Newscast

Adam and Chris are joined by Katy Balls, Political Editor of the Spectator, and Patrick Maguire, The Times’ Columnist, to discuss all the political news of the week. They discuss the government’s much-previewed package on workers’ rights, hints about what may be in the Chancellor’s first budget later this month, and relive the drama of the Tory leadership race narrowing to the final two. You can n...

Today, more than 3 million homes and businesses in Florida have been left without power after Hurricane Milton tore through the centre of the state. Adam is joined by Americast hosts Justin, Marianna and Sarah to discuss what we know about the scale of damage and destruction from the storm. And beyond the impact the hurricane has had on Florida residents, they discuss how the hurricane could affec...

Today, in a surprise twist, James Cleverly was knocked out of the race to become the next Tory leader. Adam is joined by Chris and BBC Newsnight political editor Nick Watt to discuss how Cleverly went from first place to eliminated in just 24 hours. How will a Jenrick-Badenoch showdown change the vibe of the contest? And how have Labour MPs responded to the news? You can now listen to Newscast on...

Today, we look in more detail at Matt Chorley’s interview with Boris Johnson and the race to be the next leader of the Tory party. Alex and Chris discuss with Matt his lively interview with the former PM. You can listen to it in full here - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0jwdwdv Plus, Tom Tugendhat has been knocked out of the race to be the next leader of the Conservative party. But is the suc...

Today, hear Matt Chorley’s interview with Boris Johnson on his 5 Live show. They discuss his exit from Downing Street, whether Brexit helped the Covid vaccination programme and his chances of becoming PM again. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online commu...

Today, we look at the resignation of Sue Gray as Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff. Why has Gray gone now? What does this tell us about how well Downing Street is working? Who will replace her? Alex and Chris are joined by the programme director at the Institute of Government Alex Thomas. To hear more about the anniversary of Hamas’ October 7th attacks and what has followed you can listen here: ht...

One year on since the 7 Oct 2023 attack on Israel, Lyse Doucet and Jeremy Bowen reflect on their past year of reporting and what is next for the Middle East. Rich in story telling, analysis and personal experience, we hear from the BBC's best journalists who have been covering the Middle East. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to pla...

Today, we take a closer look at how the conflict in the Middle East is creating challenges for the UK Government. Laura, Paddy and Nick Watt discuss how much of a diplomatic role the UK can play in the conflict, as well as how escalating tensions abroad can shape domestic politics presenting challenges for the government. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, ju...

Today, we discuss escalating tensions in the Middle East after an eventful week. Paddy and Laura are joined by Baran Abbasi, reporter and presenter for BBC Persian, to discuss Iran’s role in the conflict in the Middle East. They also discuss how Iranians feel about Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s warning that "Iran will pay a heavy price" after launching almost 200 missiles at Israel. And, Laura h...

Adam, Alex, and Chris discuss how the UK has reacted to crisis in the Middle East as Israel launches a ground invasion in Lebanon targeting Iranian backed military group Hezbollah, how a new vote on assisted dying has come about in parliament, and the Tory leadership candidates’ pitches to conference. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sound...

Today the BBC’s Jeremy Bowen has published an interview with a senior member of Hamas. The interview was recorded on Tuesday - hours before Iran attacked Israel with ballistic missiles. Adam is joined by Jeremy for an update on the conflict in the Middle East, and a chat about his interview with Khalil Al-Hayya, the most senior member of Hamas outside Gaza. They speak about how the interview was a...

Today, the four MPs who hope to become the next Conservative leader had 20 minutes each to deliver a speech to conference about why they should choose them. Adam catches up with Chris Mason about the atmosphere at Tory conference, what each leadership hopeful had to say in their speeches, and why the Prime Minister has chosen to pay back £6,000 worth of gifts he has received. And Paul Adams, BBC d...

