This Is Why

There has been a wave of by-elections in recent months across the country - and Sky’s chief political correspondent Jon Craig has been to most of them. In fact this Thursday sees Jon covering his 40th count for Sky News. He’s in Nadine Dorries' old seat of Mid Bedfordshire which could see the vote split 3 ways between the Conservatives, Labour and the Lib Dems. On the same day, another seat held b...

Hostage-taking has long been a feature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The latest – 199 people, as confirmed by the Israeli military, taken by Hamas include foreign nationals, elderly and children. On the Sky News Daily, Sally Lockwood speaks to one of the world's most experienced kidnap for ransom negotiators and author Scott Walker about what life might be like for hostages inside Gaza and...

More than a week on since the Hamas attack that shocked Israelis and others around the world, thousands of Palestinians caught up in the conflict remain stuck in Gaza at its southern border with Egypt – as the threat of an Israeli ground invasion into northern Gaza looms. On the Sky News Daily podcast, Sally Lockwood speaks to former Gaza correspondent Nicole Johnston about who controls the Rafah...

Israel gave more than a million people living in northern Gaza 24 hours to leave their homes ahead of an expected Israeli ground offensive in response to Hamas attacks. On the Sky News Daily, Sally Lockwood speaks to our Middle East correspondent Alistair Bunkall about the deadline given to Gazans and Shaina Low, from the Norwegian Refugee Council, who talks about their team in Gaza. Plus, Sally i...

The United States has re-affirmed its support for Israel in the wake of the brutal attacks by Hamas, sending its most senior diplomat Antony Blinken to Tel Aviv. It’s his first stop on a tour of the Middle East, in an effort by the US to stop the conflict spreading. Mr Blinken indicated the US will back Israel’s bid to destroy the militant group but warned it must “take every possible precaution t...

Israel’s response to the brutal attacks by Hamas has been swift and devastating. The two million people who live in Gaza are now under a siege - they are quickly running out of food and water. The one power station has shut down meaning an end to electricity supplies. Hamas has been ruling Gaza as a one-party state since 2007 and Israel has made it clear that it intends to wipe the group out. Toda...

It started with a security breach covered in glitter, but in a major speech today Sir Keir Starmer unveiled his plan for Britain ahead of the next general election. The Labour leader declared his party would be “the healers, the modernisers, the builders,” promising to “turn our backs on never-ending Tory decline with a decade of national renewal”. But can he pull it off? On the Sky News Daily, Ni...

On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson is joined by our Middle East Correspondent Alistair Bunkall to take a closer look at the Israel-Hamas war – including the Israeli reaction to the weekend’s attack and what it may do next. Alistair reports on the hundreds who’ve lost their lives so far and the questions being asked about Israeli intelligence. Plus, our deputy political editor Sam Coates on how...

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said his newest MP “blew the doors off” as Michael Shanks won the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election with a swing of 20%. It was triggered after former SNP MP Margaret Ferrier was removed from her seat after breaking COVID guidelines. The win could have implications for the next general election. If the swing was repeated across Scotland it would see a rise in...

The prime minister wants to stop younger generations from taking up smoking – by making it illegal for anyone born after 2005 to ever be able to buy them. Rishi Sunak’s plan – announced in his Tory conference speech on Wednesday – is similar to measures already introduced in New Zealand, aimed at tackling health problems related to smoking. But critics argue people should have the freedom to choos...

The prime minister closed the Conservative Party conference with a speech setting out his pitch for the next election, promising to reform A-levels, support the health service and crack down on smoking. He also finally confirmed that the HS2 link from Birmingham to Manchester is being scrapped and committed to spend the money instead on transport projects in the North. On the Sky News Daily with N...

Rishi Sunak has claimed a general election is "not what the country wants" but insists he is unafraid of going to the polls. On the Sky News Daily with Niall Paterson, our political editor Beth Rigby talks about her morning interview with the prime minister. And Niall sits down with Katie Perrior, former director of communications at 10 Downing Street for Theresa May, and William Hague's former sp...

