This Is Why

It’s long been seen as politically untouchable – but Andy Burnham has finally fired the starting gun on reforms to the state pension triple lock. First brought in by David Cameron’s coalition government, the measure of increasing pension payments by the higher of inflation, average wage rises or 2.5% a year was introduced to offset years of underfunding. But the new prime minister has used his fir...

Who are you more likely to believe, Donald Trump or a farmer from the Cotswolds? Five UK nationals have been arrested on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offences after a major incident was declared at an RAF airbase in Gloucestershire over the weekend. But they were later released on bail, as counter-terror police remain “open-minded” about whether the incident is linked to a foreign state s...

Ed Sheeran is used to thousands of people singing his songs back at him. But last week, he found himself addressing his audience in a very different way. After Macklemore left Sheeran’s tour following his comments about the war in Gaza, other performers on the bill also pulled out. Sheeran returned to the stage in Philadelphia. Looking visibly upset, he addressed the crowd and apologised. But for...

Recollection may vary, but the facts do not. That’s something that was lost on Princess Diana’s brother in his new book about his sister’s life - which managed to squeeze in a mistake about Piers Morgan amongst its bombshell claims about the King. The former Daily Mirror editor is now suing Earl Spencer and calling for the book to be pulped. So, what checks take place when a memoir is written? And...

There’s nothing like the warning of an AI apocalypse to ease you out of summer - but as they say, every cloud has a silver lining. Of course, we can’t rule out artificial intelligence one day doing the unthinkable, as many experts have politely warned, but there are also reasons to believe it could actually save the human race. From breakthroughs in healthcare to helping tackle climate change, thi...

It's been a busy week already for Andy Burnham - who approved his first military intervention as prime minister just hours before his inaugural meeting with Donald Trump. The RAF will now provide Saudi Arabia with "purely defensive" air support against attacks from Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, after Burnham agreed to Riyadh’s request. The Saudis had earlier been turned down by Trump – so why...

The new Sky Original TV series The Wargame imagines a terrifying situation – and not just because Michael Gove is prime minister. Vladimir Putin and Russia haven’t yet launched a military attack on UK soil, but the threat is rising. That’s why the show picks a fantasy crisis team of real-life former ministers and ex-military chiefs to see how they might respond to such a potential attack. So, what...

Lots of people have fallen out with their brother-in-law over the years - but it’s perhaps never been as explosive as the row between the King and Earl Spencer. In the latest royal drama involving the House of Windsor, the Palace has hit back at claims made by Princess Diana’s younger brother in a new book about his sister. Among them is that the King was “giddily elated” after Diana’s death. So,...

Canadian prime minister Mark Carney is looking for closer ties with Europe – but could an “associate” membership with the EU push the UK to the back of the queue? Addressing the European Parliament, Carney welcomed the idea of forming a partnership, which could potentially give Canada closer ties on trade, defence, and technology. The country is keen to strengthen its ties beyond the USA – with Do...

The country is under threat. Russian aggression, war in the Middle East and a military which has been ‘hollowed out’ for decades have all led to a crisis point for the United Kingdom. In a special episode of This Is Why, Britain’s most senior military official has explained why he believes this is the most dangerous moment in his 35-year career. In a wide-ranging interview with Niall Paterson, the...

The case of Britain’s most prolific child killer has gripped the nation ever since Lucy Letby’s trial began in October 2022. The former neonatal nurse was later convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven more at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016. Now, a public inquiry has found some of those deaths could have been avoided if safeguarding action had been...

It was a hole-in-one for the republican cause – the US president using a trip to his golf course in County Clare to lend his weight to the fight for a united Ireland. The timing couldn’t have been better for the first ministers of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, as they met to discuss further cooperation in the campaign for independence. But despite Donald Trump’s insistence that he would “l...

