The News Agents

Everyone understands the need to leave on a high - whether it’s Prime Ministerial legacy or a sense of completing the job. But the new defence investment plan that Starmer's signed off leaves Burnham with an unexploded bomb in the shape of a five billion pound debt. Does Burnham stick to the plan? Or does he rip it up? And how does he fill the hole if he goes along with it? We ask TUC secretary ge...

How do you interview someone who’s been gagged? That’s the task we set ourselves on today’s episode. Sarah Wynn-Williams - a former Facebook executive turned whistleblower author - is not allowed to talk about Facebook, or her book, Careless People. She’s not allowed to. She’s not even allowed to discuss the lawsuit that’s been slapped on her. Or how she’s finally responded with one of her own. Th...

Andy Burnham has made his first prime ministerial speech to the nation, even though he’s not yet PM. He spoke of the need for a "circuit break". Handing power back to people locally. Taking it away from Westminster. It was dynamic, bold and it was energising. But is Britain ready for electric shock therapy? And how does devolution not end up with badly run parts of the country becoming even worse...

On the week of Keir Starmer's resignation as Prime Minister, Jon and Lewis host a special Q&A edition of The News Agents, answering the questions you have about the future of the country. How will Andy Burnham's cabinet take shape? What will his policies look like? And is he surrounded by "duplicitous" colleagues? The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/ Download...

After Scotland ’s humbling at the hands of Brazil , Mark has his say on FIFA’s “crap way to qualify for the knockout stages of a World Cup ”... Former USMNT , Spurs & Aston Villa Goalkeeper Brad Friedel joins Gabby & Mark to talk about the sporting miracle which is inspiring Mauricio Pochettino and his USA team’s belief that they can go all the way at their home world cup. And with qualifi...

Overnight, President Trump offered his first slither of a thought on the incoming prime minister Andy Burnham, calling him “extremely liberal" and a mayor of a "town” - which - arguably could have been much worse. Does Burnham need to put his relationship with Trump centre stage? Or just ignore him? Will Trump be as relevant to Burnham as he was to Starmer? Later, has the water closed over the Sta...

Kemi Badenoch looked like - not for the first time - she was going to make the Chancellor cry in the Commons today. She accused her of treachery and betrayal in her behaviour towards the PM. Badenoch then turned her sights on Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, and accused her of being a spiteful class warrior. Why was the Tory leader so vicious in her seeing off of Keir Starmer and his t...

You’re going to hear from a staunch Burnham ally today - a blunt speaking man at the heart of his last leadership campaign - and an MP who recently lost the whip from Keir Starmer. Can Karl Turner tell us what Andy Burnham thinks? And what he wants to do? And isn’t there hypocrisy in anointing another leader without going to the country first? The News Agents is a Global Production. The News Agent...

And just like that, Keir Starmer became the sixth British prime minister to resign in ten years - triggering a leadership contest it’s increasingly likely no one will enter. Wes Streeting has pulled out of the race. Andy Burnham is arriving at Parliament where he will be sworn in as MP. If there is no challenger, he could be PM in just over two weeks' time. Is this the most perfect heist in politi...

Overnight in Makerfield, Andy Burnham showed how to win more than fifty percent of the vote on the Labour ticket. It was political smack for his party. A reminder that they still have the electoral chemistry to win decisively in tight races where Reform has stormed in the past. Keir Starmer is pretending nothing big has happened - and said Reform were already on the wane. He is refusing to make wa...

Once you’ve listened to Trumps friends slag off his deal with Iran , you can’t help wondering what his critics will say. In one fell swoop, Trump has lifted sanctions on Iran, invited investment into the country to help the same old regime recover, agreed to a sixty day trial period on the reopened Strait of Hormuz, and "moved on" from his wish to help the Iranian people escape their tyrants. What...

England are used to a winning start in tournaments... but are we used to it being this... FUN? The 3 Lions beat Croatia 4-2 in their World Cup opener and Thomas Tuchel's 'entertainers' have seemingly already captured the nation. A now famous half-time team talk is said to have inspired the players. Is Tuchel's emotional and tactical management style what England need to get over the line? And on t...

