The News Agents

Latest Episodes:

Gaza aid crisis: ‘If this isn’t a moment for moral clarity, what is?’ Jun 04, 2025

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Today, Israel has paused what little aid it was allowing into Gaza - closing all aid distribution centres. It follows 3 deadly incidents at aid centres over the last 3 days, with at least 27 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire on Tuesday. As tensions escalate and the roads leading to aid are becoming 'combat zones', the situation is increasingly desperate.

So, can the new aid system in Gaza work? Is there any evidence that the aid is being diverted to Hamas as Israel claims? And what will it take to open up the border crossings?

Meanwhile, Lewis takes trip up to Blackpool to visit The Talbot, Reform's latest offering - a pub. Speaking to punters, drinkers and owners alike, Lewis unpicks the forces at play which have seen Reform go from strength to strength.

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

Will Labour hike taxes to placate Trump? Jun 03, 2025

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Less than 24 hours after the Defence Secretary stood up in the Commons to unveil the government's strategic defence review, months in the making, and it looks like NATO are forcing the MOD to go back to the drawing board.

The PM couldn't completely commit to 3% of GDP going on defence spending, despite that being an essential part of the review. And now, according to briefings in the newspapers, NATO is forcing Britain (and all members) to commit to a new 3.5% target within a decade. The aim? Convince Trump that NATO is worth standing by - with Russia feeling emboldened, there are heightened warnings that a NATO country could be his next target.

But the timing could hardly be more awkward for the Labour government. Just a week out from what could be a brutal spending review, the additional demands on defence will force tens of billions of more to be found to fund our army. Are taxes rises and harsh spending cuts now inevitable to placate the US president?

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

Is Keir Starmer prioritising warfare over welfare? Jun 02, 2025

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The Prime Minister has warned the nation that it needs to be ready for war - in an era of new threats including the “immediate” danger posed by Russia. Is more spending on defence going to alarm or reassure people? And how should he answer those in his own party who insist welfare spending should come before warfare?

Later, award-winning actor Eddie Marsan sits down with Emily and Jon, talking about the power in community, growing up in the East End in the age of the National Front, and his message to Tommy Robinson.

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

The inside story of the Salisbury poisonings May 30, 2025

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In the Spring on 2018, a man and a young woman were found slipping in and out of consciousness on a public bench in Salisbury, Wiltshire. What would follow was an incredible story of espionage, poisoning, and political vendettas. As the world was gripped by the botched assassination of Sergei Skripal, news rooms and crisis rooms here in the UK were reeling with the implications of the Russian attack on British soil.

The attempted killing of the double agent who'd turned to work for UK intelligence led to the death of a British woman Dawn Sturgess, the poisoning of two police officers, international condemnation, and the largest expulsion of Russian diplomats in history.

This Friday, Lewis is joined by Amber Rudd, who was Home Secretary at the time, and journalist Mark Urban, who had interviewed Skripal in the weeks before the attack. They share their unique insight of what it was like working behind the scenes during one of biggest stories of the last decade.

You can listen to the first episode of The Crisis Room here: https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/episodes/7DrrwtQ/

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

Weekend Edition - The Sports Agents May 30, 2025

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This week on The Sports Agents...

Gabby and Mark get a rare access all areas pass to go behind the scenes at Sale Sharks rugby club, from training to the team meeting to interviews with Lions and England players Tom Curry, Ben Curry and George Ford. (02:45)

Four-time Olympic champion sprinter Michael Johnson has launched a new league to make athletics popular outside the Olympics, he tells us how it's going so far. (08:15)

Britain's most decorated Paralympian, Sarah Storey, joins Professor Kirsty Elliot-Sale from Manchester Metropolitan University, to explain their mission to extend the careers of female athletes through menopause support. (13:15)

Ahead of the Champions League final, Italian football writer James Horncastle, explains why this match isn't the end of the road for Inter Milan. (19:30)

Got a question for The Sports Agents - email us at thesportsagents@global.com

New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday.

Musk out, tariffs in tatters: is MAGA in meltdown? May 29, 2025

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A trade court has smacked down Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" sweeping tariff plans. Three judges ruled that the US president had pushed the boundaries of his own executive authority beyond its limits when implementing broad tariffs. Members of Trump's camp have already labelled it a "judicial coup" and insisted the decision will be overturned quickly. But this is another hammer blow to his economic plan - can he restore his credibility with the markets after months of relentless uncertainty?

Later, Keir Starmer has used an impromptu speech in the north-west to paint Nigel Farage as Liz Truss 2.0 - warning that he would "crash the economy" and trying to focus voters' minds on the choice between Labour and Reform. The next election is four years away - so why is the PM holding a campaign style stump speech to attack a political rival? And will it work?

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

Time to Decriminalise? The UK’s Cannabis Question May 28, 2025

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The age old "should we decriminalise cannibis?" conversation has reared it's head again, this time with the London Mayor Sadiq Khan backing the calls to decriminalise for possession of small amounts.

How are drug laws in the UK damaging police relations with ethnic communities? What would decriminalisation it mean for stop and search? And, with so many countries around the world having already legalised cannibis, how will it change things here in the UK? Former head of Counter Terrorism for the UK, Neil Basu, joins us in the studio.

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

The far-right hijack a tragedy - again May 27, 2025

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It took Merseyside police less than two hours to release information about the suspect who'd been arrested in the Liverpool parade crash which injured close to 50 people. The force told the public that it was a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area who had been detained. Right wing commentators and conspiracy theorists had already started speculating about the potential ethnicity and the motives behind the man alleged to have been involved.

So was it sensible policing aimed at quelling the misinformation? Or did the decision reveal just how close we are to unrest - like we saw in Southport - spook the police into revealing more than they normally would? LBC's crime correspondent Andy Hughes assesses the mood within the police.

Later, what if that much heralded "unprecedented" second state visit for Donald Trump never happened? Jon has heard that in Palace circles, there's an increasing suspicion that the carpet might not be rolled out for POTUS after all....

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

The truth behind Joe Biden’s decline: the inside story May 23, 2025

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Jake Tapper of CNN is one of America’s most famous newsmen, someone who knows Washington inside and out. He - quite literally - had a ringside seat at the most consequential presidential debate in American history, as the presenter in charge as President Joe Biden melted down before the eyes of the world; his frailties and diminishment on display for all to see.

Along with Alex Thompson of Axios, he has written a new book 'Original Sin' which, through conversations with over 200 White House and Democratic Party officials, tells the story of the tragic decline of Joe Biden. A history so many lived through but could not bring themselves to see, up to and including the President and his inner circle themselves.

Jake joins Lewis to discuss the book, the remarkable 2024 campaign and whether the Democrats can find a future until, and unless, they reckon with their most recent past.

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

Weekend Edition - The Sports Agents May 23, 2025

Show notes

This week on The Sports Agents...

England captain Leah Williamson, who lifted the Euros trophy at Wembley, talks to us about her 19-year Arsenal career culminating in the Champions League final this weekend. (03:00)

We have a laugh with the man responsible for Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney taking over Wrexham, Humphrey Ker. (07:30)

As Netflix launch a new Drive to Survive series for the F1 Academy, where 18 women compete to make a name for themselves in motorsport, we speak to Susie Wolff, former F1 development driver and now Managing Director of the F1 Academy. (14:30)

Tottenham ended their 17-year wait for a trophy by winning the Europa League, rewriting the worst season in 120 years, so we caught up with The Athletic's Spurs reporter, Jay Harris. (19:45)

Got a question for The Sports Agents - email us at thesportsagents@global.com

New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday.