Within minutes of the Supreme Court ruling - that the government’s Rwanda scheme was ’unlawful’. Deputy chairman Lee Anderson was out of the traps saying ministers should ‘go ahead and put planes in the air to Rwanda anyway’. He has a way with words. But 50 other Tory colleagues weren’t that far off the sentiment, urging Rishi to change UK immigration law to make it work. The government was warned - by the Lords - a year ago the whole scheme would be found unlawful. But perhaps this was never ab...
Nov 15, 2023•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Emily and Jon host a weekly US politics podcast; giving you everything you need to know about the world of US politics and how it affects you. Episodes are available every Tuesday, on Global Player. Find the latest episode of News Agents USA here on Global Player.
Nov 15, 2023•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Who is in charge of cabinet now, with two prime ministers sitting around the table? And are they aligned on domestic, as well as foreign policy? One day after Westminster was knocked off it’s feet by the reshuffle how is the move going down in the rest of the country. And what exactly IS a minister for common sense? Later - those protests, the ceasefire and the Labour vote. AND we have our own merch! To get yours, head to: https://www.TheNewsAgentsStore.com Editor: Tom Hughes Senior Producer: Ga...
Nov 14, 2023•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast By 9am this morning, Suella began her own lifestyle choice of homelessness - sacked as Home Secretary. But the big news was still to come. David Cameron emerged from Number 10 Downing Street as both a) the new Foreign Secretary and b) a Lord. This reshuffle has definitely given the Rishi's cabinet a Pulp Fiction-style adrenalin shot to the heart. But will it put him back in control of the political agenda? From what we've seen so far, the patrician centrists are back in control and the populists...
Nov 13, 2023•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast Emily reports from Georgia, the eye of the Donald Trump legal storm, where he was caught on tape trying to get an election official to 'find' him more votes to win the 2020 election. A year out from 2024, is this purple state closer to staying blue or turning MAGA red? The latter could tip the election in Trump's favour. And she heads to South Carolina, to find out about the woman who could well be waiting in the wings in case Trump falls foul of his legal woes. ---- Emily and Jon host a weekly ...
Nov 11, 2023•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Suella Braverman is (still) the Home Secretary. That's despite ongoing calls from within her own party for the Prime Minister to sack her for comments she made about the police and so-called 'hate-marches' in an article in The Times, which wasn't signed off by No.10. We speak to senior backbench Tory Tim Loughton, author of The New Snobbery David Skelton, as well as More In Common's Luke Tryl - and we ask who Suella's extreme politics and language really speaks for. Later, we look at the far-rig...
Nov 10, 2023•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Suella Braverman is in trouble- again. It's almost like she invites it. This time she's written a piece for The Times which is being slammed as inflammatory. She's compared the Gaza protests with The Troubles and suggested the police treat right-wing and left-wing protests by different standards, and strongly suggests this Saturday's should be banned. She has called into question a very old principle, that of police independence from the government. To make it worse, it appears No.10 ...
Nov 09, 2023•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Fiona Hill is one of the most powerful British people of the 21st century but the chances are you haven’t even heard of her. She’s advised three presidents of the United States on foreign policy, especially on Putin’s Russia. She gave evidence at Trump’s first impeachment. at this time of international chaos, of an America which feels inside and out, on the edge, there could be no better time to talk to this woman with a unique perch on American power, British decline, and how in the end, all ro...
Nov 08, 2023•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today we examine what was in the King's Speech - and what was left out. Suella's controversial "lifestyle choice" tents for the homeless were dropped. What does this tell us about the relationship between Sunak and his Home Secretary? Also as Nikki Haley pushes into 2nd place in the Republican race to run for president, we are in her home town in South Carolina. Editor: Tom Hughes Senior Producer: Gabriel Radus Producer: Laura FitzPatrick Social Media Editor: Georgia Foxwell Video Producers: Ror...
Nov 07, 2023•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast There are tremors amongst Democrats today - and the makings of a victory lap for Trump fans - after polling one year out from a Presidential election shows the challenge Biden is facing in key swing states. America should know their next president a year today, and in the key state of Georgia we are talking to voters and their politicians about why they’re ready to see Trump back in office. Later, is homelessness a lifestyle choice ? Suella thinks so. Will taking away people’s tents actually mak...