Whatever happens in Makerfield in the next 24 hours, the outcome will be momentous. If Andy Burnham wins, we could see him challenge Keir Starmer for Prime Minister by the end of the week. If Burnham loses, then Labour are plunged into a whole new level of existential crisis. Either way, this will be one of the most significant by-elections in British electoral history - the stakes could hardly be...

10 years on from the murder of MP Jo Cox, there is a grim warning from her sister Kim Leadbeater: the atmosphere in politics now is "probably worse". Leadbeater warns of people trying to "sow division" in our country - and that's a division that Russia is seeking to exploit. One of the arsonists convicted of trying to firebomb Keir Starmer's house had also been tasked by Kremlin-linked actors with...

In what feels like one of the few genuinely radical decisions of his premiership, Keir Starmer has announced an almost complete ban on social media for the under 16s, starting next spring. Messaging apps will not be included, but YouTube (ie “television”) will. Does the ban make sense? Will it actually happen? And is Starmer now thinking about legacy projects at this febrile moment of his leadersh...

Armed Forces minister Al Carns and a couple of junior frontbenchers followed the Defence Secretary John Healey in resigning from government last night. Healey's accusation was a stinging one - that Keir Starmer is failing to commit to keeping the nation safe from attack. That, after Starmer pledged only a few months ago to put "petty politics" to one side and be bold on British defence. He now fac...

Around lunch time today, as The News Agents were battling their own excitement in the shape of a fire drill, the Defence Secretary suddenly resigned without warning. He left with a devastating critique of the Starmer government failures in his wake. The loyal and highly regarded Healey resigned out of frustration that promises made on defence spending weren’t being kept. And that the Prime Ministe...

Nedum touches down in USA and joins Gabby & Mark to discuss the opening game of the World Cup 2026 ; How excited are the locals, dark horses for the tournament & more... But with such a constant stream of controversy in the days leading up to the first match - fans fleeced for tickets , a Somali referee banned from entering US, national teams greeted by ICE on arrival and FIFA President Gi...

Belfast was ablaze last night, 24 hours after the attempted murder of Stephen Ogilvie. Houses, cars and buses were set on fire during riots across the city. It has since been announced that Ogilvie has lost an eye in the attack and 30-year-old Hadi Alodid has been charged with his attempted murder. The British government are laying at least some of the blame at the door of X owner Elon Musk, accus...

This morning Kemi Badenoch put equality laws at the centre of a new political dividing line, pledging that a future Conservative government would scrap the Public Sector Equality Duty. She says that “modern Britain is the least racist country on earth” and warned that fears of being accused of racism are leading authorities to not intervene to prevent crime. What is Badenoch’s evidence that equali...

President Trump told the FTs' Edward Luce that he "called all the shots" over the Iran ceasefire. Shortly before he spoke, Iran had launched missiles at Israel. "He [Netanyahu] won’t have any choice... He doesn’t call the shots", the President insisted. He told Fox that he was going to instruct Israel's PM not to retaliate. Netanyahu pointedly ignored those comments and started bombing Iran back....

It is now hard to imagine that just three weeks ago, Wes Streeting was still serving in Keir Starmer's cabinet. As Health Secretary, Streeting gave the PM one of his biggest success stories from Labour's so far deeply troubled time in government - getting waiting lists down, and dragging the NHS into the 21st century. In the short time since he left role, he has become one of Starmer's biggest pro...

Two police officers - both nominated for bravery awards - have been doxxed on the internet through a Musk disinformation campaign, where he called one a "scumbag" who should be in prison. One former officer is now in hiding, fearing for her safety after death threats. Neither was anywhere near Henry Nowak on the night he died. Musk famously supports Rupert Lowe over Nigel Farage. Is the Right of B...

On Sunday the first contested Presidential elections at Real Madrid for 20 years will take place, so Gabby, Mark & Nedum are joined by Spanish football writer Guillem Balague to discuss some of the false promises being made on the campaign trail... Will any of Erling Haaland , Rodri , Jose Mourinho or Jurgen Klopp head to the Bernabeu this summer? And as Liverpool edge closer to appointing And...

Nigel Farage was accused by many in the Commons today of inciting violence with his call for people to respond to a young man’s murder with "pure cold rage". The Reform UK leader explicitly ignored the wishes of Henry Nowak's family - who had urged politicians not to use Henry's death to ramp up tensions - to suggest that the anger seen in Southampton last night could even get worse. As he spoke,...