The News Agents
Episodes
Full-on, dirty political gossip
01 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A Labour MP has put the cat amongst the pigeons by calling Israel's government 'fascist' in the House of Commons. She's been hauled in front of Keir S...
Is the UK regretting Brexit?
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Brexit is three years old. And like a raging toddler after a missed lunchtime nap it's kicking and screaming its way through our national consciousnes...
Are the Tories suffering from 'Long Boris'?
30 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
New polls show more bad news for Rishi Sunak less than a day after his decisive action to sack his ministerial-code breaking Conservative Party Chair,...
Nicola Sturgeon on Gender, Starmer and Prince Harry
27 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We travel to Edinburgh and Holyrood, the home of the Scottish Parliament, and sit down in a meeting room in the belly of the building housing Scottish...
Is Britain becoming irrelevant?
26 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The News Agents are on Nadhim-watch. Alas there have been no actual sightings of him this week, but he’s been talked about plenty. And now, the head...
Is the job too big for Rishi Sunak?
25 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In Prime Minister's Questions this afternoon, Leader of the Opposition Keir Starmer landed the blow that seems to have thus far defined political disc...
Is Sunak too weak to sack Zahawi?
24 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nadhim Zahawi’s tax affairs are now becoming a problem for Rishi Sunak. The PM has asked for a full acount of what happened - a change of tune from ...
Are the Tories running the BBC?
23 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The BBC's mantra is that impartiality - and the perception of impartiality - must be at its core. Yet following revelations in The Sunday Times we are...
Degrees, Debt, Despair: uni students in 2023
20 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In our 100th episode, are students the forgotten part of our society? They're facing the cost of living crisis, a now near-permanent graduate tax, and...
Sir Keir Starmer on Brexit, the Met Police and "being a lad"
19 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Up an icy cold Swiss mountain, Sir Keir Starmer talked exclusively and at length to The News Agents. Will the UK ever rejoin the EU? What should happe...
Brexit home truths at Davos
18 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Emily and Jon are in the Swiss mountain village of Davos. Luckily, for them, they're in the same mountain village as some of the world's most importan...
The Union and Gender politics collide
17 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Two of the big conflicts which define British politics- the culture war and the war for the Union, have fused together. The Scottish government's cont...
Suella, The Home Office and the Holocaust survivor
16 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's quite a thing to pick a fight with a Holocaust survivor. But this weekend, The Home Office asked for the removal of a social media clip that show...
Is Labour shifting on Brexit?
13 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's been said for years that Labour have been too scared to touch the political lightning rod of Brexit, for fear of losing yet another general elect...
Northern Ireland: Brexit's biggest headache
12 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Keir Starmer is heading to Belfast and believes his party can help unlock the stalemate there. What does it take to make Brexit's biggest headache - t...
Partygate: The Hangover
11 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you thought it was safe to go back to The Twiglets - hang fire. New revelations about what Boris Johnson knew - and what he said - have emerged whi...
Rishi Sunak Goes Private (Jet)
10 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Do we mind if our Conservative prime minister takes a private jet (to Leeds), if has a private GP, if sends his kids to private school? Are you outrag...
Armando Iannucci on the prince, politicians and being a 'spare'
09 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The creator of The Thick of It, Veep and Alan Partridge Armando Iannucci joins us to talk about the current state of politics and his popularisation o...
What's Harry's endgame?
06 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Prince Harry has taken aim at the Palace in his new memoir ‘Spare’. Is the institution of the monarchy working for those born into it, or for us? ...
Starmer, strikes and Shapps
05 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Keir Starmer says you can’t legislate your way out of a dispute with new laws against strikes. But today on the News Agents we hear from the cabinet...
Channel 4 Privatisation is OFF: The Scoop
04 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A letter sent from Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was intercepted by our very own Lewis Goodall before it was ever m...
The collapse of the NHS
03 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For months - maybe years - we've talked about the NHS being at breaking point. 'On the brink'. 'On the edge'. Is it not time to admit the system itsel...
2022 in review, Part II: The King, 3 PMs and a failed president
28 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Emily, Jon and Lewis review 2022; at home and abroad. You know about the prime ministers and the monarchs and the presidents, but what’s going on be...
Christmas Special with Nigella Lawson & Ruth Rogers
22 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For the first time since 2019 Christmas is looking “normal “. What have we learnt from Covid, the food crisis and the evolution of how and what we...
