The News Agents

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 retaliation to the Iranian attack came, with missle attacks in the heart of Iran itself, in the cities of Isfahan and Tabriz. Is this it? Can we exhale again? And for how long?Editor: Tom HughesSenior Producer: Gabriel RadusProducers: Laura FitzPatrickSocial Media Editor: Georgia FoxwellVideo Production: Rory Symon & Arvind BadewalYou 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/

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 MP, is just - remarkably - the latest in a long line of MPs - both Tory and Labour - who have lost the whip this parliament. What's going on? Has scandal become easier to detect? Harder to hide? Or is this what the end of every reign starts to feel like? We talk to the Times journalist who broke the story, Billy Kenber, and to the man whose job at the heart of Downing Street was interfacing between the PM and his MPs' each time scandal broke, Craig Oliver. Later, whats going on in the West Midlands race? We have exclusive Savanta polling.Editor: Tom HughesSenior Producer: Gabriel RadusProducers: Laura FitzPatrickSocial Media Editor: Georgia FoxwellVideo Production: Rory Symon & Arvind BadewalYou 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/

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? We speak to John McTernan, Tony Blair's former political advisor, and Tom Fletcher, diplomat who's co-authored a report for the UCL Policy Unit on the need for Whitehall reform.Meanwhile Rishi Sunak is likely to get his Rwanda legislation passed this week. But will getting planes off the ground happen anytime soon?Editor: Tom HughesSenior Producer: Gabriel RadusProducers: Laura FitzPatrickSocial Media Editor: Georgia FoxwellVideo Production: Rory Symon & Arvind BadewalYou 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/

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 them to rail - with some justification - against "Belgian democracy". Has it helped their cause and fuelled their victimhood narrative? Or were police right to act? Later, Rishi wants to ban smoking for anyone born after Jan 1st 2009. Can he? and should he?Editor: Tom HughesSenior Producer: Gabriel RadusProducers: Laura FitzPatrickSocial Media Editor: Georgia FoxwellVideo Production: Rory Symon & Arvind BadewalYou 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/

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 with a win'. We talk to Tim Marshall and Yaakov Katz who know this war well. Later, Liz Truss tells our colleague Iain Dale she has 'unfinished business'. Is that a sign she's coming back? Her new book is out tomorrow. His interview with her is out tonight. We give you the sneak peak.Editor: Tom HughesSenior Producer: Gabriel RadusProducers: Laura FitzPatrickSocial Media Editor: Georgia FoxwellVideo Production: Rory Symon & Arvind BadewalYou 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/

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?All this and much more on the Sports Agents over the last seven days.Here's a little flavour of some of the highlights...

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 HughesSenior Producer: Gabriel RadusProducers: Laura FitzPatrickSocial Media Editor: Georgia FoxwellVideo Production: Shane Fennelly and Arvind BadewalYou 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/

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 to Julia Waters, the sister of Ruth Perry, the Head of Caversham Primary who killed herself in the aftermath of an 'inadequate' rating and inspection, and finally we speak to Ofsted's new head - Sir Martyn Oliver. Does he think Ofsted has made mistakes? Did he fire anyone following the coroners verdict into Ruth's death? Would he change the one word summary ruling of 'outstanding' down to 'inadequate'. And how does he reflect upon words and actions of Amanda Spielman, his predecessor at Ofsted - criticised by many teachers for failing to find the right, compassionate tone in the face of that tragedy.Editor: Tom HughesSenior Producer: Gabriel RadusProducers: Laura FitzPatrick & Shane FennellySocial Media Editor: Georgia FoxwellVideo Production: Shane Fennelly and Arvind BadewalYou 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/

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 honeytrap story with the Politico journalist who broke the story, Aggie Chambre. Later we look at Sunak's relationship with the voter - as revealed in this morning's LBC interview with various callers. What does it tell us about his campaigning strategy?Editor: Tom HughesProducer: Laura FitzPatrickSocial Media Editor: Georgia FoxwellVideo Production: Shane Fennelly and Arvind BadewalYou 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/

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 Secretary Wes Streeting. And - Suella has returned from Israel and come to the LBC studios to share her thoughts on the Middle East and the shape of the Tory party. Does she represent a significant chunk of the country in what she thinks? We discuss. Oh and Liz Truss was given advice by the Queen - which she ignored...Editor: Tom HughesSenior Producer: Gabriel RadusProducer: Laura FitzPatrickSocial Media Editor: Georgia FoxwellVideo Production: Rory Symon and Arvind BadewalYou 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/

Police are re-examining claims Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner may have broken electoral law more than a decade ago by failing to pay a capital gains tax worth around £2000. Is there a real story here? Is it about impropriety? Class? Big money vs. small money? And who’s behind it? Later author of Autocracy Inc. Anne Applebaum on Donald Trump's plan to “end the Ukraine war“ and why it makes no sense.Editor: Tom HughesSenior Producer: Gabriel RadusProducer: Laura FitzPatrickSocial Media Editor: Georgia FoxwellVideo Production: Rory Symon and Arvind BadewalYou 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/

This week on The Sports Agents, your questions for Gabby & Mark on everything from Olympics predictions, to how the panel on Match of the Day is selected! Plus, Sky Sports NFL analyst Phoebe Schecter on Louis Rees-Zammit's chances of becoming a regular starter for the reigning Super Bowl champs, after he made the switch from Rugby to NFL.And a closer look at the 'fractured' state of Golf - a week away from The Masters - with English pros Richard Bland and Laurie Canter on the reality of playing on the controversial breakaway LIV Golf tour.New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday.

