If it had been a speech about defence, it might have made more sense. But Rishi Sunak had no new policy offerings in todays pronouncement - he warned of a scary future under Starmer - then started talking about football shirts, ozempic, civic duty, literacy, and optimism. It was, in essence, an electioneering speech - criticising labour for blaming the Tories for the last 14 years. Meanwhile his Common Sense Minister Esther McVey has gone to war on the office lanyard. Later, will former lawyer a...
May 13, 2024•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast Lewis Goodall hosts a special report from Port Talbot, South Wales, where thousands of jobs are about to be lost at Tata Steel. Port Talbot is Britain's last great steelworks, and a community has been built around it for generations. But Tata has announced 2,800 job losses across the UK as part of the closure of the site's blast furnaces and a transition to greener steelmaking. We visited the site and the town itself, to assess the impact it could have on an economy already battered by the de-in...
May 10, 2024•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week on The Sports Agents, Gabby & Mark took a closer look at a controversial new rule in cricket - the impact player in the IPL - and whether it's introduction became a threat to the fabric of the sport. The Telegraph's Nick Hoult joined us in the studio to discuss it's impact on the game and whether the current domestic schedule demands too much from players. And with the 'fight of the century' a week away between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, just how big is the latest drug scandal ...
May 10, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Did the Labour Party screw up in welcoming Natalie Elphicke into its party? One former frontbencher tells us Keir Stamer got this wrong. They're calling on him to now re-admit Dianne Abbott and Jeremy Corbyn into the Labour fold. Has Keir just made his life much harder in search of onesexy headline? Later, Is Biden about to stop arms sales to Israel - and why doesn't the Speaker of the House know about this? And what's happening to Israel's Eurovision entry. Can we remove politics from the cultu...
May 09, 2024•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Very little political news is truly jaw dropping. But this morning's was. Natalie Elphicke, on the Conservative right of the party, and MP for Dover, has defected to Labour. She crossed the floor before Prime Minister's Questions and was warmly welcomed by Keir Starmer. It was not so long ago that Rachel Reeves was telling Elphicke to "fuck off", after her comments about Marcus Rashford. And it was not so long ago Elphicke herself was defending her convicted sex offender husband as being the 'vi...
May 08, 2024•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast The government is determined not to let a little thing like a disastrous set of local elections put it off its stride. Over the course of the bank holiday we were told that 'the plan is working... it just needs a little more time'. Labour is having none of it - accusing the PM of 'gaslighting' the public over the state of the UK economy. But what if the economy DOES start to improve? What if inflation DOES start to fall? Can the public be pursuaded things... can only get better...? We have an ex...
May 07, 2024•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast The local election and mayoral results flood in. How bad are they for the Tories? How much of that is Reform? And how well have Labour actually done? Editor: Tom Hughes Senior Producer: Gabriel Radus Producer: Laura FitzPatrick Social Media Editor: Georgia Foxwell Video Production: Shane Fennelly & Arvind Badewal You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The News Agents"! The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/ https:/...
May 03, 2024•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week on The Sports Agents , Gabby & Mark explored whether a Premier League salary cap will actually help smaller clubs bridge the gap to the 'Big 6' and if it could lead to a bigger drain on top English talent... Former Lioness Jill Scott was in the studio to explain why Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham is the obvious candidate to succeed Bayern Munich's Harry Kane as England captain - as they went head-to-head in the Champions League semi-finals. And legendary boxing promoter Frank Warren...
May 03, 2024•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast After several delays, Brexit checks finally came into force this week - adding cost and delay to how small businesses can get their goods into the UK. It'll see prices pushed up on the consumer's end too. But, you won't hear either main party discussing this in great detail. Why? As an election issue - it's almost radio silence - even as the UK becomes the worst performing economy in the G7. We'll hear from Peter Foster from the Financial Times and What Went Wrong With Brexit on the Brexit econo...
May 02, 2024•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast As of this week, Rishi Sunak can boast he has sent asylum seekers to Rwanda. Admittedly, it was just one guy. Admittedly he was paid £3k to go. Admittedly he'd already failed the asylum test to remain in Britain and admittedly - crucially - he went voluntarily. This is NOT the same forced deportation plan that Rishi promised would "stop the boats". But don't let pesky details get you down. The headline - conveniently dropping before tomorrow's local elections - make it sound like the Rwanda plan...
