Welcome to The Sports Agents, a brand-new twice-weekly addition to The News Agents podcast family, hosted by Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman... This week Gabby & Mark explored the big scandal in Formula One surrounding Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, found out a little more about Manchester City and England star Phil Foden and discussed Saudi Arabia's increasing influence in heavyweight boxing. Here's a little flavour of what you can expect. New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday afternoo...
Mar 09, 2024•14 min
There is fury surrounding a bid by the former head of CNN to buy The Telegraph and The Spectator due to the involvement of the Abu-Dhabi-backed RedBird IMI investment group In an exclusive interview, media executive, Jeff Zucker - who is leading that group - tells us about a "serious campaign" against his bid, and that the Chair of The Spectator Andrew Neil, is a "hypocrite" in his opposition to the takeover bid, because he says Mr Neil wanted to be at the heart of the deal. In response, Andrew ...
Mar 08, 2024•40 min
Michelle Donelan is Rishi Sunak’s Science Secretary. She has accepted that she libelled an academic. That’s unusual. It’s even more unusual that the taxpayer is paying her libel bill. Lewis asks, why this has come about? Discover that to some extent, as always, all roads lead to Boris Johnson. We also ask whether we need to look at this through a different lens- whether this weird episode is part of the Conservative Party’s “Islamist” obsession. Editor: Tom Hughes Producer: Laura FitzPatrick Soc...
Mar 07, 2024•31 min
The Chancellor of the Exchequer made a fat joke about the Leader of the Opposition on the floor of the House of Commons as he delivered his Spring Budget today. It was one of the only things he said that wasn't pre-trailed, making for an unremarkable speech about further temporary fuel duty freezes, National Insurance cuts and the creation of the Great British ISA. Lewis has all the details with LBC's Poilitical Editor Natasha Clark and The Times' Economics Correspondent Jack Barnett. Meanwhile,...
Mar 06, 2024•31 min
The Conservative Party have just received their worst polling results of all-time, with Ipsos now showing Tory support at just 20 points. It's the worst Tory numbers since polling began in 1978, so Lewis picks it all apart and analyses how bad things have got for Rishi Sunak on the eve of the budget. Later in the show we're in Washington DC with Jon and Emily for Super Tuesday. Editor: Tom Hughes Senior Producer: Gabriel Radus Producer: Laura FitzPatrick Video Production: Rory Symon and Shane Fe...
Mar 05, 2024•47 min
After everything that’s happened - the million plus deaths from Covid, the January 6th insurrection, the indictments, the law suits the debts and the sexual abuse - why are we even talking about a Donald Trump comeback? Britain doesn't get it, most of Europe doesn't. But America does. Today, we take you -not just behind the curtain, but right into the heart of the MAGA bunker - and the strategy for 2024. Which voters do they need? Who have they lost? And what’s the plan if Trump wins? Later, in ...
Mar 04, 2024•36 min
The News Agents: USA, on Global Player We're in Richmond, Virginia for Donald Trump's last rally before he is almost certainly crowned the Republican candidate for president. But who are the voters queuing for miles to get into the sold-out event? What do they think - and what motivates them to vote for a man indicted 91 times? We're the only foreign press able to get into the rally. The Trump team wouldn't let anyone else in. Listen to find out what it's like at the heart of MAGA America. Click...
Mar 03, 2024•3 min
George Galloway has said that Keir Starmer’s woken up to his “worst nightmare”, after the former Labour MP won the Rochdale by-election by almost 6,000 votes. Jon and Lewis analyse Galloway’s victory, and ask what this means for Keir Starmer ahead of this year’s General Election. Is it really the nightmare scenario Galloway is making it out to be? Editor: Tom Hughes Senior Producer: Gabriel Radus Producer: Laura FitzPatrick Video Production: Shane Fennelly You can listen to this episode on Alexa...
Mar 01, 2024•29 min
Right now the Treasury are flying more kites than you would see on top of Parliament Hill on a windy day. This comes ahead of next week’s budget - the last before the general election. But one policy is particularly eye-catching. It's the idea that the Tories are about to tax non-doms - the flagship Labour policy. Whether you want to call it shooting Keir’s fox or stealing his clothes, it would be an audacious move. Also, how do the Royal family square the circle of remaining in the public eye w...
Feb 29, 2024•33 min
Liz Truss was doorstepped by the BBC in Westminster today and asked to explain why she'd been talking about the dangers of the 'deep state' at a Washington Conference over the weekend. Keir Starmer went one step further in his Commons questions - asking Rishi Sunak why he hadn't kicked her out of the party for her 'tin hat' conspiracy theories? Keir Starmer loves Liz Truss as he's seen polling showing just how unpopular she is with the public. He's trying to tie her travails to those of a weak l...
