Sky News
This Is Why
The world’s a pretty confusing place right now – so how do you make sense of it all? This Is Why takes one story every day, explains how we got here and why it matters to you. Sky News’ Niall Paterson speaks to experts and correspondents from around the world, getting simple answers to some complex questions. Available every weekday afternoon. This Is Why is a Sky News podcast – if you have a question, contact us: why@sky.uk
Be sure to visit the podcast's website and support the creator: www.skynews.com
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Episodes
The communities combatting a rise in religious hate crime 14.10.2025 19:25
Members of minority religious groups say they feel less safe in the UK than ever before. A summer of protests outside asylum seeker hotels and a renewed debate about immigration have led to concerns British society is becoming increasingly fragmented. And last week, figures released by the Home Office showed that religious hate crime recorded by police in England and Wales had reached a record hig...
What next for Israel’s released hostages? 13.10.2025 13:12
All 20 remaining living Israeli hostages have been released by Hamas – after more than two years in captivity. Now the slow process of recovery and rehabilitation begins. For each of them, that journey will be different. What kind of support will they receive? And will the trauma ever truly be over? Niall discusses the needs of the released hostages with Stephen Regel – a former senior psych...
No laughing matter: Is Saudi festival a case of ‘comedy washing’? 10.10.2025 18:52
Can you put a price on freedom of speech? Comedy royalty including Dave Chapelle and Jimmy Carr, famous for defending their right to say whatever they want, have been paid big money by the Saudi government to appear at the inaugural Riyadh Comedy Festival. But there's a catch.... they're not allowed to say anything that could cause "embarrassment" to Saudi Arabia, its royal family or any religion...
Presidents, peace deals and how to win a Nobel prize 09.10.2025 14:57
Donald Trump has claimed the credit for ending seven wars and with the developments in Gaza it could soon be eight - surely then he's a dead cert for this year's Nobel Peace Prize? Unsurprisingly, with this bombastic US president, it's not quite that simple... no matter how much he insists that he deserves it. As the world prepares to find out who has won this year's prize, the self-styled peacema...
Starmer, spies and China’s threat to national security 08.10.2025 17:32
The prime minister’s been asked to ‘explain himself’ after the UK’s top prosecutor blamed the collapse of a China spy trial on the government - for not labelling China a risk to national security. But Sir Keir Starmer blames the previous Tory government. A parliamentary researcher and his associate were accused of passing on “politically sensitive” information to a member of China’s ruling p...
Lewis Moody and living with MND 07.10.2025 18:40
In September, former England rugby captain Lewis Moody received a devastating diagnosis that changed his life forever. The 47-year-old Rugby World Cup winner is the latest retired professional player to be told he has the fatal muscle-wasting condition motor neurone disease. What do we know about the possible causes of MND? Is there a link between extreme exercise and developing the diseas...
Wargame Day: Is the UK ready for a real Russian attack? 06.10.2025 18:50
It's the morning of Monday 6 October 2025 and Russia has launched a missile strike against the UK. That was the scenario of The Wargame - a gripping five-part Sky News podcast that brought together former government ministers, military chiefs, and top defence experts to explore how the UK might respond to a modern-day crisis. On the real 6 October, we speak to some of the makers of the series t...
Sarah Mullally: The former nurse chosen to lead the Church of England 03.10.2025 16:38
Could the historic appointment of a first female Archbishop of Canterbury cause a split within the Anglican Church? Dame Sarah Mullally has been chosen for the role while the Church is arguably in a state of crisis - but also at a time when there has been a surge in attendance among young people. She's the first woman to lead the Church of England in its almost 500-year history - the question now...
Manchester synagogue attack: 'We knew this day would come' 02.10.2025 17:36
Communities in Manchester are once again reeling following a terror attack - this time on a synagogue in Crumpsall during Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. The prime minister has announced extra security for synagogues, but there had been previous warnings of a rise in religious hatred across the UK. Niall speaks to Sky's home editor, Jason Farrell, about the attack and the w...
Are asylum fears a distraction in the fight for women's safety? 01.10.2025 14:07
The senior police officer in charge of preventing violence against women and girls has warned the political discourse around asylum seekers risks being a distraction from the "real threat" to women's safety. Met Police deputy assistant commissioner Helen Millichap made the remarks after a summer of protests outside hotels housing migrants across the country. Will the row undermine the government'...
Immigration and the problem with ‘progressive patriotism’ 30.09.2025 18:09
The government has continued to grapple with the subject of immigration during the Labour Party conference - where a desire to fight Reform UK's rhetoric has come up against the political reality of public opinion. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has openly called Reform UK's policies "racist" - at the same time as his new home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has highlighted the need to review the rul...
Ed Conway on Rachel Reeves - what her conference speech reveals 29.09.2025 17:27
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has delivered her keynote speech to the Labour Party annual conference in Liverpool. In an address where there were multiple standing ovations in the hall, she explained she won’t take risks with the public finances and warned the UK will "face further tests, with the choices to come made all the harder by harsh global headwinds". But were there any significant pol...
