This Is Why

The UK's first female prime minister undoubtedly transformed the country as she achieved electoral success her Conservative successors could only dream of. Evidence of her enduring influence is the fact that it's not just Tories who claim a debt to her but also opposing politicians, with Rachel Reeves recently branding herself the "iron chancellor". She was also a very divisive figure, with lastin...

A ceasefire may be in place, but violence continues to plague Gaza. As Hamas attempts to keep some control, a rival group has told Sky News they plan to fight to the end.  With internal fighting and power struggles ongoing, can peace hold within Gaza for the Palestinians hoping to begin rebuilding their lives?  Dominic Waghorn, our international affairs editor, and digital investigations journalis...

Dishonesty, discrimination, and misconduct – just some of the reasons why more than 730 police officers were sacked and barred from service last year. Of those, 21 were struck off for child sexual offences. But can our police forces recover from falling public trust and reputational damage?    Martin Brunt, our crime correspondent, joins Niall to explain what’s gone wrong – and assess whether ‘bad...

Members of minority religious groups say they feel less safe in the UK than ever before. A summer of protests outside asylum seeker hotels and a renewed debate about immigration have led to concerns British society is becoming increasingly fragmented. And last week, figures released by the Home Office showed that religious hate crime recorded by police in England and Wales had reached a record hig...

All 20 remaining living Israeli hostages have been released by Hamas – after more than two years in captivity.    Now the slow process of recovery and rehabilitation begins. For each of them, that journey will be different. What kind of support will they receive? And will the trauma ever truly be over?    Niall discusses the needs of the released hostages with Stephen Regel – a former senior psych...

Can you put a price on freedom of speech? Comedy royalty including Dave Chapelle and Jimmy Carr, famous for defending their right to say whatever they want, have been paid big money by the Saudi government to appear at the inaugural Riyadh Comedy Festival.  But there's a catch.... they're not allowed to say anything that could cause "embarrassment" to Saudi Arabia, its royal family or any religion...

Donald Trump has claimed the credit for ending seven wars and with the developments in Gaza it could soon be eight - surely then he's a dead cert for this year's Nobel Peace Prize? Unsurprisingly, with this bombastic US president, it's not quite that simple... no matter how much he insists that he deserves it. As the world prepares to find out who has won this year's prize, the self-styled peacema...

The prime minister’s been asked to ‘explain himself’ after the UK’s top prosecutor blamed the collapse of a China spy trial on the government - for not labelling China a risk to national security.    But Sir Keir Starmer blames the previous Tory government.    A parliamentary researcher and his associate were accused of passing on “politically sensitive” information to a member of China’s ruling p...

  In September, former England rugby captain Lewis Moody received a devastating diagnosis that changed his life forever.    The 47-year-old Rugby World Cup winner is the latest retired professional player to be told he has the fatal muscle-wasting condition motor neurone disease.    What do we know about the possible causes of MND? Is there a link between extreme exercise and developing the diseas...

It's the morning of Monday 6 October 2025 and Russia has launched a missile strike against the UK. That was the scenario of The Wargame - a gripping five-part Sky News podcast that brought together former government ministers, military chiefs, and top defence experts to explore how the UK might respond to a modern-day crisis.    On the real 6 October, we speak to some of the makers of the series t...

Could the historic appointment of a first female Archbishop of Canterbury cause a split within the Anglican Church? Dame Sarah Mullally has been chosen for the role while the Church is arguably in a state of crisis - but also at a time when there has been a surge in attendance among young people. She's the first woman to lead the Church of England in its almost 500-year history - the question now...

Communities in Manchester are once again reeling following a terror attack - this time on a synagogue in Crumpsall during Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.  The prime minister has announced extra security for synagogues, but there had been previous warnings of a rise in religious hatred across the UK.    Niall speaks to Sky's home editor, Jason Farrell, about the attack and the w...

