
The News Agents
1,150 episodes — Page 20 of 23

Sunak v Johnson: it's war
How should an incumbent handle their big beast predecessor? Rishi Sunak discovered the satisfaction of a drive by shooting - accusing Boris Johnson of asking him to break the rules. Later on in the day, Johnson told LBC that Sunak's claims were "rubbish".In Scotland, Humza Yousaf has meanwhile refused to suspend his SNP mentor Nicola Sturgeon - arrested and released without charge over the weekend. What does this behaviour tell us about the way the parties are handing scandal in their midst?We talk to Lord Nicholas Soames - grandchild of Churchill about the man who thought he was Churchill. And to Douglas Ross - Tory Leader in Scotland. We hear from Jon on his way to Miami and reflect on the partygate grandfather of them all - Silvio Berlusconi who has died.

EMERGENCY EPISODE: Boris Johnson Quits Parliament
Boris Johnson quits as an MP after being handed the findings of the Privileges Committee report into whether he knowingly misled parliament.In this emergency episode, Lewis (yes, him again), Emily and Jon pick apart this extraordinary day in UK politics.

Labour's disappearing £28bn... and Nadine resigns
Boris Johnson's long-awaited resignation honours list has been published. It means some of his closest aides throughout the partygate scandal will sit in the House of Lords for life, and his list also honours former cabinet ministers Jacob Rees-Mogg and Priti Patel.Just minutes before the list came out, Nadine Dorries - the former culture secretary and a close ally of Boris Johnson - quit as an MP with immediate effect, triggering a by-election in her Mid-Bedfordshire seat, hours after she said on TV that she didn't want that...And the Labour party are also causing a stir after watering down their flagship pledge to spend £28 billion a year on green technology. The policy was supposed to power Britain’s next industrial revolution. But now Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves has rowed back the plans - blaming the Conservative party for “crashing the economy”. Lewis asks what it means for Labour, as they aim for election victory.

Lords, Ladies, and Boris Johnson's honour
ERishi Sunak has reportedly waved through Boris Johnson's controversial and much-talked about honours list. Why? And what does this mean at the slightly grubbier end of British politics.Caroline Lucas is to step down from Parliament after 13 years of flying the Green Party flag. Is the beginning of a rebirth in left-wing politics, or is it more like the beginning of the end?And how does the newspaper industry cover Prince Harry when they’re part of the trial?

Saudi Arabia: The Golf State?
Golf as we know it has just been sold, kind of wholesale, to Saudi Arabia. The gulf state is acquiring lots of high end sports brands right now. And it's using sportswashing to reposition itself as a diplomat on the world stage. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has run into trouble with the unions by promising an end to new oil fields in the North Sea. He wants his own Inflation Reduction Act creating green jobs for the future. But can we afford it? And UFOs are no longer the stuff of conspiracy nutters - Congress has now promised protection to whistleblowers who will come forward to tell us what alien aeriel sightings they've spotted in our skies. Why is this happening now?

Prince Harry takes the stand
Prince Harry has blamed the tabloid press for the rift with his brother, the break up of former relationships and what he describes as a narrowing circle of friends. The Mirror - who he's suing today at the High Court - say he's been through a lot but technically it wasn't their hacking... So who is going to win this one? And as Mike Pence - Trump's former Vice President - enters the race to be President of the USA, we talk to a man who thinks neither will make it to the final round. Anthony Scaramucci was Trump's comms director for ten and a half days. He's full of the gossip of the biggest race in town.

Why did Rishi Sunak donate $3m to a private school in California?
EMPs are allowed to donate however much they wish of their private money to whomever they chose. In 2018, as per The Mirror, when Rishi Sunak was just an MP - the family donated more than 3 million dollars to a private tech college in California - previously attended by his wife.Fast forward to 2023 where a primary school in his constituency has spent nearly a year fundraising to find 10k to buy school kids computers. We talk to a mum who's been at the coalface of the bake sales and is wondering why she had to work so hard to drum up a fraction of Sunak's donation. We also look at the narratives -loud and soft - coming out of Ukraine and ask if the military counter-offensive is finally underway.

