This Is Why

Today, something different – we're bringing you the first episode of an exciting new podcast from Sky called Electoral Dysfunction. Beth Rigby. Jess Philips. Ruth Davidson. With polls suggesting trust in politicians is low, three political powerhouses unite to unravel the spin and explain what’s really going on in Westminster and beyond. Every week, they will examine our political leaders and thei...

In a national address, Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to use nuclear weapons if NATO countries were to join a ground offensive in Ukraine. The suggestion of NATO forces was made by France's President Emmanuel Macron but quickly dismissed by the US, Britain, and Germany. However, it comes amid calls to show more strength against the Kremlin from Baltic leaders, as Russian troops ra...

Ecuador has become the deadliest country in South America with drug gangs and their Mexican cartel bosses murdering people, detonating car bombs and terrorising communities. The violence exploded earlier this year with gangs promising insurrection after the president of Ecuador put in place a nationwide crackdown following the escape of a drug lord from prison, and armed attack on a TV station. On...

It's been years since the extent of the Post Office Horizon scandal became clear - but hundreds of sub-postmasters, who were falsely convicted of fraud or financially crippled in the process, are still waiting for financial redress. Today, key players in the scandal - including former sub-postmaster Alan Bates and recently ousted chairman Henry Staunton - gave evidence to MPs about the government'...

The former Tory deputy chair, Lee Anderson, has refused to apologise for comments that saw him suspended from the party. He said he believed "Islamists" had "got control" of London's mayor Sadiq Khan - a remark Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called "unacceptable". But Mr Anderson isn't the only politician stoking racial divides, with Azhar Ali standing in this week's Rochdale by-election despite makin...

Two years on from Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the war is largely at a stalemate but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's troops face acute shortages of ammunition. Ukraine's cities still come under regular Russian bombardment, thousands of lives have been lost and many more displaced across Europe. Around 300,000 Ukrainians have applied for visas to come to the UK alone. Many more are in Poland an...

The third largest party in the House of Commons, the SNP, says it doesn't have confidence in its Speaker, Lindsay Hoyle. The Speaker himself says he took decisions about how MPs debated and voted on calls for a ceasefire in Gaza because he wanted as broad a discussion as possible. He's apologised but said the safety of MPs on such a divisive issue was also on his mind. With thousands dead in Gaza...

The former chair of the Post Office, Henry Staunton, who was dismissed last month, claims he was told by a top civil servant to "hobble into the election" and delay payouts to sub-postmasters, in a newly released memo. But Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch told MPs there's "no evidence whatsoever that this is true", and called his allegations "a disgrace". The row comes as only 5% of sub-postmaster...

One of the world's most prolific cyber crime gangs has been taken down by law enforcement agencies including the FBI, Europol and the UK's National Crime Agency. Lockbit is an extortion website that held its victims' data for ransom - some of the biggest UK bodies affected were the Royal Mail and the NHS. Five Russians have been charged by US authorities and dozens of crypto accounts frozen. On th...

Hundreds of Russians have been detained at memorials to opposition politician Alexei Navalny. Navalny's mother and lawyers have been denied access to his body and authorities have not confirmed its exact whereabouts. Host Adam Parsons is joined by Sky News' Moscow correspondent, Diana Magnay, who has followed Navalny's journey for much of the past decade. She describes what’s happening in Russia,...

Alexei Navalny, the most prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has died in jail. Barred in 2018 from running in elections, he remained Mr Putin's most powerful political opponent. He survived a novichok poisoning, after being treated in Germany. But still he chose to return to Russia knowing he would be arrested. He was just 47 when he died while serving a 19-year sentence on charg...

Sky News’ economics and data editor Ed Conway looks at the implications of Britain entering recession on this episode. Although the two quarters of negative growth is a fairly arbitrary definition and could be revised, Ed tells host Greg Milam why the GDP per head figures is the one which could tell us more. They also discuss the political implications for Rishi Sunak who’d made growing the econom...