The senior police officer in charge of preventing violence against women and girls has warned the political discourse around asylum seekers risks being a distraction from the "real threat" to women's safety.  Met Police deputy assistant commissioner Helen Millichap made the remarks after a summer of protests outside hotels housing migrants across the country. Will the row undermine the government'...

The government has continued to grapple with the subject of immigration during the Labour Party conference - where a desire to fight Reform UK's rhetoric has come up against the political reality of public opinion. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has openly called Reform UK's policies "racist" - at the same time as his new home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has highlighted the need to review the rul...

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has delivered her keynote speech to the Labour Party annual conference in Liverpool.     In an address where there were multiple standing ovations in the hall, she explained she won’t take risks with the public finances and warned the UK will "face further tests, with the choices to come made all the harder by harsh global headwinds".     But were there any significant pol...

Just as they were for her ex-husband, revelations about her relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein have proved highly embarrassing for Sarah, Duchess of York.  Several charities have now dropped her as a patron after it emerged she had emailed Epstein to apologise for publicly disavowing him following his conviction.  In messages dating back to 2011, the duchess described the late...

Despite Jaguar Land Rover announcing some of its systems are back online, not a single car has rolled off the production line since the end of August. And there's still no date set for the factories to reopen. All because of a cyber attack, costing hundreds of millions of pounds and threatening thousands of jobs. JLR is just the latest British company harassed by hackers – with Marks & Spencer...

    A woman left with an incurable brain disease following a NHS operation says she feels like she's "living with a death sentence".  Natalie Bralee-Brett was born with the birth defect spina bifida - but doctors told her mother about a new procedure that could improve and prolong her life.  Instead, medical experts now say that operation - which implanted a graft made from a membrane taken from a...

The scientific community has condemned comments made by Donald Trump and his health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, linking autism to the use of everyday painkillers during pregnancy.    The claim has been refuted by medical experts in both the US and UK - with some saying his comments are dangerous.  Is there any evidence linking paracetamol with autism? What damage could be done by the spread of...

Nearly two years on from the October 7 attacks by Hamas and subsequent Israeli invasion of Gaza, Sir Keir Starmer has joined other world leaders in recognising a Palestinian state.  The UK prime minister made the decision after months of pressure from dozens of his own MPs – but will it be enough to appease those in Labour who want to go even further? What does he hope the move will achieve and co...

On this episode we are showcasing two of Sky News' other podcasts as we go over Donald Trump's second state visit.    Electoral Dysfunction's Beth Rigby, Ruth Davidson and Harriet Harman are joined by Trump 100's Mark Stone to tackle a news conference with potential ramifications to the world order.  From the pomp and pageantry to the slightly uneasy division between the President and Prime Minist...

US talk show host Jimmy Kimmel has been taken off air by the Disney-owned ABC network for making "offensive" comments relating to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. ABC announced the show would be shelved indefinitely - a move welcomed by Donald Trump, who has criticised many of America's most popular chat show hosts for their views on his presidency. What does the decision to pull the show say ab...

Scientists say they have created an AI tool that could predict a patient's risk of hundreds of diseases years before they develop symptoms. The technology, if it works, could help revolutionise a health service which is always looking for ways to reduce costs and offer better patient care. However, with many people feeling the NHS can often struggle to implement new technologies - how ready is the...

A government deportation deal with France – designed to deter small boat crossings – has been beset by delays and legal challenges.      The first few migrants detained in Dover as part of the so-called one-in-one-out scheme were meant to be on a flight to France on Monday. That didn’t happen.      And even when the first deportations do begin, there is a cap on the number of people who can be ret...

Sir Keir Starmer has only been prime minister for 16 months but already there are reports some Labour MPs want him out.     The details that have emerged about Peter Mandelson's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the Angela Rayner tax scandal and Labour's perceived lack of direction by some in the party have all put pressure on Sir Keir - with a growing number of MPs said to be feeling he has unti...