Newscast

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How Does The UK Fight Wildfires? Jul 30, 2026

Show notes

Today, a major incident has been declared in Suffolk where a wildfire the size of 140 football pitches is burning.

The fire is not yet under control, but Suffolk’s chief fire officer says it currently poses no risk to nearby nuclear power station Sizewell B. And, in the rest of the UK, drought has been declared in Wales and more than half of England.

Adam is joined by Anna Murgatroyd, lecturer in hydrology at Newcastle University, and Theodore Keeping, climate and wildfire scientist at Imperial College London, to discuss how the fire service are tackling the blaze plus how daily life could be affected by a drought in England and Wales.

And, the conflict between the US and Iran has expanded following escalations over the last few weeks. The US has retaliated with strikes across the country after Iran launched attacks on US bases in Jordan earlier this week. Caitríona Perry, chief news presenter, and Parham Ghobadi, senior reporter for BBC Persian, join Adam to explain the latest developments in the conflict.

You 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/newscastdiscord

Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk 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. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Anna Harris and Rosie Merotra. The social producer was Gabriel Purcell-Davis and Beth Pritchard. The technical producer was Dafydd Evans. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

What is Andy Burnham's Plan to 'Fix' Social Care? Jul 29, 2026

Show notes

Today, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he wants a major reform of the current social care system in England and set out his three-point plan to achieve it.

The prime minister has brought forward a review of social care by Baroness Casey, and has asked the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats to work with him on his reforms.

But what does Andy Burnham mean by a ‘National Care Service’? Why have 22 previous reviews into adult social care failed to affect change? And how will he fund the major task of fixing social care in England?

Adam is joined by Alison Holt, Social Affairs Editor, Jim Reed, Health Reporter, and Ben Chu, Policy and Analysis Correspondent at BBC Verify, to comb through everything we learned - and everything we didn’t - from the Prime Minister today.

You 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/newscastdiscord

Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk 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. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Miranda Slate with Rosie Merotra and Shiler Mahmoudi. The social producer was Beth Pritchard. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Are Apprenticeships The Answer To Youth Unemployment? Jul 28, 2026

Show notes

Today, secondary school pupils in England will be offered more technical subjects as part of education reforms led by the new Prime Minister.

The courses, which will be available from year 10 onwards will be linked to local industries in the hope of giving children a clearer pathway into work.

Andy Burnham says he’s keen to strengthen links between education and the workplace and these reforms come alongside a new bursary scheme which aims to remove financial barriers to accessing apprenticeships.

Adam discusses the reforms, and whether they can achieve their aims, with Justine Greening, the former education secretary and founder of the Purpose Coalition which aims to improve social mobility and Shane Chowen, editor at FE Week.

Plus, Adam catches up with By-Electioncast veterans Sarah Lester, editor of the Manchester Evening News and Kevin Fitzpatrick, political reporter at Radio Manchester to discuss the Manchester mayoral by-election, which goes to the polls on Thursday.

Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk 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. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Anna Harris and Rosie Merotra. The social producer was Gabriel Purcell-Davies. The technical producer was Ben Andrews. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Why Are The Spain & France Wildfires So Bad? Jul 27, 2026

Show notes

Today, intense and historic wildfires continue to burn in parts of Europe with more than 300,000 people having now been evacuated across France and Spain.

Adam is joined by Climate and Wildfire Scientist Theodore Keeping and Aitor Hernandez-Morales - Senior Reporter for Politico to discuss why these wildfires are so hard to control and what the political reaction to them has been.

Plus, in a recent interview with Laura, Andy Burnham claimed the ‘NHS will collapse’ if social care is not reformed. Henry joins Adam to unpack these comments and discuss why social care reform is so important to the new PM.

Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk 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. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Rosie Mertora and Anna Harris. The social producer was Jem Westgate. The technical producer was Rohan Madisoin. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

The Andy Burnham Interview Jul 27, 2026

Show notes

What kind of prime minister will Andy Burnham be? Laura Kuenssberg has been behind the scenes with him during his first week in power. In his first major broadcast interview since taking office, she asks about his plans - and the challenges ahead.

You 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/newscastdiscord

Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk 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

Behind The Scenes Of Andy Burnham’s First Week As Prime Minister Jul 26, 2026

Show notes

Today, Andy Burnham says he would be prepared to call out Donald Trump to defend Britain's "national interest before anything else" if it is the right thing to do, in his first major interview as prime minister.

Speaking exclusively to the Laura for the BBC, Burnham said he had had a good first exchange with Trump, finding him to be "really warm".

Adam and Laura dissect what the Prime Minister said.

You’ll be able to hear that interview in full tomorrow in the newscast feed.

You 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/newscastdiscord

Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk 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. The presenters were Adam Fleming and Laura Kuenssberg. It was made by Chris Gray. The technical producer was Stephen Murphy. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Old Newscast: How Labour Won In 1997 (Part 2) Jul 26, 2026

Show notes

Today, we start the first of six Old Newscasts looking at the story of 30 years of British Politics through six votes.

We start in 1997, when the Prime Minister John Major called an election, hoping to extend 18 years of Conservative rule, and beat Labour’s Tony Blair .

To help us, we have two BBC legends who were there at the time. Jeremy Vine was the BBC's political reporter and Kirsty Wark was presenting Newsnight.

In this, the first of two 1997 election episodes, we look at what contributed to Blair’s landslide.

You 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/newscastdiscord

Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk 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. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Anna Harris. The social producer was Joe Wilkinson. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Old Newscast: How Labour Won In 1997 (Part 1) Jul 25, 2026

Show notes

Today, we start the first of six Old Newscasts looking at the story of 30 years of British Politics through six votes.

We start in 1997, when the Prime Minister John Major called an election, hoping to extend 18 years of Conservative rule, and beat Labour’s Tony Blair .

To help us, we have two BBC legends who were there at the time. Jeremy Vine was the BBC's political reporter and Kirsty Wark was presenting Newsnight.

In this, the first of two 1997 election episodes, we look at the lay of the land in the run up to the vote.

You 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/newscastdiscord

Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk 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. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Anna Harris. The social producer was Joe Wilkinson. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

A Week Of Prime Minister Andy Burnham Jul 24, 2026

Show notes

Today, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has officially opened up the doors to Number 10 North which he has described as the ‘best day of my life’.

Adam is joined by Lucy Fisher - Whitehall editor at the Financial Times and Patrick Maguire Chief Political Commentator at the Times, and they discuss how No 10 North is shaping up and whether it will be more than just a gimmick.

Plus, they look back at Andy Burnham’s announcements in his first week in office and whether it sets a precedent for how he will run Government.

Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk 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. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Rosie Merotra. The social producer was Beth Pritchard. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Andy Burnham Pauses Prison Early Release Plan Jul 23, 2026

Show notes

Today, Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced ‘no prisoners will be let out’ under early release scheme until he has conducted an ‘urgent review’.

The announcement comes after the widow of PC Andrew Harper described the possible early release of prisoners as ‘deplorable’, following reports that two of his killers could be freed early. Adam is joined by Dominic Casciani, home and legal correspondent, to discuss what this means for the prison system.

Plus, in his third policy announcement in as many days, Andy Burnham announced a 20% cut to business rates for pubs, clubs and live music venues in England from April. Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies Helen Miller and BBC Business Editor Simon Jack join Adam to discuss how the government plans to fund this cut and how ever-changing taxes affect business owners.

Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk 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. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Rosie Merotra. The social producer was Joe Wilkinson. The technical producer was Phil Bull. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

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