Why is Rishi Sunak taking the Covid inquiry to court?
The government has taken the Covid inquiry, that it set up and poured so much public and private faith in, to court. What the f•••?!We try to make sense of this with Lara Spirit of The TimesAnd.. is the mortgage market fast becoming a serious economic crisis in the UK?

What's up with Boris Johnson's WhatsApps?
Boris Johnson has, finally, and perhaps reluctantly, handed over a ton of WhatsApp messages between him and others while he was PM at the height of the Covid pandemic. But what will the Cabinet Office do with him, and what does this mean for Johnson, Sunak and the Conservative Party?And, we talk to a spokesperson and member of Just Stop Oil. When do the ends justify the means when it comes to civil disobedience? Are they now crossing a line?

Keir Starmer: born again Brexiteer?
Keir Starmer's column on Wednesday morning in right-wing tabloid newspaper The Express is another step in the Labour leader's transformation from all guns blazing Remainer to born again Brexiteer. But he's not the first Labour leader to turn to the right-leaning press to prove his prime ministerial credentials as the next general election draws ever closer.What does this mean for Labour and where does this leave Britain's place in the world, and its relationship with Europe if Labour are the next government in power? And what on earth is 'Securonomics' - the new economic model Starmer's potential Chancellor Rachel Reeves launched in Washington DC last week that will seek to boost post-Brexit Britain.Plus - the curious case of Joe Biden's former advisor fleeing to Moscow to seek 'safety' and citizenship. Hmm.

The Phillip Schofield scandal and the future of ITV
EIt started with a tabloid story that a male and female presenter on daytime TV were no longer getting on. Big deal. It was accompanied by darker rumours about Philip Schofield, a fixture on television for decades. And then the wisps of smoke on a hillside became a full scale wildfire, tearing through ITV. His relationship with a much younger man have now turned this into a daytime chat show into peak time drama, and questions are now growing for ITV senior management.An ITV statement on Saturday responded to allegations that ITV ignored any potential relationship Schofield had at ITV.“ITV can confirm that when rumours of a relationship between Phillip Schofield and an employee of ITV first began to circulate in early 2020 ITV investigated. "Both parties were questioned and both categorically and repeatedly denied the rumours as did Phillip's then agency YMU."Phillip’s statement [a few days ago] reveals that he lied to people at ITV… over this relationship."

Sadiq Khan on Boris, Brexit and his PTSD
London Mayor Sadiq Khan joins Lewis Goodall on The News Agents in a wide-ranging interview shedding light on working with Boris Johnson, Theresa May and Rishi Sunak. He also talks about his PTSD after getting death threats and his new book, Breathe: Tackling the Climate Emergency.

Elon Musk and the man who wants to take on Trump
We'll be looking at sex, lies and Downing Street later in this episode with a writer who worked in Number10 - and we'll be asking if politicians REALLY want an honest conversation about Immigration - but we begin with the newest launch failure by Elon Musk. This one involved not a rocket but a presidential candidate - who thinks he can beat Donald Trump. If that was ever true, it feels much more unlikely today after the campaign launch went up in flames.

Partygate: Boris Johnson breaks the rules (again)
EDoes it matter if Boris Johnson broke more Covid rules by inviting guests to his country home, Chequers, when the rest of the country was in lockdown? His former advisor Guto Harri says it's time to get over it. There are more important things to discuss. But we're not so sure the country is quite so ready to forgive and move on. What does it say about the country in which we live, if rules no longer count and if the civil servants who report wrongdoing are threatened with legal action? Later we look at the latest Presidential hopeful to take on Donald Trump - Ron DeSantis, Florida Governor, who is launching his campaign on Twitter.

How Johnson's government pressured the Premier League into the Saudi takeover
ECelebrations at Newcastle United as they qualify for the Champions League. It's a success story for the club, team and fans - but it's all been helped by new money from their Saudi backers. Today we look at a future of football as nation states - securing victories on the pitch, battling geopolitics off it. And we look at the investigation by The Athletic journalist Adam Crafton, who reveals the pressure Boris Johnson's government brought to bear on the Premier League during the Saudi takeover of Newcastle, the failure of which he said would be "an immediate risk" to the UK/Saudi relationship.

