The News Agents

The membership voting has now closed on the Tory leadership race. By Saturday we will have a new leader of the opposition. What flavour will that conservatism be? Robert Jenrick released a video this week warning of conspiracy and cover up over the Southport killings. Does he no longer believe in the rule of law? And is this a winning strategy for his party? Later Elon musk is having his (literal)...

If there’s one thing Rachel Reeves drilled into us in the months before delivering her first budget, it’s that none of her tax rises would target working people. So how have we ended up with a £40 billion tax raid which WILL almost certainly hit working people? The NI increase to employers will make it harder for them to hire, raise wages or expand businesses. So how does that add up? And why were...

One day out from the budget we ask why The Chancellor appears to be frightening off the very people she needs to help flourish for economic growth. Businesses and entrepreneurs are starting to feel uneasy with the budget plans they’re hearing. And they are wondering if Reeves has enough people around her who understand how to make the UK competitive. More in Common’s Luke Tryl joins us to talk abo...

Trump has achieved a lifetime ambition and played Madison Square Gardens, NYC. Throughout the night the stage was filled by supporters, surrogates and comedians making a variety of racially offensive gags - including calling Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage. Trump's fans are split into those who think they warmed up the stage nicely, and those who think they've lost him a crucial minority...

This week on The Sports Agents , Brentford manager Thomas Frank tells us taking a big job like Manchester United wouldn't make his life better, in an exclusive interview. We also talk about the Bees' no d***heads policy, 'secret sauce' and Ivan Toney's gambling ban. Plus, your questions are answered by Gabby and Mark, who tell stories of meeting their hero in a urinal, singing to the England manag...

The Tory party are down to the final two in another long contest for leader. It's an unusual contest with both Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick coming from the right of the party. So, who are they? What do they believe? And how would they shape the Conservative Party after the worst defeat in its history? Editor: Tom Hughes Executive Producer: Louis Degenhardt Producer: Natalie Indge  Digital...

We have an interview with Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of Alexei Navalny - the Russian opposition leader murdered in prison earlier this year by Putin's government. Why did he go back to Russia after his poisoning? And what did Putin make of his death? But we start in America with Kamala Harris who last night told a CNN town hall that yes, she agreed Trump was a fascist. The Democrats can't seem to d...

Donald Trump's campaign has filed a Federal Election Commission complaint against - what sorry - the Labour party, accusing it of 'blatant foreign interference', for allowing volunteers to door knock in swing states for Kamala Harris. The story either goes back to a linked in post by a labour staffer offering volunteers free accommodation in North Carolina, or it goes back to a longer standing row...

Twenty four hours after a jury cleared sergeant Martyn Blake of all charges relating to the murder of Chris Kaba, the questions have only intensified. Why did this case ever come to court? What did the CPS know that made them think he’d be found guilty? And how does Chris Kaba’s family now respond to the not guilty verdict? At the heart of this story is a question of trust that has fallen apart -...

Why is Elon Musk offering voters in Pennsylvania the chance to win a million pounds a day by registering to vote? Well, we can all probably work out the answer. He's Trump's number 1 fanboy and reckons he has a lot to gain if he can swing this swing state to make Trump president. Democrats are trying to work out if it constitutes election interference - and whether they realistically have a chance...

This week on The Sports Agents , England named German coach Thomas Tuchel as the man to lead the Three Lions to World Cup glory - but does his nationality matter more than how good a manager he is? German football writer Raphael Honigstein , joined Gabby & Mark to explore... How do clubs actually unearth the best talent? Old-school scouting prowess or new-age AI-infused data? We debate it out...

Will this be the most gendered election ever? How late should you stay up to watch the results? And who do Jon and Lewis think will win? With less than three weeks to go to the US election, we answer your most pressing questions. Editor: Tom Hughes Executive Producer: Louis Degenhardt Producer: Natalie Indge  Digital Editor: Michaela Walters Social Media Editor: Georgia Foxwell Video Producti...

Kamala Harris has been trying to reach the parts of America that Democrats dont easily reach. Her latest foray was on Fox News in a sit-down interview with Bret Baier. She called the network out for failing to correct Donald Trump's falsehood on his election loss. But she struggled more when she had to differentiate herself from Joe Biden, and their past record. Did it work as a strategy? Later, l...

