Newscast

Today, what difference will banning social media make to children’s lives? Speaking the day after the announcement of a ban on social media for under-16s the education secretary speaks to Adam in the Newscast studio. They discuss; if children need to be bored more whether it’s OK for parents to watch youtube with their children and whether the school day should be longer? You can now listen to New...

Today, the prime minister has announced under-16s will be banned from social media. Speaking at Downing Street Keir Starmer announced if passed in parliament the ban will come into force by spring 2027. Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X are among the platforms affected - but not WhatsApp or Signal. So will the ban achieve what the government says it will? Adam and Henry are join...

Royal Marine Commandos have boarded a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the English Channel in the early hours of Sunday morning. Marines, joined by National Crime Agency officers, with the support of the RAF, intercepted and boarded the vessel in a six-hour operation - the first operation of its kind by UK armed forces. The vessel, Smyrtos, will be held and monitored off the south coast of Engla...

Paddy is back from holiday and he’s also back from Ashton-in-Makerfield. He joins Laura to discuss a new poll that suggests Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain could steal enough votes from Reform UK to hand Andy Burnham a win. Luke Tryl from More In Common - the pollsters behind the research - also joins with Joe Pike who’s sat in on a focus group they ran. A full list of candidates and loads more info...

Today, Adam and Chris discuss Chris’ interview with the prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer. The Prime Minister sat down for an extended conversation with Chris following the resignation of his defence secretary John Healey yesterday over disagreements about the government’s new Defence Investment Plan. It’s the latest blow to the Prime Minister following several high profile cabinet resignations las...

Today, Chris speaks to Sir Keir Starmer, the prime minister, about the resignation of his defence secretary John Healey, his plans for the Defence Investment Plan, and whether or not he’ll fight a potential leadership election. 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 News...

Today, the UK Defence Secretary John Healey has resigned. In his resignation letter to the PM, Healey set out his reasons for leaving, telling the PM the defence investment plan "falls well short of what is required for defence and the country at this dangerous time”. The sixth minister to resign for Starmer’s cabinet in a month, and one of its most loyal, the question will now turn to what lies a...

Today, extra police are brought into Belfast and public transport is closing early, after a night of violence. The violence erupted after a knife attack in the city on Monday. The suspect has appeared in court charged with attempted murder, threatening to kill an NHS radiographer, and possession of a knife. Hadi Alodid, 30, was remanded in custody for four weeks and is due to re-appear in court vi...

Today, a Sudanese man in his 30s is being held on suspicion of attempted murder after a knife attack in North Belfast. Footage of the attack has been widely shared on social media. Politicians in Westminster and Stormont have appealed for calm while the police carry out their investigation, while some have called for faster transparency and information about the identity and immigration status of...

Today we hear from Labour MP Jess Phillips, who resigned from government in part over what she saw as its failure to act quicker on kids‘ online safety. One of the measures she was pushing for at the time was announced today. Sir Keir Starmer has told firms to either activate built-in features or update software to prevent children from taking, sending or viewing sexually explicit images on their...

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy has told the US Vice President JD Vance "he was wrong" to say mass migration was to blame for Henry Nowak's murder in a phone call. On this episode of Newscast, Laura, Henry and Joe discuss the relationship between the two of them, why that American politicians are talking so much about the UK and Europe. We also look at what’s taking the government so long to pub...

The murder of Henry Nowak has sparked another debate about so-called ‘two-tier policing’, in which people are treated differently by police based on their ethnicity. We look at whether it actually exists, what police guidance says, and whether the case might lead to changes in how police deal with reports of crime. Laura is joined by former BBC legal and home affairs correspondent and Labour home...

We’ve got together with Americast and Football Daily for three special episodes on what could be the most political World Cup ever. How much will Donald Trump make it about him? Will the US-Iran war affect the tournament? And why are tickets so expensive? We tell you everything you need to know about what’s going on off the pitch. Anthony Zurcher and Marianna Spring join from Americast, and 5 Live...