2022 in review, Part I: Boris, Ukraine, and new beginnings
21 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Emily, Jon and Lewis review 2022; at home and abroad. They talk Ukraine, Partygate, and having a fresh start. Part 2 out next week! Socials: Georgia F...
Will Trump face criminal charges over the Capitol riots?
20 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Nearly two years on from the January sixth riots, a cross-party committee is uncompromising in its findings: Donald Trump assisted in insurrection, ob...
Does Suella's Rwanda dream live on?
19 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today, the UK High Court ruled that the UK's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is lawful. Don't expect flights to Kigali filled with asylum seeker...
Inside the final days of Liz Truss
16 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Liz Truss' leadership was marred by chaos. Now, Asa Bennett, her speechwriter is in News Agents HQ, to lift the lid on the rollercoaster 49-day Truss ...
Striking nurses. Squabbling royals.
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Nurses across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are striking for the first time in over a century. Lewis has been down to the picket line at St. Tho...
The truth about Channel deaths
14 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Four people, at least, died this morning, after their dinghy capsized in the freezing waters of the English Channel. The more than 40 on board were tr...
Why is the Government making it harder for you to vote?
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
At the next election we will all be expected to show voter ID. Which is fine if you have a passport or a driving licence - but much much harder if you...
Is the NHS beyond saving?
12 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The funding model of the NHS has always seemed sacrosanct, untouchable. We boast about having the finest service in the world - free at the point of d...
How much worse will strikes get?
09 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lewis heads to the scene of a raucous picket line to speak to CWU union members on strike. But how much worse will strikes get this winter?Lewis casts...
Joe Lycett on Beckham, Bake Off and 'being right-wing'
08 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Comedian Joe Lycett joins Emily and Jon in News Agents HQ. He tells us why being so angry with the government makes him do 'silly' things, 'shredding'...
The far right plot to overthrow Germany
07 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Overnight in Germany three thousand police have made two dozen arrests after uncovering a far right plot to overthrow the German state. The group were...
Missing millions and Michelle Mone
06 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Tory Peer Michelle Mone is to take a leave of absence from the House of Lords to 'clear her name' from the allegations she profited to the tune of...
Is the House of Lords indefensible?
05 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode we launch the Christmas Countdown - our (and your) favourite soundbites of political inanity of 2022. Please send in the moments y...
The cryptocurrency con
02 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You're 30 years old, worth billions as a result of a crypto exchange you've set up - and in the space of one Sunday afternoon it all turns to dust. Wh...
Why is Trump hanging out with racists (again)?
01 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump is insisting he was set up by Kanye (Ye) West over that dinner party he accidentally hosted for a white supremacist leader. NBC News is r...
Should private schools get tax breaks?
30 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sir Keir Starmer wants private schools to pay more tax. He's also talking about removing their charitable status. Today at PMQ's he asked the PM why W...
Quitters not Fighters? - The Tory MPs fleeing Parliament
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
12 Tory MPs have already announced they're standing down at the next election. That includes some young politicians who would once have represented th...
Tony Blair on Qatar, Starmer and kissing Tories
28 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sir Tony Blair speaks exclusively with The News Agents. He has words that may surprise Matt Hancock and Liz Truss, and a gentle message for Keir Starm...
Living in a house that might kill you
25 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There are thousands of homes in Britain not fit for purpose with people living in neglected and dangerous conditions - with damp, mould and vermin.Lew...
Jeremy Clarkson: The bird flu crisis and why food prices must rise
24 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Bird Flu is bringing Britain's farmers to their knees. The disease has killed nearly a hundred million birds world wide - nearly 4 million of them in ...
Is Scotland free to leave the UK?
23 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Supreme Court has ruled against the Scottish Parliament holding a new independence referendum without approval from Westminster. Is this the end o...
NDAs, the Power to Silence and Dominic Raab
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Dominic Raab is facing renewed allegations of bullying behaviour. In this episode we turn the clock back to the time he took out a 'confidentiality ag...
Will Qatar regret hosting the World Cup?
21 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Qatar has gone from being a quietly successful, enormously rich, largely anonymous speck on the world map to being a pariah of the Middle East. It had...
Why Britain is so much poorer than you think
18 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Poverty in Britain is bad and it’s getting worse. And yet, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has set out plans to tax the British public more than ever before....
Recession.
17 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The highest tax burden in decades. The biggest drop in living standards on record. The UK and its economy is stuttering into a second recession in a d...
