The News Agents

The man jailed for 17 years for a crime he didn’t commit

08 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew Malkinson was convicted of rape in 2003 and it took nearly two decades for this miscarriage of justice to be corrected. But it could have happe...

This week on The News Agents: USA - Trump, the law, and The Lord

08 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Emily and Jon host a new weekly podcast; giving you everything you need to know about the world of US politics and how it affects you.Episodes are ava...

So Suella's putting asylum seekers on a barge

07 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's "small boats week" on the government media grid; or that was the idea.It looks like it could have been over before it began. Jon is back, and wit...

Will the indictments actually help Donald Trump?

04 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump was indicted for a third time this week and a fourth is on the way. He emerged from a DC courthouse this week actually inviting more - he...

Sunak, Starmer, and the death of the political interview

03 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rishi Sunak isn’t much good at interviews. Sir Keir Starmer isn’t that much better. It follows a pattern of politicians become less and less willi...

Donald Trump vs. The United States

02 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump has been indicted. Again. But this is the most serious of the lot - a series of conspiracies against the republic itself and an attempt t...

Are house prices about to plummet?

01 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

House prices have fallen an average of 4% in the last year due to rising interest rates and the knock on effect on mortgages. How low will they go and...

This week on The News Agents: USA - Has the Republican party become 'a cult'?

01 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Emily and Jon host a new weekly podcast; giving you everything you need to know about the world of US politics and how it affects you.Episodes are ava...

Is Rishi on 'the wrong side of history'?

31 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rishi Sunak is handing out around one hundred new oil and gas licences for North Sea drilling and says it is entirely consistent with his plans for ne...

Andy Burnham on Keir Starmer, Manchester United, and the police

28 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Mayor for Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, says he is a "place first" not a "policy first" politician.In a week where the Greater Manchester Poli...

How could an innocent man spend 17 years in prison?

27 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew Malkinson spent 17 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Yesterday the Court of Appeal finally cleared his name. It is a failure so s...

The climate crisis - is it already out of control?

26 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Is the global climate crisis already out of control? Lewis' special report from Southern Spain. And, as the boss of NatWest resigns over the Farage - ...

This week on The News Agents: USA - Why is Ron DeSantis sinking?

26 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Emily and Jon host a new weekly podcast; giving you everything you need to know about the world of US politics and how it affects you.Episodes are ava...

Why have Labour changed their position on trans rights?

25 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Labour have promised to simplify and reform the Gender Recognition Act that helps trans people officially change their gender identity. Self ID will ...

Europe's on fire - so why are politicians scared of green policies?

24 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The pictures from Greece tell a horrifying story of people running for their lives from the wildfires. Southern Europe is locked in unprecedented heat...

Why is Rishi Sunak acting like he won?

21 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Three by-elections and a win each for the three main parties. Labour won with the biggest electoral swing in their history in Selby and Ainsty, the Li...

Why is Nigel Farage at war with his bank?

20 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What is really up with Nigel Farage's bank account? We discuss, and hear from the man at the centre of what's quickly become a national banking storm....

Three by-elections and a Barbie movie

19 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tomorrow voters in three English constituencies will head to the polls. Will the good news on inflation and car plants help Rishi Sunak? Will the back...

Is Rishi's reshuffle imminent?

18 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Defence secretary Ben Wallace has been one of the stalwarts of this government at a time when many cabinet positions have been musical chairs. But las...

This week on The News Agents: USA - Is Trump about to be charged for citing the January 6th riots?

18 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Emily and Jon host a new weekly podcast; giving you everything you need to know about the world of US politics and how it affects you.Episodes are ava...

Another pledge broken: will Starmer face a backlash from his party?

17 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What's happening to Keir Starmer's policies? Yesterday he ditched another one, confirming that he would maintain the Conservative austerity policy tha...

Wes Streeting on class, trans rights and binge drinking

14 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Shadow Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, grew up in poverty with his single mother on an east London council estate. But if Labour win the next electio...

Could Huw Edwards have a case for libel?

13 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The world's worst kept secret was revealed last night when Huw Edwards was named as the BBC presenter at the centre of the media storm. In an emotiona...

Why hasn't Boris Johnson handed over his phone to the Covid inquiry?

12 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

'I love deadlines ... I love the whooshing sound they make when they go by.' Monday 4pm was the cut off for Boris Johnson to hand over his phone and W...

Naming, shaming and a second allegation

11 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Another day of stories about a high profile BBC presenter at the centre of a sex scandal and and still no name. Come 4pm, BBC News announced a second ...