Feb 28, 2024•40 min
Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman, two of the UK’s best sports broadcasters, host a brand new twice-weekly podcast exploring the stories behind the sports... Drawing on their wealth of experience and insight, with exclusive interviews and expert analysis, Gabby & Mark tackle the big issues and explain not just what’s happening, but why. They'll also bring a healthy dose of humour when needed too. The Sports Agents will bring you inside the greatest sporting events from around the world in w...
Feb 28, 2024•2 min
Paul Scully, former Minister for London, has given his first extended interview to The News Agents since he talked about 'no-go' areas in Tower Hamlets and Birmingham. What did he mean? And what was he trying to say about Lee Anderson? What is it about the Tories deputy chairmen that makes them say this stuff? Today, we have a go at answering that. Is Rishi scared of losing the voters he thinks Lee Anderson stands for? And is he right to think Lee talks for the Red Wall? Or is that just a slur i...
Feb 27, 2024•31 min
Former Deputy Tory Chair Lee Anderson was suspended from the Conservative party this weekend after accusing the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan of 'giving the capital city away to his (Islamist) mates.' In Sadiq Khan's first extended interview, he tells the News Agents that Anderson 'practices the politics of hate' and the Tory party has shown a tacit approval for it. We also chat Rochdale and whether the SNP should get a second chance from the Speaker to hold their Meaningful Vote on a ceasefire. Ed...
Feb 26, 2024•32 min
Joe Lycett is one of the biggest comedians in Britain today. He has also, over time, become more and more political. He’s had a new show on Channel 4 this week, Joe Lycett vs Sewage, where he has tried to expose and understand one of the biggest public policy scandals of our time. In this extended conversation with Lewis, he talks about what drives him, his slow politicisation, and why arguments about “woke” comedy, leave him cold. Editor: Tom Hughes Senior Producer: Gabriel Radus Producer: Laur...
Feb 23, 2024•36 min
Sir Paul Marshall is a Tory donor, hedge fund millionaire, co-owner of GB News and - according to his anonymous Twitter account - amplifier of far right conspiracy theories and extremist views on the Great Replacement Theory. In today’s episode, Hope Not Hate has worked with The News Agents to ask why a front runner bidding to buy the Telegraph has been engaging with anti Muslim statements by Britain First - and has - since we first approached him - deleted hundreds of likes and retweets from hi...
Feb 22, 2024•50 min
Why did Kemi Badenoch accuse a whistleblower of lying - in a row over compensation payouts to Post office victims? And why isn't the Prime Minister prepared to investigate what was actually said? Today, Keir Starmer put those questions to the government in the tone of a barrister preparing a quiet but devastating court case. Is Kemi sure she's right, even though the sacked chairman of the Post Office is fighting back? And what happens to her - the darling of the Tory right and leadership front r...
Feb 21, 2024•44 min
Prince William has expressed his deep concern about the terrible human cost of the middle east conflict and expressed his desire to see an end to the fighting as soon as possible. There's lots of head scratching going on right now: is the heir to the throne calling for a ceasefire? Is this the governments line or just the monarchy's position? Did this come from the Foreign Office? And should he be getting involved at all? Meanwhile, as Labour finally find a way of demanding an immediate ceasefir...
Feb 20, 2024•42 min
Alexei Navalny's widow Yulia has laid the blame for her husband's murder directly with Putin. Few world leaders seem to disagree. There is much grave talk of 'consequences' and 'action'. But what does that really mean? Short of Putin losing the Ukraine war, what would really hurt him enough to stop him murdering? We talk to hugely influential Putin critic Bill Browder who tells us who the 'next Navalny' will be if we don't act now. Later, why is Kemi Badenoch calling the former chairman of the P...
Feb 19, 2024•37 min
Two more Labour wins in two more by-elections. Kingswood and Wellingborough were very safe Conservative seats, but now they've turned red. The Conservatives have now suffered the most by-election defeats of any government since the 1960s - so what does this mean in a General Election year? Later, we reflect on the life of Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, who has died in a Russian prison. Editor: Tom Hughes Senior Producer: Gabriel Radus Producer: Laura FitzPatrick Social Media E...
Feb 16, 2024•39 min
The UK is in recession - which means the economy has been shrinking for most of the last year. What does that do to our standard of living? And what are the political choices that have to be made? The Tories are still talking about tax cuts - even if that means more cuts to public services. Labour has ditched its mega promise of borrowing 28 billion to invest in the economy. So what's the way out? Later, as Putin confesses he found Tucker Carlson a bit of a soft interviewer, we discuss how you d...