Piers Morgan on Ronaldo and the return of Trump
16 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump is running for president again... to the surprise of no one. Not even the legion advisors telling him now was a really really bad time to...
Is Westminster full of bullies?
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A second minister in two weeks faces serious allegations of bullying. Are our corridors of power a breeding ground for bullyboy behaviour? We speak to...
Football's Staying Home: David Baddiel on Qatar
14 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Comedian Joe Lycett is offering ten thousand pounds to an LGBTQ+ charity if David Beckham pulls out of his multi-zillion dollar ambassadorial role in ...
The Renting Crisis: why is it so bad?
11 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We often hear about mortgage rates going up, but perhaps not enough scrutiny is paid on the private renting sector... a sector that has enormous deman...
The Crown - fact or fiction?
10 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Major TV series The Crown is back - series five - and it deals with one of the most painful and excruciatingly public decades of recent Royal history....
US Midterms: Has Donald been Trumped?
09 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We've been up all night waiting for the US midterm election results to come through so you could wake up at your leisure. TLDR: Trump-backed candidate...
Peerages for pals: The Boris Resignation Honours List.
08 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's hard to imagine leaving a job in disrepute but then giving 20 of your mates a top honour that allows them to create the laws of this country. Wel...
Does Extreme Protest Work - Just Stop Oil? Or Just Stop?
07 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When Liz Truss was looking to galvanise not just the Tory party but the nation in her conference speech, she turned to Just Stop Oil protesters for he...
What is Elon Musk doing at Twitter?
04 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Elon Musk has begun laying off staff at Twitter, a week after taking sole control of the company. He says he’s “freed the bird” but does freedom...
Is American democracy on the line? A mid-terms preview
03 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In less than a week America will head to the polls for the midterms - the first national elections of the Biden presidency since the January 6th insur...
How Israel's Far Right brought Bibi Netanyahu back
02 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As we record today's episode, Benjamin Netanyahu - currrently on trial for corruption charges - is about to (re)become Israel's PM. He's been in pow...
Immigration: what's going wrong?
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
So much heat surrounds the issue of immigration. And the person in charge of decision making is Home Secretary Suella Braverman - and she's at the cen...
Gary Lineker speaks his mind on Qatar
31 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Gary Lineker tells us about the burger he shared with David Beckham in a hotel bar in Zurich the night before England was knocked out of the bid to ho...
What's the cost of political chaos?
28 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After weeks of political chaos, the real cost of the crisis is beginning to reveal itself. Lewis is joined this week by New Statesman columnist Martha...
How damaging is Brexit?
27 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve had the Brexit Opportunities Minister and the Brexit Benefits Department but weirdly - we still can’t point to what those are.Today we ask i...
"Leaky Sue"
26 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Lib Dems have called for an investigation into why Suella Braverman is back in her role as home secretary one week after she resigned and apologis...
RISHUFFLE
25 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Liz Truss and her podium left Downing Street around ten thirty this morning, with a brief nod to bravery and her excellent plans for cutting taxes. Ri...
Another new PM, Rishi Sunak
24 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
At 1.57pm this afternoon, Penny Mordaunt's team were still insisting she would make it through to the final run off with Rushi Sunak to become Britain...
Boris Johnson pulls out
24 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The News Agents convene for a special Sunday night episode. Jon, Emily and Lewis talk through the big news breaking just an hour or so earlier that Bo...
Boris Johnson: Our Next Prime Minister?
21 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the week to end all weeks, we've lurched from the shortest prime ministerial era *ever* to the potential return of the last PM... who's only been a...
TRUSS QUITS. Now what?
20 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A day after announcing that she was a 'fighter, not a quitter', Prime Minister Liz Truss quits. A disastrous 24 hours for the Conservative government ...
EMERGENCY POD: "A shambles, and a disgrace"
19 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After Home Secretary Suella Braverman resigned, the Prime Minister appointed one of her fiercest critics, Grant Shapps, to the post. Her Conservative ...
The Liz and Suella Show
19 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We were about to publish this episode... and then the Home Secretary resigned. It came amidst a backdrop of a day in which an embattled prime minister...
Is 'sorry' enough to save the PM?
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After yesterday's stunning economic U-turn, today was a day where it was eerily quiet... almost too quiet. Why? Have the Conservatives finally decided...
'The Lady's not for turning up'
17 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today saw one of the biggest political U-turns in the UK for decades. The new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt appeared on our TV screens announcing a raft of e...
What is the point of Liz Truss now?
