British Thought Leaders

Billionaire Media Owner Jimmy Lai Is an Opponent the CCP Has Never Seen Before: Mark Clifford

NTD’s Lee Hall sits down with Mark Clifford, an author and the president of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation. Clifford talks about Hong Kong entrepreneur Jimmy Lai's incredible rise from rags to riches, becoming a billionaire media owner and Hong Kong's most famous dissident. Clifford explains why, despite having the means to escape, Lai did not seek to avoid his sentence as a political prisoner—and how he has now spent years in solitary confinement. Clifford says Britain can do more to rescue Lai and Hong Kong from the Chinese communist regime.

Officers Are Fed Up of 2-Tier Policing, Progressive Management Culture: Paul Birch

NTD’s Lee Hall sits down with Paul Birch, who recently retired after 24 years in the police force—including 16 in counterterrorism. Rank-and-file police officers don't believe in the "woke agenda," he says, but it's forced on them from above. Birch says that officers of all backgrounds know that two-tier policing exists and that many are frustrated by it. He believes that the establishment pushes public focus to the so-called far-right when the vast majority of counterterrorism work is Islamic extremism. Furthermore, he says that officers don't feel support from their seniors, leading to experienced officers leaving the force and an overall decline in policing standards.

For a More Peaceful, Compassionate Society, We Need to Change Ourselves: Barry and Margaret Mizen

NTD’s Lee Hall sits down with Barry and Margaret Mizen, whose son Jimmy Mizen was murdered in 2008. They talk about teaching forgiveness and positive change to young people, the problems caused by violence in our society and culture, and the role their faith has played in overcoming hardship.

IPP Is an International Embarrassment and Stain on Our Justice System: Richard Garside

NTD’s Lee Hall sits down with Richard Garside, director of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, to talk about imprisonment for public protection (IPP). The IPP sentence has seen thousands of people imprisoned for extra years after serving their sentence despite not committing any further offences. They have little chance of release, and even when they are released, they are often recalled to prison for the most minor of infractions. The IPP was introduced in 2003 by then Home Secretary David Blunkett, who calls it his greatest regret.

British Immigration System Doesn't Stop the Importation of Crime: Robert Bates

NTD’s Lee Hall sits down with Robert Bates, research director at the Centre for Migration Control, to talk about research recently published about the arrests of foreign nationals. The centre’s data show that foreign nationals are twice as likely as British citizens to be arrested and more than three times as likely to be arrested for sexual offences. Bates talks about the lack of immigration protocols to stop the importation of crime into Britain.

Africa's Massive Population Increase Will Change the World: Edward Paice

NTD’s Lee Hall sits down with Edward Paice, author and the director of the Africa Research Institute. Paice says that by 2050, 40 per cent of global births and 33 per cent of global workers will be African. These demographic shifts, coupled with the declining birth rates of the developed world, will see massive changes in the lives of everyone and force a rethinking of Africa’s place on the global stage.

We Are in the Fight of Our Lives Defending Free Speech in Britain: Ben Jones

NTD’s Lee Hall sits down with Ben Jones, director of case management at The Free Speech Union, to discuss what he sees as a relentless war against free speech in Britain. Jones talks about the connection between authoritarianism and multiculturalism, the importance of social media when it comes to free speech, and the freedom violations that are already in the pipeline for 2025.

China Can't Be Economically Successful While Business Leaders Keep Vanishing: Ian Williams

NTD’s Lee Hall sits down with veteran China journalist Ian Williams for the second half of their interview about the Chinese economy. Williams talks about China’s billionaires and why they keep disappearing, what we should learn from the Evergrande collapse, and how Chinese dissidents use humor to combat the Chinese Communist Party.

China Needs a New Economic Model That the CCP Cannot Deliver: Ian Williams

NTD’s Lee Hall sits down with veteran China journalist Ian Williams for the first half of their interview about China and its economy. Williams talks about the false financial figures the Chinese Communist Party presents to the world, Western companies moving their operations out of China, the Chinese criminal enclaves being set up in neighboring countries, and why China’s electric vehicles are a national security risk to the West.

Britain Needs to Get Back to Focusing on Things That Really Matter: Alan Miller

NTD’s Lee Hall sits down with Together Association co-founder Alan Miller to talk about challenges to our freedom, the importance of technological and entrepreneurial progress, and making Britain better.