The Crisis Room

Amber, Mark and Marc P are answering your questions in this first ever Q&A episode of The Crisis Room! Mark and Marc analyse how damaging it could be for Russia if Trump gives Ukraine Tomahawk missiles - and they also break down why Hamas' violent reprisals against rivals in Gaza is such an obstacle to the peace plan continuing into phase two. Amber gives her verdict on the political purpose o...

Today, the MI5 boss has spoken out about his 'frustration' at the recent collapse of the China spy trial. But how will he really be feeling about this saga which has caused so much controversy for Keir Starmer and in national security circles? Amber reveals what Ken McCallum said when she saw the spy chief this week - and why the security services will be furious that the case has fallen apart. Ma...

How do you handle President Trump? Is China a national security threat to the UK - and should it be allowed its new 'Super Embassy' in central London? And could a future government potentially strike a migrant returns deal with the Taliban? These are just some of the questions Amber, Mark, and Marc put to Mark Sedwill - the UK's former National Security Adviser and Ambassador to Afghanistan - in a...

Yesterday's terror attack at a synagogue in Manchester left three people dead, several more injured, and an entire community shaken. But what happens in the immediate aftermath of such an incident? Amber calls on her experience of responding to five terror attacks as Home Secretary in 2017 to explain what happens at COBRA, and what the security services do next to try and prevent any further attac...

In light of Benjamin Netanyahu's recent apology to Qatar, The Crisis Room takes a look back at 1997 - and a previous occasion when Bibi was forced to apologise for a botched assassination attempt on foreign soil. Mark and Marc unknowingly almost crossed paths when Mossad tried to take out a former Hamas leader in Jordan 28 years ago - and here they explain how that episode unfolded and give us a u...

From fighter jets in Estonia, to drones in Poland, Romania - and possibly now Denmark too - Russia has been taunting NATO for weeks. So is it time for the alliance to take a tougher stance? Is NATO suffering a crisis of confidence? Amber, Mark, and Marc discuss whether Russian jets should be shot down the next time they enter NATO airspace - and what the consequences might be if they are. Later, A...

Trump’s State Visit has come to a close, and it seems to have come off without any hitches. As he soaked up the glory of state banquets and royal guards, today brought less of the pageantry and more of the politics. But was the UK right to host Trump for an unprecedented second State Visit? And how is his visit being viewed here, and back in the US? Later, we’re joined by Former US Former National...

Another week, another Home Secretary - so what makes this great office of state so difficult and treacherous for politicians of all parties? This week, Amber reveals how a reshuffle really works - and takes us inside the government's most troublesome department to explain why the Home Office has ended so many ministerial careers, and why Shabana Mahmood has such a daunting in-tray. Later, Amber, M...

World leaders - including Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un - flocked to Beijing this week to hold hands with President Xi and watch a massive military parade. China showed off an arsenal including nuclear weapons, 'robot wolves' and underwater drones - so is the West taking the threat posed by China seriously enough? Amber, Mark, and Marc unpick what we learned from this week's summit, why Trump is...

Does the idea of a rules-based world order still cary any weight? Or, in the age of Donald Trump, is it just a comforting but outdated concept? This week, Amber, Mark, and Marc debate whether Trump's unique style is convincing more and more politicians to break the rules - and if the world's post-1945 system is close to collapse. And in a week when the US President once again hinted that he likes...

Europe's leaders averted a disaster in their White House summit with President Trump. But what comes next in the West's efforts to end the war in Ukraine? Can the UK's hollowed-out armed forces really provide a meaningful security guarantee if there's a peace deal? How will Vladimir Putin react if we do send peace-keeping troops to Ukraine? And is Keir Starmer ready for a possible public backlash...

The world is holding its breath as Presidents Trump and Putin prepare to meet in Alaska - but will the leaders take a step towards a landmark peace deal, or will this go down as a diplomatic disaster? Just how worried should Ukraine and President Zelensky be about what might unfold? Amber, Mark, and Marc reveal what will be happening behind the scenes in a desperate attempt to make the event go to...

