The News Agents

On Sunday the first contested Presidential elections at Real Madrid for 20 years will take place, so Gabby, Mark & Nedum are joined by Spanish football writer Guillem Balague to discuss some of the false promises being made on the campaign trail...

Will any of Erling Haaland, Rodri, Jose Mourinho or Jurgen Klopp head to the Bernabeu this summer?

And as Liverpool edge closer to appointing Andoni Iraola - four of the biggest clubs in the Premier League will be managed by coaches from the Basque country - what's so unique about football culture there and how did such a tiny region of Northern Spain produce so many top coaches?

Plus, the guys answer some of your World Cup questions - including which presenter is most likely to get arrested in US?

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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producer: George Sexton-Kerr

Video Producer: Samuel Trudgill

Social Media Editor: Jasmine Wissart

Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".

👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

Two police officers - both nominated for bravery awards - have been doxxed on the internet through a Musk disinformation campaign, where he called one a "scumbag" who should be in prison. One former officer is now in hiding, fearing for her safety after death threats. Neither was anywhere near Henry Nowak on the night he died.

Musk famously supports Rupert Lowe over Nigel Farage. Is the Right of British politics now tearing itself apart over who gets to sound more extreme? Is any of this helping British citizens solve a knife crime epidemic? We ask Lord Blunkett, former Home Secretary, whether there is any evidence that DEI has got in the way of good policing.

And, as we mourn the tragically early death of one of Britain’s best spooks, we celebrate the life of Alex Younger with his friend - another former MI6 chief - Richard Moore.

The News Agents is a Global Production.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Nigel Farage was accused by many in the Commons today of inciting violence with his call for people to respond to a young man’s murder with "pure cold rage". The Reform UK leader explicitly ignored the wishes of Henry Nowak's family - who had urged politicians not to use Henry's death to ramp up tensions - to suggest that the anger seen in Southampton last night could even get worse. As he spoke, he was jeered and accused of hijacking a personal tragedy for political gain. The question perhaps is whether Farage's rhetoric on race has hardened - and if so why? Is it the spectre of the Makerfield by-election where Reform has another hard right party snapping at their heels?

Later, Jeremy Hunt is with us to discuss why those in power know what to do - but not how to get reelected afterwards. Is this a fatal flaw with our system?

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

The footage is almost unbearable to watch. 18 year old Henry Nowak, stabbed and bleeding to death on the floor - telling officers he couldn't breathe - being handcuffed by police responders rather than treated. Bodycam footage, released with the consent of Henry's family, shows that as Henry shouts out that he has been stabbed, one officer responds: "You’ve been stabbed? I don’t think you have, mate." The killer, Vickrum Digwa, had lied and claimed that Henry had racially attacked him. How did the police get their response wrong?

The Home Secretary has called the footage "disturbing and tragic", and insisted that Henry's family deserve answers. Nigel Farage is claiming that the murder is proof we are "living in a two-tier culture in this country where the rights and privileges of white people matter less than those of ethnic minorities." Andy Hughes, co-host of The Crime Agents, explains why that is nonsense.

Later, Belarus's President in exile, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, on how Lukashenko is running the country like a gulag - and why he must be stopped.

The News Agents is a Global Production.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

America is the only major country where visitor numbers fell last year. In fact it had its worst year for international tourism since 2008- barring the pandemic. Are tourists scared? Or has Trump put them off? Is this why Trump's Ambassador for Tourism is on a whistle stop tour of Europe drumming up business before the World Cup? We speak to the US Special Envoy.

Later why was a Facebook whistleblower silenced on stage at Hay Festival? We bring you Sarah Wynn-Williams - full throated and in vision - discussing her book Careless People in her first and last interview.

The News Agents is a Global production.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

In his essay this week on the way forward for Britain, Tony Blair posits that "governing in the age of AI will be the principal challenge. And opportunity" for our political class.

Karen Hao certainly agrees that it will be one of the defining challenges of our lives. An MIT grad, she started off in Silicon Valley, before turning to journalism and becoming one of the most authoritative reporters on the new world of AI. She is deeply alarmed by the AI race, and by the companies - and men - leading the pursuit.

Her book, 'Empire of AI', contends that these new giants of industry have weaponised the sales pitch around AI to extract immense resources to swell their bottom line, and erode democracies around the world in the process.

Lewis sat down with her to discuss the acutely political nature of AI, the new, uniquely powerful empires being built, and how - and if - democracies can wrestle back control.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Mark & Nedum are joined by West Ham's all-time Premier League goalscorer Michail Antonio, days after the club's relegation - ending a 14-year stay in the top flight.

Michail lifts the lid on major decisions which he feels contributed to the club's decline in recent years; the controversial move to the London stadium, club training facilities, the appointment of Graham Potter as manager and how the club handled his exit last year following a very publiccar accident.

Plus, Jarrod Bowen's West Ham future & World Cup squad omission, Declan Rice's Champions League chance and more.

Michail Antonio's new book, ‘Humans not Robots: when elite sport and real life collide’is out on June 4th.

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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producers: George Sexton-Kerr

Video Producer: Samuel Trudgill

Social Media Editor: Jasmine Wissart

Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".

👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

The day after Tony Blair spoke to The News Agents we ask whether his comments have started a healthy debate, changed the leadership race, or galvanised the whole party against him. The only man to win three elections for Labour speaks from experience and confidence. But is his diagnosis right for today? Will he ever be trusted on foreign affairs? And is efficacy more important than Democracy in 2026?

Later, we talk to Alan Milburn who’s basically diagnosed that Britain is pretty f****d for young people. What’s the answer?

The News Agents is a Global Production.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Since Keir Starmer took office almost two years ago - the first Labour Prime Minister in 14 years - Tony Blair has been holding his tongue.

But that has all changed in a dramatic fashion. Blair is profoundly concerned, about the UK's future, the leadership of his party, and of the wider political conversation taking place.

In a 5,700 word essay, he lays out a brutal assessment of the lack of serious policy thinking going on in government, warns of a "slide towards relegation from the Premier League of nations", and pens what is effectively his own manifesto to try and turn the country's fortunes around.

Today on The News Agents - an in depth interview with the former PM. Why has he broken his silence now? What does he make of the leadership conversation taking place in Labour? And how does he believe Britain can halt its slide into irrelevance?

The News Agents is a Global Production.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Robert Kenyon, Reform's candidate in Makerfield, was a week on from defending his Facebook Nazi friend when things got ugly. Over the sunny bank holiday weekend old tweets resurfaced showing not only his utterly creepy views about women but also his original anti-Brexit stance. And yes, you can guess which one is the real headache for Reform. Polls suggest they are currently in second place behind Andy Burnham, with the even harder right Restore party snapping at their heels and threatening to eat into the vote. So is it time to take action? Or just dig in behind their candidate?

A Reform UK spokesman said: “We fully back Cllr Kenyon. He is an excellent, local candidate who we are confident will be a superb MP for Makerfield."

Later, questions for Nicola Sturgeon resurface over her “lack of curiosity“ surrounding her convicted ex husbands ten year spending spree of stolen funds. Is First Minister, John Swinney, in the firing line too?

The News Agents is a Global Production.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

As billionaire wealth soars to unprecedented heights, calls to “tax the rich” are getting louder across the world. But while politicians on the left often champion wealth taxes, governments have repeatedly struggled to make them work in practice. So why have they failed? And could that finally be changing?

This Friday, Lewis is joined by French economist Gabriel Zucman, the architect of the so-called “Zucman Tax” and one of the most influential voices in the global debate on inequality. Drawing on his new book We Need to Tax Billionaires, Zucman explains how extreme wealth has created what some see as two separate economic realities: ordinary citizens on one side, and a billionaire class operating on an entirely different political and financial plane on the other.

