Sky News

This Is Why

News EN ↓ 1000 episodes

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

Author

Sky News

Category

News

Podcast website

www.skynews.com

Latest episode

Jul 10, 2026

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Episodes

Northern Ireland, cheese and fish: Why it's an important week in life after Brexit 30.01.2024

After nearly two years of political deadlock in Northern Ireland, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) agreed a deal on Monday to restore power sharing to the country, which will be subject to legislation by the UK government. The DUP walked out over post-Brexit trade arrangements that created trade barriers between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. There's been a big impact on public services an...

Patient 11 | Locked-up and drugged 29.01.2024

Something a little different today from the Sky News podcast team: episode 1 of Patient 11, a new investigation from Sky News and the Independent. Young mother and former GB youth swimmer, Alexis Quinn, agrees to enter NHS England psychiatric care following a family tragedy. She could never imagine that her three-day admission will turn into a three-year ordeal. Then undiagnosed with autism, and o...

Israel-Hamas war: How much pressure is Benjamin Netanyahu under? 26.01.2024

Benjamin Netanyahu is Israel’s longest serving prime minister but also one of the most divisive figures in Israeli politics. He was facing huge protests from Israelis against his government long before the October 7 terrorist attacks, and now he is under growing pressure from both inside Israel and from his international allies over his Gaza strategy. On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson takes a...

Nottingham attacks: Why so many missed chances to stop Valdo Calocane? 25.01.2024

The man who killed three people, and injured three others, has been sentenced to detention in a high-security hospital – with the judge saying he'll probably remain there for the rest of his life. Valdo Calocane fatally stabbed 19-year-olds Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar and school caretaker Ian Coates in Nottingham in June last year. Speaking outside court, relatives of the victims criti...

Could Brits really be called up to serve in the army? 24.01.2024

The head of the British Army has said we should "train and equip" a "citizen army" to prepare the country for any potential land war. The comments from General Sir Patrick Sanders, who stands down as chief of the general staff in six months, are being seen as a warning that British men and women could be called up to the armed forces if NATO was to go to war with Russia. On the Sky News Daily, Nia...

Houthi strikes: Does Britain have an endgame? 23.01.2024

A second major wave of airstrikes has been carried out by American and British forces on Houthi targets in Yemen in response to the group's attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea. The first round of strikes did not deter the Houthis from continuing to attack shipping and the prime minister was pushed in the House of Commons today on what Britain's long-term strategy would be if the Houthis keep...

Whistleblower: Police still failing child sex abuse victims 22.01.2024

Throughout the 2000s, serious allegations of child sex abuse became known to Greater Manchester Police. Girls as young as 11 were identified as potential victims. An independent review covering a period between 2004 and 2013, which was published last week, detailed multiple failed investigations by police and an apparent indifference to the safety of the young girls identified as possible victims....

Does it matter how young or old our politicians are? 19.01.2024

Former prime minister Gordon Brown told Sky News he was too old to be a politician in the UK but too young to be one in the US. He has a point, with Americans set to choose between 81-year-old Joe Biden or 77-year-old Donald Trump in November's presidential election, while here in Europe, France's new prime minister is 34-year-old Gabriel Attal. On the Sky News Daily, host Niall Paterson explores...

What's going on with asylum hotels? 18.01.2024

The Home Office says it has closed 50 hotels to asylum seekers - something it had pledged to do by the end of this month with a promise to house them in cheaper types of accommodation like the Bibby Stockholm barge. But Sky News has found that asylum seekers are simply being taken from taxpayer-funded hotels and moved to other hotels. Our reporters have seen taxis full of migrants leaving one hote...

Sunak’s rebellion extinguished 17.01.2024

Rishi Sunak has faced the toughest test of his premiership as MPs voted to save the government's Rwanda policy. The measures aimed at tackling the small boats crisis form the core of Mr Sunak's election strategy. On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson looks at the fallout of the vote with our deputy political editor Sam Coates, as they discuss what it means for the prime minister's political future...

Mr Bates Vs the Post Office – what Fujitsu told MPs 16.01.2024

The man who has led fellow former sub postmasters in their campaign to overturn wrongful convictions, Alan Bates, was among those giving evidence to MPs today. The bosses of the Post Office and Fujitsu also faced the committee for the first time with the Post Office chief executive, Nick Read, admitting that it was possible that money paid by victims of the Horizon IT scandal may have been paid to...

Is Iran the world’s biggest threat? 15.01.2024

Iran is a key player in the Middle East – the country supports extremist Islamic groups across the region, notably the Houthis in Yemen, and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Following UK airstrikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen last week, defence secretary Grant Shapps on Monday gave a major speech on his vision for UK defence, when he said the government would "consider" further action against the group in the...

Houthi Strikes: all you need to know with Yalda Hakim, Alex Crawford and Deborah Haynes 12.01.2024

In this episode, Sky News' new international presenter Yalda Hakim gets time with defence and security editor Deborah Haynes and special correspondent Alex Crawford to talk about the airstrikes on Houthis in Yemen - why they happened, how they happened and what could happen next. Alex has covered Yemen for years and has interviewed Houthi leaders. Deborah says the action is a "high-risk balancing...

