The News Agents

In the past couple of days, the Covid Inquiry has seen the two most powerful scientists in the country during the height of the pandemic - Professor Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance - give evidence. What they've said has intensified the spotlight on Rishi Sunak - the architect of Eat Out to Help Out - of which testimony has revealed scientists weren't aware before the scheme was rolled out. I...

Emily and Jon host a weekly US politics podcast; giving you everything you need to know about the world of US politics and how it affects you. Episodes are available every Tuesday, on Global Player. Find the latest episode of News Agents USA  here on Global Player.

What should the government do if the Supreme Court calls their policy unlawful? Simples. Just change the law. It’s not the Christmas cracker joke answer for some in the Conservative Party who are actively trying to get the PM to do just that. Today, a former Lord Chancellor, Robert Buckland, spells out the damage that would do. Later, we ask what the decapitation of Sam Altman at the top of OpenAI...

Lewis travels up to Aberdeenshire to speak exclusively - and at length- to the Leader of the Opposition - Sir Keir Starmer after the mother of all British political weeks. Editor: Gabriel Radus Social Media Editor & Video Production: Rory Symon Field Production: Gabriel Radus & Rory Symon You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The News Agents"....

Jess Philips - one of the 8 frontbenchers who voted against the Labour whip last night - gives her first interview to us since resigning last night from her position as Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence and Safeguarding- to 'vote with her constituents and her heart'. Will this damage party morale and weaken Keir Starmer? Or will it show a different side to the politics of disagreement? Also, R...

Within minutes of the Supreme Court ruling - that the government’s Rwanda scheme was ’unlawful’. Deputy chairman Lee Anderson was out of the traps saying ministers should ‘go ahead and put planes in the air to Rwanda anyway’. He has a way with words. But 50 other Tory colleagues weren’t that far off the sentiment, urging Rishi to change UK immigration law to make it work. The government was warned...

Emily and Jon host a weekly US politics podcast; giving you everything you need to know about the world of US politics and how it affects you. Episodes are available every Tuesday, on Global Player. Find the latest episode of News Agents USA  here  on Global Player.

Who is in charge of cabinet now, with two prime ministers sitting around the table? And are they aligned on domestic, as well as foreign policy? One day after Westminster was knocked off it’s feet by the reshuffle how is the move going down in the rest of the country. And what exactly IS a minister for common sense? Later - those protests, the ceasefire and the Labour vote. AND we have our own mer...

By 9am this morning, Suella began her own lifestyle choice of homelessness - sacked as Home Secretary. But the big news was still to come. David Cameron emerged from Number 10 Downing Street as both a) the new Foreign Secretary and b) a Lord. This reshuffle has definitely given the Rishi's cabinet a Pulp Fiction-style adrenalin shot to the heart. But will it put him back in control of the politica...

Emily reports from Georgia, the eye of the Donald Trump legal storm, where he was caught on tape trying to get an election official to 'find' him more votes to win the 2020 election. A year out from 2024, is this purple state closer to staying blue or turning MAGA red? The latter could tip the election in Trump's favour. And she heads to South Carolina, to find out about the woman who could well b...

Suella Braverman is (still) the Home Secretary. That's despite ongoing calls from within her own party for the Prime Minister to sack her for comments she made about the police and so-called 'hate-marches' in an article in The Times, which wasn't signed off by No.10. We speak to senior backbench Tory Tim Loughton, author of The New Snobbery David Skelton, as well as More In Common's Luke Tryl - an...

Suella Braverman is in trouble- again. It's almost like she invites it.  This time she's written a piece for The Times which is being slammed as inflammatory. She's compared the Gaza protests with The Troubles and suggested the police treat right-wing and left-wing protests by different standards, and strongly suggests this Saturday's should be banned. She has called into question a very...

Fiona Hill is one of the most powerful British people of the 21st century but the chances are you haven’t even heard of her. She’s advised three presidents of the United States on foreign policy, especially on Putin’s Russia. She gave evidence at Trump’s first impeachment. at this time of international chaos, of an America which feels inside and out, on the edge, there could be no better time to t...