Tory leadership ballots have now gone out - and Conservative members must now chose if they want Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick to lead their party. Unusually, both candidates come from the same wing of the party - the right - which begs the question, is there a genuine path for them to win over a wider electorate? We speak to the man spearheading the movement to find the Tories their route back...

What exactly is a 'working person'? At the heart of that question is the answer to whether or not you think Labour has fudged its promise not to put up taxes in the budget in two weeks. Yesterday the Prime Minister refused to rule out increasing the national insurance contribution employers pay on their staff - having promised 'no increases on income tax, VAT or NI for WORKING PEOPLE'. So are they...

Last month Germany suspended free movement at some of its borders, citing growing migration concerns. Critics of the move believe it’s dealt a body blow to the integrity of the European project, leading to an angry outburst from Poland’s PM - and former European Council President - Donald Tusk about “unfair unilateral” action from a fellow EU member state. This weekend, however, Poland followed su...

This week on The Sports Agents , Gabby & Mark Pougatch welcomed ex-Formula One Team Principle at Haas, Guenther Steiner , to talk about swearing and the unexpected F1 title race, with a bonus question for our weekend listeners. And after Rafa Nadal announced his retirement during our recording, tennis presenter Marcus Buckland helped us pay tribute to the tennis great. Plus we quizzed one of t...

Less than a week ago, the woman who was supposed to ease Labour's passage into government, Sue Gray, left her job as Chief of Staff following mounting pressure and rumours of fallouts behind the scenes. Her replacement is Morgan McSweeney - now the most powerful man in politics that you've probably never heard of. The architect of Labour’s election victory, Starmer’s campaign manager, and now his...

Lewis, Jon and Emily have all been speaking to various Tory MPs either running the campaigns or voting in the leadership race. Together we work out what actually happened behind the scenes, and the buyers regret some are now feeling. Later, Yuval Noah Harari, author of Sapiens and now Nexus, on why information and truth are two completely different things. And lastly, the GetJimAJingle campaign re...

It's very rare you see the News Agents speechless. But today is one of those rare moments. James Cleverly, Tory MPs favourite as of yesterday has just been knocked out of the leaders race by Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick. You can hear from our voices, that we spend the entire episode trying to work out what on earth has happened. Did Team Cleverly's maths go wrong? Did MPs have a sudden change...

Elon Musk has linked up with Donald Trump on the campaign trail - visiting Butler Pennsylvania and speaking to the crowds on the very spot Trump was targeted by a sniper back in July. He's parroting the Trump lines - calling this the last election ever if Trump loses - and offering people 47 dollars to sign up swing voters in key states. Is it bribery? Is it legal? Does anyone care? Later, will La...

Sue Gray's resignation might have come as a surprise to some but as rumours swirled about mounting hostility towards her inside Number 10, her departure was inevitable. So, what will her exit mean for Keir Starmer? And what does the latest shake up in No 10 reveal about the mood behind the scenes? And, 12 months on from the 7th October attacks in Israel, we ask whether we're any closer to peace in...

This week on The Sports Agents , Gabby & Mark asked former Chelsea talisman Frank Lampard for his thoughts on their current one - Cole Palmer - but is he the best player in the Premier League right now? Plus, Sam Burgess was among our guests as we explored whether the only way to save Rugby was to reunite the two codes! And after Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate questioned why he hadn't received th...

After eight years as North America Editor Jon returned home to the UK, but things weren't quite as he had left them. In his book, Strangeland, Jon recounts what it was like in the US, looking back to the UK - and the strange feeling when he returned home to realise that either Britain had changed, or he had. Lewis sits down with Jon to discuss just how much the British political landscape has chan...

The Labour freebies story “broke“ over a month ago. Yet last night whilst Keir Starmer was meeting with Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels he found himself fielding questions about what free stuff he was handing back after agreeing to repay 6k. Why is Labour being so weird about this? Does it tell us something more about labours naïveté? Or perhaps their unreadiness for government? Or is the media e...