In a time of AI, facial recognition and rapid technological advances - is the era of human intelligence-gathering over? Could AI soon put James Bond out of a job? This week, in a special episode, The Crisis Room looks at how espionage is grappling with the challenges posed by modern technology. After all, in a world of UTS - Ubiquitous Technical Surveillance - can anyone really be expected to succ...

This week, Keir Starmer followed in the footsteps of President Macron and declared that the UK will recognise a Palestinian state by September, unless Israel holds to a ceasefire. Did he make the right call? Or will he regret breaking from the Americans on this major foreign policy issue? And, is Britain really ready for war with China? We'll take a look at recent comments by the British Defence S...

As famine spreads in Gaza, the team discuss whether the international community - and particularly the US and the UK - should be taking stronger action against Israel. And they ask: would officially recognising the State of Palestine make any difference to the lives of ordinary Gazans? Amber, Mark, and Marc are joined by the former British Ambassador to the US, Lord Darroch to discuss this, and wh...

It's one of the big diplomatic dilemmas of the modern era: how do you solve a problem like President Trump? It's a dilemma that world leaders from Keir Starmer, to Emanuel Macron, to Mark Carney have grappled with over the past six months - some choose to stand up to the US President, while others bend the knee. NATO chief Mark Rutte has even hailed Trump a 'great man' in a recent interview - a co...

'This can't go on' - that's what Keir Starmer and President Macron have said about the migrant crisis this week. But will their new 'one in, one out' deal make any real difference to stopping the boats? Amber also reveals what was said in government conversations about illegal migration during her time as Home Secretary - and which of her cabinet colleagues would privately ask her to make sure the...

In this week's episode, The Crisis Room team discuss the Home Secretary's proscribing of Palestine Action as terrorist group, despite warnings that a ban on the group criminalises legitimate protest. Lord Anderson, former reviewer of Terrorism Legislation in the UK, joins us in the studio to talk about why governments take these measures, and how they can combat radicalisation across the UK. Later...

With a ceasefire between Israel and Iran appearing to hold - for now - how much have the events of the past two weeks changed the Middle East in the longer term? In this week's episode, The Crisis Room team discuss the seismic shifts we've seen in the region, and they consider whether Iran will ever agree to return to the negotiating table after attacks from the US and Israel in the last fortnight...

What conversations are taking place in the White House Situation Room right now? How will the British government be responding to the war between Iran and Israel in its own Crisis Room, COBRA? Amber, Mark, and Marc recreate those scenes by dissecting the political, military, and intelligence aspects of this issue, and assess whether the US is likely to join in with Israeli strikes on Iranian sites...

In the first-ever emergency edition of  The Crisis Room , Mark, Amber, and Marc unpack Israel’s dramatic overnight attacks on Iran, and what they could mean for global security. The situation is so urgent, Marc joins the conversation from a plane. Yes, really.  The team dissect Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s latest military gamble, question what President Trump may have known in adva...

Have you ever wondered what it was like to be part of Special Forces operations during the Iraq War? In an exclusive interview, former SAS Commanding Officer Richard Williams reveals what it was like to run those units in Baghdad at a time when Al-Qaeda were detonating 100 suicide bombs every month - and just how big an impact his men had on restoring some sense of order to the Iraqi capital. For...

Is the UK ready to take part in an armed conflict? Do the British people understand what being war-ready really means? And is the government willing to cough up and pay what it takes to keep the public safe in the long-term? This week, Amber and Mark discuss Britain's war-readiness in light of the publication of the Strategic Defence Review, and they speak to Dr. Fiona Hill, one of the authors of...

Step into The Crisis Room. In this first episode, Amber, Mark, and Marc unpack the controversial move by Merseyside Police to reveal key details about the Liverpool incident suspect. Smart transparency, or a risky precedent? They also dive into the war in Ukraine: has Europe let Ukraine down? Why is Trump so dismissive of the intelligence community? And are world leaders scared of provoking Vladim...

Former Home Secretary Amber Rudd, renowned journalist Mark Urban, and decorated former CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos tell you all about their new podcast The Crisis Room. Listen for a flavour of the stories they'll share, from careers spent reporting from the frontlines, responding to terror attacks from the corridors of Westminster, and spying in the Middle East. Each week, the team unpicks the...