The Crisis Room

In this, the final Q&A episode of The Crisis Room, Amber answers listeners' questions about the Conservative Party: does it have any hope of ever winning another General Election? And can it recover from the recent wave of high-profile defections from the Tories to Reform UK? Mark explains why media coverage of the conflict between Gaza and Israel has dropped off so significantly since the cea...

In this, the final regular episode of The Crisis Room, Amber, Mark, and Marc P recap an unprecedented last twelve months in geopolitics - and look ahead to which other crises are coming down the track in the year ahead. From the tensions between Turkey and Israel, from Iran to Greenland, and the question of what the future holds for Venezuela, the team predict which situations pose the most proble...

In this week's Q&A, Mark & Amber assess whether the US decision to mobilise troops in the Alaskan Airborne Division is a sign that Trump is still eyeing up a military takeover of Greenland. They also explain why MI6 officers speak publicly so rarely - and whether that should change. Plus, Mark looks at whether Jeffrey Epstein's geopolitical connections should be more closely examined, whil...

After a week of high drama in Davos, where leaders from Donald Trump to Mark Carney and Emanuel Macron traded blows and the whole western alliance appeared to be on the brink of collapse, Mark & Amber analyse whether there really is a new world order as the dust starts to settle. They're joined by George Robertson, the former Defence Secretary and Secretary General of NATO who triggered Articl...

In this week's Q&A episode, the team looks at whether Vice President JD Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio is winning the battle for supremacy in the Republican Party - and how each of them might approach the role of Commander in Chief if they succeed Trump and become the next President of the United States. Amber, Mark, and Marc also break down how the state of the UK's finances became s...

Over the past few weeks Iran has been thrust into one of the most consequential crises of its time. Protests against the regime have swept the country, and security forces have cracked down with lethal force. Trump is warning of ‘very strong action’. But what help is really on the way? Because with Iran in crisis, and Washington is as unpredictable as ever, the region is deep in tension. Marc P al...

President Donald Trump continues to change the landscape for international politics. Marc P looks at the safety of American citizens who dissent after talk of US troops ignoring illegal orders. What is the legality of the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro? Would NATO continue to exist if the US actually invades or annexes Greenland? And what has happened to the supposed rare earth min...

Former Defence Secretary Sir Ben Wallace joins The Crisis Room to dissect the events of the past week, and to look ahead to what the next few months might hold. He speaks candidly about the reality of what the US leaving NATO would mean for the alliance and the security of the West, and whether Keir Starmer is right to pledge to send troops to Ukraine if Putin ever agrees to a ceasefire. Ben also...

After the horrific terror attack at Bondi Beach, Marc P and Amber explain what precautions are taken by governments to try and prevent similar attacks from happening. What will life look like after Donald Trump's presidency in terms of international relations and will the US carry the same weight internationally? Mark debates whether the BBC is facing an existential crisis with a potential multi b...

It's rare that the head of MI6 and the head of the Armed Forces both speak publicly in the same week. But that's what's happened in the past few days, with both warning of the imminent threat the UK faces from Russia. In this episode, The Crisis Room asks: is it time for the UK - and the West as a whole - to admit that we are at war with Russia? Amber explains the conversations she was involved in...

In this Q&A episode, Mark explains what is happening to civilians currently in Russian occupied Ukraine and what lies in store for them in the future. Amber replies to claims that she has said it is now safe for Afghan refugees to return back home. Mark, Amber and Marc P all discuss the use of anti-migrant rhetoric and immigration in both US and UK elections. Have a question for a future Q&amp...

After a week where Trump has left Europe wondering if it faces a future where it can't rely on America to protect it - The Crisis Room debates whether Britain will come good on Keir Starmer's promise to massively increase defence spending, and what it will mean if he fails to hit his own targets. Philip Hammond, the former Foreign Secretary and Chancellor, joins the podcast for an exclusive interv...