Feb 15, 2024•39 min
In the past 7 days Sir Keir Starmer has had to face down a leak over his big policy U-turn, a policy U-turn and the suspension of two Labour candidates for anti-Israel and/or anti-Semitic comments. A third person in the room at the time is, we understand, being 'spoken to'. It's probably not been a great week for party morale - but has any of it hit Labour's poll lead? And will any of it translate into actual voting in the by election results tomorrow? We talk to pollster Luke Tryl from More in ...
Feb 14, 2024•42 min
Keir Starmer insists he took "decisive action" by suspending the Rochdale candidate Azhar Ali from the Labour party. Should it have come quicker? How damaging has it been to the wider party? And what on earth is going to happen in what's fast becoming the weirdest by election in modern history - with not one but three former Labour candidates. Later, we look at Rafah, in Gaza - now bracing itself for a ground incursion from an Israeli government that seems hell-bent on finishing a military missi...
Feb 13, 2024•36 min
Keir Starmer has gone out of his way to break with his party's antisemitic past and to reshape the Labour parliamentary party. But this weekend, shadow ministers found themselves in the unenviable position of having to defend the Labour candidate for Rochdale for 'mistakenly believing a conspiracy theory' instead of calling him out for his antisemitic remarks about whether Israel had turned a blind eye to the Hamas atrocities as 'a green light for a full on Gaza invasion'. Azhar Ali is standing ...
Feb 12, 2024•38 min
When will strikes end - and are Labour the party to stop the constant drumroll of them? We're joined by the most charismatic man on the left of British politics - who has become synonymous with the public sector striking. Mick Lynch. And later, we talk all things Biden as he hits back against accusations that his mind is ailing - only to then make yet another gaff. Editor: Tom Hughes Senior Producer: Gabriel Radus Producer: Laura FitzPatrick Social Media Editor: Georgia Foxwell Video Production:...
Feb 09, 2024•42 min
The worst kept secret in politics was freed from its shackles today as Sir Keir Starmer confirmed Labour would drop their 28 billion pound spending pledge on the green economy. It will confirms Rishi's criticism of a flip-flop leader. Why is Keir running scared of spending? Later, is Rishi's own party calling on him to apologise for his trans gag in the Commons yesterday? Why won’t he? We discuss where it’s left him. Editor: Tom Hughes Senior Producer: Gabriel Radus Producer: Laura FitzPatrick S...
Feb 08, 2024•39 min
How has Rishi Sunak shown so little emotional intelligence that he ended up making his customary 'trans joke'? In the presence of the mother of a brutally murdered trans teenager. What does this tell us about the disconnect between his politics and the people he serves? And what does it mean for the divisive culture war that has formed the rump of so much recent conservative campaigning? Today we discuss decency, standards in public life and leadership with Lord Simon McDonald, and ask whether w...
Feb 07, 2024•41 min
Liz Truss and her mates have been selling their version of popular conservatism in central London this morning. They were delighted to see Lewis at their launch who spoke to Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg and Nigel Farage about both their vision and their seeming hypocrisy. We ask Sir Charles Walker, of the same party, if he recognizes this brand of conservatism or if they are in fact “useful idiots“ for the right-wing fringe Reform UK party . Editor: Tom Hughes Senior Producer: Gabriel Radus Producer: Lau...
Feb 06, 2024•32 min
Northern Ireland's new first minister Michelle O'Neill has had her knuckles metaphorically rapped by the PM - who's warned politicians to "focus on the day to day" of the brand new power sharing deal - and not start conversations about a united Ireland. Could Ireland really unite within he decade? How many voters want to see that happen? And are we missing the bigger picture of what this deal actually means and where the vulnerabilities still lie? Later, Chris Steele is the former MI6 officer su...
Feb 05, 2024•45 min
Justice Minister and MP for Finchley and Golders Green, Mike Freer, announced he would be leaving politics this week, fearing for his and his family's safety after an arson attack on his office. Years on from the two shocking murders of MPs Jo Cox and Sir David Amess, we ask why has it become so dangerous to become an MP? Lewis travels to Mike Freer's burnt-out constituency office in North London, and we hear from Kim Leadbeater MP, the sister of Jo Cox, who now sits in Parliament as an MP in he...
Feb 02, 2024•34 min
Paris is under siege. And this time, it's the farmers. But why? After weeks of tractors on the straße in Germany, France are hit by similar trouble. It's causing great consternation for an increasingly weak French president Emmanuel Macron. So today we ask, is Macron losing control of France as the far-right rises in Europe? And how big of a problem is this for the EU in Brussels? Later, we talk to the Conservative mayor of West Midlands, Andy Street. Editor: Tom Hughes Senior Producer: Gabriel ...
Feb 01, 2024•41 min