Speedy Suella: How long can she last?
Did Home Secretary Suella Braverman break the ministerial code by asking civil servants to help her avoid a public speed awareness course?She insists there's nothing to see here - she's taken the points on her licence and wants to move on. Her allies insist she's the victim of a smear campaign by those who don't like her immigration policies. But today on the News Agents we talk to former Justice Secretary Robert Buckland who asks what she was doing at the National Conservatism conference, and whether she is committed to 'collective cabinet responsibility' - a subtle dig at her own prime ministerial ambitions perhaps?

Why can't politicians just say sorry?
When Matt Hancock visited News Agents HQ yesterday, he repeatedly refused to answer questions about decisions he made in government during the pandemic. And it got us thinking about why so many politicians struggle to admit when they’ve got things wrong. Today Lewis asks why is it - in politics - that sorry always seems to be the hardest word?

Exclusive: Matt Hancock on NatCon, Covid, WhatsApps and “being human”
Matt Hancock, this afternoon, walked into The News Agents bunker for the first time. In this full, unedited interview, he tells us what he makes of the right of the Conservative Party, why he gave Isabel Oakeshott 100,000 of his WhatsApp messages, and he tells us who he thinks leaked the video revealing his affair with his aide at the height of Covid restrictions.

Why is Liz Truss provoking China?
The MP for South West Norfolk has made a speech in Taiwan urging the UK Government to treat China as a security threat. She's the first former PM to visit Taiwan since Margaret Thatcher. China - which is seeking 'reunification' with Taiwain - has called it a 'dangerous stunt'. Many in Truss's own party feel the same way. But is there sense in her message even if she's the wrong one to deliver it? And what is she hoping to achieve - for the world, her party and herself? And, later, we speak to Oscar-winning actress Rachel Weisz about playing twins in her drama 'Dead Ringers', moves to curtail women's rights in the US, her husband James Bond, and Lewis' acorn.

NatCon: fruitcakes, fringe, or future of the Tory Party?
Today we take you behind the scenes at Nat Con: the Conservative-ish conference taking place in London this week. It's a meeting of hard Brexiteers, nationalists, libertarians, and the 'anti woke'. With a smattering of Holocaust minimisers, homophobes and climate-deniers thrown in for good measure. It's an exciting place - attended by senior cabinet ministers too - and today we ask if they are the fringe or the future of the Conservative Party.

Alastair Campbell on war, w**kers and winning elections
EA warning: explicit language from the very start of the episode. Alastair Campbell meets the The News Agents in the ultimate podcast mash up. We ask him about his "wanker switch" and what happens when things go wrong live on air. And about the Starmer strategy for quiet winning.We also talk war, Murdoch and tactical voting. Later we hear from Jacob Rees Mogg who admits the Voter ID legislation was gerrymandering.

Ukraine: a war without end?
It's Eurovision weekend. But the biggest party in Europe will not take place in Ukraine -last year’s victor - but in Liverpool. This episode is not about Eurovision, but instead asking where we are with the Ukraine war, over 400 days since its start. With more than 9000 Ukrainian civilians dead, are we any closer to the conflict’s end? We take you in depth and discover how everything hinges on the Ukrainian counter offensive, now finally coming.And in our latest My Political Make Up interview we talk to Labour MP and Shadow Minister for Women, Jess Phillips.

Met corruption and Britain’s biggest unsolved crime
EDaniel Morgan, a young private investigator, was murdered in a carpark in 1987. His killer has never been brought to justice. Three and a half decades on the Met Police have discovered a "locked file of documents" that were never handed over to the inquiry looking into police failures. Today on The News Agents we ask London Mayor his response to what just happened, whether the police should be trusted with new powers and whether corruption lies at the heart of what went wrong. We also take you to the car crash debate of the last 24 hours. For the first time since 2016, CNN decided to give Donald Trump a live town hall forum with a studio audience... the day after a jury found him liable for sex abuse.