The world’s biggest election year: Why does Taiwan matter? 11.01.2024

Nearly half of the world’s population could vote in elections in 2024 – but some are more important than others when it comes to global security. On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson talks to Sky’s Asia correspondent Helen-Ann Smith as Taiwan goes to the polls this weekend, to find out why China and others will be watching closely. Plus, our deputy political editor Sam Coates and US correspondent...

'Why did we have to wait for a TV drama?': Post Office convictions quashed 10.01.2024

Rishi Sunak's promised a new law to exonerate and compensate Post Office branch managers who were wrongly prosecuted in the Horizon IT scandal. But those seeking payouts will have to sign a statement of truth to say they didn't commit the crimes they were accused of. Lee Castleton - who was played by Will Mellor in ITV's drama about their plight - is back on the Sky News Daily with his reaction as...

Boeing’s loose bolts: How much trouble is the company in? 09.01.2024

United Airlines has found loose bolts on plug doors on Boeing 737-9 Max aircrafts during inspections. These checks follow the Federal Aviation Administration's announcement that all 171 Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft will remain grounded after a window and fuselage parts blew out of an Alaska Airlines passenger plane in mid-air. On the Sky News Daily with Niall Paterson, Flight Radar 24’s director of c...

Post Office scandal: The victim, the journalist and the politician on what should happen next 08.01.2024

More than 700 sub-postmasters were prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 in what's been deemed the biggest miscarriage of justice in British legal history. They were accused of theft, fraud and false accounting due to a faulty software system called Horizon. Many lost jobs, homes, faced court battles and some took their own lives. So far, fewer than 100 have had their convictions quashed. In 2023 an in...

How to fix the NHS: Public health 05.01.2024

Sarah-Jane Mee is joined by Sir David Nicholson, who used to run the NHS in England, as they explore ‘How to fix the NHS’ - a new mini podcast series for 2024 from the Sky News Daily. On this week’s final episode, Sarah-Jane and Sir David look at the work going on in public health – which spans everything from preventing disease to giving people the tools and information to make healthier lifestyl...

How to fix the NHS: Mental health 04.01.2024

Sarah-Jane Mee is joined by Sir David Nicholson, who used to run the NHS in England, as they explore ‘How to fix the NHS’ - a new mini podcast series for 2024 from the Sky News Daily. This time, Sarah-Jane and Sir David tackle the issue of mental health and a growing demand on services – particularly among children. Before the pandemic, one in nine children needed help with their mental health but...

How to fix the NHS: Cancer care 03.01.2024

Sarah-Jane Mee is joined by Sir David Nicholson, who used to run the NHS in England, as they explore ‘How to fix the NHS’ - a new mini podcast series for 2024 from the Sky News Daily. This time, Sarah-Jane and Sir David look at the innovations being made in cancer care – including the prospect of a simple blood test which could detect if someone has cells which are turning into cancer. They’re joi...

How to fix the NHS: Accident and emergency 02.01.2024

Sarah-Jane Mee is joined by Sir David Nicholson, who used to run the NHS in England, as they explore ‘How to fix the NHS’ - a new mini podcast series for 2024 from the Sky News Daily. This episode focuses on the challenges facing accident and emergency departments and more importantly, possible ways to solve some of the issues impacting both staff and patients. To do that, Sarah-Jane and Sir David...

Introducing... How to fix the NHS 01.01.2024

Sir David Nicholson, former chief executive of NHS England, joins Sky’s Sarah-Jane Mee for ‘How to fix the NHS’ - a new mini-series from the Sky News Daily, exploring possible solutions to some of the biggest issues facing the health service. In episodes across the week, experts in emergency medicine, cancer care, mental health and public health offer their thoughts and ideas on how to make it bet...

Queen Camilla: For The Love of Charles - Episode Three: The Queen 30.12.2023

Motivated by love, Camilla and the then Prince Charles hatched an ambitious plan to win over the public: Operation Ritz. Camilla is no longer the other woman. At the coronation, she will be crowned as a queen. But getting the press, and most importantly Queen Elizabeth II, on her side was not easy. In the final episode of the series, Kay Burley takes a deep dive into the PR campaign that set out t...

Queen Camilla: For The Love of Charles - Episode Two: “The Rottweiler” 29.12.2023

The scandal brought about by the publication of the taped telephone conversation between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, and Charles’s failing marriage to Diana Princess of Wales, split the palace. It was the start of a love and hate divide between Diana and Britain’s new public enemy number one – Camilla – which would dominate the 1990s. In the second episode of this three-part series,...

Queen Camilla: For The Love of Charles - Episode One: The Tape 28.12.2023

In 1989, somewhere in the English countryside, an amateur radio enthusiast stumbled across a private telephone conversation. The call, between the then Prince Charles and his secret lover, Camilla Parker Bowles, was recorded. Its illicit content – once revealed - would change the future of the Royal Family. In the first episode of this three-part series, Kay Burley takes us back to the start of Ca...

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