This Is Why

The market in counterfeit goods – fake handbags, knock-off trainers or not-quite-designer clothes – is now worth more than double the illegal drug trade in the UK. So, it’s easy to see why organised criminal gangs are concentrating on selling fake fashion, both on the high street and online. And they’re being helped by an army of influencers – who, knowingly or otherwise, are encouraging their fol...

Lots of people enjoy a flutter – but have you ever considered betting on a US strike on Iran? Or when Russia will take control of a village in the Donbass? Or what day a head of state might be killed? It’s a macabre thought for even the most compulsive gambler – but punters are betting millions of dollars on prediction sites like Polymarket and Kalshi, which both have links to Donald Trump Jr. Hig...

Four Jewish ambulances were set on fire in North London on Monday morning, in the latest incident to be treated as an antisemitic hate crime by the police. Sadly, it is just a further example of the increase in violence towards the Jewish community in the UK since the October 7 attacks in 2023. The Jewish charity, the Community Security Trust (CST), said that last year saw the second-highest annua...

Last week, Iran tried to target the joint US-UK military base on Diego Garcia – more than 2,000 miles away in the Indian Ocean. That attack failed but it led an Israel military spokesperson to suggest London could be vulnerable to an Iranian ballistic missile strike. With Keir Starmer now allowing the use of British air bases for US operations against attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, is Iran capab...

Saturday Night Live has launched the careers of Eddie Murphy, Tina Fey and Will Ferrell among many others in its 50 year long run on NBC in the US. It’s now coming to the UK with Tina Fey, Jamie Dornan and Riz Ahmed hosting the first shows. As in the US there’s an ensemble cast of comedy players so how important could SNL UK be for the comedy scene? Niall speaks to the creator and host of the Satu...

Nearly half of young adults are turning to low or non-alcoholic drinks - with the number nearly doubling since 2018. To understand why Gen Z has been making this clear-headed decision you need look no further than the “sober curious” movement - with social media influencers promoting the benefits of a booze-free lifestyle. Excessive drinking was once seen as a right of passage in early adulthood –...

Should the US have predicted there would be a siege at the Strait of Hormuz? Why wasn’t the UK better prepared for this conflict? This Is Why has been asking for your questions about the Iran war and in this special episode they are about to be answered. From the delay in the departure of HMS Dragon, to whether Donald Trump would now be less likely to offer the UK military support – this wide-rang...

Sir Keir Starmer is promising help for working people whose energy bills are going up because of the Iran war. The last energy bailout after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine cost £40bn, and on top of the costs of support during the COVID pandemic it means the UK's national debt is now around 100% of GDP. Repaying that debt costs as much as the education budget. With a new YouGov poll for Sk...

A school pupil and a university student have died in Kent and 11 other people are seriously ill following a meningitis outbreak. Meningitis can kill a person in less than 24 hours if it is not treated quickly. But outbreaks like this have been rare in recent years. Vaccination programmes have helped but anyone over the age of 10 will not have been offered a vaccination against MenB by the NHS. How...

Timothee Chalamet – movie star and tabloid regular – had been the firm favourite to take home the Best Actor statue at this weekend’s Academy Awards. So why have the former Hollywood favourite’s fortunes fallen so dramatically? The press campaign for his movie Marty Supreme , as well as some ill-timed controversial comments about opera and ballet, have led to a backlash. Why has public opinion tur...

One of the world's most valuable AI companies is suing the US government after it was designated a "supply chain risk" by Pete Hegseth's Department of War. It's an unprecedented legal fight – after Anthropic refused to allow its technology to be used for mass surveillance or autonomous weapons. Now, other tech giants – including Google, Microsoft and Apple – have swung their support behind Anthrop...

The first batch of the Mandelson files have finally been released – but even though there’s still more to come, there are already serious questions for the prime minister. What was the vetting process before Mandelson’s appointment as the UK’s ambassador to the United States? How much was known about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein? And could more have been done to prevent a five-figure payo...

After a phone call with Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump announced the US could ease oil sanctions on some countries to combat the rise in prices brought about by the Iran war. It wasn’t clear whether Russia would be included, but such a move could signal a significant shift for the country, which has been isolated since the start of the war with Ukraine. Could Russia be finding its way back to the wo...

A "continuity candidate" or the ultimate "nepo baby"? Iran’s new supreme leader is Mojtaba Khamenei, a 56-year-old cleric and son of the previous ayatollah. Khamenei was once described as "the power behind the robes" in his father's regime - but very little is known about him. So, who is Mojtaba Khamenei, and how was he chosen? What does his selection mean for the future of the Iranian regime and...

The warship HMS Dragon is now not expected to leave for the Mediterranean until next week to begin its mission to defend a British military base in Cyprus from attacks by Iran. The ship is one of six Type 45 air defence destroyers in the Royal Navy and one of three that aren’t currently out of service. It is well-equipped to deal with Iran’s Shahed-type drones, so why has it taken so long to send...

Most people have had a bad experience on holiday – but not many will have seen their destination turn into a war zone. That’s been the case for thousands of British travellers in places like Oman and Dubai following the start of the conflict with Iran. The UK’s first repatriation flight was branded a “total shambles” - so what is the government doing to help both holiday makers and expats caught i...

The United States may have launched strikes on Iran this week, but Donald Trump also found time for a war of words. This time, it was with the prime ministers of the UK and Spain – after they refused to allow America access to their airbases ahead of the attack. Keir Starmer and Pedro Sanchez have responded with some tough words of their own – so why are they and other European leaders finally sta...

Rachel Reeves may have delivered her Spring Forecast – but have events in the Middle East made the chancellor’s announcement redundant? With President Trump predicting the Iran conflict could continue for a further four to five weeks, the world is starting to realise the economic consequences. Global oil and gas prices are spiking and fuelling the threat of higher inflation and interest rates. Nia...

War is raging in the Middle East after the US and Israel carried out strikes on Iran. Keir Starmer has risked his special relationship with Donald Trump by initially blocking the US from using UK airbases. Despite later changing his mind, what kind of tightrope is the prime minister walking – and can he stop Britain being sucked into war? Niall is joined on this first-ever episode of This Is Why b...

Welcome to This Is Why. 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 from Monday 2 March 2026. This...

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 from Monday 2 March 2026. This Is Why is a Sky News pod...

When is a shadow fleet not a shadow fleet? Perhaps when it’s shipping millions of dollars' worth of crude oil through the English Channel in broad daylight. The UK has imposed sanctions on the Russian oil trade since the start of the full invasion of Ukraine - but tankers helping to fund Putin’s war machine are operating in the Channel with apparent impunity. Niall is joined by Sky’s business corr...

A Sky News exclusive has found that at least 21 police forces in England are still using Microsoft Copilot, despite it being at the centre of the Maccabi Tel Aviv incident last year. In November, football fans of the Israeli team were banned from attending an away match against Aston Villa in Birmingham. West Midlands Police had determined the risk was too high. The resulting outcry – including fr...

Could the use of drones break the stalemate in the Ukraine war? Tomorrow marks the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion - and for most of this time, it has seemed there was no end in sight. However, technological developments have led to the increased use of drones on the frontline. How have these remote-controlled devices become the dominant weapon on the battlefield, and have they...

Imagine being in a room surrounded by £64bn worth of gold. It’s a glittering reality Sky’s economics and data editor Ed Conway experienced in one of 12 huge vaults below the Bank of England. To be granted access to the vaults is incredibly rare, not least because the gold bars inside them has been skyrocketing in value globally. So why is so much gold just sitting under London’s streets? Who does...