From private jets to ballooning fortunes, why have traditional tax systems have struggled to keep up? And could a coordinated global approach to taxing billionaires reshape democracy itself?

The News Agents is a Global Production.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Southampton's failed attempt to appeal their expulsion from the final for spying means that it will be Middlesbrough heading to Wembley to take on Hull in football’s richest game.

Espionage that could ‘cost’ upwards of £200 million… normally a story for Ian Fleming but in an end of the season that keeps on giving, this is the tale of the Championship play offs.

But what is the legality surrounding the decision? Is Tonda Eckart's sacking inevitable? and is there a case for the final to be voided and Hull to go up automatically?

Gabby is joined by Former Saints midfielder & EFL TV presenter David Prutton and top sports lawyer Tom Murray to debate the ramifications.

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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producers: George Sexton-Kerr

Video Producer: Samuel Trudgill

Social Media Editor: Jasmine Wissart

Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".

👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

Before he was ever taken seriously as a politician, Donald Trump was very much taken seriously in the world of wrestling.

His relationship with WWE stretches back as far as the 1980s - he went on to headline Wrestlemania and even challenged founder Vince McMahon to a match during a running feud.

But what if wrestling was where Trump learned how to win the White House? Reality-defying performances, smack talk, and stunts are, after all, quintessentially Trumpian techniques.

Munya Chawawa thinks that Trump's origin story in politics might start in the ring - and came into the studio to discuss why.

Later, it was announced today that net migration has fallen by almost half, to its lowest level since the Covid pandemic. But will Keir Starmer be able to claim any credit for it?

The News Agents is a Global Production.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

You might not know the name Thomas Massie. But you will know what he did. The Kentucky Republican congressman was one crucial part of the campaign that forced Trump to release the Epstein files last November. Last night, he lost his chance to fight his seat again - against a challenger endorsed by Trump. Is Trump still worrying about Epstein? Or does he just hate dissent? And why did he take Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth out of an actual war with Iran to make him campaign in Kentucky? This does not feel normal.

Later, is democracy being killed by the rich? Lewis speaks to Jeffrey Winters.

The News Agents is a Global Production.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Andy Burnham has launched his campaign video for the Makerfield by-election. The first thing you notice is how comfortable he sounds in it. It’s a level of human communication almost unfamiliar in today’s politics - with a pitch not just to the constituency but to the nation. But is there more to him than the chips and gravy good vibes? And does he have an actual plan not just for Makerfield but for the country?

We speak to Neal Lawson - who is inside the Burnham camp - about how he thinks about politics, and what would be different if he ran the country.

The News Agents is a Global Production.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Andy Burnham has ruled out making a Makerfield by-election contest another Brexit referendum. But will it end up being one anyway? The Greater Manchester Mayor has already had to clarify his position on rejoining the EU after a weekend where the issue has dominated the news agenda. Reform certainly hope to turn it into another Brexit campaign. They’ve sent Robert Jenrick out onto the mean streets of Westminster to try and convince voters it’s an establishment stitch up. But who is "the establishment" now?

Later, Jess Phillips on why she resigned and who knew she was going.

The News Agents is a Global Production.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

In a week of endless rumours and leadership speculation, Westminster is once again in turmoil - with both everything and nothing seeming to happen at the same time.

Yesterday saw the resignation of Makersfield MP Josh Simons, opening the door for Andy Burnham to pave his way back into government.

It will be a tough battle for the Makersfield constituency, but Wes Streeting, who resigned as Health Secretary on Thursday, says Burnham has “the best chance of winning” the by-election.

So, could the Mayor of Manchester be our next Prime Minister?

The News Agents is a Global production.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Gabby is joined by rugby legends Ugo Monye and Katy Daley-McLeanahead of Red Roses' Grand Slam decider this weekend - 37 games unbeaten, on the cusp of their 8th Six Nations in a row - does the sport actually need England to lose?

The trio also react to a fascinating developing football story - dubbed 'Spygate 2.0' - with Southampton's Championship Play-Off final place in doubt after an analyst was spotted recording opposition training sessions!

And they go head to head over World Rugby's decision to trial smaller balls in the women's game.

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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producers: Sophie Penney & George Sexton-Kerr

Video Producer: Samuel Trudgill

Social Media Editor: Jasmine Wissart

Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".

👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

Wes Streeting cited the unprecedented local election results and the unpopularity of the government as his reason for resigning as health secretary this lunch time. What he did NOT say was that he was directly running for the leadership - and now allies of the PM are saying he has bottled it because he doesn't have the support. Has today strengthened Keir’s hand? Or just drawn out a slow death?

Later - Nigel Farage managed to buy a £1.4m house in cash just weeks after receiving a £5m donation from a crypto billionaire. He told us last week it was for his personal security. Today he described it as a reward for delivering Brexit. Which was it?

The News Agents is a Global production.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

A key cabinet member, Hilary Benn, was asked this lunch time if Wes Streeting was still the Health Secretary. Astonishingly he said he did not know. Is Streeting about to launch a leadership campaign? is Starmer preparing to fight him? And could all this chaos somehow leave Ed Miliband in poll position as PM?

Later, the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner launches an investigation into Nigel Farage's undeclared 5 million pound donation from a crypto billionaire. What will they find?

The News Agents is a Global production.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Anyone who thought Keir Starmer was about to succumb to pressure from the 80 strong list of MPs who turned against him were in for a shock this morning when they found a PM defiant and refusing to even discuss a leadership challenge. Can he hold them off? Is his position more or less perilous today? And what is Andy Burnham doing at Euston?

Jess Philips has become the most senior minister to resign - leaving a devastating letter in her wake. Will the King's speech stop the political regicide for 24 hours? Or are Starmer’s critics just building up steam?

The News Agents is a Global Production.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

It's always risky when a Prime Minister's speech becomes billed as a 'reset' and 'make or break' but Keir Starmer's address this morning was exactly that.

Facing a surprise possible leadership challenge from backbencher Catherine West - and a growing number of MPS in open mutiny - Starmer insisted he would prove his doubters wrong, face any contest head on, and keep Britain from ushering in "dangerous opponents".

It didn't seem to win too many of his parliamentary colleagues round - indeed as soon as he'd finished the drip drip of MPs demanding he set a timetable for his departure continued. But has it been enough to stop serious contenders - like Wes Streeting and Angela Rayner - from coming forward? Or are they just waiting for the right moment?

Later, Emily and Lewis speak to London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan about where Labour goes now.

The News Agents is a Global Prodcution.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

The morning after elections, political parties send their leaders out to areas where they outperformed expectations to try and sell a narrative about their results, even on the bruising nights.

Such was the scale of Labour's defeat that for much of the night, it wasn't clear whether there was anywhere they could send Starmer. Eventually, he headed to Ealing where Labour kept control of the council. In West London, Starmer insisted he isn't "going to walk away". He acknowledged that "voters have sent a message about the pace of change". But isn't that message that they would like a Reform government? Isn't it at the very least that they do not want him to remain in Downing Street?

Where does Labour go from here - and is Nigel Farage now measuring the curtains in 10 Downing Street?

Later, Luke Tryl on the complete collapse of the two party system.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Brighton are known as one of football's best run clubs with a seemingly constant yearly profit margin above £100 million... and today they have officially announced that their 33 year old manager Fabian Hürzeler has signed a new contract.

A club on the verge of a second season playing European football and that has recently announced they are the first club the world to have a purpose built women's football stadium.