President Trump: Sexual abuser
Is America prepared to elect a president found to have sexually abused a woman in a department store? A New York civil court took just three hours to find Trump liable for abuse and defamation although it cleared him of rape. The response to the verdict has been achingly familiar. Senior Republicans calling the case a witch hunt and the jury "a joke". Trump probably isn’t the first sex abuser to have held high office. But he’s the first to have been found to have done so by a US jury. He's going to appeal the decision but if his own party are willing to tolerate it and denigrate the rule of law anyway - what does that tell us about America?You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/VideosThe News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

Will the Tories move even further to the right?
Forget those apocalyptic predictions of a thousand lost Conservative council seats. In the end the losses totalled 1,063. Every Conservative strategist thinks ‘something must be done’. But what is that something? More house building? More tax cuts? More ‘true Conservative’ values? More Boris? We talk to former Brexit minister David Davis about his party and what it does next.

Elections 2023: Are the Tories doomed?
The results are in. And it was a complete drubbing for Rishi Sunak’s Tories. His first big electoral test and it can only go down as one massive fail. Labour, the Lib Dems and the Greens are reviving in every direction. The Prime Minister is putting a brave face on it, but do the results suggest the Conservatives are doomed at the polls in 2024? In this election special show Lewis takes you through the results and what we can glean from Election 2023.

The US Ambassador on Biden, Harry and Meghan & Sunak vs Truss
America's First Lady has just flown in for the King's coronation - without her husband the President. Donald Trump calls it 'disgraceful'. But today on The News Agents we get reaction from the Ambassador herself. Why are Americans so obsessed with our monarchy? Is Biden too old to run again?What mistakes have been made within the special relationship? And what is her favourite British swear word?You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/VideosThe News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

Suella's new powers to curb protest
New laws to curb the power of protest have been pushed through parliament - just days before the Coronation. Penalties include a 12 month prison sentence for protestors who block roads. Are we happy to see more powers in the hands of the police? And how do they feel about the new obligation to arrest? Also - is Sue Gray going to be allowed to take her new job? And will Simon Case be able to keep his? A former permanent secretary says no…You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/VideosThe News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

Will the real Keir Starmer please stand up
Keir Starmer has admitted the Labour party will 'move on' from his original commitment to abandon tuition fees. What does that mean? Is there a solution to what is essentially a bad graduate tax? And why should we believe pledges that keep on getting torn up?Also, as Princess Anne unironically endorses the current size of the monarchy, we ask how we feel about the Coronation and the pledge of allegiance to our King.You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/VideosThe News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

Richard Sharp resigns: The Boris loan and the BBC
ERichard Sharp - the embattled, embroiled BBC Chairman has resigned after a report by The Commissioner for Public Appointments found a perceived conflict of interest and a breach of the Governance Code. But this story goes much wider than one man, one job and an £800k loan to Boris Johnson. It asks questions of the institutions that run Britain: a 'jobs for the boys culture’, a toxic legacy bestowed by the former Prime Minister, and questions about the Cabinet Secretary’s conduct. Where does this all leave the BBC, the Civil Service and Rishi Sunak? We discuss.You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/VideosThe News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

Why is it becoming harder for you to vote?
For the first time ever, voter ID will be required at the polling stations next week for the May local council elections in England. It may not seem like a big ask - many countries in Europe already demand it. Yet it's triggering alarm bells. Why has the government introduced a solution to a problem (voter fraud) that didn't exist? Why has it restricted the kinds of ID you're allowed to bring? And why has it refused to accept the advice - even from senior Conservatives - saying the changes could lead to massive disenfranchisement and disillusionment with the democratic system. We'll be talking about how to vote, and what these elections could tell us about the political winds.You can watch our episodes in full at https://www.globalplayer.com/videos/brands/news-agents/the-news-agents/The News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

