The News Agents

Suella Braverman wants to make it harder for people to call themselves a refugee. She's in Washington setting out her case for a major overhaul of the UN Refugee Convention - signed in 1951 in the aftermath of the Second World War (but updated continually since). She says the numbers of people crossing the channel now make it unsustainable. Is she right? And where are her numbers coming from.... A...

Rishi Sunak and his lectern are promising 'long term decisions for a brighter future'. But just whose future is getting brighter? Plans for HS2 are in chaos after rumours the PM might be about to ditch the wildly over-budget rail project. He's called environmental policies heavy handed - and ditched some of those targets. And now his ministers are starting to suggest that inheritance tax could be...

Gordon Smart was the editor of The Scottish Sun, and deputy editor of the Sun. But before that, he was the paper's showbiz editor who got to know very well, among others, Russell Brand. He sits down with Emily and Lewis to talk about the man that's been accused of sexual assault and rape, as well as debauchery in tabloid journalism and showbiz in the 2000s and 2010s. Russell Brand denies all alleg...

92 year old Rupert Murdoch is stepping down as chairman of News Corp, the owner of The Sun, The Times and Fox News - he was in charge of his media empire for 70 years. In true Succession style, his eldest son, Lachlan takes over. Emily and Lewis ask one of his former prodigal sons, Gordon Smart - who once was deputy editor of The Sun and editor of The Scottish Sun - about the man who used to be hi...

Zac Goldsmith, one time energy minister, who resigned from Rishi Sunak's government, has accused his old boss of delivering a 'moment of shame' after he revealed plans to adjust (water down) his commitment to green policies. Rishi Sunak was propelled into explaining his new position in a hastily arranged press conference after details were leaked to the BBC. What effect will these changes have env...

Youtube has announced it's demonetising Russell Brand's video content on its site - in other words, pulling the ads from the content he makes. The BBC and Channel 4 have said they are withdrawing 'some' Russell Brand content. But in an age where Brand can reach 6.5 million subscribers and sell out Wembley, does any of this stuff really hurt him? Also today, we hear from the son of Jimmy Lai - the...

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

**CW: This podcast includes discussions of rape and sexual assault** This weekend saw the culmination of an extraordinary piece of investigative journalism that began four years ago. In 2019 Russell Brand - now accused of rape and sexual assault by women featured in the Sunday Times and Dispatches investigation - began a path of reinvention as a “ wellness guru “, eschewing main stream media platf...

There is no money left. The reason Britain can afford less and less is apparently because we have no money. It's why we can't spend on schools, on hospitals, on defence. But what if it's not actually about scarcity at all? Today, Lewis reimagines our state's finances and argues why we need to talk about wealth. And - it's the first time in US history that a sitting President's child has been crimi...

Penny Mordaunt, the Leader of the House of Commons, has accused the Leader of the Opposition of having no balls. No, she seriously did - comparing Sir Keir Starmer to flip flop beach Ken. But beach Ken, as it happens, is currently talking to Europol at The Hague trying to work out a plan to stop small boats by treating people smugglers like terrorists. The Tories say it will make us a dumping grou...

BREAKING NEWS: Rishi Sunak’s SpAd has hit back at Keir Starmer's ‘Inaction Man‘ gag and called him - wait for it - a ‘man of action’. But first, Labour is voting against the government’s bill to build more new homes. Why? Because the Tories say they would rip up old EU environmental regulation to get morew homes built. Do we really have to choose between the two? Conservatives argue the ‘nutrient...

"The battle for the General Election is getting started" - that was the message from Labour's Deputy Leader today. Angela Rayner made also a promise to change anti-strike laws within the first 100 days of a Labour government, in her speech to the TUC. So on the day that Labour gets serious about the next election, Emily hears from Labour's Peter Kyle - the new Shadow Minister for Science, Innovati...

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

*CW: This episode contains discussions about suicide* More than a hundred of you - our listeners - have been in touch to share your own experiences with mental health care (or lack of it) in this country. Collectively, you paint a picture of a system in crisis, a pandemic particularly amongst the young which we cannot deal with. We hear from Roman Kemp - who's called on the government to put menta...

David Lammy, the next Foreign Secretary? This felt like the week when Labour really began to be treated as a government-in-waiting. One area which has barely been considered is how the party will handle foreign policy, Britain’s place on the world stage. David Lammy, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, talks to Lewis at length about what he wants to do if he gets that top job and his political journey.&...

How does a man wearing red and white check trousers escape from a prison underneath a moving truck? Daniel Khalife - as we record - is still on the run. So where has he gone, how did he do it and what are the implications of the whole saga? Also on today's episode - Chris Pincher resigns as an MP, Britain (sort of) rejoins the... via the Horizon project) and we discuss abortion laws in Mexico. Edi...

Could Suella's new Illegal Immigration Act be about to backfire horribly on the Home Office? Over the last year, money to house asylum seekers has come from the Department for International Aid. It's taken nearly 30 percent of their budget or just over £3.7billion. But the introduction of the new law - which criminalises asylum seekers - means that the government is no longer allowed under OECD ru...

A government poster warning us "MOST SCHOOLS ARE UNAFFECTED" by lethal crumbling concrete may not offer the reassurance the Department for Education is aiming for. Indeed it was a gift to Labour - whose comms department instantly retorted with "Most swimmers not at risk of sharks". So what has happened to capital spending on schools since the Conservatives came to power? And what on earth is going...

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

The blame for the school concrete scandal has landed right at the Prime Minister's feet - after a former civil servant from the Department for Education revealed it was Chancellor Sunak that cut the funding for rebuilding schools five years ago. But it's his Education Secretary - Gillian Keegan - who's conducting the political heat today after a sweary off-mic rant which she is almost certainly no...

David Dimbleby is one of the biggest names in the history of broadcasting. From election nights, to iconic political panel shows, to huge Royal occasions - he's been at the forefront of TV and radio news and politics for decades. He's also had a front seat for the shift in the industry's relationship with both politicians and the audience. In an end-of-summer special extended interview, David Dimb...

The PM announces a mini-reshuffle, with Defence Secretary Ben Wallace leaving the post and Grant Shapps warming a new Cabinet seat for the fifth time in less than a year. Claire Coutinho becomes the new Energy Security Secretary. But does this do anything to help arrest the Conservatives' seemingly-inevitable slide toward electoral defeat next year (if the polls are to be believed). We ask Lara Sp...

It's The News Agents' first birthday. So we open the floor for questions from you, the listener. Editor: Tom Hughes Senior Producer: Gabriel Radus Producer: Laura FitzPatrick Planning Producer: Alex Barnett Social Media Editor: Georgia Foxwell Video Producer: Will Gibson-Smith You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The News Agents". The News Agents is...

A tumultuous week in Spain continues as Luis Rubiales, the Head of the Spanish FA, refuses to resign after kissing footballer Jenni Hermoso on the lips in the aftermath of Spain's World Cup win. His mother is on day 2 of a hunger strike, locking herself inside a church. You couldn't write it. So Lewis and Jon discuss the wider repercussions of this sexism row with Spanish lawyer Miriam Gonzalez Du...

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