Sarah Ferguson: Debts, deceit and the downfall of a duchess 26.09.2025 16:36
Just as they were for her ex-husband, revelations about her relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein have proved highly embarrassing for Sarah, Duchess of York. Several charities have now dropped her as a patron after it emerged she had emailed Epstein to apologise for publicly disavowing him following his conviction. In messages dating back to 2011, the duchess described the late...
How to survive a cyber attack 25.09.2025 16:20
Despite Jaguar Land Rover announcing some of its systems are back online, not a single car has rolled off the production line since the end of August. And there's still no date set for the factories to reopen. All because of a cyber attack, costing hundreds of millions of pounds and threatening thousands of jobs. JLR is just the latest British company harassed by hackers – with Marks & Spencer...
Natalie's story: The life-prolonging surgery that became a 'death sentence' 24.09.2025 14:42
A woman left with an incurable brain disease following a NHS operation says she feels like she's "living with a death sentence". Natalie Bralee-Brett was born with the birth defect spina bifida - but doctors told her mother about a new procedure that could improve and prolong her life. Instead, medical experts now say that operation - which implanted a graft made from a membrane taken from a...
Paracetamol, President Trump and the myths about autism 23.09.2025 18:40
The scientific community has condemned comments made by Donald Trump and his health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, linking autism to the use of everyday painkillers during pregnancy. The claim has been refuted by medical experts in both the US and UK - with some saying his comments are dangerous. Is there any evidence linking paracetamol with autism? What damage could be done by the spread of...
Starmer and the risks of recognising Palestine 22.09.2025 17:12
Nearly two years on from the October 7 attacks by Hamas and subsequent Israeli invasion of Gaza, Sir Keir Starmer has joined other world leaders in recognising a Palestinian state. The UK prime minister made the decision after months of pressure from dozens of his own MPs – but will it be enough to appease those in Labour who want to go even further? What does he hope the move will achieve and co...
Trump and Starmer quizzed on Epstein 19.09.2025 30:08
On this episode we are showcasing two of Sky News' other podcasts as we go over Donald Trump's second state visit. Electoral Dysfunction's Beth Rigby, Ruth Davidson and Harriet Harman are joined by Trump 100's Mark Stone to tackle a news conference with potential ramifications to the world order. From the pomp and pageantry to the slightly uneasy division between the President and Prime Minist...
Land of the free? Jimmy Kimmel and the death of discourse 18.09.2025 19:06
US talk show host Jimmy Kimmel has been taken off air by the Disney-owned ABC network for making "offensive" comments relating to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. ABC announced the show would be shelved indefinitely - a move welcomed by Donald Trump, who has criticised many of America's most popular chat show hosts for their views on his presidency. What does the decision to pull the show say ab...
Is the NHS ready for an AI revolution? 17.09.2025 16:40
Scientists say they have created an AI tool that could predict a patient's risk of hundreds of diseases years before they develop symptoms. The technology, if it works, could help revolutionise a health service which is always looking for ways to reduce costs and offer better patient care. However, with many people feeling the NHS can often struggle to implement new technologies - how ready is the...
The migrant return scheme: One-in, none-out? 16.09.2025 16:28
A government deportation deal with France – designed to deter small boat crossings – has been beset by delays and legal challenges. The first few migrants detained in Dover as part of the so-called one-in-one-out scheme were meant to be on a flight to France on Monday. That didn’t happen. And even when the first deportations do begin, there is a cap on the number of people who can be ret...
Andy Burnham: Is “King in the North” trying to take Starmer’s throne? 15.09.2025 15:25
Sir Keir Starmer has only been prime minister for 16 months but already there are reports some Labour MPs want him out. The details that have emerged about Peter Mandelson's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the Angela Rayner tax scandal and Labour's perceived lack of direction by some in the party have all put pressure on Sir Keir - with a growing number of MPs said to be feeling he has unti...
The fall and rise (and fall again) of Peter Mandelson 12.09.2025 19:07
He may have described himself as a ‘fighter not a quitter’, but even Peter Mandelson couldn’t survive new and lurid revelations about his relationship with convicted paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein. The ultimate political animal, Mandelson was no stranger to scandal – having twice been forced to resign from Tony Blair’s Cabinet. But brought back into the Labour fold by Gordon Brown after a successful...
The Immigration Debate: A nation divided? 11.09.2025 19:16
More small boats, more asylum claims, more flags flying in town centres – the debate over immigration has never felt more polarised. Sky News invited a live studio audience to put their questions and concerns to politicians from four of the main Westminster parties. So, what did they ask and are we any closer to a consensus on what anyone would do about both legal and illegal migration? Ni...
The end of Rupert Murdoch’s ‘Succession’ saga? 10.09.2025 18:43
Lachlan Murdoch has finally secured his place as his father Rupert’s successor, following a long sibling battle for control over one of the highest-profile media groups in the world. Under the deal, some of Rupert's other children – James Murdoch, Elisabeth Murdoch and Prudence MacLeod – will sell their personal holdings in Fox and News Corp, with each expected to receive about $1.1bn (£810m)....
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