This week on The News Agents: USA - Is Biden really that 'rock-solid' with the UK?

11 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Emily and Jon host a new weekly podcast; giving you everything you need to know about the world of US politics and how it affects you.Episodes are ava...

The Sun, The Scandal and the BBC

10 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The front pages proclaim just one story in town: the sex photos that were allegedly sold by an underage crack addict to a top BBC presenter. But look ...

Zuckerberg v Musk: it's war

07 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Zuckerberg launched his new platform, Threads, this week. It's designed to knock Twitter - owned Elon Musk - off of its perch. This story is a pa...

Perverts, weirdos and by-elections

06 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The prospect of another by-election looms after Parliament's standards committee recommended an eight-week suspension of former Conservative whip, Chr...

The interview Boris Johnson won't want you to see

05 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Exclusive footage of Boris Johnson from the One Decision Podcast has been shared with The News Agents. He was facing questions from hosts Julia Macfa...

The toxic culture of Westminster: An MP resigns on air

04 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The SNP's deputy leader in Westminster, Mhairi Black MP, joins us exclusively in News Agents HQ to announce she's stepping down at the next election.W...

Are the 'New Conservatives' a help or a headache for Rishi Sunak?

03 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If you landed in this country and wondered what its problems were you might see the long queues for the health services, the high inflation, the short...

Does Rishi Sunak care about climate change?

30 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rishi Sunak and now former government minister Lord Zac Goldsmith have a war of words over why Goldsmith resigned this morning. Sunak says its because...

A nightmare verdict for Suella's dream

29 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Court of Appeal thwarts Home Secretary Suella Braverman's eye-wateringly expensive Rwanda plan (for now) - cue a government appeal and derision an...

How water became a dirty word

28 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As we record, the government is on standby in case Thames Water collapses. The country's largest water company has £14billion of debt, and is rudderl...

Matt Hancock says sorry for Covid

27 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Hancock appeared before the Covid inquiry to offer a profound apology. He threw the government pandemic strategy under a bus with his assessment ...

Has Putin lost control?

26 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On Saturday morning it looked like we might see the collapse of one of the world's longest standing dictators, Vladimir Putin. By Monday things were s...

The Titan submersible: when is tourism too extreme?

23 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, the world has been captivated ( and wrapped up in hope) by the tragedy of the five people who've died in an attempt to visit the wreck of t...

Who's to blame for this mortgage pain?

22 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For the thirteenth time in a row interest rates have gone up. They’re now at 5% - the highest level since 2008. What is the knock on effect for all ...

Lost at sea - why are we obsessed with the sunken sub?

21 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The world is watching a vessel we cant even find. Newsrooms are counting down the hours of oxygen they think are left in the Titan capsule. Internatio...

Will Rishi regret running from the vote?

20 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We have now learnt that just seven MPs supported Boris Johnson in last night's vote in parliament. But 235 of his colleagues abstained from it all tog...

Why are Tories bottling the 'Partygate' vote?

19 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has just confirmed to The News Agents that the Met are looking at the video evidence of a party during lockdown -...

Why Boris is the least of Rishi's problems

16 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Boris Johnson has dominated the headlines this week. But, peek behind the bluster and noise, and the country has far bigger fish to fry. The question ...

The many lies of Boris Johnson

15 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Boris Johnson repeatedly knowingly misled the House of Commons, in other words he repeatedly lied.These are the conclusions and findings of Parliament...

In prison and running for President - is this the future for Trump?

14 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After the small matter of his federal indictment, Trump went back to doing what he does best - fundraising and shouting about witch hunts and pretendi...

The News Agents USA - Trailer - The News Agents USA

13 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to The News Agents USA - a new weekly podcast hosted by Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel. Episodes are available every Tuesday on Global Player and...

The Fury of Trump (and Nadine Dorries)

13 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The News Agents are on the move this week. Jon is in Miami, where Donald Trump is due to be formally arraigned by a federal court. The man in the golf...

Sunak v Johnson: it's war

12 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How should an incumbent handle their big beast predecessor? Rishi Sunak discovered the satisfaction of a drive by shooting - accusing Boris Johnson of...

EMERGENCY EPISODE: Boris Johnson Quits Parliament

09 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Boris Johnson quits as an MP after being handed the findings of the Privileges Committee report into whether he knowingly misled parliament.In this em...

Labour's disappearing £28bn... and Nadine resigns

09 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Boris Johnson's long-awaited resignation honours list has been published. It means some of his closest aides throughout the partygate scandal will sit...