Their CEO Paul Barber joins Gabby and Mark to give us insight on what really happens behind the scenes to keep it so successful.

Paul also tells all about his relationship with former managers Graham Potter and Roberto De Zerbi- followed by his history with Spurs, working under Daniel Levy.

📩 Got a question? Send it here: https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7

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🖥️ Watch our full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsAgentsPod

📱Follow us on socials:

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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producers: Sophie Penney & George Sexton-Kerr

Video Producer: Samuel Trudgill

Social Media Editor: Jasmine Wissart

Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".

👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

It’s polling day in elections across Great Britain. Labour is braced for a battering, at the hands of insurgent forces on every side. Birmingham is a microcosm of that picture: an unloved Labour administration dealing with complex problems and complex politics.

But here it’s not just the Greens and Reform the party must contend with, but the rise of the so-called Gaza independents. A new political force appealing largely to British Muslims who, like everyone else, are disatissfied with the status quo.

Is this really a new sectarian politics, as the newspapers suggest? And if it is - should we be concerned about who is propelling those forces? With the control of the biggest local authority in Europe up for grabs, Lewis has gone home to England’s second city to find out.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Patrick Radden Keefe, author of Empire of Pain and Say Nothing, is back asking questions of those in power. His new best-seller investigates the mysterious death of young Zac Brettler in the heart of London. What does it tell us about dark money, lies and corruption in this gilded city - now home to the world’s billionaires? And why were the police either unwilling or unable to provide his family with answers? We talk about identity, reinvention and oligarchs in his latest book, London Falling.

Later, Trump's Project Freedom in Hormuz ends on day one - has Trump capitulated or is a deal, finally, in sight?

The News Agents is a Global Production.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Donald Trump launched "Project Freedom" over the bank holiday weekend - a "humanitarian gesture", aimed at guaranteeing the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz still stubbornly being controlled by Iran.

The Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, announced today a "red white and blue dome" over the area as he insisted that the US holds all the cards in the conflict. There's just one problem: nobody seems to be buying it. Ships aren't moving through the Strait in any real volume, and there were fresh attacks from both sides over the weekend despite a ceasefire. Has Trump forgotten who started this war? And have other world leaders stopped listening to him?

Later, has Zac Polanski peaked too soon ahead of the local elections on Thursday? One poll shows his approval ratings plummeting over the last week - why?

The News Agents is a Global Production.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

In the last weeks, the funding of the Reform party has attracted more and more attention. This is a party which tells us they are heading to Downing street, a party tipped to the top the poll in next week’s English local elections.

We now know that Nigel Farage’s party has been given over £12m from a single donor, a Thai based British businessman, crypto billionaire, Christopher Harborne. And we also now know that just before Nigel Farage was elected an MP in 2024, Mr Harborne gave Farage a gift of £5m, never before declared.

How could it be that Reform, a party we are told which is preparing to be government, is so dependent on a Thai based crypto billionaire? What does it say about the way we fund politics? And politics to come?

The News Agents is a Global Production.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

PSGand Bayern Munich put on one the greatest displays of football in the history of the game on Tuesday night and Vincent Kompany has coached his side of start to break records this season.

But does a man who shared the pitch with him 231 times and lifted 5 trophies alongside him, even recognise his old teammate? Joe Hart joins to tell us if he could see Vincent succeeding Pep Guardiolaat the Etihad when the time eventually comes.

But back to the hear and now - just how has he managed to navigate and improve one of the biggest clubs in world football? The Athletic's German football correspondent Sebastien Stafford-Bloor gives us the insight into his success.

📩 Got a question? Send it here: https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7

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🖥️ Watch our full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsAgentsPod

📱Follow us on socials:

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thesportsagents

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📥 Email: thesportsagents@global.com

Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney & George Sexton-Kerr

Video Producer: Samuel Trudgill

Social Media Editor: Jasmine Wissart

Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".

👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

The Bank of England Monetary Policy Report might sound like a dry and dusty economic report - and often it is - but today's made for truly shocking reading for Britain.

Its analysis shows living standards are already falling and, as a result of Trump's war in Iran, inflation could go above 6%, and as many as six rises in interest rates might be needed by the end of this year. That would mean rocketing mortgages, eye-watering increases in food prices, and job layoffs with the UK economy stunned by the fallout from Trump's war with Iran. Is there any sense of a way out of this mess from the White House? Or is Trump happy to sink the global economy if it increases his chances of pummelling the regime in Tehran into submission?

Later - 40 days until the world's most prohibitively expensive World Cup kicks off. Is America actually trying to keep people away?

The News Agents is a Global Production.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Two men stabbed in broad daylight in Golders Green this morning became the latest victims of what Kemi Badenoch has called a national emergency of antisemitism. The last month has seen multiple attacks on the Jewish community of North London. Is this an orchestrated attack underwritten by Iran? Or is it further proof of the escalation of antisemitism in our country since the war in Gaza and Israel?

Later, has the King nailed it in Washington? Or did that fine speech change absolutely nothing?

The News Agents is a Global Production.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Morgan McSweeney was called before MPs to explain HIS version of how Mandelson was hired: was he just finding a great job for a mate? Why hadn’t he responded to all the red flag warnings? Was due process really followed? And had he put Starmer in a position where the PM wasn’t told the whole truth?

Later, Tom Baldwin - Starmer’s friend and biographer- on how, and whether, the PM can survive, and whether the high body count of sacked staff speaks to a wider malaise in his Downing Street.

The News Agents is a Global Production.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Trump has praised King Charles for pressing on with his US state visit in the wake of Saturday night's shooting, calling him ‘brave’. The President’s comments have thrust the King back into the diplomatic spotlight.

With tensions between the UK and the US compounding, it seems that Keir Starmer has deployed the King as a literal trump card. So can the King make any difference for the ‘special relationship’?

The News Agents is a Global Production.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

In a world of increasing extremes, Liberalism itself has come to be an insult. From 'metropolitan liberal elites' to 'bleeding heart liberals' the liberal establishment seems bewildered and fresh out of devoid of new ideas in the face of populist extremes. Labour, Tories, Liberal Democrats – all now struggling to hold their own against Reform UK and The Green Party, both of which have taken populism from opposite ends of the spectrum to the heart of British politics.

This week, Lewis is joined by Adrian Wooldridge to discuss the complexities of the liberal argument in a fractured world, and what a renewed liberalism might look like.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

After Liam Rosenior was sacked just 106 days into his 6-year-deal, life-long Chelsea fan & President of World Athletics, Lord Seb Coe joins Gabby and Mark to talk about Russia's returnto the Olympics, his views on The 'Enhanced Games' and why the world is running out of host cities for major tournaments?

Will British athletics be able to capitalise on their new 'golden generation' and when will Manchester United's new stadiumbe ready?

Plus Gabby & Mark reflect on the prospect of a classic Premier League title run-in afterMan City leapfrogged Arsenal last night - with the top two now only separated by goals scored...

Timestamps: 00:05 Trailer 00:41 Intro 6:52 Liam Rosenior sacked from Chelsea 14:54 Lord Seb Coe 25:14 Climate change affects World Championships 26:04 The Ultimate Championship 30:12 Keely Hodgkinson on West Ham 35:45 Russia in the Olympics 2029? 43:26 Manchester United's new stadium

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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

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Video Producer: Samuel Trudgill

Social Media Editor: Jasmine Wissart

Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

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Is Keir Starmer a passenger and not a driver in his own government? At the end of a week of crisis management - with a sacked official spilling the beans on the grubby business of the Mandelson appointment - the charge against the Prime Minister that's really stuck is that somehow he’s never in control of anything within his own government.

