This Is Why

Sanctions on Russia were introduced two years ago shortly after the start of the country’s Ukrainian invasion. The purpose? To limit the Russian war machine and starve Russian oligarchs of access to luxury items.     Our economics and data editor Ed Conway noticed that sales of British luxury vehicles to Russia had fallen away to almost nothing, yet sales to former Soviet states such as Azerbaijan...

As Sir Keir Starmer delivers his first leader's speech as prime minister to a packed-out conference hall in Liverpool, can he convince his party, and the country, that Labour's promise to deliver "national renewal" in return for short-term pain will be worth it?      Niall Paterson gets the reaction of Labour's front bench from the conference floor and sits down with Sky's deputy political editor...

As the UK's first female chancellor delivers her speech to the Labour Party's annual conference in Liverpool, the Sky News Daily asks why the new government is already fighting to regain the trust of the public.     Host Niall Paterson is joined by Sky's political editor Beth Rigby and economic and data editor Ed Conway in the conference hall to comb through Rachel Reeves's speech.    Producer: Ro...

With seven weeks to go until the US goes to the polls, Sky’s dedicated team of correspondents goes on the road to gauge what citizens in key swing states make of the choice for president.      This week they focus on the second assassination attempt on Donald Trump.   Mark Stone travels to Florida where the foiled attack took place, James Matthews has been finding out more on the would-be assassin...

In a rare insight into the prisons crisis, a serving governor at one of the UK's crowded jails has spoken anonymously to Sky News about conditions inside, the reality of early release and why we should rethink who is put behind bars.     "There is a smell that you would always associate with prison. It's the smell of unwashed bodies," they told Sky News.     On this episode, Niall Paterson speaks...

In Hull, in the aftermath of summer riots that saw an asylum hotel attacked, shops looted, and cars burned, two strong feelings remain.    Resentment over a perceived strain placed on local services by asylum seekers and anger from the feeling that politicians are ignoring their concerns.    On this episode, Niall Paterson is joined by producer Sarah O’Connell, who recently visited Hull to meet re...

Ed Davey told the Liberal Democrat party conference that he would "cut through the government's doom and gloom" and plans to "vanquish what's left of the Conservative Party".      With attention-grabbing stunts, which this week extended to arriving at the conference on a jet ski, and a record-breaking 72 seats in parliament making them the third biggest party, can the Lib Dems keep the momentum go...

Donald Trump has faced a second assassination attempt while playing golf in Florida.     The accused, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, is said to have fled the scene but was eventually arrested and charged with federal gun crimes. With just seven weeks out from election day, how will voters react to the apparent second bid on Trump's life?     Niall Paterson is joined by Scarlett Maguire, director o...

With eight weeks before the US goes to the polls, Sky’s dedicated team of correspondents goes on the road to gauge what citizens in key swing states make of the choice for president.      This week, James Matthews has been to Bucks County in Pennsylvania to see what voters in that crucial state made of the debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Mark Stone has been investigating...

Sir Keir Starmer has said the NHS must "reform or die" following Lord Darzi's damning report which paints a grim picture of the state of the health service.     On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson speaks to health correspondent Ashish Joshi about what the prime minister has promised to do to save it.      Among the promises is moving from an "analogue to a digital NHS". Niall speaks to medical t...

Vice president Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump have gone head to head for the first time.       In a fiery 90 minutes, Ms Harris attacked the former president over his criminal convictions and the size of the crowds at his rallies, while Mr Trump doubled down on claims the Democrats had damaged the US economy.       Mark Austin is joined by US correspondent James Matthews from the...

On Tuesday, 1,700 prisoners were released early from their sentences in the first phase of Labour's plan to tackle overcrowding.        Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson says the prisoners will serve the rest of their sentence under the strictest licensing conditions, but there are questions over whether this is a long-term solution as currently 2,000 prisoners are recalled every month for brea...