Lords, Ladies, and Boris Johnson's honour

08 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rishi Sunak has reportedly waved through Boris Johnson's controversial and much-talked about honours list. Why? And what does this mean at the slightl...

Saudi Arabia: The Golf State?

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Golf as we know it has just been sold, kind of wholesale, to Saudi Arabia. The gulf state is acquiring lots of high end sports brands right now. And i...

Prince Harry takes the stand

06 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Prince Harry has blamed the tabloid press for the rift with his brother, the break up of former relationships and what he describes as a narrowing cir...

Why did Rishi Sunak donate $3m to a private school in California?

05 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

MPs are allowed to donate however much they wish of their private money to whomever they chose. In 2018, as per The Mirror, when Rishi Sunak was ju...

Why is Rishi Sunak taking the Covid inquiry to court?

02 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The government has taken the Covid inquiry, that it set up and poured so much public and private faith in, to court. What the f•••?!We try to ma...

What's up with Boris Johnson's WhatsApps?

01 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Boris Johnson has, finally, and perhaps reluctantly, handed over a ton of WhatsApp messages between him and others while he was PM at the height of th...

Keir Starmer: born again Brexiteer?

31 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Keir Starmer's column on Wednesday morning in right-wing tabloid newspaper The Express is another step in the Labour leader's transformation from all ...

The Phillip Schofield scandal and the future of ITV

30 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It started with a tabloid story that a male and female presenter on daytime TV were no longer getting on. Big deal. It was accompanied by darker rumou...

Sadiq Khan on Boris, Brexit and his PTSD

26 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

London Mayor Sadiq Khan joins Lewis Goodall on The News Agents in a wide-ranging interview shedding light on working with Boris Johnson, Theresa May a...

Elon Musk and the man who wants to take on Trump

25 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We'll be looking at sex, lies and Downing Street later in this episode with a writer who worked in Number10 - and we'll be asking if politicians REALL...

Partygate: Boris Johnson breaks the rules (again)

24 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Does it matter if Boris Johnson broke more Covid rules by inviting guests to his country home, Chequers, when the rest of the country was in lockdown?...

How Johnson's government pressured the Premier League into the Saudi takeover

23 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Celebrations at Newcastle United as they qualify for the Champions League. It's a success story for the club, team and fans - but it's all been helpe...

Speedy Suella: How long can she last?

22 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Did Home Secretary Suella Braverman break the ministerial code by asking civil servants to help her avoid a public speed awareness course?She insists ...

Why can't politicians just say sorry?

19 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When Matt Hancock visited News Agents HQ yesterday, he repeatedly refused to answer questions about decisions he made in government during the pandemi...

Exclusive: Matt Hancock on NatCon, Covid, WhatsApps and “being human”

18 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Hancock, this afternoon, walked into The News Agents bunker for the first time. In this full, unedited interview, he tells us what he makes of th...

Why is Liz Truss provoking China?

17 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The MP for South West Norfolk has made a speech in Taiwan urging the UK Government to treat China as a security threat. She's the first former PM to v...

NatCon: fruitcakes, fringe, or future of the Tory Party?

16 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today we take you behind the scenes at Nat Con: the Conservative-ish conference taking place in London this week. It's a meeting of hard Brexiteers, n...

Alastair Campbell on war, w**kers and winning elections

15 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A warning: explicit language from the very start of the episode. Alastair Campbell meets the The News Agents in the ultimate podcast mash up. We ask h...

Ukraine: a war without end?

12 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's Eurovision weekend. But the biggest party in Europe will not take place in Ukraine -last year’s victor - but in Liverpool. This episode is not ...

Met corruption and Britain’s biggest unsolved crime

11 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel Morgan, a young private investigator, was murdered in a carpark in 1987. His killer has never been brought to justice. Three and a half decades...

President Trump: Sexual abuser

10 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Is America prepared to elect a president found to have sexually abused a woman in a department store? A New York civil court took just three hours to ...

Will the Tories move even further to the right?

09 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Forget those apocalyptic predictions of a thousand lost Conservative council seats. In the end the losses totalled 1,063. Every Conservative strategis...

Elections 2023: Are the Tories doomed?

05 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The results are in. And it was a complete drubbing for Rishi Sunak’s Tories. His first big electoral test and it can only go down as one massive fai...

The US Ambassador on Biden, Harry and Meghan & Sunak vs Truss

04 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

America's First Lady has just flown in for the King's coronation - without her husband the President. Donald Trump calls it 'disgraceful'. But today o...

Suella's new powers to curb protest

03 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

New laws to curb the power of protest have been pushed through parliament - just days before the Coronation. Penalties include a 12 month prison sent...