Can Starmer weather this out? Or are his cabinet colleagues just playing a waiting game until after the local elections two weeks today? We talk to Sam Coates from Sky News who’s had his ear to the ground.

Later - what did royal protection officers around Prince Andrew actually see? Is it possible they guarded Andrew whilst he was with Epstein without asking any questions? The Crime Agents' Andy Hughes has an exclusive interview.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Keir Starmer came to power promising to clean up politics and end the games at the top of Westminster. Yet this week has brought another sacking, linked to the handling of Peter Mandelson’s appointment, alongside reports of efforts to secure an ambassadorial role for the Prime Minister’s former communications chief, Matthew Doyle.

As more details emerge, the picture looks increasingly complicated. So is Starmer creating the very problem he wanted to eradicate? And can he keep putting the blame on everyone else?

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Olly Robbins - the foreign office top civil servant fired by Keir Starmer on Thursday - gave his version of events today. He described an atmosphere of immense pressure over the Peter Mandelson appointment and suggested Downing Street weren’t that interested in the vetting process at all.

Was he bullied into giving Mandelson the job? Was Starmer right to sack Robbins? And why was he hunting for another ambassadorial role for another friend of another paedophile? It’s all getting silly.

We talk to the chair of the committee Emily Thornberry about what she just heard.

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Keir Starmer is still pleading his case before MPs. Should he have been told about the failed Mandelson vetting by Olly Robbins? Should he have asked? Who’s fault was it really that he didn’t find out until last Tuesday. And why, critically, did he ignore a letter of advice from then cabinet secretary Simon Case explicitly telling him to vet Mandelson BEFORE appointing him. We still have no clear answer…

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That's the charge from Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, who has called on the Prime Minister to resign today.

The Guardian reported last night that Starmer appointed Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to Washington even though he had failed government security vetting. The PM has said today he is "absolutely furious" he was not told about this - and has sacked Olly Robbins, the top civil servant at the Foreign Office.

Starmer had previously insisted that “full due process” was followed in the appointment, and that Mandelson had cleared the vetting. Could it really be the case that Starmer was never alerted to the vetting issues? And if he was never told - should it have been his job to know? Why does he keep coming across as a passenger, rather than the driver, of government?

And does the latest revelation in the Mandelson affair put the PM in fresh peril - just as it looked like the leadership speculation was beginning to dim?

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After Liverpool became the SIXTH English club to fall victim to Luis Enrique's all-conquering PSG in the Champions League - does their unique blend of intensity & swagger feel more and more like an indictment of Premier League pragmatism.

So how do they keep peaking at just the right time in the season, why wasn't there more of a battle to sign the likes of Kvicha Kvaratskhelia and which PSG star was deemed 'not ready' for England's top-flight!

Plus, on the news Andoni Iraola will be leaving Bournemouth at the end of the season - would Gabby & Mark swap Eddie Howe or Michael Carrick for him now?

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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney & George Sexton-Kerr

Video Producer: Martin Croser

Social Media Editor: Jasmine Wissart

Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".

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The Pope didn’t mention Trump by name. But speaking to a large congregation on his trip to Cameroon he warned that the world was being "ravaged by tyrants". Has he upped the ante in his war with the president? And as a man of God is he allowed to warn about unjust war - or is that a political intervention? And is this a beed Trump can't win? JD Vance has conveniently told him to stop pontificating on theology too.

Later - three weeks out from the May elections is Reform on the wane? Is Plaid on the march in Wales? And is Starmer experiencing an 'Iran bounce'? We’re with More in Common's Luke Tryl.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

MPs are voting again on a social media ban for U16s today - but the government has only committed to a consultation on the move so as it stands it's unlikely to become law. The clamour for the move is growing, and public opinion is strongly in favour of restricting social media use to adults only. So why is Keir Starmer dragging his feet and losing any capital he could gain from moving on it? Would a ban even work? And what impact is big tech having on our teenagers and children?

Later, after his historic ousting of Viktor Orban, Peter Magyar has wasted no time in trying to deconstruct his populist hold on the country. He's lashed out at state TV channels who'd banned him from their networks in opposition - and visited the country's president, telling him he was unfit to serve. Will his attempts to start a new chapter in Hungary work?

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Today, the United States has imposed a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, with JD Vance describing Iran’s earlier actions in the war as "economic terrorism". As global fuel markets remain volatile amid the fragile US-Iran ceasefire, the stakes are rising well beyond the region. China has condemned the US naval blockade of Iranian ports as "irresponsible and dangerous". So, with tensions escalating and risks of spillover growing, could China be drawn into the US war in Iran?

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Victor Orban has held Hungary in his iron grip for the best part of two decades. He became known as the godfather of populism, overseeing democratic backsliding, media control, and the erosion of rights and laws.

Last night, that came to an end. An old, angry, Putin-adjacent man was defeated in a landslide. What does this mean for hard-right EU populism? For Ukraine? And for the Trump touch? Are there wider lessons for how to win elections in 2026?

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

The US/Iran war is now 45 or so days old. There has been much analysis, counter analysis, fire and brimstone about its causes, its effects and its aims. Iran has long been a security menace, but this war at the moment it began was a war of choice.

Today Lewis speaks with Ali Vaez, an Iranian analyst, one of the few people in the West who can truly claim to know about Iran, its people and its bewildering politics. He tells us the many ways Trump completely misunderstood the country he has just waged war on, with disastrous consequences.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Rory McIlroy returns to Augusta looking to be the 4th man in history to retain the green jacket. His Masters dinner was reportedly the 'most expensive' ever but it was without Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson... will he be able to join them both as back-to-back winners instead?

Bryson De Chambeau is making his own clubs, Scottie Scheffler has arrived with a newborn son and Justin Rose is hoping to win and readdress 'cosmic justice'.

Netflix's Full Swing's Dan Rapaport joins Mark in Augusta and Gabby in London as we look at golf's most prestigious weekend.

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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

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Video Producer: Charlee Avis

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Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".

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Did Israel ever sign up to Trump's ceasefire? Did Trump ever ask Netanyahu about Lebanon? The relentless bombing of the south of the country - strikes on bridges, cities, and civilian infrastructure - has left nearly a thousand injured or dead. So can anyone really claim that there even is a ceasefire in place? Today there are more problems with peace as the Iranian side retracts confirmation that they'll be attending Islamabad talks tomorrow night. And has Pakistan's PM even been brokering a peace or simply following instructions from the US?

Later - could Hungary's Viktor Orban be about to lose the election on Sunday? The EU's longest serving leader is facing a challenge like never before. And why are Irish farmers blockading the streets? Does all roads lead to Hormuz?

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

We start with the good news - Iran wasn’t obliterated last night as Trump had threatened this time yesterday. So that’s positive. And an 11th hour temporary ceasefire is now in place. Iran has come to the table with a ten point peace plan. Will America accept any of it?

Meanwhile Trump’s cronies are pretending he's won a war he may actually have lost.

What has the world learnt about Trump, his whims and how to deal with him? Will anything change?

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

It’s becoming increasingly hard to distinguish between mad rant and nuclear threat these days. Trump has gone off again and whilst this time he was expletive free and managed not to mock Islam, he did threaten to destroy an entire country.

Why is no one stopping him? And - dare we ask - what comes next?

Later, Kanye is blocked from coming to the UK. Are we happy with the state getting involved ? And what is JD Vance doing in Hungary talking about election interference.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Aden Durde became the first British-born coach to win a Super Bowlwhen the Seattle Seahawks masterminded a dominant display in California in February.

His story is almost unheard of in sport - from coaching grassroots level here in UK - to the very top of the NFL.