May 01, 2024•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast If the Palace of Westminster were a village - the Head of Counter Terrorism police tells us - NO one would dare to live there. Today we ask why so many of our MPs face threats to life - and what it's doing to our democracy more broadly, in terms of how they vote and speak out. Also, should we be concerned about actual terrorist acts from countries like China and Russia and Iran - are they operating on our streets - without the public even knowing? Editor: Tom Hughes Producer: Laura FitzPatrick S...
Apr 30, 2024•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast On the stroke of midday, Humza Yousaf, Scotland's First Minister, made the announcement that just a week ago would have been unthinkable. Acknowledging the miscalculations he made in the sacking of his Green cabinet members last week - and the confidence vote he would - in all likelihood - have lost - the head of the Scottish government resigned. For fifteen years the SNP have been a political behemoth in Scotland - writing the rules of devolution and looking to a time of future independence. Bu...
Apr 29, 2024•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast In 2024 Britain nearly 140,000 kids are homeless. Just because you don’t see them on the street doesn’t mean they’re not there. This is Britain’s temporary accommodation crisis, one which is worsening. Temporary accommodation was once a safe harbour for a few days, a week, a month or so at most. Now, thanks to rocketing rents and inadequate housing supply, more and more families find a single room in a hotel or accommodation block their permanent home. In this latest News Agents Investigates ser...
Apr 28, 2024•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week on The Sports Agents... A Premier League launched an attack on VAR via their social media account - and threatened legal action... Is there actually any legal recourse for victims of a dodgy offside decision? The Athletic's David Ornstein joined us on the pod to discuss the chaos at Nottingham Forest. Ultra-marathon runner Jasmine Parris then spoke to Gabby & Mark about becoming the first women to ever complete the Barkley Marathons and just what it takes to conquer the legendary 1...
Apr 27, 2024•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Lord Neil Kinnock - Labour leader from 1983 to 1992, Thatcher's biggest rival in her pomp, joins Lewis in the studio for a sit down chat to talk about his political life, from the 1950s to Harold Wilson, his interactions with Jeremy Corbyn and his hopes, (or whether he has any doubts), about Sir Keir Starmer. Editor: Tom Hughes Senior Producer: Gabriel Radus Producer: Laura FitzPatrick Interview Producer: Alex Barnett Social Media Editor: Rory Symon Video Production: Shane Fennelly & Arvind ...
Apr 26, 2024•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast Scotland's First Minister is facing a confidence vote after he pulled the plug this morning on his coalition government by ejecting the two Green party members of his cabinet. Humza Yousaf is making the case for a fresh start - unburdened by culture wars issues and climate change issues pulling the SNP in a direction it's no longer prepared to go in. But the Conservatives in Scotland smell blood. Can they bring the whole government crashing down with their vote? Later, Mick Lynch on the Labour p...
Apr 25, 2024•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Prime Minister is in Europe this week making the case for an increase in defence spending of £75 billion over the next six years - to deal with growing global threats in a turbulent world. That's the headline at least. But Labour is asking pesky questions. Where is the new money actually coming from? And is the lift as great as it actually seems? We break down the numbers a little to see if the sums work. Later, Angela Rayner put her own housing issues centre stage at PMQs today against the ...
Apr 24, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Australia’s PM is at war with Elon Musk - calling him an ‘arrogant billionaire’ - and worse. He’s fighting to get violent images of a church stabbing in Sydney banned from Twitter/X. Elon Musk says it's censorship and an infringement on free speech. So who is going to win out here - regulation or tech money? Later, as more immigrants die in the Channel, we ask if Rwanda can act as a deterrent. And - on St. George’s day - what does patriotism mean to you - red and white cuff links? Cups of tea? O...
Apr 23, 2024•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rishi is making those naughty Lords stay in the chamber until they pass his Rwanda Bill without pesky amendments. That may come in the early hours of tomorrow morning. But even once the legal hurdles are passed, the practicalities will still be fiendish. Why has the first plane date been delayed again? Which airline is willing to take on the legal risk? How do immigrants' 'inadmissability appeals' work? And why did the government slip out the 24% INCREASE on small boat arrivals during this morni...
Apr 22, 2024•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week on The Sports Agents... A Sports Agents exclusive - Mark & Gabby had a first-look at an independent report into diversity at the senior levels of sport across every major National Governing Body in UK - Sporting Equals Chief executive Arun Kang joined them in the studio to unpack the findings... Former Lioness Eni Aluko then reflected on her own experiences - after becoming the first black woman in Italy to own a football club. Plus, how damaging were Manchester City & Arsenal'...
