The Northern Agenda

This week, The Northern Agenda podcast takes a look at the North's second big by-election in December to elect a new MP. After Labour romped to victory in the City of Chester, can they do the same in the Greater Manchester seat of Stretford and Urmston? Rob Parsons speaks to Local Democracy Reporter Nick Jackson about what's happening ahead of the by-election on Thursday. And when you hear the Gov...

We're heading out to the countryside for our political guest this week, as the world is going through its worst-ever outbreak of bird flu. In the UK it's been reported that around 600,000 of Britain's 1.2 million free-range turkeys produced annually have died in recent weeks from the current avian influenza outbreak. Northern Agenda editor Rob Parsons speaks to Dr Neil Hudson, a Tory MP from rural...

This week's podcast is coming to you from The People's Powerhouse Annual Convention. The Northern Agenda editor Rob Parsons is joined by a series of speakers and guests at the 'This is the North' conference, held in Manchester. To discuss the events of the day, as well as what the North needs to progress and thrive, Rob chatted to:⬆️ Finn Oldfield, media and comms co-ordinator at The People's Powe...

As we were recording this week's podcast, the Housing Secretary Michael Gove was up in Rochdale for talks with the local housing association that owned the flat where two-year-old Awaab Ishak died after prolonged exposure to mould. Awaab died in December 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by mould in a one-bedroom housing association flat. His parents, Faisal Abdullah and Aisha Amin, who cam...

Reactions are coming in following the Autumn Statement from Jeremy Hunt on Thursday - and one of those voicing their concern - and indeed, anger - is West of Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin. The Labour metro mayor tells The Northern Agenda editor Rob Parsons why she is "furious" with the Chancellor, believing that her region has been left out by the Treasury.***It was nearly a year ago that a major r...

The Northern Agenda editor Rob Parsons is joined by Liam Thorp, political editor of the Liverpool Echo, to take a look back on some of the big stories in Northern politics. One of which involves Michael Gove, now back in post as Levelling Up Secretary, who is stepping up the government's intervention into Liverpool City Council. Liam gives his verdict on the expanded intervention in Merseyside. An...

Thousands of young people in England are being groomed, harmed, and even killed because the systems that are supposed to keep them safe are not fit for purpose. That's the damning verdict of a new report by the Commission on Young Lives final report, ‘Hidden in Plain Sight’.The report warns that social care, education, family support, and children’s mental health systems are failing thousands of v...

With all the attention on drama at the top of government and what it could mean for our economy, the parlous state of the NHS looks like it's barely registering on the news agenda. Speaking in Parliament this week, new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised, among other things, a stronger NHS. But Covid backlogs, record waiting periods in A&E, and unprecedented pressures on ambulance services are jus...

It's a truth universally acknowledged that Leeds is the biggest urban area in Western Europe without a rapid mass transit system - a metro to you and me - despite numerous attempts over the years to get one. Political leaders in West Yorkshire hope this could finally be about to change and have submitted plans to government for a 21st century mass transit system connecting Leeds to Bradford, Halif...

The phrase a 'life sentence' is a familiar one for anyone who follows reports of our most high-profile criminal cases, but how often does a life sentence actually mean life? And in the case of offenders who carry out the most unimaginable act of violence, the murder of a child, should a life sentence actually mean life in prison with no prospect of release? That's the argument being made by Dr Kie...

A supply of graduates in the so-called STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is vital for our economy - but how we can get young people, particularly girls, to engage with the subjects and fill the high-skilled jobs in emerging areas in the economy? This question was on the agenda at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham this week. Joining Rob Parsons on The N...

With Labour well ahead in the polls and the party's policies being blamed for the UK's current economic turmoil, it promises to be a challenging party conference for the Conservatives in Birmingham this weekend. And this week on The Northern Agenda podcast, Rob Parsons speaks to John Stevenson, the new chair of the Northern Research Group which represents the region's Conservative MPs. The Carlisl...

The Labour Party Conference takes place in Liverpool from Sunday, but what can we expect from the "festival of politics"?Kevin Maguire, political journalist and associate editor at the Daily Mirror, who estimates that he has "topped 100 political party and trade union conferences in his life", joins Rob Parsons on The Northern Agenda podcast. He argues that Labour "needs to seize the moment" and K...