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt held firm on tax cuts, despite growing pressure from his colleagues at the Conservative Party conference on Monday. "The plan is working and now we must see it through," he said in his keynote speech. The idea of a tax cut is dividing Tories – with former prime minister Liz Truss calling for the chancellor to "axe the tax". Hunt spoke as news broke that the northern leg of H...

Thousands of prisoners remain incarcerated on open-ended prison sentences under a now defunct scheme, known as IPP sentencing. The no-maximum prison sentences, some of which were given to offenders of low-level crimes, have been compared to ‘psychological torture’. On the Sky News Daily Niall Paterson speaks to Anthony Hipkiss who was in prison for 16 years despite only being sentenced to 15 month...

When it was first given the go-ahead back in 2012, Britain's new high-speed rail line connecting the south, the Midlands and the north of England was predicted to cost £32.7bn. Now, after delays and inflation fuelled by Brexit, Covid and the invasion of Ukraine, this figure is closer to £100bn. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has also avoided answering questions on whether the Birmingham to Manchester...

Scotland will be home to the UK’s first so-called ‘consumption rooms’ where drug users will be able to get their fix more safely. Recent stats showed that despite a fall this year, Scotland still has the highest number of drugs-related deaths per million population in Europe. Now, plans have been approved for a £2.3 million facility at Hunter Street Health Centre in Glasgow – despite opposition fr...

The Liberal Democrats conference in Bournemouth saw leader Sir Ed Davey hinting that his party would be prepared to do a post-election deal with Labour to prevent the Conservatives from forming a government. Of the 91 seats in which the Lib Dems finished second in 2019, 80 are held by Conservatives. After recent by-election victories, could the Lib Dems be looking like kingmakers once more? To ans...

Ian Harrison is 33 and has spent his adult life on the streets. He's among more than an estimated 270,000 homeless people in England. Sky News has been following Ian's journey as a government promise - to end rough sleeping by next year - looks in serious doubt. It was a target set by the Conservatives in their 2019 election manifesto - but a report by the Kerslake Commission is warning it will be...

It seems everything is moving online these days, so it’s perhaps no surprise that kids TV is too. CITV, ITV’s children’s channel, is no longer; it’s moving to the company’s streaming service, ITVx. Its BBC equivalent, CBBC, is expected to also be online-only in the next few years. Many children now, though, just go to YouTube to watch their shows. But with an ongoing decrease in funding for kids’...

The King and Queen are on a state visit to France this week, which includes stops in Paris and Bordeaux. The three-day trip would have been Charles’ first royal visit abroad as King back in March – but it was delayed due to the violent protests taking place over President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms. On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson is joined by François-Joseph Schichan, former French d...

The reaction - to a move by Rishi Sunak to delay the government’s green policies – has been mixed to say the least, with opposition parties slamming the prime minister’s leadership as “weak” and the decision “damaging” for the climate. As net zero sceptics cheered there was criticism from some in the car industry and the more environmentally minded Conservative politicians. On the Sky News Daily,...

Sky News has uncovered how online streamers may be breaking UK gambling laws by promoting crypto casinos - and there are questions over whether the casinos are doing enough to monitor this. Crypto casinos are similar to 'normal' online casinos, offering virtual versions of popular games like slot machines. The difference is they use digital currencies: players convert pounds, euros and dollars int...

Actor and comedian Russell Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse in a joint investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4 Dispatches. Brand says he "absolutely" denies the allegations. On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson speaks to Head of Investigations at The Times, Paul Morgan-Bentley, about the allegations Brand faces and the latest on the investigati...

Rescuers are calling for more body bags to be sent to a Libyan city hit by catastrophic flooding - as fears of waterborne diseases grow. More than 11,300 people are known to have died - and this could reach up to 20,000, with a further 10,100 missing. Meanwhile, attempts to coordinate humanitarian aid have been hampered by Libya's fractured government - caused by years of political instability and...

Important figures on employment, wages, and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) have been released this week; all tell a story about how the UK economy is performing. The Sky News Daily's Niall Paterson sits down with our economics and data editor Ed Conway to find out what the numbers mean. Podcast Producer: Soila Apparicio Promotions Producer: David Chipakupaku Editor: Adam Jay