The News Agents

Latest Episodes:

Is Freebiegate getting hypocritical? Sep 26, 2024

Show notes

Keir Starmer has tried to shake off further accusations that he's indulged in freebies from a Labour donor by pointing out how many in the media do it too. What does this row tell us about the relationship between politicians and the public purse, and the part the media plays in creating that sense of injustice? Are we happy to hunt down every penny gifted - albeit publicly declared - in the quest for 'cleaner politics'? Or will we just invite comparisons that ANYONE in public life is 'all the same'?

Later, Diane Abbot on the 2019 election, that row with Keir Starmer and whether Corbyn got too cosy with Putin's Russia.

Tickets are now on sale for The News Agents 'live on stage' at The Royal Albert Hall on Sunday December 1st. Buy yours from Global Player at the link below.

https://app.af.globalplayer.com/Br0x/7ggnmqw4

Editor: Tom Hughes

Producer: Natalie Indge

Digital Editor: Michaela Walters

Social Media Editor: Georgia Foxwell

Video Production: Rory Symon, Shane Fennelly & Arvind Badewal

Digital Journalists: Michael Baggs & Jacob Paul

Don’t forget you can also subscribe to our other News Agents podcasts via the link below:

https://linktr.ee/thenewsagents

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The News Agents"

And you can grab your News Agents merch, including t-shirts, hoodies and water bottles at the link below.

https://store.global.com/collections/the-news-agents

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

Who is Hezbollah? And what is this war? Sep 25, 2024

Show notes

The Prime minister has arrived in New York and called on British citizens to evacuate Lebanon after Israeli missiles targetting Hezbollah left more than 550 dead in one day. Who are Hezbollah? Where did this war begin? We talk to the historian James Barr about the strange paramilitary army that is sewn into the society of Southern Lebanon.

Later, Labour lose their first conference vote over winter fuel - UNITE union are triumphant. And... stay with us to the end for a special guest appearance. NO SPOILERS!

Tickets are now on sale for The News Agents 'live on stage' at The Royal Albert Hall on Sunday December 1st. Buy yours from Global Player at the link below.

https://app.af.globalplayer.com/Br0x/7ggnmqw4

Editor: Tom Hughes

Producer: Natalie Indge

Digital Editor: Michaela Walters

Social Media Editor: Georgia Foxwell

Video Production: Rory Symon, Shane Fennelly & Arvind Badewal

Digital Journalists: Michael Baggs & Jacob Paul

Don’t forget you can also subscribe to our other News Agents podcasts via the link below:

https://linktr.ee/thenewsagents

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The News Agents"

And you can grab your News Agents merch, including t-shirts, hoodies and water bottles at the link below.

https://store.global.com/collections/the-news-agents

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

Can Keir Starmer make the public trust politics again? Sep 24, 2024

Show notes

Keir Starmer made an hour long speech with the one funny moment carefully tucked away 55 minutes in. It was the first conference speech from a Labour prime minister for 15 years, and the hall went wild for every mention of the victory they’d just witnessed. But after that? What was there? A promise from the Prime Minister to restore trust in politics again and make people see it as a force for good. Is the country in the mood to do that?

We talk to health secretary Wes Streeting and look at the wider context of today's speech.

Tickets are now on sale for The News Agents 'live on stage' at The Royal Albert Hall on Sunday December 1st. Buy yours from Global Player at the link below.

https://app.af.globalplayer.com/Br0x/7ggnmqw4

Editor: Tom Hughes

Producers: Natalie Indge & Rory Symon

Digital Editor: Michaela Walters

Social Media Editor: Georgia Foxwell

Video Production: Rory Symon, Shane Fennelly & Arvind Badewal

Digital Journalists: Michael Baggs & Jacob Paul

Don’t forget you can also subscribe to our other News Agents podcasts via the link below:

https://linktr.ee/thenewsagents

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The News Agents"

And you can grab your News Agents merch, including t-shirts, hoodies and water bottles at the link below.

https://store.global.com/collections/the-news-agents

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

The void at the heart of Labour Conference Sep 23, 2024

Show notes

As protesters were wrangled off the conference floor, The Chancellor reminded her audience they were not a party of protest but a party of power. They’re now IN power. But Labour’s timetable has created a vacuum into which bad headlines have been allowed to dominate. Are these early teething problems or does it tell us something more structural about a lack of vision?

We talk to Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Darren Jones, and Tom Baldwin, Starmer's biographer. And we hear from Gary Neville on Arsenal boxes and freebies.

Tickets are now on sale for The News Agents 'live on stage' at The Royal Albert Hall on Sunday December 1st. Buy yours from Global Player at the link below.

https://app.af.globalplayer.com/Br0x/7ggnmqw4

Editor: Tom Hughes

Producer: Natalie Indge

Digital Editor: Michaela Walters

Social Media Editor: Georgia Foxwell

Video Production: Rory Symon, Shane Fennelly & Arvind Badewal

Digital Journalists: Michael Baggs & Jacob Paul

Don’t forget you can also subscribe to our other News Agents podcasts via the link below:

https://linktr.ee/thenewsagents

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The News Agents"

And you can grab your News Agents merch, including t-shirts, hoodies and water bottles at the link below.

https://store.global.com/collections/the-news-agents

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

Weekend Edition - The Sports Agents Sep 22, 2024

Show notes

This week on The Sports Agents...

Ahead of the opening matchday of the new and extended Champions League, we were joined by UEFA vice secretary general Giorgio Marchetti and European Clubs Association CEO Charlie Marshall.