The rental crisis - no end in sight?
The renting crisis in Britain is unsustainable. More than sixty percent of private renters faced a rent rise last year - and they're already spending around 32 percent of their income on housing. Today on The News Agents we hear from those who are struggling to even get on the rental ladder - properties are massively over subscribed. Some tenants are putting down payments on flats they haven't even seen. Others are seeing deposits withheld and are blamed (and charged) for the disrepairs their landlords should have fixed. We hear from tenants, a landlord, an estate agent and someone who's been analyisng the housing market for a decade. And we bring you the latest blows from PMQs.You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/VideosThe News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

Prince Harry V Rupert Murdoch
As Prince Harry brings his case against the News Group Newspapers (Murdoch) at the High Court, his lawyers have made an astonishing allegation: that his brother, Prince William, reached a payout over claims his phone had been hacked. News of the settlement revealed in court documents - show the late Queen was involved in “discussions and authorisation” of the agreement. The judge may yet decide to throw the case out for coming too late. But if not Harry, we are told, is determined to see it through to the end, whatever the personal cost. Murdoch has already paid out millions for phone hacking here - and last week nearly a billion dollars in the Dominion lawsuit. Was Tucker Carlson's rapid departure connected? Also, we look at Joe Biden's 2024 presidential bid, discuss ageism in politics, and discover who Ming Campbell beat in a hundred metres race in Stanford in 1967.You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/VideosThe News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

The Brits trapped in Sudan's warzone
Stay indoors!We continue to advise all British nationals in Sudan to stay indoors wherever possible. We recognise circumstances will vary in different locations. You should exercise your own judgement about your circumstances, including whether to relocate at your own risk.This is the current advice from the Foreign Office - who have managed to evacuate UK diplomatic staff, but are struggling to help up to 3,000 UK citizens stuck in the warzone that is Sudan - many now fearing for their lives. Should the government be telling people to sit tight? Or get out. And as Dominic Raab exits stage left, his parting shot is at an 'activist' civil service. Was Whitehall really out to get him? We discuss.You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/VideosThe News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

Raab Resigns
Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab has resigned. The inquiry into whether he bullied staff has finally been published. Its conclusion? Raab is a bully. Lewis explores the reports findings and asks what it means for one of his closest allies — Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/VideosThe News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

Queen Camilla's son on The News Agents
Tom Parker Bowles is a food writer and critic with strong views on coronation chicken, UK farming and... of course, quiche. His mum is about to be crowned Queen - so today we chat about the monarchy, the dos and don'ts of royal food, protest and a certain Harry. And we chat through the political ramifications of Rishi Sunak's response to the bullying inquiry into Dominic Raab.You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/VideosThe News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

Fox News Lies - and Murdoch pays millions
EThis is your midweek episode of Succession. Because Rupert Murdoch - aka Logan Roy - has shelled out nearly 800 million dollars to settle a defamation suit brought by Dominion - a company that makes voting machines. Fox News had tried to claim the voting machines manipulated the result of the 2020 presidential election to make Trump lose. Which was clearly bollocks. Late last night, Fox settled out of court - to make the trial of the century go away. Today we get inside the Murdoch mind with former Sun Newspaper editor David Yelland. We also ask why food is getting ever more expensive with the latest inflation figures.You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/VideosThe News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

SNP - it's getting worse
EAnother high profile arrest in the SNP. This time, Party Treasurer Colin Beattie - who was called in for questioning in the inquiry into party finances - specifically the concerns over £600,000 raised by supporters to fund a second independence referendum. It's been a rocky few weeks since Sturgeon announced her resignation in February. The arrest of her husband and Chief Executive of the SNP, the blue evidence tent in their garden, the removal of a camper van from the in-laws in Dunfermline, leaked conversations that surfaced two years ago and now the second arrest. What is this doing to the party, to independence and to Scottish voters? And we ask what power Russia has in Africa and how it's channeled through the many tentacles of the Wagner group. These Russian mercenaries are thought to be behind the violence in Sudan, and wield huge power all over the continent - fighting that is paid for in gold and diamonds. How close are they to Putin?You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/VideosThe News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

