Covid is back in the news - there is a new mutation of Omicron which is potentially more infectious than the last. Some are sounding the alarm. We talk about whether you should be worried (spoiler -probably not). But while it's in the news we thought we'd examine a question long lurking at the sidelines of the Covid news story - where did it come from? Is the lab leak theory increasingly credible? Plenty in Washington, including big elements of the Biden administration think so. And if...
Aug 18, 2023•26 min
It's A-level results day and the message from the Education Secretary is to urge students not to worry too much about the results, that no-one will ask about them in 10 years' time. The PM has also said that there are plenty of other options available to those who didn't get the grades they need. But is this really the message for ministers to send to kids who have been studying for these things for years? And would they be saying the same to their own kids? We also analyse whether this was the ...
Aug 17, 2023•42 min
England's women's football team reach the World Cup final, beating the hosts Australia. But with the highest paid footballer in the equivalent of the Premier League paid less in a year than some male players get in a week, will this prove a watershed moment in attempts by many to push for greater financial parity? We speak to Kieran Maguire, football economist. And back in the world of Westminster - what does falling inflation mean? A governmental success in one of their key targets, or is this ...
Aug 16, 2023•30 min
Emily and Jon host a new weekly podcast; giving you everything you need to know about the world of US politics and how it affects you. Episodes are available every Tuesday exclusively on Global Player and all other platforms every Wednesday. Find the latest episode of News Agents USA here on Global Player.
Aug 16, 2023•2 min
What were three spies living in Great Yarmouth and Harrow doing in the UK? Today it was revealed that three Bulgarian nationals were arrested in February and they've been in custody since - they were apparently working for Russian security services. They're awaiting trial but yet to enter any pleas. They'd been in the country for years, even baking cakes for their neighbours. So what were they up to? And how common is it for Russian spies to be hanging around in Britain? Jon asks former head of ...
Aug 15, 2023•31 min
Mason Greenwood was one of the most exciting talents in world football two years ago. A superstar in the making. But in January 2022, a social media video surfaced of Greenwood - he was arrested on suspicion of rape, coercive behaviour and assault - suspended by United, and he's not played since. But, charges were dropped earlier this year and the club now have a decision to make. Should Greenwood play for their club again? Or should they take a moral stand? We talk to The Athletic's Adam Crafto...
Aug 14, 2023•30 min
A week that was dedicated to show that the Conservatives have a plan on how to 'stop the boats' has instead been dominated by tragedy - the death of 41 migrants in the sea near Lampedusa while the deputy chair of the Tory party told Channel-crossing migrants to 'f*** off' back to France - and farce - as 39 asylum seekers were removed off barge accommodation just days after moving in due to a bacterial infection in the nearby waters. Has this week been a major step back for Rishi Sunak in his att...
Aug 11, 2023•29 min
Generation screwed. A hoard of students tens of thousands of pounds in debt, but with nothing to show for it. We speak to students who've been affected and hear from the university and college union boss, Jo Grady- who backs the striking staff. And, the Tory internecine warfare continues after a shambolic selection process to pick their candidate for London mayor. But do they still have a pathway to win next year's election with Trump-fan Susan Hall if Jeremy Corbyn throws his hat in the ring? A...
Aug 10, 2023•36 min
Deputy Chair of the Conservative Party Lee Anderson went on TV last night and openly admitted that his own party are failing to 'stop the boats'. That's the same party that announced at the start of this year that one of their five priorities was to ... stop the boats. Anderson has always been a law unto himself, and sometimes this has worked to Rishi Sunak's benefit. But is he now becoming a serious problem for the Tories as they try to build their case for re-election next year? And - we speak...
Aug 09, 2023•32 min
Andrew Malkinson was convicted of rape in 2003 and it took nearly two decades for this miscarriage of justice to be corrected. But it could have happened much earlier, were it not for the police repeatedly bungling the case, or perhaps worse. Andrew joins Jon and Lewis for an extended conversation about his time in jail, what the police did wrong and what it tells us about the justice system itself. A content warning - the episodes contains mentions of rape and suicide. Editor: Tom Hughes Senior...
