Today, Danny Kruger the Conservative MP and shadow minister has defected to Reform. Speaking at a press conference alongside Nigel Farage, Kruger said “the Conservatives are over” and confirmed he would not be triggering a by-election. In response Kemi Badenoch says she is “not going to get blown off course” - Adam and Chris discuss this, and the Prime Minister’s comments today that he would “never” have appointed Mandelson had he known full Epstein links. Plus, Adam is joined by Panorama presenter Jane Corbin ahead of President Trump’s state visit. They discuss the history of the special relationship, and whether Starmer has benefitted from his connection to Trump during his time in office. Watch Trump and Starmer: A Special Relationship here - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002jm8mYou can take part in the Newscast census here - https://bbc.in/newscastcensusYou can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscordGet in touch with Newscast by emailing [email protected] or send us a whatsapp on +44 0330 123 9480.New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Anna Harris and Shiler Mahmoudi. The social producers were Grace Braddock and Elizabeth Chalmers. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.