Is horse racing becoming the new bullfighting?
EAnimal Rights Protestors are being blamed for the death of a racehorse at the Grand National this weekend after they forced a delay which - trainers say - agitated the animals. Animal Rising - the protestors - say: Don't blame us - horses are dying on racecourses; with or without the delays. But they're delighted we're now having a conversation about animal cruelty, sport and what happens to thoroughbred horses if racing stops. We speak to Ed Chamberlin who saw it all unfold with his own eyes - as the head of ITV's horse racing presenting team.And to Claudia Penna-Rojas from Animal Rising. We also discuss Rishi Sunak's finances - he's under investigation by the parliamentary standards commissioner. And we ask if we should all be better at maths - with maths lover and teacher Bobby Seagull.You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/VideosThe News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

Abortion in America: Illegal by stealth?
If you thought the overturning of Roe v Wade- the constitutional right to an abortion in the United States was the end of it in 2022, then 2023 has other ideas. Or rather the radical, anti-abortion groups in the United States have other ideas. Just this week, Florida’s Governor (and presidential hopeful) Republican Ron DeSantis introduced a six week abortion ban in the third biggest state in the country. And in Texas, a Trump-appointed judge ruled that a drug used in over 50% of abortions in America, should never have been legal in the first place. Chaos reigns and once again, the Supreme Court will decide.On a special deep dive of The News Agents we explore both of these cases and ask whether, as part of a culmination of a five decade political strategy and movement, abortion in America will be abolished, by stealth.You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/VideosThe News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

Liz Truss, the deep state and China
China's President Xi Jinping has told his troops they should be ready for real combat. So now we are wondering if Taiwan will be the next Ukraine. It comes after a week of China sabre-rattling in the Taiwan straits - surrounding the island on all sides with a blockade. France's President Macron is just back from Beijing where he's set the cat amongst the pigeon's with some ill-judged comments about Taiwan. In fact, the Elysee Palace thought them so ill-judged they ordered their removal from the interview he gave. We discuss the damage done, and we hear from Liz Truss in Washington who goes off on one.You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/VideosThe News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

"I’m Joe Biden and I’m Irish"
EWe've been told off-record that Joe Biden might be Irish. Obviously, unattributable. So keep it under your hat. He's the latest in a long line of US Presidents who feels the pull of the Emerald Isle very strongly and traces his ancestry back there by 180 years. But he begins the day in Belfast - reflecting on the Good Friday peace accord 25 years ago. But can he get power-sharing back on track? Or is he too scared to even mention it? And we look at the delights and dangers of a world exclusive interview. Who has the power when Elon Musk is in the seat?You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/VideosThe News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

Are Labour's attack ads 'gutter politics'?
ELabour’s Easter weekend attack ads about the Conservatives and Rishi Sunak specifically have been called 'politics of the gutter' by, awkwardly, Labour’s former Home Secretary David Blunkett. Lewis is joined by Steve Reed, the party’s Shadow Justice Secretary, who was behind the campaign. He, as you’ll hear is entirely unapologetic. Is this the start of a new period of a more vicious politics? And NHS surgeons may be about to face their own #MeToo moment, with female surgeons coming forward to say that sexual assault and misogyny within surgery is commonplace. Lewis talks to Rachel Sylvester, who has written for The Times on the subject and Roshana Mehdian-Staffel, an orthopaedic surgeon who has spoken out about her experiences.You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/VideosThe News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

Why are the police searching Nicola Sturgeon's house?
There are two questions that accompany any political scandal. What did you know and when did you know it? After questioning Nicola Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell for eleven hours yesterday, police are back at their Glasgow house, and there's still a blue evidence tent in the garden. It comes just a week after the leadership election of new SNP First Minister Humza Yousaf, seen as the Sturgeon succession candidate. So what should we make of the timing of all this? And what are the political implications if it was pre arranged?We ask the leader of the SNP in Westminster, Stephen Flynn. And we talk e-scooters after 90% of Parisians vote to ban them from Paris.You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/VideosThe News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