As America marks the 25th anniversary of the September 11th terror attacks, a row has erupted between the man who led New York through its darkest moments and the city’s current mayor. Rudy Giuliani became the face of New York’s resilience following the fall of the Twin Towers, but he warned Zohran Mamdani to stay away from official memorial events. Mamdani, the city’s first ever Muslim mayor, ign...

Don’t worry, AI’s not preparing to wipe out humanity with a Terminator-style nuclear Armageddon – that's just not its style. But could it develop a virus that does the job instead? Well, that seems more of a possibility.... And speaking of odds, both former and current employees of tech giant Anthropic put the chances of AI ending all human life at roughly 10 percent. They only differ on the times...

Less up, up and away... more stuck on the tarmac. Hundreds of flights have been cancelled and thousands of passengers stranded after yet another critical collapse of the country’s air traffic control system. While a cyber-attack has been ruled out, it’s still the third time in four years severe disruption has affected airlines and travellers because of problems at NATS – a public-private partnersh...

Imagine your child has been the victim of a terror attack. Then imagine the most intimate details of their injuries being viewed and shared without your permission or knowledge. A Sky News and Health Service Journal investigation has uncovered the extent to which NHS staff are accessing patients’ medical records. High profile cases include the victims of the Nottingham and Southport attacks. But i...

We have become used to seeing protests against small boat arrivals in the UK, but the speed and size of those in Dover and Portsmouth over the weekend felt like something new. The demonstrations were led by a group founded by Daniel Thomas - a friend of far-right activist Tommy Robinson - who described the protests as "only the beginning". Local authorities were seemingly caught out by events. So,...

Lots of 30-year-olds are career-driven, ambitious types - but perhaps none more so than French far-right politician Jordan Bardella. The sharp-suited, clean-cut leader of France’s National Rally party is tipped as a future prime minister – or even president – of one of the UK’s closest allies. He’s also been the star of the show at the Reform party conference in Birmingham – signing a deal on smal...

Most taxi drivers tell tales about who they’ve had in the back of their cab. But how would you feel about catching a cab that doesn’t have a driver in the front? Autonomous taxis can now be ordered on London’s streets – in a move many would liken to something out of a sci-fi movie. In reality, the cars currently arrive with a human “safety” driver - but the plan is that fairly soon they won’t. So,...

Governments often tell people to live within their means - but can the new prime minister? Andy Burnham will need to try hard after the UK's long-term borrowing costs reached a 28-year high. It's a serious headache for a prime minister who faced his first PMQs on Wednesday. So why are the costs so high? And how will this impact chancellor John Healey's first Budget next month? Niall Paterson sits...

The leader of the Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) party in Saxony-Anhalt has been called "the most dangerous man in Germany". Ulrich Siegmund, a 35-year-old former perfume salesman, is on course to be elected as leader of the state of Saxony-Anhalt. His victory would be the biggest win for a far-right party since the Second World War. So who is he and what does the AfD stand for? And what would...

Could artificial intelligence provide the key to finding true love? The chief executive of Bumble certainly hopes so as she plans to introduce an AI feature to the popular dating app. Whitney Wolfe Herd has already changed the world of dating by co-founding both Bumble and Tinder - so who is she? And why is she banking on AI being the future of matchmaking? Niall is joined by Mashable's associate...

Three years into Sudan's war, millions face hunger, displacement and violence. It was triggered by a power struggle between the army and a paramilitary organisation known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Britain could have a key role in ending the war as its ally the UAE has been accused of backing the RSF. Dominic Waghorn speaks to Sky's Africa correspondent Yousra Elbagir, who has recently ret...

Bob Harris joins This Is Why to remember Dolly Parton. He interviewed her many times during her decades-long career and explains why she meant so much to people from every generation. Have you got a question for Niall? Email us: why@sky.uk

112 care leavers aged 18 to 24 died last year, according to a government-commissioned review – that's three to four times the rate of their peers. Nick Martin, our people and politics correspondent, has been following the journeys of people leaving the care system for many years. Joining Niall, he shares the stories of those who have lived in care. He tells us about the challenges young people fac...