Nov 06, 2023•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast In an extended interview, Jon speaks to Layla Moran, the only MP with Palestinian heritage and the Lib Dem MP for West Oxford and Abingdon. She talks about her family in Gaza, peace talks and how hope gets her through everyday. Editor: Tom Hughes Producer: Laura FitzPatrick Social Media Editor: Georgia Foxwell Video Producers: Jack McKay & Arvind Badewal You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The News Agents"....
Nov 03, 2023•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Did former Health Secretary Matt Hancock think the best person to decide who should live and die during the pandemic was... Matt Hancock? That was the accusation levelled by former NHS England Chief Executive Simon Stevens in the Covid inquiry. Luckily, the hypothetical situation never materialised but how happy do we feel about politicians playing god? And… as the deputy cabinet secretary describes a Downing Street in which not a day went by without rules being breached, we ask whether it’s tim...
Nov 02, 2023•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast How should the police be responding to the government’s call to arrest more people on "hate marches" (sic Suella). Do laws need to change? Do specific chants cross the legal line? And what is the terror threat like over all in the UK right now? We have an extended interview with Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley on protest, policing and public trust. In response to Sir Mark's comments about the Attorney General's Office, an AGO spokesperson said: "There has been no delay in the charging process f...
Nov 01, 2023•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast So, three guesses whose WhatsApps gave us our episode title today. That’s right, Dominic Cummings was up in front of the Covid inquiry where we were given a glimpse of his affection for cabinet colleagues... We also heard from No10 Comms director Lee Cain - his pal - together they paint a picture of the dysfunction that dominated decision making in the early months of Covid. What do the WhatsApp messages really tell us? And is any of this helping those who want resolution and an explanation for ...
Oct 31, 2023•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Emily and Jon host a weekly US politics podcast; giving you everything you need to know about the world of US politics and how it affects you. Episodes are available every Tuesday, on Global Player. Find the latest episode of News Agents USA here on Global Player.
Oct 31, 2023•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Israel began a prolonged ground invasion in northern Gaza this weekend, it continued targeted airstrikes in the region and temporarily cut off communications there. It says it wants to eliminate Hamas "surgically", but with so many civilians killed, what is Israel's endgame? Emily and Jon speak to Mark Regev - a senior adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Israeli ambassador to the UK. Editor: Tom Hughes Senior Producer: Gabriel Radus Producer: Laura FitzPatrick Social Media Edi...
Oct 30, 2023•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Is Suella Braverman nailed on to be the next Tory leader? Will Donald Trump win the presidency from a prison cell? And...when are The News Agents going on tour? Emily, Jon and Montana correspondent Lewis Goodall answer your questions in this special edition of The News Agents. Editor: Tom Hughes Senior Producer: Gabriel Radus Producer: Laura FitzPatrick Video Producers: Rory Symon & Ben Bate You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The News Agents"...
Oct 27, 2023•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Last night - after Israel's Prime Minister addressed the nation - the troops went into Gaza. It was a raid that paved the way for what Netanyahu promised would be the ground invasion to come. But what is the end game here? And are any of Israel's allies prepared to try and stop them? We talk to the Economist's Defence Editor Shashank Joshi about how Israel is preparing for war and what the end game might be. Also - has Keir Starmer done enough to reassure large Muslim communities - and others - ...
Oct 26, 2023•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Labour Muslim MPs have had a long meeting with leader Keir Starmer in which they expressed their discontent with their leader for not explicitly calling on Israel to do more to save civilian life in Gaza. He’s also seen at least 23 councillors step down over their frustration with Labour's position. Does the Labour leader need to do more to offer reassurance to Muslim voters and MPs? And why is it so problematic to ask for a ceasefire? Editor: Tom Hughes Producer: Laura FitzPatrick Planning Prod...
Oct 25, 2023•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rishi Sunak’s premiership is almost one year old. Is this where the Tory party wants to be 12 months out from an election? Can a party that’s been in power for 13 years win again? And what has to happen to make that possible? We talk to Ben Riley-Smith author of The Right to Rule and political editor of The Telegraph. Editor: Tom Hughes Producer: Laura FitzPatrick Planning Producer: Alex Barnett Social Media Producer: Phoebe Dampare-Osei Video Producers: Rory Symon & Ben Bate You can listen ...