Today we examine what was in the King's Speech - and what was left out. Suella's controversial "lifestyle choice" tents for the homeless were dropped. What does this tell us about the relationship between Sunak and his Home Secretary? Also as Nikki Haley pushes into 2nd place in the Republican race to run for president, we are in her home town in South Carolina. Editor: Tom Hughes Senior Producer:...

There are tremors amongst Democrats today - and the makings of a victory lap for Trump fans - after polling one year out from a Presidential election shows the challenge Biden is facing in key swing states. America should know their next president a year today, and in the key state of Georgia we are talking to voters and their politicians about why they’re ready to see Trump back in office. Later,...

In an extended interview, Jon speaks to Layla Moran, the only MP with Palestinian heritage and the Lib Dem MP for West Oxford and Abingdon. She talks about her family in Gaza, peace talks and how hope gets her through everyday. Editor: Tom Hughes Producer: Laura FitzPatrick Social Media Editor: Georgia Foxwell Video Producers: Jack McKay & Arvind Badewal You can listen to this episode on Alexa...

Did former Health Secretary Matt Hancock think the best person to decide who should live and die during the pandemic was... Matt Hancock? That was the accusation levelled by former NHS England Chief Executive Simon Stevens in the Covid inquiry. Luckily, the hypothetical situation never materialised but how happy do we feel about politicians playing god? And… as the deputy cabinet secretary describ...

How should the police be responding to the government’s call to arrest more people on "hate marches" (sic Suella). Do laws need to change? Do specific chants cross the legal line? And what is the terror threat like over all in the UK right now? We have an extended interview with Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley on protest, policing and public trust. In response to Sir Mark's comments about the Att...

So, three guesses whose WhatsApps gave us our episode title today. That’s right, Dominic Cummings was up in front of the Covid inquiry where we were given a glimpse of his affection for cabinet colleagues... We also heard from No10 Comms director Lee Cain - his pal - together they paint a picture of the dysfunction that dominated decision making in the early months of Covid. What do the WhatsApp m...

Emily and Jon host a weekly US politics podcast; giving you everything you need to know about the world of US politics and how it affects you. Episodes are available every Tuesday, on Global Player. Find the latest episode of News Agents USA here on Global Player.

Israel began a prolonged ground invasion in northern Gaza this weekend, it continued targeted airstrikes in the region and temporarily cut off communications there. It says it wants to eliminate Hamas "surgically", but with so many civilians killed, what is Israel's endgame? Emily and Jon speak to Mark Regev - a senior adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Israeli ambassador to th...

Is Suella Braverman nailed on to be the next Tory leader? Will Donald Trump win the presidency from a prison cell? And...when are The News Agents going on tour? Emily, Jon and Montana correspondent Lewis Goodall answer your questions in this special edition of The News Agents. Editor: Tom Hughes Senior Producer: Gabriel Radus Producer: Laura FitzPatrick Video Producers: Rory Symon & Ben Bate Y...

Last night - after Israel's Prime Minister addressed the nation - the troops went into Gaza. It was a raid that paved the way for what Netanyahu promised would be the ground invasion to come. But what is the end game here? And are any of Israel's allies prepared to try and stop them? We talk to the Economist's Defence Editor Shashank Joshi about how Israel is preparing for war and what the end gam...

Labour Muslim MPs have had a long meeting with leader Keir Starmer in which they expressed their discontent with their leader for not explicitly calling on Israel to do more to save civilian life in Gaza. He’s also seen at least 23 councillors step down over their frustration with Labour's position. Does the Labour leader need to do more to offer reassurance to Muslim voters and MPs? And why is it...

Rishi Sunak’s premiership is almost one year old. Is this where the Tory party wants to be 12 months out from an election? Can a party that’s been in power for 13 years win again? And what has to happen to make that possible? We talk to Ben Riley-Smith author of The Right to Rule and political editor of The Telegraph. Editor: Tom Hughes Producer: Laura FitzPatrick Planning Producer: Alex Barnett S...