isn't he? But he said, I know he's very liberal and he is.

[John Bickley]

Well, that relationship's gonna be so crucial as it was for Starmer. Part of the reason Starmer, I think, was ultimately dethroned. We'll see how that relationship with Trump progresses over the coming months. Thanks so much for coming on.

[Bev Turner]

Pleasure.

[John Bickley]

Christopher Nolan's epic adaptation of the Odyssey exploded onto the global box office this weekend. It's earning rave reviews with both audiences and critics, but the film continues to spark fierce debate on the political right.

[Georgia Howe]

Daily Wire Culture reporter Megan Basham is here now with more. So, Megan, you've been tracking this film's massive opening and the cultural firestorm surrounding it. Can you just walk us through the numbers? First, how big was this debut?

[Megan Basham]

Yeah, it was very, very big. It is now officially Christopher Nolan's biggest global debut ever. And, you know, he's no slouch. He's been known to convince a few people to come out to theaters in the past with movies like the Dark Knight, Oppenheimer, some other major releases. And so the Odyssey opened with an estimated 125 million in North America and another 140 million overseas. And that well exceeded forecasts that had placed its domestic opening around 100 million. And it did this despite the fact that it was facing several potential obstacles. So the movie is three hours long, it carries an R rating, and it's based on a roughly, you know, 28-800-year-old Greek poem that most Americans. Americans have probably not even glanced at since, like, high school. So, you know, all that to say, not as easy of a sell as something like the Avengers. And this was only opening weekend and it's already earned back pretty much all of its production budget. So I think that settles the question of whether or not this film was going to be a success.

[Georgia Howe]

There was a lot of pre release backlash over the casting specifically, but now the film is earning such strong audience and critical reviews and even some high profile conservatives are praising it. So with, does this mean that the concerns about Wokeness were just totally, totally unfounded?

[Megan Basham]

I think it's more a question of whether or not the stronger elements of the film outweigh some of those concerns that were, you know, termed wokeness by a lot of these conservative commentators. So before the film's release, controversy especially centered on casting, particularly Lupita Nyong' o as Helen of Troy, and also Elliot, formerly Ellen Page, as Sinon, a Greek male warrior, because of course, Elliot Page is a biological woman. But I think now that the film is out, conservatives are still saying that, yes, some of those casting issues are still a concern. They were still a little bit irritating in the film. But it doesn't mean that Nolan has gone woke. And in fact, that was what the Daily Wire's own Ben Shapiro said on his show. And that made a lot of headlines among some of the Hollywood trade papers like Variety.

[General Mark Kemet]

There are certain flaws in the movie that feel enormous. Truly, to the viewer, they feel big.

[Megan Basham]

But overall, the movie is.

[John Bickley]

Nolan's great at what he does.

[General Mark Kemet]

I mean, the movie is a masterpiece. It is.

[Megan Basham]

Other conservatives kind of echoed Shapiro there. Chris Ruffo, for instance, put it this way. He said the film wasn't woke, but rather it was built on a therapeutic boomer liberalism that was in constant tension with the source material. And that seems to me like a pretty accurate summary of what Shapiro and some of these other conservative commentators are saying.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, what has Nolan said? Has he responded to this controversy at all?

[Megan Basham]

He has not. And I actually think that Christopher Nolan has played this very, very smart. Rather than rebuking conservatives for having some of these complaints or for turning around and denying that he was trying to have a representative cast, he has really just said nothing. And he said, I'm going to let this film stand on its own merits. I think that was very smart. And here's what he said to Fox about that.

[John Bickley]

You know, it touches on timeless things, universal truths and everything. And so I think it's fascinated cultures for 3,000 years because each generation can find its relevance. And so, yeah, bringing it to a modern cinema audience, certainly we try to make it accessible you know, hopefully to young people, people of all ages, really. I mean, it's just one of the great adventure stories, one of the great tales.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

And so in this way, I really

[Megan Basham]

do think that Nolan has been positioning himself as a caretaker of the Western canon and reintroducing it to new generations. And I think that's something that a lot of conservatives can understandably embrace.

[Georgia Howe]

Well, I, for one, really enjoyed it. John. Not so much.

[John Bickley]

I do have some notes, and if

[Georgia Howe]

you're interested in our opinions, we actually have a video out on behind the Wire all about that. Megan, I wish you were part of that conversation.

[Megan Basham]

Me, too. I'm gonna watch it right after this.

[Georgia Howe]

All right. Thanks a lot.

[John Bickley]

Thanks, Megan.

[Megan Basham]

My pleasure.

[Georgia Howe]

Thanks for waking up with us. The reporting that fuels this show is only possible because you tune in every day and because of our Daily Wire subscribers.

[John Bickley]

To enjoy the show ad free and join our mission, become a [e-mail] we'll be back this evening with more news you need to know.