This Is Why

On this episode, Niall speaks to one of the doctors who worked to restore the hearing of an 18-month-old girl – who was born deaf.        Medics at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge have used gene therapy to help a rare condition, auditory neuropathy. It’s caused by the disruption of nerve impulses travelling from the inner ear to the brain.         Opal Sandy can now respond to her parents’ voi...

The UK media regulator has set out new rules for social media companies designed to keep children safe online.    The new Ofcom rules include age verification and reformulating algorithms to keep children away from "toxic" content. But parents whose children have died as a result of exposure to harmful content have called the rules an "insult".  On the Sky News Daily Niall Paterson is joined by te...

The Israeli Defense Force says it has taken 'operational control' of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing, the main entry point for aid into the region. It comes less than 24 hours after Hamas said they would accept a ceasefire deal drawn up by Egyptian mediators.    On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson talks to our international affairs editor Dominic Waghorn to explore why Israel rejected the de...

Labour are celebrating big wins in the Blackpool South by-election, in the local elections and in most of the mayoral races that have declared so far.     The Conservatives could lose up to 500 councillors, though their candidate Ben Houchen did hold on to his role as mayor of Tees Valley. A win which gave the prime minister something to be pleased about and will probably help him keep his job for...

Thousands of fans have been left frustrated after Manchester’s newest venue delayed its launch again after a string of technical problems. The Co-op Live arena will be the UK’s largest indoor arena accommodating 23,500 people at a cost of £365m - but it’s yet to officially open its doors, cancelling tours from Peter Kay, Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and Olivia Rodrigo.    On the Sky News Daily Niall Pater...

Violent protests over the Israel-Hamas war have reached boiling point across university campuses in the United States. Pro-Palestinian protesters are demanding their universities cut ties with Israel or any companies that support its ongoing war in Gaza. On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson gets eyewitness analysis from US correspondent Mark Stone in George Washington University. They discuss the...

The King has returned to official public duties for the first time since being diagnosed with cancer. Alongside the Queen, he visited a cancer treatment centre to meet staff and patients as part of his new role as patron of Cancer Research UK. Sources have stressed that despite his return to public engagements, the King still has cancer and will continue to be treated for the undisclosed form of t...

Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf has resigned – days after he cut the SNP's power-sharing deal with the Scottish Greens.     It followed a bitter row over the SNP's climbdown on climate targets as he said the agreement between the parties had "served its purpose".     As a result, his former Green allies teamed up with the Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats to get behind two no-conf...

The 2 May local elections will have more than 2,600 seats are at stake across 107 English councils. Labour’s Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham are among the 10 city mayors up for re-election.   Those in Blackpool South will also be voting for their next MP after ex-Tory Scott Benton broke Commons lobbying rules, triggering a by-election.   With the Conservatives lagging behind Labour in the polls, the o...

Labour have promised to renationalise nearly all passenger railways within their first term if they win the next election. But will it leave the railways better off?   On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson speaks to Sky's political correspondent Sam Coates to discuss the details of Labour's plan and assess if a Great British Railway would be more efficient and cost-effective than the current priva...

Only two months ago Joe Biden joined the social media platform TikTok with a video captioned "lol hey guys". Now, the US president is poised to sign a bill that could ban the popular app - unless its parent company sells it.      The country is concerned that TikTok's owner, Beijing-based tech firm ByteDance, could be forced by Chinese authorities to hand over the user data of almost 170 million A...

After months of parliamentary ping-pong between the House of Commons and the Lords, Rishi Sunak's Rwanda Bill has passed. The prime minister called it a "landmark" law, saying that "nothing will stand in our way" of getting flights off the ground within 10 to 12 weeks.      However, the scheme could face yet more hurdles, with the potential for it to be held up by challenges in court.      On this...

As the first of Donald Trump's four criminal trials begins this week, will it have any effect on his chances of re-election in November?     The former president faces 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection to $130,000 paid to porn star Stormy Daniels. He is accused of falsifying internal business records as part of an alleged scheme to bury stories that he thought might hurt his p...

