LBC
UK talk-radio station owned by Global Group; covers London and national politics with phone-in format.
Last refreshed: 14 May 2026
Timeline for LBC
Mentioned in: Health Sec Streeting walks on Starmer
UK Local Elections 2026Mentioned in: Josh Simons quits Makerfield for Burnham
UK Local Elections 2026- Who owns LBC radio?
- LBC is owned by Global Group, which acquired it in 2014 and expanded it from a London-only licence to a national talk-radio station.Source: Global Group
- Is LBC politically biased?
- LBC carries a broad range of political voices in its presenter and phone-in format. It is commercially positioned as broadly centrist-liberal in its senior presenter line-up but has carried right-of-centre voices including Nigel Farage and Jacob Rees-Mogg.
Background
LBC (originally London Broadcasting Company) launched in 1973 as one of the UK's first independent radio licences, initially serving the London market with talk and news programming. It was acquired by the Global Group in 2014 and relaunched with a national digital simulcast, making its phone-in political format available across the UK. LBC's audience expanded substantially during the Brexit and COVID periods, when its extended political interview format and live phone-in debate attracted high political figures, including regular slots for Nigel Farage (2014-19 and subsequent appearances) and Keir Starmer. The station is commercially positioned as centrist-liberal in its senior presenter line-up but carries voices across the political spectrum. In the U#8 briefing, LBC was cited as the outlet that carried Wes Streeting's public interview confirming his departure from the cabinet.