The News Agents

Around lunch time today, as The News Agents were battling their own excitement in the shape of a fire drill, the Defence Secretary suddenly resigned without warning. He left with a devastating critique of the Starmer government failures in his wake. The loyal and highly regarded Healey resigned out of frustration that promises made on defence spending weren’t being kept. And that the Prime Ministe...

Nedum touches down in USA and joins Gabby & Mark to discuss the opening game of the World Cup 2026 ; How excited are the locals, dark horses for the tournament & more... But with such a constant stream of controversy in the days leading up to the first match - fans fleeced for tickets , a Somali referee banned from entering US, national teams greeted by ICE on arrival and FIFA President Gi...

Belfast was ablaze last night, 24 hours after the attempted murder of Stephen Ogilvie. Houses, cars and buses were set on fire during riots across the city. It has since been announced that Ogilvie has lost an eye in the attack and 30-year-old Hadi Alodid has been charged with his attempted murder. The British government are laying at least some of the blame at the door of X owner Elon Musk, accus...

This morning Kemi Badenoch put equality laws at the centre of a new political dividing line, pledging that a future Conservative government would scrap the Public Sector Equality Duty. She says that “modern Britain is the least racist country on earth” and warned that fears of being accused of racism are leading authorities to not intervene to prevent crime. What is Badenoch’s evidence that equali...

President Trump told the FTs' Edward Luce that he "called all the shots" over the Iran ceasefire. Shortly before he spoke, Iran had launched missiles at Israel. "He [Netanyahu] won’t have any choice... He doesn’t call the shots", the President insisted. He told Fox that he was going to instruct Israel's PM not to retaliate. Netanyahu pointedly ignored those comments and started bombing Iran back....

It is now hard to imagine that just three weeks ago, Wes Streeting was still serving in Keir Starmer's cabinet. As Health Secretary, Streeting gave the PM one of his biggest success stories from Labour's so far deeply troubled time in government - getting waiting lists down, and dragging the NHS into the 21st century. In the short time since he left role, he has become one of Starmer's biggest pro...

Two police officers - both nominated for bravery awards - have been doxxed on the internet through a Musk disinformation campaign, where he called one a "scumbag" who should be in prison. One former officer is now in hiding, fearing for her safety after death threats. Neither was anywhere near Henry Nowak on the night he died. Musk famously supports Rupert Lowe over Nigel Farage. Is the Right of B...

On Sunday the first contested Presidential elections at Real Madrid for 20 years will take place, so Gabby, Mark & Nedum are joined by Spanish football writer Guillem Balague to discuss some of the false promises being made on the campaign trail... Will any of Erling Haaland , Rodri , Jose Mourinho or Jurgen Klopp head to the Bernabeu this summer? And as Liverpool edge closer to appointing And...

Nigel Farage was accused by many in the Commons today of inciting violence with his call for people to respond to a young man’s murder with "pure cold rage". The Reform UK leader explicitly ignored the wishes of Henry Nowak's family - who had urged politicians not to use Henry's death to ramp up tensions - to suggest that the anger seen in Southampton last night could even get worse. As he spoke,...

The footage is almost unbearable to watch. 18 year old Henry Nowak, stabbed and bleeding to death on the floor - telling officers he couldn't breathe - being handcuffed by police responders rather than treated. Bodycam footage, released with the consent of Henry's family, shows that as Henry shouts out that he has been stabbed, one officer responds: "You’ve been stabbed? I don’t think you have, ma...

America is the only major country where visitor numbers fell last year. In fact it had its worst year for international tourism since 2008- barring the pandemic. Are tourists scared? Or has Trump put them off? Is this why Trump's Ambassador for Tourism is on a whistle stop tour of Europe drumming up business before the World Cup? We speak to the US Special Envoy. Later why was a Facebook whistlebl...

In his essay this week on the way forward for Britain, Tony Blair posits that "governing in the age of AI will be the principal challenge. And opportunity" for our political class. Karen Hao certainly agrees that it will be one of the defining challenges of our lives. An MIT grad, she started off in Silicon Valley, before turning to journalism and becoming one of the most authoritative reporters o...