Aug 08, 2023•29 min
Emily and Jon host a new weekly podcast; giving you everything you need to know about the world of US politics and how it affects you. Episodes are available every Tuesday exclusively on Global Player and all other platforms every Wednesday. Find the latest episode of News Agents USA here on Global Player.
Aug 08, 2023•2 min
It's "small boats week" on the government media grid; or that was the idea. It looks like it could have been over before it began. Jon is back, and with Lewis they chew over why the government keeps pointing to a policy area on which it's failed. They also talk through the Home Secretary's latest great idea as to where to house up to 500 asylum seekers. The Bibby Stockholm, a huge barge currently moored off the Isle of Portland. And we preview the latest and fourth indictment coming for Tru...
Aug 07, 2023•35 min
Donald Trump was indicted for a third time this week and a fourth is on the way. He emerged from a DC courthouse this week actually inviting more - he thinks it's helping him, feeding into a long-established persecution complex which he feels will been a key asset in his bid to be re-elected. In this episode, we ask a simple question: is he right? And is he right everywhere? If it is helping him secure the Republican nomination, will all this actually end up hurting his chances of obtaining the ...
Aug 04, 2023•38 min
Rishi Sunak isn’t much good at interviews. Sir Keir Starmer isn’t that much better. It follows a pattern of politicians become less and less willing to take part in political interviews, which they see as increasingly pointless, all risk and no gain. We ask, does it matter? And why does our democracy lose, as a result? And interest rates rose for again- now at a 15 year high. Torsten Bell joins Lewis to explain where it leaves households and Rishi Sunak’s re-election chances. Editor: Tom Hughes ...
Aug 03, 2023•47 min
Donald Trump has been indicted. Again. But this is the most serious of the lot - a series of conspiracies against the republic itself and an attempt to subvert an election. Emily and Lewis talk what it means for America, Trump and 2024. Jon got bored on holiday and couldn’t resist popping up either. We speak to Trump's former Deputy Press Secretary, Hogan Gidley. Editor: Tom Hughes Senior Producer: Gabriel Radus Social Media Editor: Georgia Foxwell Video Producer: Will Gibson Smith The News Agen...
Aug 02, 2023•43 min
House prices have fallen an average of 4% in the last year due to rising interest rates and the knock on effect on mortgages. How low will they go and does anyone think we're on the cusp of a housing crash? We ask esteemed economist Roger Bootle. Also - we’re in Ukraine which has been hitting back - drone attacks on Russian apartment blocks in Moscow. Putin calls it “terrorism“. What does this tell us about the Ukrainian offensive? We speak to Andrew Harding, foreign correspondent and author of ...
Aug 01, 2023•36 min
Emily and Jon host a new weekly podcast; giving you everything you need to know about the world of US politics and how it affects you. Episodes are available every Tuesday exclusively on Global Player and all other platforms every Wednesday. Find the latest episode of News Agents USA here on Global Player.
Aug 01, 2023•2 min
Rishi Sunak is handing out around one hundred new oil and gas licences for North Sea drilling and says it is entirely consistent with his plans for net-zero. But his former energy minister has said the government is 'on the wrong side of history'. Can you get to clean energy by going back for more fossil fuels? Will voters thank him at the ballot box if he can make the transition less painful? And what do the Independence-intent SNP make of this? We ask their leader for Westminster, Stephen Flyn...
Jul 31, 2023•44 min
The Mayor for Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, says he is a "place first" not a "policy first" politician. In a week where the Greater Manchester Police have been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons, Lewis travels to Manchester to meet the Mayor and ask him whether he has confidence in the force. In today's The News Agents, we talk about his relationship with Keir Starmer and the central Labour party, the potential Qatari takeover of Manchester United and the Mayor's political ambitions ...
Jul 28, 2023•45 min
Andrew Malkinson spent 17 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Yesterday the Court of Appeal finally cleared his name. It is a failure so serious, so unthinkable it barely makes sense. But today Mr Malkinson laid the blame firmly at the door of the police who- he says- concealed and destroyed evidence to mask their mistake. Why isn't this a crime? And what should happen now? We ask a former Director of Public Prosecution, Lord Ken Macdonald. Later, we look at the curious, budding relat...