But what has made him so successful? How did a chance advert in a North London shop spark his career? And as the Premier League's managerial 'merry-go-round' starts to feel more like a circus - does our beautiful game still have a lot to learn?

Gabby and Mark are joined by Aden for all that and more.

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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producers: Sophie Penney & George Sexton-Kerr

Video Producer: Sam Trudgill

Social Media Editor: Jasmine Wissart

Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".

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It's been another dizzying week of news and, as we head into Easter, Jon and Lewis stocked up on chocolate and headed into the studio for a special Q&A episode - answering your questions and dissecting some of the biggest stories in the headlines.

Could Trump's antagonism pull Keir Starmer and Britain back into Europe? Is Tucker Carlson harbouring presidential ambitions? Would losing Congress have any impact on Trump's remaining time in office? And why Lewis has been getting the sh*t kicked out of him for 'punching down' on the Prime Minister...

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Trump warned his EU allies yesterday he wouldn’t forget their cowardice and refusal to help his Iran war. Today he went full throttle and said he was considering taking America out of NATO altogether. It’s not a new thought for him. But is there enough anger in him now to push it through? Would Congress allow it? And what will the rest of us do if we lose Americas defence?

Later the appalling investigation into illegal care homes where vulnerable children are being abused by former convicts whilst unscrupulous owners get rich on our council tax money. Why have so many local authorities seemingly turned a blind eye?

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

“GO GET YOUR OWN OIL!"

Just as Donald Trump woke up to begin his latest Truth Social assault on his European allies, berating UK and France for not helping him out of the Hormuz Strait, the King announced the state visit next month WOULD go ahead.

Are we right to look past Trump to protect the wider relationship? Or does it look pathetic to pay homage to a warmonger? And is King Charles merely following the wishes of his own PM?

Later, the Israeli parliament has just passed a law bringing back a discriminatory death penalty measure “for convicted terrorists of Judea and Samaria through the military courts".

What this means in practice is it would only apply to Palestinians. It’s thecause celebre of hard right security minister Ben Gvir - who toasted the vote with champagne. It has horrified western allies and many within Israel too. Is this a law Israel really wants to see enacted? And why has the PM stayed so quiet?

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

A week ago President Trump was promising peace with Iran. This week he looks set to land marines on Kharg island - with a threat to obliterate it and seize Iranian oil. Even Israel, which has been aggressive in striking targets in Iran, has warned against a ground invasion. And Keir Starmer has restated today that this is not Britain's war.

Is Trump finishing a project he first thought about back in 1988? Are we really about to see an amphibious landing and the ratcheting up of casualties? Or is Trump just buffeting around like a man without a plan?

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

CPAC is the biggest event in the MAGA calendar. Last year, it was a triumphant celebration of the total victory of the America First project. Donald Trump basked in the adulation. Elon Musk wielded a chainsaw and laughed maniacally.

This year, something feels different. The President, who has spoken at each conference for the past decade, is suggesting he's staying away this time. The war in Iran has got attendees feeling uneasy, even confused - what happened to the man who promised no more foreign intervention?

And there's a wider malaise. Trump is polling at an all-time low. The Republicans look like they're heading for a hammering in the midterm elections. Their grip on cultural and political domination - which just 12 months ago looked complete - is now weakening. You won't hear much talk of a Trump third term in Dallas any more.

The sunny optimism of MAGA has been replaced by something darker. There is increasing focus on a new enemy - Islam and Islamism. It's helping the base reframe and justify the attack on Iran; one event is literally titled 'MAGA vs. Mullah Madness'. It's helping them sustain an argument about the decline of Europe and the threat of the Democrats. And it's helping a very strange mix of characters stay relevant and keep the bookings coming in.

Liz Truss was at the Gaylord Convention Center telling a packed out crowd about the horrors of 'Europestan'. Is it any wonder that MAGA hates Britain?

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The fan phenomenon of ‘Ultras’ has taken Scotland by storm… TIFO’s, flares and drums - like we’re used to seeing in Europe - popping up everywhere from the Old Firmright down to the 4th division.

So can this sub-culture be a force for good in an online sphere dominated by the ‘manosphere’ or is it actually just another mask for something more sinister?

Gabby & Mark are joined by Andy Hughes, host of The Crime Agents -who has spent time undercover reporting on football hooliganism in England, and Blair McNally - who has amassed millions of views online documenting Scottish ultras.

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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producers: Sophie Penney & George Sexton-Kerr

Video Producer: Sam Trudgill

Social Media Editor: Jasmine Wissart

Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".

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Donald Trump has urged Iran to “get serious” about reaching an agreement before it is “too late”. It’s nice having a world leader who takes peace so seriously. It’s just a shame Iran no longer believes a word he says. They’ve laughed at his fifteen point plan and insisted the Straits of Hormuz remain operational only to friendly traffic.

NATO’s general secretary is trying to encourage member countries to get behind Trump’s plan to smooth the wheels. We talk to an Iranian activist about why this conflict has made regime change much harder for protestors and ordinary Iranians.

Later, the government is changing the rules on politicalDonations to stop foreign interference. And we dig a little deeper with one government minister into those missing McSweeney messages...

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

The Met police took the unusual step of publishing a full transcript of a phone call that took place last October between Keir starmers chief of staff Morgan Mcsweeny and the 999 emergency services. In the call Morgan says his phone has been stolen out of his hand by a young man on a bike. He tells them it is a government device but doesn’t explain what his own role is or whether the material on it maybe confidential.

Why does any of this matter? Because the phone in question contained key messages between McSweeney and Peter Mandelson in the lead up to his appointment as ambassador to the United States.

Will we ever get to the truth of what happened between them? Will the public get past the “convenience“ of an apparently stolen phone? And were ministers sent out to fudge the truth on Morgan’s behalf as recently as this weekend?

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

"Unusual activity" was observed on the main US stock market just fifteen minutes before Donald Trump went public with the sudden and unexpected news that he would stop striking Iranian energy sites and talks with Tehran were apparently going well. Trading volumes were up to six times higher than normal - with oil futures seeing a sudden flurry of activity in the moments before Trump broke that news.

More than half a billion dollars was netted in that brief window, but it's not clear how. Experts and analysts are sounding the alarm about the activity - could some people close to Trump have known what was coming and gone straight to the market to place their bets? Why are Trump allies blocking investigators from looking into the Trump family and their allies? And what does this mean for the much bigger question of where the plans for peace actually stand ?

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

It's a funny old world when you have to check with Iran’s state TV before you know if the US president is telling the truth. In a post early this morning - just as the markets opened - Trump declared he’d had productive discussions to end with war with Iran. An hour later Tehran flatly contradicted him. But by then there had already been a market rally putting two trillion dollars back into the system. So what’s going on: Has Trump had enough of war? Has he had stern words from his Gulf allies? Or is he just trying to manipulate the price of oil?

Later, Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle on how to do business with America in the age of Trump and whether he’d call his actions "erratic".

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It can be hard to decipher the reasons behind the US-Israeli decision to strike Iran. With a flurry of hyperbolic - often contradictory - statements from the American leadership, the objectives, the progress, and the endgame of this war are not much clearer three weeks into it.

But Donald Trump has turned to one man to make the case for this war in a way he could never enunciate. Dr Muhanad Seloom has cut a somewhat isolated figure in the defence world outside of MAGA. An international security academic, he has been arguing that Trump's war is succeeding. Trump obviously likes what he is saying. The President posted Seloon's argument on Truth Social, with the caption: 'The US-Israeli strategy against Iran is working. Here is why'.