Apr 20, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Middle East, the world, not for the first time in these long six months, has been holding its breath. Ever since Iran fired 300 hundred rockets into Israel, itself a response to the Israel’s killing of several senior Iranian military figures in Damascus, that dreaded word “escalation” has haunted the conversation, the grim realisation that the region, maybe more than the region, is just one mistake, one miscalculation away from all out war in every direction. Overnight, the promised Israeli ...
Apr 19, 2024•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast **Since publication, Savanta revised the polling data included in this episode to show the Labour candidate on a two point lead. More information here ** A 3am call, and a Tory MP talking about a life or death situation in which he was being held captive in a flat. Amazingly, that wasn't even the weirdest bit. As the day, and the story, unfolded, there were allegations of campaign money donated by Conservative supporters being used to pay for the MP's medical bills and more. Mark Menzies , Fylde...
Apr 18, 2024•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Yes, yes, yes. She crashed the economy, has blamed everyone else, made Britain a laughing stock, inflicted higher mortgage rates on millions of households, and was the shortest serving prime minister in our history. But her 49 days has spawned a 100,000 word book (be thankful she didn’t last ten years - can you imagine how long that book would be?). And it does have a central argument - that Britain has become an administrative state, with civil servants ruling the roost. Does she have a point? ...
Apr 17, 2024•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast It was a conference that few people here would have ever noticed. Suella, Nigel, Orban - speakers deemed "far right" by the Brussels authorities - found their conference filled with Belgian police as they took to the stage for their NatCon gathering. The Federal Deputy served a court order on the grounds the conference "endangered public safety" and asked for its immediate closure. Cue great excitement amongst the Nat Conners. They could not be more delighted with this intervention which allowed...
Apr 16, 2024•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast On Saturday night, Israel warned its citizens to go to a safe room and prepare to spend the night there. Two hours later, Iran began sending drones into Israeli territory - revenge for the killings of 7 men in the Iranian consulate two weeks ago in Damascus, Syria. Of the 350 drones, 99 percent were intercepted. Tragically -and miraculously - there was only one reported injury - a 7 year old Israeli bedouin child. So what happens next? Does Israel retaliate? Or heed it's allies and 'walk away wi...
Apr 15, 2024•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week on The Sports Agents... An array of stardust as the likes of legendary jockeyAP McCoy and Team GB icon Denise Lewis joined Gabby & Mark on the podcast. Is your Premier League club trying to kill off season tickets and is Everton's latest points deduction fair? Does Seb Coe deserve credit for announcing prize money will be paid to Athletes who win gold at the Olympics - and after terror threats at Champions League games - how will Paris ensure fan safety at the Games this summer? Al...
Apr 13, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast On today's episode, we speak to Europe's first black leader - Vaughan Gething, the new First Minister of Wales. In an extended conversation, we talk his rise to the top of Welsh politics amidst experiences of racism, his political motivations and what is next for Wales if Labour return to power. Editor: Tom Hughes Senior Producer: Gabriel Radus Producers: Laura FitzPatrick Social Media Editor: Georgia Foxwell Video Production: Shane Fennelly and Arvind Badewal You can listen to this episode on A...
Apr 12, 2024•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast TW: This episode includes discussions around suicide. If you need someone to talk to, Samaritans listen. Call them on 116 123. Last week, The National Union of Education voted overwhelmingly at their conference to 'abolish Ofsted' - saying it causes more harm than good and needed urgent and fundamental reform. They can't, of course, but today we - with your help - are asking if Ofsted is fit for purpose. We hear from teachers and heads - our listeners - who tell us what needs to change. We speak...
Apr 11, 2024•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast William Wragg, the MP who found himself blackmailed by a person to whom he'd sent explicit photographs - last night resigned the Conservative party whip. It means Sunak has lost another MP - Wragg will quit parliament anyway after the next election. He was the victim of a honeytrap which lured him into believing the messages he was receiving from a stranger. But he was also unwise enough to share colleagues contact details when pressured by his blackmailer. Today we go back to the origins of the...
Apr 10, 2024•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast It is a truth near-universally acknowledged (amongst pollsters at least) that Labour will be the largest party at the next election. But how would they actually differ from the Tories in terms of what they do once in power? They've pledged not to raise taxes and not to remove the recent cuts. They're determined to be fiscally responsible - which means little room for spending plans. So what will actually change - at a moment when the country is crying out for repair? We talk to Shadow Health Sec...
Apr 09, 2024•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