Oct 24, 2023•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast Emily and Jon host a weekly US politics podcast; giving you everything you need to know about the world of US politics and how it affects you. Episodes are available every Tuesday, on Global Player. Find the latest episode of News Agents USA here on Global Player.
Oct 24, 2023•1 min•Transcript available on Metacast Should it be a crime to shout "jihad" on the streets of London during a protest to support Palestinian rights? The Home Secretary had a meeting with Met Commissioner Mark Rowley to ask why the police weren't prepared to arrest those seeking to incite "violence or hatred" on Britain's streets. Context is everything of course, and jihad can mean many things. So where does free speech collide with threatening behaviour - when hate crime has risen so sharply since the October 7th Hamas attacks? We s...
Oct 23, 2023•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Two massive by-election losses in Tory heartland. Are Rishi Sunak's hopes of holding onto his premiership next year in tatters? They may still win Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire back in next year's general election, but that doesn't arrest the growing expectation that there is a distinct possibility the Conservatives could soon face electoral annihilation. We speak to Lara Spirit, editor of The Times' Red Box, to understand the political implications for the Tories and Sunak in the wake of last n...
Oct 20, 2023•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Just one day after the US president Joe Biden, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is on the ground in Israel pleading for the lives of British hostages and facing calls from Netanyahu for Britain’s “continuous support “. Rishi like Biden, is walking a fine line. We talk to Shashank Joshi, Defence Editor of The Economist about what's next as Western leaders scramble in the search for de-escalation. And later - is Sam Bankman-Freid a crook or a victim of a political pile-on? Once anticipated to be the wor...
Oct 19, 2023•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast A deadly inhumane attack on a Gazan hospital by Israeli forces killing hundreds. Or, a failed rocket by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, aimed at Israel, landing accidentally in a hospital car park killing dozens. We are at that inevitable stage of the conflict where truth has become another casualty. How does Biden - who's just landed in Israel - attempt to forge a path of peace through such differing narratives? And what happens when the truth comes out, if no one chooses to believe it? We talk to L...
Oct 18, 2023•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Israeli military has denied that there is a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, but there are now reports of people drinking toilet water to survive. So will Joe Biden's visit tomorrow make any difference in the hope for peace in the middle east, and help accelerate a resolution to the current conflict? And will the Rafah crossing open into Egypt to allow for food and medical supplies into Gaza, and for the safe passage of people out? And as Humza Yousaf makes makes his first leader's speech at the...
Oct 17, 2023•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast Emily and Jon host a weekly US politics podcast; giving you everything you need to know about the world of US politics and how it affects you. Episodes are available every Tuesday, on Global Player. Find the latest episode of News Agents USA here on Global Player.
Oct 17, 2023•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Over the weekend, Palestinian flags flooded central London as thousands marched for 'Free Palestine'. But has legitimate support for the rights of Palestinian citizens been merged with more sinister support, or acquiescence of, the presence of Hamas, a deeply illiberal, misogynistic, homophobic and anti-semitic terrorist organisation, in Gaza and the Palestinian territories? And as Israel starts to evacuate parts of the north of the country - is Hezbollah - the Islamist militant group in Lebanon...
Oct 16, 2023•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Israeli officials have told Gazan citizens to leave the north and head south ahead of a potential ground invasion - retaliating after a week of war crimes perpetrated by Hamas on Israeli soil. 1.1million people - the number of people roughly in Birmingham, trekking largely on foot, down one of two roads, in the middle of a war. Is that possible? Most think not. Are many, many thousands of Palestinian civilians about to get caught up in warfare that will see so many lives, on both sides, lost? Is...
Oct 13, 2023•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast There are an estimated 150 hostages in Gaza - all ages, all nationalities, some taken from their beds as they slept. How does Israel even begin to contemplate ground war when so many of its people are the other side of that border? And how do you begin to negotiate with terrorists when they've broken every rule of war with the sheer evil of their acts? We speak to an expert in hostage negotiation Rachel Briggs OBE. Later, we discuss the SNP defection to- checks notes - the Conservative party, an...
Oct 12, 2023•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