Sudan has suffered three domestic wars spanning well over 40 years of the country's 67 years of independence.  Millions of people have been displaced and thousands killed.   Now a joint investigation by Sky News, Lighthouse Reports, Washington Post and Le Monde has uncovered the gruesome details of a massacre which took place last year - one of the first episodes of ethnically motivated atrocities...

This year has been the deadliest on the English Channel in three years. Six children and a pregnant woman are among the twelve who died on Tuesday after their boat sank off the French coast, bringing the number killed in 2024 to nearly 40.  Today, the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is hosting a summit aimed at smashing the criminal gangs that send the boats across the Channel.  On the Sky News Daily...

The government is bringing in new laws which will see stiffer penalties for water companies and possible jail sentences for their bosses if they don't deal with sewage problems.    The environment secretary, Steve Reed, chaired a meeting attended by the water industry, investors and campaigners where he announced a landmark review into how the industry works. Niall Patterson spoke to our business...

All 72 deaths were "avoidable", according to the final Grenfell Tower inquiry report, which found "decades of failure" led to the tragedy.      The inquiry lasted six years and concluded there was "systematic dishonesty" from cladding firms, "complacency" from governments and an "inappropriate" relationship between inspectors and those they were inspecting.    Niall Paterson is joined by our scien...

Sky News has found out that legislation introduced after the Grenfell Tower fire to force building owners to fix serious fire safety issues is not being enforced, leaving thousands of people trapped in unsafe flats.      Children who survived the Grenfell fire, which killed 72 people, have told Sky News 'justice' for them would be for the dangerous cladding to be removed from all UK buildings.    ...

After a long Saturday for millions of Oasis fans in online queues, the culture secretary says surge pricing will be part of the government’s review of the ticket market.         Niall speaks to secondary ticketing site Viagogo on this episode. While it wasn’t part of dynamic pricing, it has offered resale tickets for thousands of pounds since Saturday.     Matt Drew from the company accepts the in...

Politics returns to Westminster next week, with a Conservative leadership race, Labour's first budget, and party conference season around the corner.     Host Liz Bates sits down with our deputy political editor Sam Coates to look ahead to what's in store for Prime Minister Keir Starmer when it comes to the trade unions and his first big budget.    And Liz and Sam discuss the Tory frontrunners vyi...

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has confirmed the government is looking at tougher rules on outdoor smoking to reduce the number of preventable deaths linked to the habit and relieve pressure on the NHS.    The government has yet to confirm exactly what the changes could look like, but smoking could soon be banned in pub gardens, outdoor restaurants, and outside hospitals and sports grounds.       Hos...

Around 10 million people in England and Wales will not receive winter fuel payments this winter.      Under Chancellor Rachel Reeves' plan, only those who receive pension credit or other means-tested benefits will still get the £200-£300 towards the cost of their energy bills.       Critics, including Labour MPs, have said the payments will put even more pressure on elderly people as the cap on en...

After 15 years, brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher have announced they’ll reunite for a tour next year.       On this Sky News Daily episode, Terry Christian, the man who gave the band their national debut on The Word, says he "didn't think there was anything special" when first seeing Oasis live, but the band's "vibe" and Liam's "confidence" made them "amazing".      Host Liz Bates also hears from...

Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic nomination for president and laid out her election pitch to millions of voters at the party's national convention.      As well as offering more of her backstory, she promised unity and to move from the "divisive battles" of American politics.      On this episode, Niall Paterson asks our US correspondent Mark Stone what we learnt about Kamala Harris and how a...

Are GCSEs the best thing for 16-year-olds to show as they leave secondary education? Is there a better method to assess what they've achieved in school and to set them up for their next step?      Niall Paterson explores the future for GCSEs on this episode – and asks why where you live can affect the grades you get.     He speaks to two headteachers - Becky Arnold at Framingham Earl high school n...

Official data shows government borrowing in July was above expectations and at its highest since the pandemic.      The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) expected borrowing to be £46.6bn - instead it reached £51.3bn.      Our economics and data editor Ed Conway joins Niall Paterson to talk about the unexpected rise in government borrowing and Chancellor Rachel Reeves' options at the October b...