Ian Hislop, editor of The Private Eye and team captain on Have I Got News For You sits down with Lewis for an extended conversation about political satire in the modern era of the Westminster psychodrama, and what it was like to have contestants like Piers Morgan and Boris Johnson on his show.Editor: Tom HughesSenior Producer: Gabriel RadusProducer: Laura FitzPatrickSocial Media Editor: Georgia FoxwellVideo Production: Shane Fennelly and Arvind BadewalYou 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/

In the early hours of Thursday morning Layla Moran - the only British MP of Palestinian heritage- received news she’d been longing to hear for months. Her family had finally escape from Gaza. Through perilous crossings and treacherous check points a family of five - including a seventy year old grandmother and two young children- had walked to safety. As Layla herself recognises their relief is starkly contrasted with the two million others who can’t escape. Today we hear that story. And we ask why the Lib Dem’s have referred Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron to the ethics adviser over questions of whether he concealed what he knew about the illegality of Israel’s war. We will discuss whether there is a case for government to answer. And where the war in Gaza goes now.Editor: Tom HughesSenior Producer: Gabriel RadusSocial Media Editor: Georgia FoxwellVideo Production: Shane Fennelly and Arvind BadewalYou 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/

The Prime Minister has called the Israeli Prime Minister's actions in Gaza 'increasingly intolerable' in a phone call with Netanyahu after the deaths of three British aid workers in an Israeli airstrike.The words are tougher than we've seen before. But the PM is now coming under pressure to end arms sales to Israel. Will he wait for America to move first? Is he watching to see where public opinion goes? Should Keir Starmer be more forthright - as the Lib Dem leader has been - in taking the initiative and call for arms sales to end - something many in his party are desperate to see. We speak to Zarah Sultana , the Labour backbencher who's been at the forefront of this appeal - and to former Labour front bencher Jess Philips. Later, what time is it on The Moon and why does NASA believe we need to sort it out?Editor: Tom HughesSenior Producer: Gabriel RadusProducer: Laura FitzPatrickSocial Media Editor: Georgia FoxwellVideo Production: Shane Fennelly and Arvind BadewalYou 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/

A new law has Police Scotland saying that they'd investigate every online hate crime. But what they've categorised as a hate crime has caused controversy. Why? And should the state decide what is and isn't a protected characteristic?And - Israel accept responsibility and apologise for a rocket strike that's killed foreign aid workers in Gaza. It comes after a precision stirke on the Iranian consulate in Syria. What is the IDF doing - and is it ostracising their greatest allies the US even further?Editor: Tom HughesSenior Producer: Gabriel RadusSocial Media Editor: Georgia FoxwellVideo Production: Shane Fennelly and Arvind BadewalYou 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/

This week, The Sports Agents dug into why Arsenal are still in a league of their own when it comes to the commercial success of their Women's team, how Gabby became 'obsessed' with Andy Murray and if Gareth Southgate would be a perfect fit for Man United's new owners?And to keep you going over the extended Easter weekend Gabby & Mark also found out all about Corinthians FC - one of the finest teams in English football history, that you've probably never heard of!New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday.

Your questions answered in a special Q&A edition of the podcast with Emily, Jon and Lewis.Editor: Tom HughesSocial Media Editor: Georgia FoxwellVideo Production: Shane Fennelly and Rory SymonYou 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/

Forget everything you know about an exploding world population. The sad truth is, our birthrate is plummeting globally to the point where there soon won't be enough young workers to take care of the aging population. What happens then? Can you financially incentivise people to have kids? Should we be thinking harder about immigration? And why does this subject - and its pronatalist rhetoric - so often become the domaine of the authoritarian right? We'll hear from Elon, Jordan and Jacob - about why we should all be having more babies.Plus Robert Colville and Stephen J Shaw.Editor: Tom HughesSenior Producer: Gabriel RadusProducer: Laura FitzPatrickSocial Media Editor: Georgia FoxwellVideo Production: Shane Fennelly and Arvind BadewalYou 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/

Once you have revealed that China is hacking British citizens on a major and global scale, the next question is - well, what are you going to do about it? Well this is the one the prime minister is currently pondering. He's talking about putting China on an 'enhanced' list - which basically sounds like a glorified registration. But is he prepared to risk trading links? Or shut down Confucious institutes in the UK - China's soft power - or even say no to tiktok? Also - the Tavistock child gender identity services are shutting their doors for good this week, after the Care Quality Commission declared the care they were offering our children was 'inadequate'. We speak to the investigative journalist Hannah Barnes, who helped expose the failures at the Tavistock. And we ask where children in need of help should seek it now?Editor: Tom HughesSenior Producer: Gabriel RadusProducer: Laura FitzPatrickSocial Media Editor: Georgia FoxwellVideo Production: Shane Fennelly and Arvind BadewalYou 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/