The People v Donald Trump - Part 2: Trump in the Dock
When we left you Trump was on the cusp of entering the Manhattan criminal court as an arrested man. That didn't go well.A door was flung shut in his face. And the indignities began. In this special all-nighter episode of The News Agents we take you through the charges against him, the reaction, the defence and the speech to his supporters in Mar-a-Lago. We speak to a key member of Trump's campaign team who was with him in the wings moments before he went on stage.You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/VideosThe News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

The People v Donald Trump - Part 1
Donald Trump will today become the first US president to appear in court on criminal charges. He arrived in NYC late yesterday and will shortly be heading to Lower Manhattan District Court to have his fingerprints taken and hear the 34 charges of improper business dealings being levelled against him. Will the criminal charges stack up? Will Trump keep his cool? And will his supporters take to the streets in protest? In Part One we take you through the process step-by-step. In Part 2 - tomorrow morning - the Trump fightback.You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/VideosThe News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

Child grooming, 'political correctness' and dog whistle politics
Rishi Sunak has pledged to end the 'political correctness' that stops police arresting child sex abusers from ethnic minority backgrounds. The scandals of Rotherham, Rochdale, Telford show how badly things can go wrong for victims when the perpetrators are seen to be beyond the law. But Labour's West Yorkshire mayor has called it 'dog whistle politics' - and some are wondering why the Conservatives are borrowing the far right language of Tommy Robinson. Is it possible to have a nuanced debate? And the Italian newspapers are writing today about our 'Fifteen Hour Dover Brexit queues'. Is everyone pointing to Brexit except the British government?You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/VideosThe News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

Is Donald Trump going to jail?
EFor the first time in American history a former president has been indicted (charged) with a criminal offence. Donald Trump will appear in a New York court on Tuesday afternoon. Do the charges stack up? Will they help Trump or hinder Trump? And how is this unprecedented moment going to impact the Presidential Race of 2024.?Spoiler alert - you can actually campaign from behind bars...You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/VideosThe News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.

Britain's Rotten Meat Scandal
Ten years on from the horse meat crisis, a new scandal has engulfed almost the entire food retail sector. Huge quantities of foreign pork - sometimes tens of thousands of tonnes a week - has been passed off, fraudulently as British. One meat processor - who can't be named for legal reasons - has been accused by former employees of 'washing' hams that are visibly rotten, or mixing bad meat with fresh produce. They even allege paperwork - which would pick up infections like bacteria or E.coli - was being falsified. We talk to the Farmers Weekly journalist who broke the story Abi Kay. And we dip into the 'vagina-scented' ski slopes of Utah to visit the trial of the century - Gwyneth Paltrow v Terry Sanderson.At the time of publication, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) had not provided us with a comment after we approached them.You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/VideosThe News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.[Two hours after the episode was published, the FSA provided us with this statement:“We are continuing our criminal investigation into how a meat supplier allegedly provided products labelled as British when they were in fact sourced from other countries. This is a live investigation which means we are looking into all new lines of inquiry with the relevant local authorities, including investigating potential food hygiene breaches. This is alongside the work we are doing to investigate food fraud. Based on the investigation to date, there is no indication that food is unsafe or there is an increased risk to consumers. Criminal investigations take time and need to be done with due process and fairness. The FSA will work tirelessly on behalf of consumers to ensure that this criminal investigation is done to the highest possible standards. I do want to emphasise at a time when cost pressures and other challenges mean the risks of food fraud might be increasing, it is vital everyone involved in the food chain works to ensure that food is safe and what it says it is.” Emily Miles, Chief Executive of the Food Standards Agency]

The Government's Ship Idea
THOUSANDS OF MIGRANTS TO BE HOUSED ON LUXURY CRUISE SHIP screamed the headline in the Daily Express. That was in February of 2016. And it never happened. The idea has been mooted in various ways about ten times in the last decades - including by Rishi Sunak when he was chancellor in 2020. Each time the idea is dropped for being unworkable, unaffordable or illegal. So why do we keep falling for it? Also - should the descendants of slave owners be making reparations to the people or the places they have hurt? We talk to Laura Trevelyan who's family has decided to make amends for their own past.You can watch our episodes in full at https://global-player.onelink.me/Br0x/VideosThe News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.