Jul 27, 2023•36 min
Is the global climate crisis already out of control? Lewis' special report from Southern Spain. And, as the boss of NatWest resigns over the Farage - Coutts crisis - why has one man and his bank account consumed national news? Editor: Tom Hughes Senior Producer: Gabriel Radus Producer: Laura FitzPatrick Planning: Alex Barnett Video producers: Rory Symon & Will Gibson Smith Social media editor: Georgia Foxwell The News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production....
Jul 26, 2023•38 min
Emily and Jon host a new weekly podcast; giving you everything you need to know about the world of US politics and how it affects you. Episodes are available every Tuesday exclusively on Global Player and all other platforms every Wednesday. Find the latest episode of News Agents USA here on Global Player.
Jul 26, 2023•38 sec
Labour have promised to simplify and reform the Gender Recognition Act that helps trans people officially change their gender identity. Self ID will NOT be Labour policy - you will still need a medical assessment to transition. And they are drawing clear lines between sex and gender. Will this help politicians answer the toxic question of whether a woman can have a penis? And what does it tell us about Labour's direction of electoral travel? Who are they trying to please? Later we look at the pr...
Jul 25, 2023•36 min
The pictures from Greece tell a horrifying story of people running for their lives from the wildfires. Southern Europe is locked in unprecedented heatwaves across the continent. But the headlines tell a different story - of our two main parties starting to shift the narrative about net-zero policy - after what seems like a singular By-election upset in Uxbridge. The British public - according to recent YouGov polls - are firmly behind green policies - as long as it doesn't personally hurt too mu...
Jul 24, 2023•50 min
Three by-elections and a win each for the three main parties. Labour won with the biggest electoral swing in their history in Selby and Ainsty, the Lib Dems won a huge majority in Somerton and Frome and the Conservatives just about held their seat in Uxbridge. On the surface, the set of results are better than what the Tories had anticipated. But, better than terrible can still be pretty bad. And does Labour Mayor of London Sadiq Khan need to rethink his ULEZ zone if Labour want to avoid struggl...
Jul 21, 2023•45 min
What is really up with Nigel Farage's bank account? We discuss, and hear from the man at the centre of what's quickly become a national banking storm. And Defence Committee Chair and senior Tory MP Tobias Ellwood published a video earlier this week extolling the virtues of Afghanistan. Sort of forgetting that the country is led by the murderous Taliban regime. He now faces a no confidence vote. Why on earth did he do that?
Jul 20, 2023•29 min
Tomorrow voters in three English constituencies will head to the polls. Will the good news on inflation and car plants help Rishi Sunak? Will the backlash over child benefits harm Keir Starmer? Or will none of it make any difference? Has the county already found an inflection point where it's looking for change? We hear from the pollster Lord Andrew Cooper. And we talk to Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo about Barbie and her fall from paradise.
Jul 19, 2023•35 min
Defence secretary Ben Wallace has been one of the stalwarts of this government at a time when many cabinet positions have been musical chairs. But last weekend he suddenly announced he was quitting front line politics. In his first interview since the news broke - he tells Jon why and confirms he's heard rumours of a cabinet reshuffle in the coming days. Later we hear from Jamie Oliver who has been fighting to make Britain’s kids healthier for almost twenty years. Who could forget the infamous t...
Jul 18, 2023•33 min
Emily and Jon host a new weekly podcast; giving you everything you need to know about the world of US politics and how it affects you. Episodes are available every Tuesday exclusively on Global Player and all other platforms every Wednesday. Find the latest episode of News Agents USA here on Global Player.
Jul 18, 2023•1 min
What's happening to Keir Starmer's policies? Yesterday he ditched another one, confirming that he would maintain the Conservative austerity policy that saw child benefit scrapped after two children. Cue major backlash - and today a resignation from a Labour mayor (famously no fan of Starmer) citing too many broken promises from the leader. Meanwhile, Keir is warming to his theme of fiscal prudence. Is it enough to convince people that Labour has a fresh promise? Later, we look at the resurgence ...
Jul 17, 2023•42 min
