The PM announces a mini-reshuffle, with Defence Secretary Ben Wallace leaving the post and Grant Shapps warming a new Cabinet seat for the fifth time in less than a year. Claire Coutinho becomes the new Energy Security Secretary. But does this do anything to help arrest the Conservatives' seemingly-inevitable slide toward electoral defeat next year (if the polls are to be believed). We ask Lara Spirit, of The Times. Jon talks to Leah Williamson, Lionesses' captain and Arsenal defender, about her...
Aug 31, 2023•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's The News Agents' first birthday. So we open the floor for questions from you, the listener. Editor: Tom Hughes Senior Producer: Gabriel Radus Producer: Laura FitzPatrick Planning Producer: Alex Barnett Social Media Editor: Georgia Foxwell Video Producer: Will Gibson-Smith You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The News Agents". The News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production....
Aug 30, 2023•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast A tumultuous week in Spain continues as Luis Rubiales, the Head of the Spanish FA, refuses to resign after kissing footballer Jenni Hermoso on the lips in the aftermath of Spain's World Cup win. His mother is on day 2 of a hunger strike, locking herself inside a church. You couldn't write it. So Lewis and Jon discuss the wider repercussions of this sexism row with Spanish lawyer Miriam Gonzalez Durantez. They also speak with Mayor of London Sadiq Khan about his controversial ULEZ extension, and ...
Aug 29, 2023•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Emily and Jon host a 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 29, 2023•1 min•Transcript available on Metacast Donald Trump has been indicted again. But this time, it was the full works, including obligatory mugshot. This mugshot, of a scowling, glowering Trump appeared all over social media, at Trump's own hand, as he returned to Twitter (currently ridiculously known as X) to urge his followers to "NEVER SURRENDER!" Jon makes an unusual appearance on a Friday, but couldn't resist it in the wake of the legal nightmare the US now finds itself inhabiting. He joins Lewis to discuss what's differ...
Aug 25, 2023•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Yevgeny Prigozhin is apparently dead, two months after he marched the Wagner mercenary group to Moscow in a mutiny that appeared to be a very embarrassing weekend for Vladimir Putin. Yesterday, a private plane crash also killed nine others, including his right hand man, the co-founder of the Wagner group, Dmitry Utkin. So what actually happened? Was it an act of revenge from Putin? And is he now stronger than ever? Jon and Lewis speak to Alicia Kearns MP, the chair of the Foreign Affairs Select ...
Aug 24, 2023•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's 75 days since Nadine Dorries announced she was standing down as an MP with "immediate effect"... but she's still the MP for Mid Bedfordshire and getting paid for it. Since announcing she'd go in June, Dorries has received calls to go from local councils, politicians and even the Prime Minister. She's also been criticised for effectively going missing. So what has she been up to? And tonight is a big night in American politics - it's the first debate to choose the Republican candidate for th...
Aug 23, 2023•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Mason Greenwood won't play for Manchester United again. Greenwood was one of the most exciting talents in world football two years ago, before he was arrested and charged for attempted rape, coercive control and assault. The charges were dropped by the CPS in February this year. The final decision on Greenwood's place at the club was announced yesterday, with a "mutual deicison" that he will be leaving. But just last week, there were rumours of a plan to bring the player back. So what happened? ...
Aug 22, 2023•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's debate night in Milwaukee tonight. The big hitters of the Republican Party will all be there, fighting it out in the first chance to be on the same stage together. That is, all bar one, notable frontrunner; former President Donald Trump. Emily and Jon will be in your The News Agents: USA feeds tomorrow morning (Thursday) digesting the overnight debate. See you then!
Aug 22, 2023•57 sec•Transcript available on Metacast Lucy Letby has been given a whole life order for her crimes. She joins only a small group of prisoners to be given a sentence so severe that they can never be considered for parole. But she wasn't in court today to hear it for herself. She chose not to appear, much to the victims' families fury. The Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition want the law to be changed to force criminals to face their days of reckoning in person. It sounds simple - but is it? Lewis discusses with a former Old Ba...
Aug 21, 2023•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 