After taking a short break following the Queen's death, The Northern Agenda is back to look at the issues impacting the North, discussing the stories that are outside of the Westminster bubble. Liverpool Echo political editor Liam Thorp joins Rob Parsons on the podcast to discuss the "perilous" situation facing the city during the cost of living crisis - and how Liverpool has responded to the Quee...

In the last week of Boris Johnson's premiership, Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen joins Northern Agenda editor Rob Parsons to discuss the outgoing prime minister's legacy. The Tory metro mayor tells Rob about what voters in the North East think about Johnson, his impact on Tees Valley, and whether the levelling up agenda will survive under either Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak's leadership. And The Norther...

The Northern Agenda travels to Greater Manchester this week to discuss levelling up and the cost of living crisis with two influential figures in the region: Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, and his night time economy adviser Sacha Lord. Andy Burnham reflects on Boris Johnson's time in office, saying that speaking to the outgoing prime minister and his team often felt like "shouting into the...

Following a heartbreaking investigation by the Manchester Evening News, which found that two-year-old Awaab Ishak died after his lungs were exposed to damp and mould in a social housing flat in Rochdale, The Northern Agenda looks at the North's housing shame. Rob Parsons speaks to Stephen Topping, the journalist who worked on the investigation, about how the tragedy is just one example of the terr...

Joining Rob Parsons and Dan O'Donohue on The Northern Agenda podcast are two of the leading figures in our region on the subject of crime and policing. In a week where the police watchdog revealed that most victims of burglary, robbery and theft aren't getting the justice they deserve, Rob speaks to former Merseyside Police chief constable Andy Cooke. Now Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabul...

We are into Week Two of the slow-burning Tory leadership race with Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss criss-crossing the country, trying to win over Conservative party members who will choose the next prime minister. The Northern Agenda editor Rob Parsons is joined by Liam Thorp, political editor at the Liverpool Echo, to discuss whether the contest has reverberated to Liverpool – and the impact of the Arr...

Rob Parsons is joined by Dan O'Donohue on The Northern Agenda to take stock on a week where Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss are locked in battle to win over Tory members, who will decide which one of them will become our next prime minister. Ahead of the first regional hustings in the Conservative leadership contest, held in Leeds this week, Rob and Dan discuss the big intervention by The Northern Agend...

Rob Parsons and Dan O'Donohue are back for another episode of The Northern Agenda podcast, discussing the heatwave of July 2022, Boris Johnson's last ever PMQs, and the Tory leadership contest. Dan chats to Nick Fletcher, the Conservative MP for Don Valley, about the fight to save Doncaster Sheffield Airport from closure. The Red Wall MP also tells the podcast why he is backing a Minister for the...

In a week where the North East was revealed as the country's child poverty hotspot, with one in two children growing up in poverty in some towns, what can we do to turn the situation around? The Northern Agenda podcast speaks to former Labour MP Anna Turley, who now chairs the North East Child Poverty Commission. She tells Dan O'Donohue about the grim situation facing the region - and what the gov...

On The Northern Agenda podcast this week Rob Parsons speaks to Oliver Coppard, the recently-elected Labour mayor of South Yorkshire.  The mayor describes his first few weeks in the job where he's had to wrestle with the impact of devastating bus cuts which will see only four services running after 10pm across his whole patch from October. And Rob also speaks to Tris Brown, one of two passionate No...

Labour frontbencher Louise Haigh joins Dan O'Donohue on this week's Northern Agenda podcast, discussing rail strikes, Labour's victory in the Wakefield by-election, and why she believes Boris Johnson's Red Wall is starting to crumble. The shadow transport secretary tells the podcast that voters in Wakefield saw Johnson as "a prime minister they no longer trusted" and the Tories as "a party they ha...

Let's talk about the way we talk. On this week's podcast, The Northern Agenda speaks to Dr Robert M. McKenzie about new analysis on the way we respond to accents. The associate professor in sociolinguistics, along with a team of academics at Northumbria University, found that there is prejudice against the northern accent - with many believing it is a sign of being less intelligent, educated, and...