The i Podcast

More than a million women in the UK are thought to be suffering from an illness that is leaving some of them bedbound, unable to work and battling with the mental strain of a debilitating condition. But you probably won’t have heard of it. Chronic urinary tract infections can be terrible for sufferers, but experts warn that the awareness, testing and treatment for them is simply not good enough. I...

Many people with autism find navigating a world not designed for them a difficult task. They are forced to spend much of their lives trying to fit in – but what if it is the “neurotypical” majority who should adapt? In this week’s episode of The i Podcast we are joined by iMoney and Business Editor Jessie Hewitson to talk about the way her view of the condition has changed dramatically in the year...

Since Covid-19 emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan three eventful years ago there have been two leading hypotheses on the virus’s origin. The predominant theory suggests Covid-19 emerged through close contact between humans and animals in Wuhan’s wet market. The second suggests it was the result of an accidental leak from a lab in the city of nine million people. Quickly dismissed by some as cons...

From front man of The Undertones to a vocal environmental campaigner, Feargal Sharkey is on a mission to clean up Britain’s rivers and to force water companies, regulators, and ministers to do their bit. Social media posts of sewage discharging into our rivers and seas may have caught your attention recently, and the situation on a national scale is similarly gloomy. Only 14 percent of England’s r...

Sex and drugs going hand in hand is nothing new. But when things are taken to extreme lengths – such as in the world of chemsex – the door is opened to criminality on a vast scale. Patrick Strudwick’s reporting has drawn attention to the individuals and criminal gangs involved in exploiting the murky world of chemsex parties for their own gain, and he joins us in this week’s episode of The i Podca...

A year after Russia began it’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, shattering the certainties of international politics, the ripples are still being felt worldwide. From tough talking in the corridors of power, to shoppers facing spiralling prices for essential goods, to Ukrainians picking through the rubble of devastated towns and cities, this conflict is being felt globally and will define geopoliti...

At the beginning of February, a mysterious flying balloon drifted into the public’s view in the skies above Montana. Locals eagerly filmed the unidentified object, posting videos on social media, kickstarting speculation that it was a visitation from extraterrestrials. While bizarre, it seems there was something altogether more earthly was going on. The US pointed fingers squarely at China, claimi...

Liz Truss is back and she knows who is at fault for her disastrous 49-day tenure as prime minister: a “blob of vested interests” opposed to her vision of a low-tax economy. In this week’s episode of The i Podcast, deputy political editor, Arj Singh, joins host Molly Blackall to lift the lid on her explosive intervention that has reignited the Tory party’s love affair with cutting taxes – and split...

Ukraine’s Western allies have announced they will supply the embattled nation with high-tech tanks in a strategic move they hope will be decisive in its battle with Russia. From the German-engineered excellence of the Leopard 2 to the British Challenger 2, complete with a kettle for making tea, these new weapons will augment the Soviet-era vehicles Ukraine has been using to hold off the Russian ad...

Brexit was supposed to revive the fishing industry. Free of the shackles of Brussels rules, the UK’s fishing fleets would once more be able to make the most of British coastal waters and revitalise their coastal communities. This is what Boris Johnson told Ian Perkes in Devon back in 2019. Four years later, the Brixham fish merchant’s business has seen sales plummet 30 per cent and export costs ri...

Labour has enjoyed a hefty polling lead over the Conservatives for more than a year. Polling averages are giving Labour up to a 20-point lead and many in Westminster expect them to win the next election – due within the next two years. In this week’s episode of The i Podcast, policy editor Jane Merrick and political reporter Chloe Chaplain give us the inside view on how the Opposition party will n...

An exclusive i investigation has uncovered the measures Chinese intelligence is believed to have taken to track British Government figures’ every move. In this week’s episode of The i Podcast – Senior Reporter Richard Holmes lifts the lid on his remarkable front-page story – that has sent shockwaves through Britain’s political establishment. Richard joins host Molly Blackall to explain the “distur...

In this week’s episode of The i Podcast, we are lifting the lid on the UK’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak in China and what it tells us about Rishi Sunak’s Government and Britain’s place in the world. i‘s policy editor, Jane Merrick, joins Molly Blackall to give us the inside track on splits in the Cabinet and the geopolitical implications of the decision to bring in the first travel restricti...

While many of us may have been expecting a joyful re-opening of society after the pandemic, 2022 has brought many surprises, dashing our hopes of life finally returning to normal. In the final episode of the year Editor-in-chief Oly Duff and host Molly Blackall take a look back at the defining moments of 2022. From the political musical chairs in Downing Street to the first war on the European con...

The NHS comes under considerable pressure every winter, but is this year the worst yet? In this week’s episode of The i Podcast, we are looking at the mounting challenges the health service faces – as the latest wave of industrial action takes hold. i Special Projects Editor Rob Hastings has been speaking to paramedics about how they feel working on the frontline of the frontline and the mounting...

Strep-A has killed 16 children and caused panic among parents. The situation has been exacerbated by a lack of vital antibiotic supplies. In this week’s podcast, we take a look at what went wrong – and what it tells us about our Government’s response to infectious diseases in a post-pandemic world. Joining us to lift the lid on what has hampered the response is i Policy Editor Jane Merrick, who ha...

In this week’s episode of The i Podcast, we are taking a deep dive into the divided world of Brexit. Our exclusive new polling shows that something significant is changing: many of those who voted to leave the EU are now regretting their decision. To help shed light on what is going on – and what it means for the UK we are joined by North of England reporter Steve Robson who has been pounding the...

In the third episode of The i Podcast, host Molly Blackall speaks to i Housing Correspondent Vicky Spratt and Chief Political Correspondent Richard Vaughan about Michael Gove’s plan to fix the UK’s housing crisis. Vicky takes us into the home of Andie Williams, a social housing tenant living in a 60s block in Westminster with her four children, who are just one of many families across the country...

On the second episode of The i Podcast, we are joined by our lobby team to discuss the unlikely relationship between new PM Rishi Sunak and elder statesman Gordon Brown, and why they have more in common than you might think.   i's Political Editor Hugo Gye and Deputy Political Editor Arj Singh have uncovered details about Rishi Sunak's relationship with the former Labour PM and what it tells...

It is undoubtedly one of the strangest World Cups ever. The global "festival of football" kicks off this weekend in the tiny Gulf state of Qatar in a cloud of controversy.  In this special launch episode of our brand-new weekly podcast, Molly Blackall speaks to i's Chief Football Writer, Daniel Storey in Doha and Special Correspondent, Patrick Strudwick about why this World Cup has come under...

Welcome to The i Podcast - bringing you insight and analysis on the most essential stories from the team at i. Every Wednesday morning our expert journalists will take you behind the headlines of our exclusive reports and in-depth features. i is for people with open minds - and this is the podcast to help you expand your horizons. Our commitment to you is politics without the spin. News coverage w...