The day after Tony Blair spoke to The News Agents we ask whether his comments have started a healthy debate, changed the leadership race, or galvanised the whole party against him. The only man to win three elections for Labour speaks from experience and confidence. But is his diagnosis right for today? Will he ever be trusted on foreign affairs? And is efficacy more important than Democracy in 20...

Mark & Nedum are joined by West Ham 's all-time Premier League goalscorer Michail Antonio , days after the club's relegation - ending a 14-year stay in the top flight. Michail lifts the lid on major decisions which he feels contributed to the club's decline in recent years; the controversial move to the London stadium , club training facilities, the appointment of Graham Potter as manager and...

Since Keir Starmer took office almost two years ago - the first Labour Prime Minister in 14 years - Tony Blair has been holding his tongue. But that has all changed in a dramatic fashion. Blair is profoundly concerned, about the UK's future, the leadership of his party, and of the wider political conversation taking place. In a 5,700 word essay, he lays out a brutal assessment of the lack of serio...

Robert Kenyon, Reform's candidate in Makerfield, was a week on from defending his Facebook Nazi friend when things got ugly. Over the sunny bank holiday weekend old tweets resurfaced showing not only his utterly creepy views about women but also his original anti-Brexit stance. And yes, you can guess which one is the real headache for Reform. Polls suggest they are currently in second place behind...

As billionaire wealth soars to unprecedented heights, calls to “tax the rich” are getting louder across the world. But while politicians on the left often champion wealth taxes, governments have repeatedly struggled to make them work in practice. So why have they failed? And could that finally be changing? This Friday, Lewis is joined by French economist Gabriel Zucman, the architect of the so-cal...

Before he was ever taken seriously as a politician, Donald Trump was very much taken seriously in the world of wrestling. His relationship with WWE stretches back as far as the 1980s - he went on to headline Wrestlemania and even challenged founder Vince McMahon to a match during a running feud. But what if wrestling was where Trump learned how to win the White House? Reality-defying performances,...

Southampton's failed attempt to appeal their expulsion from the final for spying means that it will be Middlesbrough heading to Wembley to take on Hull in football’s richest game. Espionage that could ‘cost’ upwards of £200 million … normally a story for Ian Fleming but in an end of the season that keeps on giving, this is the tale of the Championship play offs. But what is the legality surroundin...

You might not know the name Thomas Massie. But you will know what he did. The Kentucky Republican congressman was one crucial part of the campaign that forced Trump to release the Epstein files last November. Last night, he lost his chance to fight his seat again - against a challenger endorsed by Trump. Is Trump still worrying about Epstein? Or does he just hate dissent? And why did he take Defen...

Andy Burnham has launched his campaign video for the Makerfield by-election. The first thing you notice is how comfortable he sounds in it. It’s a level of human communication almost unfamiliar in today’s politics - with a pitch not just to the constituency but to the nation. But is there more to him than the chips and gravy good vibes? And does he have an actual plan not just for Makerfield but f...

Andy Burnham has ruled out making a Makerfield by-election contest another Brexit referendum. But will it end up being one anyway? The Greater Manchester Mayor has already had to clarify his position on rejoining the EU after a weekend where the issue has dominated the news agenda. Reform certainly hope to turn it into another Brexit campaign. They’ve sent Robert Jenrick out onto the mean streets...

In a week of endless rumours and leadership speculation, Westminster is once again in turmoil - with both everything and nothing seeming to happen at the same time. Yesterday saw the resignation of Makersfield MP Josh Simons, opening the door for Andy Burnham to pave his way back into government. It will be a tough battle for the Makersfield constituency, but Wes Streeting, who resigned as Health...

Gabby is joined by rugby legends Ugo Monye and Katy Daley-McLean ahead of Red Roses ' Grand Slam decider this weekend - 37 games unbeaten, on the cusp of their 8th Six Nations in a row - does the sport actually need England to lose? The trio also react to a fascinating developing football story - dubbed 'Spygate 2.0' - with Southampton's Championship Play-Off final place in doubt after an analyst...

Wes Streeting cited the unprecedented local election results and the unpopularity of the government as his reason for resigning as health secretary this lunch time. What he did NOT say was that he was directly running for the leadership - and now allies of the PM are saying he has bottled it because he doesn't have the support. Has today strengthened Keir’s hand? Or just drawn out a slow death? La...