An Israeli missile has struck Iran, in response to the unprecedented missile and drone attack on Israel over the weekend by the Iranians.   It seems an airfield outside of the city of Isfahan was targeted, but Tehran has played down the incident and has indicated it has no plans to retaliate.    On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson is joined by military analyst Sean Bell to find out what exactly...

Conservative MP Mark Menzies has been suspended from the parliamentary party in light of allegations he abused local Tory party funds to pay off "bad people".    Mark Menzies strongly disputes the claims which also allege he used campaign funds to pay his personal medical bills.    On the Conservatives' investigation into the claims, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps told Sky News: "There's further i...

The price of everyday things - mainly food - is now rising at the lowest level since 2021.   Official data shows inflation eased last month to 3.2% - down from 3.4% - but the fall was slightly less than economists expected.   On the Daily, Niall Paterson looks at what's going on with inflation and what it might mean for interest rates with Sky's economics and data editor Ed Conway - who's in the U...

'Absolutely nuts' was how former Prime Minister Boris Johnson described Rishi Sunak’s plan to gradually phase out smoking – banning anyone born since the start of 2009 from ever being able to buy cigarettes or tobacco products like vapes.      Liz Truss, who was also briefly prime minister in-between the two men, is also among some critical of the proposal – which she described as 'profoundly unco...

Military experts have called Iran's ariel attack on Israel on Saturday night 'ambitious' and warn it could push an already fragile region into a dangerous new phase.   On the Sky News Daily, host Matt Barbet examines how Iran and Israel's 'shadow war' has moved out into the open, alongside defence and security analyst Michael Clarke.    Matt is also joined by Dr Roxane Farmanfarmaian, affiliated l...

On Saturday night Iran launched an unprecedented drone and missile attack against Israel, which Tehran has claimed is in retaliation for an attack on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in Damascus by Israel on 1 April.      Some 170 explosive drones, 120 ballistic missiles, and 30 cruise missiles were launched by Iran, according to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), who said "99%" were inte...

Ex-armed forces minister James Heappey has told Sky's defence and security editor Deborah Haynes the UK should consider sending its forces to Ukraine to train troops.   On the Sky News Daily, host Tom Cheshire talks to her and Sky's military analyst Professor Michael Clarke about the interview with Mr Heappey, who stepped down from his role last month.   They assess the bleak situation in Ukraine...

The death of arguably one of America’s most talked about names in the 1990s has re-ignited conversations about who OJ Simpson was and how he will be remembered.   The former NFL star was tried and acquitted of the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. He later spent time in jail for armed robbery and kidnap.  On the Daily, Niall Paterson talks to our US corresp...

President Biden has stated US support for Israel is 'ironclad' after reports an Iranian attack is imminent. Iran had promised to retaliate after Israel killed a top Iranian commander in Damascus, Syria, earlier this month.  It has led to fears the Israel-Gaza war could escalate to a wider Middle East conflict. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu did nothing to allay concerns when he said his forces were...

More than 55,000 asylum seekers whose applications have been refused since 2011 may not have left the UK.The analysis of Home Office data does not include partners or children - so could be even higher. On the Daily, Niall Paterson speaks to our communities correspondent Becky Johnson about how delays in deporting failed applicants have led to some people being able to make multiple appeals. In on...

Yemen is in the middle of a humanitarian disaster after nearly a decade of civil war between the Saudi and Western-backed government, and the Iranian-backed Houthi militia.  As Sky's special correspondent Alex Crawford has found, war in Gaza is making the situation even worse for Yeminis already facing violence, starvation and disease.  On this edition of the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson is join...

Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner is facing questions about whether she paid enough tax on a house sale, almost a decade ago.       She denies any wrongdoing and has been backed by the party's leader Sir Keir Starmer, with some colleagues claiming she's being "smeared".       On the Sky News Daily, Mark Austin unpicks exactly what Angela Rayner is accused of and discusses if the allegations are...