Lewis spoke to Dr Seloom from Doha to try and understand what the thinking might just be in the White House and what success would look like for America - with more and more voices sounding the alarm about the consequences of its failure.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

It has been like the longest VAR ruling in history… the match finished two months ago, the Africa Cup of Nations trophy was presented, the considerable celebrations and recriminations were complete.

And then, just as some last-16 Champions League fixtures were finishing on Tuesday night, a communication dropped from CAF.

Senegal had actually forfeited the match by staging their now infamous walk-off and Morocco are AFCON champions via a technicality.

But why has this taken so long? Can you really strip a country of a title? And what happens next?

Former Sierra Leone captain Steven Caulker and Co Host of the ‘On The Whistle’ podcast, Zayn Naabiboth join Gabby and Mark.

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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

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Social Media Editor: Calum Scotland

Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".

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Looking and sounding rather like a frat boy emerging from a hazing, Pete Hegseth arrived blinking, bombastic and victorious into his press conference this morning to declare complete success in his Epic Fury military campaign in Iran.

He was quick to castigate America's ungrateful allies - telling the world that they should be thanking President Trump - and cracked a few jokes about Iranian ships being at the bottom of the ocean.

Outside the Pentagon's echo chamber, the world looks rather different. Iran's regime holds many of the cards in this conflict. And it’s making Trump sweat. Control of the shipping lanes gives Iran control of the price of oil and thus much of the world economy. And they’re acting like an army of insurgents - pounding energy infrastructure across the Middle East, sending gas prices rocketing. So how does America find a way out? Or is Trump's only play now to go all in and send in the troops?

Later - anyone remember the 70s? Ted Heath's dire warning to the nation that life would no longer be as we know it has some uncomfortable parallels for the current occupant of No 10. Should we prepare for everything we’ve taken for granted to change? And should Keir Starmer be rethinking his entire premiership as a result of this war?

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Nick Timothy is the Conservative shadow justice secretary. This week, he took issue with Muslims gathering in Trafalgar Square to celebrate the last week of Ramadan and the breaking of the Iftar fast with prayer. He called the gathering an "act of dominance" in a Christian country - right beside a church. Does Kemi Badenoch agree with him? Tommy Robinson certainly does...

Later - why has Ofcom got no teeth when it comes to GB News? A major investigation by The New World puts the question to the media regulator. And gets little response. Sir Ed Davey raised it with the Prime Minister today. Has GB News simply become 'Reform TV'? We speak to Alan Rusbridger.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Donald Trump's Oval Office ramblings are nothing new. But last night was off the scale. He thrashed out at allies. Castigated his friends. Contradicted himself. Lied about former presidents in a way that was painfully easy to disprove and sounded like a man who’d missed his meds.

More significant than any of this is how the rest of the world received it: with a shrug - and very little anxiety or action. Has Trump lost the room? And the war?

And, as the first resignation comes in from his director of counter terrorism centre, could we be reaching a turning point where Trump is no longer scaring people in the way he once did?

Update: The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has clarified that Ed Miliband has not suggested that pubs should serve warm beer. The 'carbon reduction tool' for pubs and restaurants identifies where hospitality vendors can save energy with suggestions such as turning extractor fans off overnight.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Last night, President Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he was "demanding" allies provided back up in the Strait of Hormuz and send ships to keep the supply of oil flowing.

“If there’s no response or if it’s a negative response", he warned, "I think it will be very bad for the future of Nato."

Keir Starmer’s response this morning was clear - the PM insisting that the UK would not be dragged into a wider war. Instead, he’s working with European allies on a "viable plan" to ease the crisis. Others have used even stronger language. The Germans have said the war has "nothing to do with NATO". Luxembourg's deputy PM has warned his country won't listen to "blackmail". Italy has rejected Trump's request. Others too, are deciding that they no longer need to pander to the man in the White House.

Has Europe reached a fundamental turning point now when it comes to America? Does it see Trump - and his war -as a toxic asset? And how do we navigate lower oil prices in the midst of this geopolitical chaos?

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Just over a year ago, Lewis spoke to Gabriel Pogrund and Patrick Maguire, co-authors of the authoritative account of Keir Starmer's rise to power 'Get In: The Inside Story of Labour under Starmer'.

Their book shone a light on the weird political inertia at the heart of the Starmer project, often lacking in instinct, allies, and any particular ideological belief. Morgan McSweeney was the driving force behind the operation that thrust him into Downing Street - his authority draining the second he picked his cabinet.

McSweeney is now gone. The Mandelson scandal still poses a potentially existential threat to Starmer's premiership. The UK has been sucked into a conflict Starmer did not want to fight. The local elections in two months' time look like they will be brutal.

Gabriel and Patrick have just released the updated paperback edition of their book. Does it take us any closer to understanding who is the real Keir Starmer?

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Playing in front of a record 80,000 fans at Twickenham, captaining your country in a World Cup final and winning World Rugby’s Player of the Year… all in a day's work for Sophie De Goede.

All that despite returning from a huge ACL injury just one month before the World Cup, Canada crowdfunding to get there, and training against teammates' partners to make up the numbers. Sophie joins Gabby and Mark to talk about where women's rugby goes next.

Plus we look back at the best bits from The Sports Agents this week - was it right for Tottenham to sub their goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky after a 17-minute nightmare? And how can Welsh rugby build back to its former glory?

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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney

Producer: George Sexton-Kerr

Video Producer: Sam Trudgill

Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".

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The release of the Mandelson files revealed that Keir Starmer pushed on with appointing Peter Mandelson as US ambassador despite warnings over his links to Epstein. The National Security Adviser, Jonathan Powell, called the appointment 'weirdly rushed' and said that Mandelson was ‘always a disaster’. The Prime Minister 'it was me that made the mistake'.

So, was due diligence really followed in the appointment of Mandelson? And how much have we actually learnt from the files?

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Trump has made it clear he thinks it’s time to end the war with Iran. There’s only one problem: Iran is not so sure it wants to. By using cheap, fairly low tech drones it’s managed to strike cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The message it’s sending out is clear: we can disrupt the flow and the price of oil from our waters. The regime today has told the world to brace for the price of a barrel of oil to rocket to $200. It’s the last thing Trump wants to hear. So has Iran got Trump over a barrel (of oil)? And what, if anything, can he do about it?

Later, why Starmer has had his best fortnight in the job - and why Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch seem to have forgotten about the sovereignty they claimed was so important it made Brexit necessary.

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In a zig-zagging, confused and at times weirdly low energy press conference from President Donald Trump last night, a remarkably new tone was struck on the conflict in Iran. Just hours earlier, his defence secretary Pete Hegseth had announced that this stage of the war was "just the beginning". But yesterday evening. Trump declared that the conflict was, in fact, "very complete"; at one point even downplaying the US attacks as "an excursion" rather than a war.

It doesn't take a genius to work out what's behind the volte-face - following his intervention, the price of oil plummeted. Welcome respite for the markets, but where does it leave Trump's war objectives? What does it mean for the Iranian people, who'd been promised regime change? Has Trump bottled it? And does that risk emboldening the regime in Tehran?

Later - why is white genocide being casually discussed on GB News? And why have Kwasi Kwarteng and Nigel Farage teamed up in a crypto venture?

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For a Prime Minister obsessed with driving down the cost of living, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East is shaping up to be something of a nightmare. Oil prices have surged, the Bank of England is now expected to raise, rather than cut, interest rates, and the AA is telling drivers to consider cutting down on non-essential journeys due to the price of the pumps.