In his early weeks as Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer said: “It was very important to me to seek to address the disgrace of antisemitism in our party as soon as possible.” Almost four years on, and months out from a general election, he’s facing a new row about the extent of antisemitism within Labour. Three of his party’s politicians, including two who were standing for parliament, are now linked...

Labour is no longer backing a candidate in the Rochdale by-election. Party spokespeople had been out to bat for local councillor Azhar Ali up until Monday afternoon - saying his comments about the Hamas attacks on Israel were informed by an online conspiracy theory and "didn't represent his view". By Monday evening, the full recording of his comments came to light - and Labour backtracked, saying...

The UK says Israel should "stop and think seriously", the US wants to see a credible plan for civilians - but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists an offensive in Rafah is needed to defeat Hamas. As Israel rescued two hostages in the southern city, dozens were killed in the airstrikes that accompanied the operation. There are now more than a million people in the city - with the UN ag...

A new report has suggested the state retirement age may need to rise to 71 to maintain the number of people who financially support the pension system - and it adds that it might need to happen as soon as 2040. On this Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson explores what effect this would have with pensions expert and Conservative peer, Baroness Ros Altmann. Plus, economist and co-author of The 100-Year L...

Joe Biden couldn't remember when he was vice president, according to a new report. And, according to the same investigation, he couldn't remember when his son died. Then, when trying to reassure everyone about the claims about his memory, he confused the presidents of Mexico and Egypt. Not ideal for someone who wants to run for president - and even worse for someone already doing the job. So what...

After weeks of confusion, Sir Keir Starmer has finally announced a row back in Labour's pledge to spend £28bn a year on its flagship green prosperity plan. While the policy will not be completely scrapped, the climbdown comes in the form of the party's spending commitments. The party says the £28bn target will be dropped due to uncertain public finances, and comes a week after Labour's shadow chan...

Chants of 'shame' were heard during Prime Minister's Questions today, after Rishi Sunak made a cutting remark about trans-rights aimed towards Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer. The mother of Brianna Ghey was in Parliament today - just days after her daughter's killers were sentenced. Niall Paterson speaks to our political correspondent, Amanda Akass, about the prime minister's comments and the back...

In Buckingham Palace’s statement about the King’s cancer diagnosis, it said: “His Majesty has chosen to share his diagnosis to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer.” Britain still lags behind comparable countries when it comes to improving cancer survival rates. So what’s a more typical NHS experience for t...

Buckingham Palace has revealed King Charles has been diagnosed with a form of cancer. While it's not been revealed what type he's being treated for, we know it's not prostate cancer. The announcement marks a big shift in how much the public is being told about a British monarch's health. On this special episode of the Sky News Daily, Mark Austin takes a closer look at what we know so far, its sign...

Two years after power-sharing collapsed in Northern Ireland, Stormont is back in business with Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill becoming its first nationalist First Minister. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met leaders of the new restored devolved government, asking them to focus on day-to-day issues rather than the issue of Irish unity. On the Sky News Daily, Jonathan Samuels looks at how much closer we c...

The names of two teenagers who murdered 16-year-old schoolgirl Brianna Ghey have been revealed for the first time just hours before they were sentenced. Sixteen-year-olds Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe, who were both 15 at the time of the attack in Warrington, Cheshire, last February, were told they will spend a minimum of 22 and 20 years in prison respectively. Under-18s are not usually n...

Labour’s Rachel Reeves wants to be the next chancellor. She’s used an event in London to try to convince hundreds of business leaders that her party is the best option for the British economy. The shadow chancellor said she’d cap corporation tax at 25% for five years if she’s the one moving into 11 Downing Street. But when asked by Sky News if Labour will drop plans to spend £28bn a year on green...

Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has told the COVID Inquiry: "I was the first minister when the pandemic struck and part of me wishes I hadn't been.” She denied that she used platforms including WhatsApp to have serious policy discussions. She said she'd deleted messages but relevant information was all on public records. On this Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson goes through her answers with Sc...