We’ve got together with Americast/Newscast and Football Daily for three special episodes on what could be the most political World Cup ever. How much will Donald Trump make it about him? Will the US-Iran war affect the tournament? And why are tickets so expensive? We tell you everything you need to know about what’s going on off the pitch. Anthony Zurcher and Marianna Spring join from Americast, a...

We’ve got together with Americast/Newscast and Football Daily for three special episodes on what could be the most political World Cup ever. How much will Donald Trump make it about him? Will the US-Iran war affect the tournament? And why are tickets so expensive? We tell you everything you need to know about what’s going on off the pitch. Anthony Zurcher and Marianna Spring join from Americast, a...

Today, the first televised debate from the Makerfield by-election has taken place in a special edition of Question Time. Adam and Chris reunite after Question Time to discuss all the biggest moments, including Andy Burnham’s clearest confirmation yet that he will stand in a Labour leadership election - but will he trigger one? Plus, Alex and Faisal wrap up the biggest news stories of the week, inc...

Today, Chris tells Adam what it was like meeting Robert Kenyon, the Reform UK candidate in the Makerfield by-election and how he and Andy Burnham, the Labour candidate have responded to challenges about their track records on different key issues. They discuss the ongoing reaction to some of Robert Kenyon’s previous comments about women and whether Andy Burnham’s campaign message of “Change Labour...

Today, the Prime minister says he “felt sick” as he watched the body cam footage of a student who was handcuffed as he lay dying. The 18-year-old Southampton student Henry Nowak was handcuffed after Vickrum Digwa, 23, lied to police at the scene of the 2025 stabbing, claiming he had been the victim of a racist attack. Shabana Mahmood described the murder as an "an act of pure evil” and described b...

Today, more than 1000 pages of documents about Peter Mandelson’s appointment as UK ambassador to the US have been published by the government. Adam, Chris and Joe get together to discuss what the files tell us about Peter Mandelson’s vetting process, his relationship with some of the government’s most senior figures and his thoughts on the Prime Minister’s leadership. Some of the files have been r...

After Laura’s exclusive interview, she’s joined by Henry and Joe to discuss what Nicola Sturgeon had to say about her estranged husband Peter Murrell’s guilty plea to embezzling hundreds of thousands of pounds from the SNP - as well as the political and public reaction to her words. Hear the full length interview on the previous episode of Newscast. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speake...

It's a controversy which has been hanging over the SNP for years - but on Monday former chief executive, Peter Murrell, admitted to embezzling more than £400,000 from the party. On this episode of Newscast, former first minister Nicola Sturgeon sits down with Laura for her first interview since her estranged husband pleaded guilty. Sturgeon, who was earlier arrested and released without charge, di...

Today, the week that the words flew - after Tony Blair wrote an essay saying Labour was "playing with fire" over the UK’s future and Starmer hit back in a Substack article. Laura and Joe are joined by James Lyons, the former Director of Communications to Keir Starmer, to discuss his time in Downing Street, the essays and articles published by leading Labour figures this week and what could happen...

Today, we find out more about Reform’s candidate Robert Kenyon back story and why his old posts on social media are making headlines. Plus, what impact could Restore Britain have on the Reform UK vote and how Andy Burnham has outgrown Mayor of Greater Manchester. Adam is joined by Annabel Tiffin, political editor for BBC Northwest, Lara Spirit, the Deputy Political Editor for The Sunday Times, and...

Today, in his long awaited report, former minister Alan Milburn has said job and career opportunities for young people are ‘not growing, they’re shrinking’, with one in six set to be out of work, education or training in five years unless action is taken. He concluded that the education, health and welfare systems are no longer fit for purpose in preparing young people for adult life - with the ri...

Today, Sir Tony Blair has spoken to the Today programme about an almost 6,000 word essay in which he criticises the Labour government for focusing on politics rather than policy. Adam, Alex and Faisal discuss the arguments made by the former Prime Minister, plus how two would-be leadership contenders Wes Streeting and Andy Burnham (who still needs to fight and win a by-election if he wants to chal...