The war has shown no sign of winding up - indeed over the weekend Donald Trump seemed to leave open the idea that it could last more than six weeks. Remarkably, his press secretary failed to rule out a return of the draft, not seen in America since the Vietnam war. Why? Because the desired endgame for the Trump administration is still very difficult to see. A new Supreme Leader has been installed and appears to be as hardline as his predecessor father. Iranian missiles are still raining down on the region. And if gas prices continue to squeeze Americans, could Trump find himself blinking first?

Later, Tony Blair's off the record remarks about Keir Starmer became very much on the record after his criticisms of the current Prime Minister's resistance to joining the US efforts in Iran made their way into the press. Jon and Lewis discuss why Downing Street is unlikely to be losing any sleep from the advice being dished out by its former occupant.

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Jon and Lewis are back to mark the end of a momentous week in geopolitics with a special live Q&A taking your questions.

When will we know if the conflict in the Middle East has morphed into World War 3? Why has American politics embraced 'toxic masculinity' and 'big d*ck energy'? And how badly do the local elections need to be for Labour in order for Keir Starmer to be toppled?

Plus, a bit of trivia about the 1924 Winter Olympics thrown in for good measure.

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When the Winter Paralympics get underway this weekend in Italy history will be made. Davy Zywwas diagnosed with motor neurone disease at the age of 30 and given 18 months to live… but he’s now 38 and he’s going to be the first person to compete at a Winter Paralympics with MND.

Defying his degenerating body, Davy will compete on the board for ParalympicsGB,with his five-year-old son watching on. He joins Gabby to tell his inspiring story.

Plus, we look back at the best bits from The Sports Agents this week - will the US-Iran conflict derail President Trump's World Cup? Have Englandpushed the Six Nations panic button and will it pay off? And what's it like to start a new football team from scratch in America's top league?

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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney

Producer: George Sexton-Kerr

Video Producer: Sam Trudgill

Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".

👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

Much of the coverage of the Iran conflict this week has been trying to understand the British government’s position on America’s strikes. On Friday, Keir Starmer said that the UK would not allow American fighter jets headed for Iran to use British bases. And yet by Sunday, that position had changed. Why?

New reporting today may shed some light on that. Tim Shipman at the Spectator claims that Keir Starmer faced resistance, particularly from Ed Miliband and Yvette Cooper, when the National Security Council met late last week.

Was Keir Starmer effectively strong-armed into a diplomatic spat with Donald Trump by his own cabinet ministers? What does that say about his authority in the face of a major national - and international - crisis? And with criticism from allies including Cyprus about the sluggish reaction and deployment of British forces in the wake of Iranian aggression, has the past week been embarrassing for Britain on the world stage?

Plus, nearly a week on from Trump’s decision to strike at the heart of Iran and decapitate the regime in Tehran, are we actually any clearer on what his objectives are? We speak to Virginia Senator and vice-chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Mark Warner.

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Trump is furious with Starmer over his delay in granting the US access to UK bases as part of their military operation against Iran . He's called the UK "very uncooperative" and says Starmer has ruined relationships, even going so far as to say "this is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with."

So where does this leave Starmer now? Is it really a fatal blow to the 'special relationship' or could it actually be advantageous to the Prime Minister?

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You might think, just days into a major conflict in the Middle East, that Donald Trump and Keir Starmer would be speaking regularly, supporting each other, and coordinating among allies. That's how it normally works in the 'Special Relationship' right?

Instead, Trump has taken to The Sun to blast the Prime Minister as "not helpful", accusing him of imperilling the transatlantic alliance, and suggesting that his decision not to join US strikes may have been because he is worried about losing Muslim votes. Keir Starmer, for his part, has also issued veiled criticism of the US approach - telling the Commons that the UK does not believe in regime change "from the skies". It's a remarkable breakdown in relations - does it mark the end of the 'Special Relationship'?

Later, a new poll following the Gorton and Denton by-election puts the Greens in second place with Labour languishing on 16%. Why is Starmer so quick to label the Greens extremist when he wouldn't say the same about Reform? And how does Labour address a dual populist threat from the Left and the Right?

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Keir Starmer has agreed to a US request to use British military bases for "defensive" strikes on Iranian missile sites. But the Prime Minister said the UK has learned lessons from the "mistakes of Iraq", and was not involved in the strikes on Iran. So why are we letting the US bomb Iran from our bases if we can’t say whether we support the war or not?

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Iranian state television confirmed this morning that the country's supreme leader had been killed by joint US-Israeli strikes. President Trump addressed the world from his beach resort Mar-a-Lago to declare that "freedom is at hand" for Iran, urging citizens there to rise up against their repressive government.

It’s potentially a pivotal moment in the Middle East as we wait to see if a brutal regime, that has slaughtered so many of its own people, falls. But it’s also a moment of high tension - Iran has already hit back across the region with strikes of its own. And, without taking out the entire regime - including the revolutionary guards that support it - it is possible that nothing in Iran changes but the rest of the world is dragged into major conflict.

Is this Trump's biggest gamble yet? Does international law matter any more? And how many casualties will ensue from a president who promised an end to "forever wars"?

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For all Labour's insistence that the Gorton and Denton by-election was a straight fight between them and Reform - the Greens demonstrated in Greater Manchester that they are now a fighting force on the radical Left of British politics, who present a new kind of challenge to Keir Starmer.

Hannah Spencer won convincingly, with Labour floundering in third place. Starmer visited the constituency earlier this week - a rare move for a Prime Minister not totally convinced of an imminent victory - so how much of this defeat lays squarely with him? And what does it mean for his party's direction of travel looking forward?

Matt Goodwin blamed "sectarianism" for Reform's shortcomings - and Kemi Badenoch accused Labour of creating a "monster of harvesting Muslim community bloc votes...that came back to bite them". That comes amid reports of 'family voting' - what has happened and is there really anything remarkable about religious groups being targeted in our political campaigning? Or is it a tale as old as our democracy?

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The recent killing of Mexicandrug lord ‘El Mencho’ has caused unrest and cartel violence across the country. Guadalajara - one of Mexico’s host cities in this summer’s World Cup - was one of the worst affected.

So what state are we left in, just months away from the tournament? Should fans be worried about the threat of cartel violence? And with ICE and President Trump ever present in the U.S. - should more questions be asked of their hosting? Gabby and Mark are joined by The Athletic’s Adam Crafton.

Plus, we look back at the best bits from The Sports Agents this week - do England need a makeover after their Six Nationscollapse? And how did Netflix's Drive To Survive grow Formula One's fan base by hundreds of millions, where three in four new fans are female?

📩 Got a question? Send it here: https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7

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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney

Producer: George Sexton-Kerr

Video Producer: Sam Trudgill

Social Media Editor: Becky Thompson

Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".

👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

The Royal family is no stranger to headlines, scandal and existential crisis. But with the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the mood has shifted leaving the future of the Royals more uncertain than ever before. Can the British monarchy be reformed? Or is this the beginning of the end for the Royal family?

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In a dramatic statement to MPs this morning, Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle revealed that he had felt "duty-bound" to report to the police what he had heard on a recent trip to the British Virgin Islands - that Peter Mandelson was due to head to the island. It was that tip off which led to Mandelson being arrested and questioned by the Met on Monday, and an allegation that has been called "baseless" by our former ambassador to the Washington.

Why did Mandelson point the finger at a different parliamentarian for his arrest? Why did ugly scenes at PMQs follow? And is it undermining Labour's campaign in the Gorton and Denton by-election?

Later, we speak to justice minister Sarah Sackman about the "courts blitz" announced by the government, that by-election, and Peter Mandelson.