In this Q&A episode, Mark opens up about his personal dealings and interviews with former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, before the 2018 Salisbury poisonings. Meanwhile Amber explains why Theresa May was confident in blaming Russia for the attacks so soon afterwards. Marc P speaks about the role that US and UK governments play in protecting and rescuing citizens when at ris...

Vladimir Putin is 'morally responsible' for the death of Dawn Sturgess - the British woman killed by Novichok poisoning back in 2018. That was the key finding of a public inquiry which was published today - and in this episode, Mark and Amber give their reactions to the report. Could and should the government have done anything differently in response to the initial poisonings back in 2018? Should...

In this Q&A episode, Amber gives her reaction for the first time to the new Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's controversial immigration reforms - and the possibility of the UK leaving the ECHR. Are these reforms too harsh? Or is it exactly what the UK needs to stop the far-right from gaining traction? Marc P has his say on issues over in the US in light of a major row over military personnel ig...

In this special episode, The Crisis Room takes you back to March 2018 and Russia's extraordinary attempt to assassinate a former spy on British soil. Not only did the Novichok attack in Salisbury kill Dawn Sturgess, but the incident left dozens of other innocent civilians injured and prompted an international backlash against Putin and his regime. Amber was Home Secretary at the time and led the U...

Al Carns isn't your average Member of Parliament. After more than twenty years of decorated service in the Royal Marines, last year he became an MP, and days later, he became part of the government. Now the Armed Forces Minister, in this exclusive and extended interview, he opens up to The Crisis Room about what he learned from two decades of special operations and the strategic challenges facing...

With Russia and the US reportedly coming up with a 28 point plan to bring an end to the War in Ukraine, The Crisis Room team dissects whether this plan has any chance of leading to a just and lasting peace - or if, in reality, it's simply a surrender. The team reveals how backchannel negotiations work: why intelligence bosses can sometimes be more effective negotiators than diplomats, and why this...

After a week where the BBC has dominated the headlines for all the wrong reasons, Mark draws on his 35 years of working for the Corporation to assess what's gone wrong - and whether this latest scandal will damage its brand for good. He also gives his verdict on whether the BBC is to blame for the mess it finds itself in, and assesses how much merit there is to the theory that Director General Tim...

In this Q&A episode, Marc P opens up to Mark and Amber for the first time about his experience with Havana Syndrome - a serious health issue also known as Anomalous Health Incidents. He reveals why his experience in a Moscow hotel room ultimately led to a premature end to his CIA career - and explains why he believes that a major US government cover-up on Havana Syndrome will soon be brought t...

Weeks after Trump's triumphant trip to the Middle East to celebrate what he called a "historic" peace deal - his plan for long-term peace in Gaza is still yet to move from Phase 1 to Phase 2. So what's behind the delay in assembling an International Stabilisation Force? What are Arab nations saying about the idea of being a part of such a Force? And is the US still involved in negotiations, or has...

What does it say about the UK's police and the country more generally that Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were banned from attending their match against Aston Villa? Amber and Mark break down why the authorities reached the wrong decision - and Marc P explains why the story has made news in America as part of this week's Q&A episode. Amber also reveals how a massive emergency service response is co-ord...

It's been another week where Amber's old department, the Home Office, has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. So is breaking up the Home Office and creating a separate Department of Immigration the solution? Amber explains what will have gone on behind the scenes of government this week as the Hadush Kebatu saga has lurched from one crisis to another - and why dividing up the Home Off...

In the latest Q&A episode, the team tackle your questions on a variety of crises. Amber analyses what has been achieved through stripping Prince Andrew of his titles, while Marc P gives us an update on when we might finally see the Epstein Files published. Meanwhile, Amber and Mark discuss whether it's fair to say that Nigel Farage and Brexit are largely responsible for the small boats issue a...

From British colonial rule to Osama Bin Laden, Al-Qaeda, and the Taliban, tensions have run high on the Durand Line - the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan - since it was first drawn over 100 years ago. And with fighting having once again recently broken out between the two sides, in this episode Mark takes us through the history of what has become known as one of the world's most dangerous...