14 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Liz Truss has sacked her Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, and u-turned on her corporation tax cut. But without him, and the economic policy which defined he...
Dear oh dear
13 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's so bad for our prime minister that even the King seemed to express dismay when he was caught on mic saying "dear oh dear" to his PM. As half the ...
Just don't call it a U-turn
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
More government U-turns, gossip from an Anti Growth Coalition drinks party, and a PMQs debrief. Ian Blackford, SNP’s leader in Westminster also pops...
"Dark arts" at the Daily Mail?
11 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Daily Mail Group - Associated Newspapers - has been accused of 'abhorrent criminal activity' by Doreen Lawrence - mother of the murdered teenager ...
Putin's Revenge
10 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kyiv awoke to bombs, explosion and the sour smell of retaliation. Putin had spent his 70th birthday weekend watching his precious road bridge that lin...
Will the lights go out on us and Truss?
07 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The National Grid has warned that British households could face power blackouts this winter, if the energy crisis exacerbates. But Liz Truss' governme...
Suella has a dream
06 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Home Secretary Suella Braverman has given us her 'I have a dream speech'. She got misty eyed as she imagined a newspaper front page showing a plane fu...
Truss does Trump
05 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Prime minister Liz Truss closed her conference with a speech about things she hated. These included people from north London townhouses who taxi to th...
Ten days to save Liz Truss
04 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A senior Conservative MP has told The News Agents Liz Truss is facing a critical moment and may have just ten days to save her job. Party discipline a...
The Lady IS for Turning
03 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Somewhere between the hours of 10pm and midnight, on the opening day of the Conservative conference, a screeching U-turn was made. The Prime Minister,...
Is Liz Truss doomed?
30 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It’s been a chaotic week in British politics. The slide of sterling, Bank of England interventions and a record poll showing a 33-point lead for Lab...
Radio Gaga
29 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The prime minister crashes the airwaves after crashing the economy. We take stock of how bad this morning's regional morning round was for Liz Truss, ...
IMF, BoE, wtf?
28 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Make no mistake - the UK economy is crumbling. And this is not at the hands of a crisis beyond these shores. The Prime Minister and her Chancellor's d...
Our Next Prime Minister?
27 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Keir Starmer has just made his bid to be the next UK prime minister - against a backdrop of severe economic chaos. It was a speech heavy on patriotism...
Blackish Monday
26 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's a blustery day in Liverpool and the Labour Party, hosting their conference here, is hoping that means winds of change.The pound fell to its lowes...
The Kwasi budget: Have we all just got poorer?
23 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kwasi Kwarteng announced a not-so-mini budget today, his first as chancellor. In it, he laid out the Truss government's plans for low taxes and big gr...
Why are rich Russians 'falling out' of windows?
22 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
“There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen". Emily, Jon and Lewis are back in News Agents HQ to pour over so...
Angela Rayner on Starmer, strikes and succession
21 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A big day for the UK, at home and abroad and Deputy Labour Leader Angela Rayner joins us in The News Agents HQ. She talks about her relationship with ...
Peter Mandelson on Truss, Starmer and oligarchs
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Hours before meeting Liz Truss, Biden tweets that he’s “sick and tired of trickle down economics”. Awkward! We’re joined by Lord Peter Mandels...
Monarchic, Anarchic, Republican or Unmoved?
16 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Have the monarchy and the media got this last week right? And how are we all left feeling now, a week or so on?The last seven days have seen the count...
Should bankers get unlimited bonuses?
15 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Is it a good idea to end the cap on bankers' bonuses? The new chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng seems to think so - why? Would it be grossly unfair when so ma...
Abortion in America
14 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Have the Republicans scored a massive own goal in their attempts to limit women's rights to abortions in the United States? And will this fatally dama...
Police, Power and Protest
13 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The police have been cracking down on anti-monarchists protesting across the UK. Why? And what does this have to do with Priti Patel's highly controve...
Is Ukraine winning?
12 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Is Ukraine about to win a war no-one thought they could? And, consequently, are Vladimir Putin's days numbered?The tide seems to be turning Europe's m...
The King’s Challenge
09 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For the first time in over 70 years, the United Kingdom's head of state is a King, not a Queen. Charles III begins his reign as a monarch already well...
The End of an Era
08 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We reflect on Queen Elizabeth II’s reign and discuss King Charles III’s accession to the throne.Producer: Gabriel RadusExecutive Producer: Dino So...