Will the real Keir Starmer please stand up

02 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Keir Starmer has admitted the Labour party will 'move on' from his original commitment to abandon tuition fees. What does that mean? Is there a soluti...

Richard Sharp resigns: The Boris loan and the BBC

28 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Richard Sharp - the embattled, embroiled BBC Chairman has resigned after a report by The Commissioner for Public Appointments found a perceived confli...

Why is it becoming harder for you to vote?

27 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For the first time ever, voter ID will be required at the polling stations next week for the May local council elections in England. It may not seem l...

The rental crisis - no end in sight?

26 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The renting crisis in Britain is unsustainable. More than sixty percent of private renters faced a rent rise last year - and they're already spending ...

Prince Harry V Rupert Murdoch

25 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As Prince Harry brings his case against the News Group Newspapers (Murdoch) at the High Court, his lawyers have made an astonishing allegation: that h...

The Brits trapped in Sudan's warzone

24 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Stay indoors!We continue to advise all British nationals in Sudan to stay indoors wherever possible. We recognise circumstances will vary in different...

Raab Resigns

21 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab has resigned. The inquiry into whether he bullied staff has finally been published. Its conclusion? Raab is a bully...

Queen Camilla's son on The News Agents

20 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tom Parker Bowles is a food writer and critic with strong views on coronation chicken, UK farming and... of course, quiche. His mum is about to be cro...

Fox News Lies - and Murdoch pays millions

19 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is your midweek episode of Succession. Because Rupert Murdoch - aka Logan Roy - has shelled out nearly 800 million dollars to settle a defamatio...

SNP - it's getting worse

18 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Another high profile arrest in the SNP. This time, Party Treasurer Colin Beattie - who was called in for questioning in the inquiry into party finance...

Is horse racing becoming the new bullfighting?

17 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Animal Rights Protestors are being blamed for the death of a racehorse at the Grand National this weekend after they forced a delay which - trainers s...

Abortion in America: Illegal by stealth?

14 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If you thought the overturning of Roe v Wade- the constitutional right to an abortion in the United States was the end of it in 2022, then 2023 has ot...

Liz Truss, the deep state and China

13 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

China's President Xi Jinping has told his troops they should be ready for real combat. So now we are wondering if Taiwan will be the next Ukraine. It ...

"I’m Joe Biden and I’m Irish"

12 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We've been told off-record that Joe Biden might be Irish. Obviously, unattributable. So keep it under your hat. He's the latest in a long line of US P...

Are Labour's attack ads 'gutter politics'?

11 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Labour’s Easter weekend attack ads about the Conservatives and Rishi Sunak specifically have been called 'politics of the gutter' by, awkwardly, Lab...

Why are the police searching Nicola Sturgeon's house?

06 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There are two questions that accompany any political scandal. What did you know and when did you know it? After questioning Nicola Sturgeon's husband ...

The People v Donald Trump - Part 2: Trump in the Dock

05 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When we left you Trump was on the cusp of entering the Manhattan criminal court as an arrested man. That didn't go well.A door was flung shut in his f...

The People v Donald Trump - Part 1

04 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump will today become the first US president to appear in court on criminal charges. He arrived in NYC late yesterday and will shortly be hea...

Child grooming, 'political correctness' and dog whistle politics

03 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rishi Sunak has pledged to end the 'political correctness' that stops police arresting child sex abusers from ethnic minority backgrounds. The scandal...

Is Donald Trump going to jail?

31 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For the first time in American history a former president has been indicted (charged) with a criminal offence. Donald Trump will appear in a New York...

Britain's Rotten Meat Scandal

30 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ten years on from the horse meat crisis, a new scandal has engulfed almost the entire food retail sector. Huge quantities of foreign pork - sometimes...

The Government's Ship Idea

29 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

THOUSANDS OF MIGRANTS TO BE HOUSED ON LUXURY CRUISE SHIP screamed the headline in the Daily Express. That was in February of 2016. And it never happen...

Will Corbyn get his revenge?

28 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jeremy Corbyn will not be allowed to stand for Labour at the next election. That’s despite the fact he’s been an MP in Islington North since 1983 ...

Led by Bibi, Led by Humza & Led By Donkeys

27 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

More mass protests in the streets- this time in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and the rest of Israel.Millions of Israelis believe their democracy to be in jeopa...

Why is Paris burning?

24 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this special episode of The News Agents, Lewis travels to Paris to find out why the City of Lights is on fire. Amidst the tear gas, the riot police...