Today, we look at Iran launching a missile attack at Israel. The Israeli military says around 180 missiles were fired, most of which were intercepted. No injuries have been reported so far. The strike follows Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, with what it calls a "limited, localised and targeted" ground operation against Hezbollah. Adam and the BBC’s security correspondent Frank Gardner discuss what w...

Today, we look at Israel’s invasion of Lebanon which the Israeli military are calling a "limited, localised and targeted" ground operation against Hezbollah. An Israeli source has told the BBC that their ground forces have gone only "very close walking distance" into Lebanon. Meanwhile, Hezbollah claims that Israel’s forces have not crossed the border. Both sides have continued to exchange fire wi...

Today, Israel tells the US it plans to launch a limited ground incursion into Lebanon. Adam is joined with Jeremy Bowen, International Editor, and Anna Foster, BBC News correspondent in Beirut, to discuss the developments in the region, the hundreds of thousands of Lebanese people displaced following strikes around the country, and what further escalation could look like. You can now listen to New...

Today, the Conservative Party conference kicks off - but have the Tories got their timings all wrong over the leadership contest? Why is Rosie Duffield MP saying that Keir Starmer ‘has a problem with women’ after quitting Labour? And can the world handle another global conflict? You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It...

Today, Hezbollah confirmed the death of its leader Hassan Nasrallah after Israeli strikes on Beirut. So could this act result in wider war across the Middle East? Paddy and Laura are joined by the BBC’s security correspondent, Frank Gardner, to make sense of today’s developments. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. I...

Today, we look at what we’ve learned about how Labour will govern, after its conference in Liverpool this week. Adam, Alex, Nick and Vicki are in the studio to go through it, and look ahead to the challenges facing the PM internationally. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can jo...

Today, Adam and Marianna are joined by Assistant Commissioner Matt Jukes, the head of UK Counter Terror Policing. They discuss what his role entails and the content his team had to assess in the wake of riots in the UK this summer. Matt Jukes describes how his team deal with online threats, the job of governments and regulators to balance freedom with security, and his team’s interactions with soc...

Today we look at Israeli warnings that it’s preparing for the possible entry of troops into Lebanon, after extensive air strikes. International editor Jeremy Bowen speaks to Adam from Jerusalem. And Chris has been speaking to Keir Starmer at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The Prime Minister warned British citizens in Lebanon to “leave now”. You can now listen to Newscast on a sma...

Today, we look at Keir Starmer’s speech at the Labour Party conference. The prime minister promised light at the end of a tunnel, but of hard choices on the way. He also defended the cut to winter fuel payments for pensioners, and called for 'restraint and de-escalation' on the border between Lebanon and Israel. Adam, Chris, Henry and Alex chat it through. You can join our Newscast online communit...

Today, we look at Rachel Reeves’s first conference speech as chancellor, in which she stood by her winter fuel allowance cut, was heckled by a protestor, and said “Britain’s best days lie ahead”. Adam, Chris and Alex are there in Liverpool to go through what she said. Plus we hear from the woman herself. She spoke to Adam after addressing the audience. You can join our Newscast online community he...

Today, we once again turn to the row over gifts given to Labour politicians. The Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, tells Laura she doesn’t believe she broke any rules after accepting free outfits, and a stay in a New York apartment owned by a Labour donor. Meanwhile, the Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson defends the use of her £14,000 donation from Labour donor Lord Alli. Will this story...

In this bonus episode we bring you Laura’s full interview with Vladimir Kara-Murza and his wife Evgenia. The Russian-British citizen was jailed in Russia after criticising President Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine. Evgenia has been fighting for his release ever since, and last month he was freed as part of the largest prisoner exchange since the Cold War. Another Newscast with Henry and Padd...

Today, the focus is once again on the Labour party which is having to deal with some difficult stories as it prepares to kick off its annual party conference in Liverpool. Laura is in Liverpool waiting for Labour conference to begin; she and Paddy discuss the news that the PM, Chancellor and Deputy PM will no longer accept donations for clothing. Will it be enough to draw a line under the row abou...