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Late yesterday afternoon Peter Mandelson was led from his London house by two plain clothes police officers with very visible body cameras into an unmarked police car. In the bland euphemism that followed a Met statement told us a 72 year old man had been arrested in Camden.

Today we discuss what this move does to Starmer, his party, and the wider reputation of New Labour. And we have insight into Mandelson’s own state of mind at 4 am this morning. He has denied all criminal wrong doing.

Later, we speak to education secretary Bridget Philipson about the last 24 hours, the last 12 months and her own reforms to special educational needs.

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Trump is not a happy bunny. It all started on Friday when the Supreme Court declared his tariffs - the backbone of his economic policy - illegal. By this morning it was worse. He’s stomping around threatening the Supreme Court with a lower-case, no caps name (seriously) and warning his tariffs policy is about to get "more obnoxious".

Has the ruling delivered a fatal blow to his authority? Can leaders around the world see that? And will they respond by toughening up their own stance on trade?

Later, Australia confirms it’s ready to drop Andrew from the line of Royal succession. The first of 14 commonwealth countries that need to give sign off to the act of parliament. Is this a help or a hindrance to Keir Starmer ?

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The tentacles of Epstein’s billionaire paedophile ring crossed continents, age, political persuasion and profession. That much is all clear from the files. But what we are still piecing together is how Epstein made his millions in the first place. Was it endowed? Stolen? Invested? Or blackmail?

This Friday, Jon and Emily speak to American journalist, Anand Giridharadas, about the 'Epstein class' and how it was allowed to flourish. And ask whether it still exists?

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Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to represent their countries at the upcoming Winter Paralympics.For the first time since 2014, since Russia’s state-sponsored doping programme and the war with Ukraine, we will see the Russian flag and potentially hear the anthem.

Ukrainianofficials are boycotting, but FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, has also recently said he wants to lift football’s ban on Russia.

This all comes after Ukrainian skeleton athlete, Vladyslav Heraskevych, was disqualified from theWinter Olympicsfor wearing a helmet showing Ukrainians killed in the war.

So, is this the beginning of something? Could we see Russia compete at the LA Summer Olympics in 2028? Or even the World Cup? Mark and Gabby speak to The Athletic's Matt Slater.

Plus, we look back at the best bits on The Sports Agentsthis week, from welcoming double Winter Olympic gold medallist Matt Weston, to discussing abuse in football with former England striker Emile Heskey.

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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney

Video Producer: Sam Trudgill

Social Media Editor: Becky Thompson

Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".

👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

A man in his sixties has been arrested in Norfolk. The mundanity of the police statement belies the monumental significance of what just happened. The eighth in line to the crown, the former Prince Andrew, has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Andrew has denied any wrongdoing.

The arrest centres around the alleged exchange of confidential emails between him and Epstein in his role as trade envoy. What happens now to the former royal, and to the family that’s trying so hard to distance themselves from him?

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Prince William gave an interview to BBC Radio 1 to talk about men’s mental health and the importance of speaking out. It’s a vital topic - and it affects millions of people.

What was noticeable, however, was that in the course of the hour long discussion there was not a single mention of the man at the centre of our national discourse - and of his own family - Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.

Is it still sustainable to protect the royals from awkward questions? Or does something need to change in the dialogue between press and monarchy? Is it all over if we treat them like politicians, door stepping them on the issue of the day?

The BBC told us that the programme was "a panel discussion - not a news interview", and that "as is the case with any of our programmes, the BBC had full editorial control and to suggest the presenter was told what he could - or could not ask - is incorrect.”

Later - why has a lesser known Texas state representative garnered five million YouTube views overnight? Does he have Trump to thank for trying to cancel him?

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Today we have an exclusive investigation into the relationship between the Metropolitan Police Royal Protection officers and the royals they served. Did things become too cosy? Were they encouraged to ignore wrong doing? And why did none of them want to work for Prince Andrew?

LBC crime correspondent and The Crime Agents host, Andy Hughes, has a story from inside the force.

And later, we speak to Virginia Giuffre’s brother Sky Roberts about why he thinks the Met needs to move faster and call Andrew in for questioning.

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The Prime Minister has called for an investigation by the Cabinet Office into the campaign group Labour Together which helped get him into power. The think tank is accused of having dug up dirt on journalists investigating its use of political donations. Who signed off the dark arts smear campaign? And why are we just hearing about it now?

Later, is Trump’s attorney General part of that Epstein cover up? Why is she so resistant to getting to the bottom of the crimes it reveals?

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What a week we’ve had here on The Sports Agents,from penis-gate, to Winter Olympicsheartbreak and Premier Leaguemanagers getting sacked.

This weekend sees Scotland host the Auld enemy at Murrayfield as they take on England for the Calcutta Cup.

Love might not be in the air north of the border, but there were remnants in the studio - as Gabby welcomed her husband and former Scottish winger Kenny Logan onto the show.

England’s Six Nations title charge, mounting pressure on Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend, and what does Valentine's Daylook like in the Logan household?

📩 Got a question? Send it here: https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7

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🖥️ Watch our full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsAgentsPod

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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney

Producer: George Sexton-Kerr

Video Producer: Sam Trudgill

Social Media Editor: Becky Thompson

Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".

👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

It has been a dizzying week in UK politics since the publication of the latest of the Epstein files, and the revelations of his links to Westminster. But as the politics took over, it is the voice of survivors that is the centre of this story.

This Friday Lewis is joined by Natalie Fleet, Labour MP for Bolsover, to discuss the politics of the last week, finding a voice for the women and victims of grooming, and whether she trusts the Prime Minister to deliver.

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Jim Ratcliffe, the part owner of Manchester United, multi-billionaire and Monaco based non dom, has taken the government to task for allowing immigrants to “colonise“ the U.K. Does he realise he’s using a far right trope? Have we become immune to racism in the immigration debate? And why did a successful businessman not even check his facts on the numbers?

Later - why has a foreign office civil servant lashed out at the woman primed to become Keir Starmer’s cabinet secretary? Does he know something we don’t or is this the “boys club” mentality in action?

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Keir Starmer came away from a bruising Prime Minister's Questions encounter having to explain why he appeared to make the same mistake twice. No sooner had the fallout from the Mandelson appointment settled (briefly) than the question of why he’d sent another friend of a paedo to the House of Lords.

This time it’s his former comms director Matthew Doyle who admitted his error of judgment in campaigning for a sex offender after he was charged by police. What does it tell us about Downing Street, vetting and the House of Lords?

Later, is the story of the Murdoch dynasty essentially one of emotional abuse? We’re with author and insider Gabriel Sherman.

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What was the moment of maximum jeopardy for the Prime Minister on Monday? And how did he turn it around? Was there more than one plotter? And what brought the party back from the brink?

We dissect what we know about the coup that went wrong.

Later, why is Congress talking about the perilous state of our monarchy? And is the King doing enough to set the Andrew Mountbatten record straight?

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Another head spinning day in Westminster. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar called on Starmer to stand down as Prime Minister, saying "the distraction needs to end and the leadership in Downing Street has to change."

Many Cabinet Ministers were quick to jump to Starmer's defence. Some were notably slow to back the Prime Minister. With the drama coming just a day after Starmer lost his right-hand-man, Morgan McSweeney, the question today is whether this is the beginning of the end for Keir Starmer?

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Imagine a loan where the Government sets the terms. It can change the terms at any time, and you have no recourse to alter them yourself.

A loan designed so most people never clear it, but pay for it anyway. Not because they failed, but because that’s how it was built.

This is the system successive British governments have built. In this episode of The News Agents, we examine the relations of our student loan system and ask how can it be that the UK government has built a system that you might say would make a loan shark blush?

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/