Theydiscussed the suggestion that players may need to strike over the ever-increasing number of games and why UEFA's recent letter to No.10 Downing St. was not a thinly-veiled threat to Keir Starmer's government and their plans to introduce an independent football watchdog. And responded to criticism that this new competition format is just a European Super League Mk II.

Later in the week, Gabby and Mark were joined by Olympic bronze medal boxer Lewis Richardson for an insight into what actually happens when an amateur decides to turn professional.

Plus, as the new WSL season kicks off, it's first-ever Chief Exec Nikki Doucet was in our studio to talk about the big split from the FA this summer and the big challenges facing women's football.

New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday.

Are we reaching an end-game between Russia and Ukraine? Sep 20, 2024

Show notes

Tickets are now on sale for The News Agents 'live on stage' at The Royal Albert Hall on Sunday December 1st. Buy yours from Global Player at the link below.

https://app.af.globalplayer.com/Br0x/7ggnmqw4

On today's show Jon asks whether we're edging closer to the end of the war in Ukraine. Two and a half years on from Russia's invasion, President Zelenskyy is confident he now has a plan for victory. But how realistic is this? What might a peace deal look like? And how will the outcome of the US Presidential election affect it?

To answer all these questions and more, Jon is joined in the studio by journalist and bestselling author Mark Urban, an expert in diplomacy and conflict.

Editor: Tom Hughes

Producer: Natalie Indge

Digital Editor: Michaela Walters

Social Media Editor: Georgia Foxwell

Video Production: Rory Symon, Shane Fennelly & Arvind Badewal

Digital Journalists: Michael Baggs & Jacob Paul

Don’t forget you can also subscribe to our other News Agents podcasts via the link below:

https://linktr.ee/thenewsagents

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The News Agents"

And you can grab your News Agents merch, including t-shirts, hoodies and water bottles at the link below.

https://store.global.com/collections/the-news-agents

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

Has Starmer got a sleaze problem? Sep 19, 2024

Show notes

Just two months on from the landslide general election and Starmer is having to field questions about the 100k worth of freebies he's received since 2019 and why his chief of staff, Sue Gray, is being paid more than the PM.

The story it tells is of frantic briefing around the PM by disgruntled special advisors. Is this a problem he has to fix? Or can he ignore it? And can he withstand accusations of 'sleaze' after labelling the Tories with that for so long? We talk to the Starmer's chief of staff before Sue Gray - Sam White.

And Aggie Chambre, LBC's political correspondent reveals to us the new rules for MPs at Labour conference.

Tickets for The News Agents live on stage at The Royal Albert Hall go on sale Friday morning from 10am on global player.

https://articles.globalplayer.com/2GXq4afyiJDx1xqP7ZMiP9ZVkWQ

Editor: Tom Hughes

Producer: Natalie Indge

Digital Editor: Michaela Walters

Social Media Editor: Georgia Foxwell

Video Production: Rory Symon, Shane Fennelly & Arvind Badewal

Digital Journalists: Michael Baggs & Jacob Paul

Don’t forget you can also subscribe to our other News Agents podcasts via the link below:

https://linktr.ee/thenewsagents

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The News Agents"

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

https://store.global.com/collections/the-news-agents

Are the attacks on Hezbollah a breach of international law? Sep 18, 2024

Show notes

The attacks on Hezbollah operatives were as audacious as they were incredible. Yesterday, targeting four thousand potential terrorists remotely through their pagers. And further attacks today using handheld radios.

But when the dust has settled, how will the world view this move? Was it justifiable? Or a breach of international law? What are the ethics of targeting so large a group? And was it a breach of Lebanese sovereignty?

Jon and Emily talk to former Newsnight defence editor Mark Urban, and Professor of International Law, Philippe Sands.

Tickets to see the News Agents Live on Stage at the Royal Albert Hall go on sale this Friday, September 20th. They will be available via Global Player at the link below.

https://articles.globalplayer.com/2GXq4afyiJDx1xqP7ZMiP9ZVkWQ

Editor: Tom Hughes

Producer: Natalie Indge

Digital Editor: Michaela Walters

Social Media Editor: Georgia Foxwell

Video Production: Rory Symon, Shane Fennelly & Arvind Badewal

Digital Journalists: Michael Baggs & Jacob Paul

Don’t forget you can also subscribe to our other News Agents podcasts via the link below:

https://linktr.ee/thenewsagents

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The News Agents"

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

https://store.global.com/collections/the-news-agents

Are the Democrats really inciting violence against Donald Trump? Sep 17, 2024

Show notes

Donald Trump has blamed Kamala Harris and Joe Biden's rhetoric for the latest assassination attempt, calling them 'Marxist communists'. So how is the rhetoric changing in American politics? And is political violence on the edge of tipping over again?

Later, Keir Starmer is cosying up to Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. And Jon asks about those donations for the Prime Minister's wife's clothes.

Tickets to see the News Agents Live on Stage at the Royal Albert Hall go on sale this Friday, September 20th. They will be available via Global Player at the link below.

https://articles.globalplayer.com/2GXq4afyiJDx1xqP7ZMiP9ZVkWQ

Editor: Tom Hughes

Producer: Natalie Indge

Digital Editor: Michaela Walters

Social Media Editor: Georgia Foxwell

Video Production: Rory Symon, Shane Fennelly & Arvind Badewal

Digital Journalists: Michael Baggs & Jacob Paul

Don’t forget you can also subscribe to our other News Agents podcasts via the link below:

https://linktr.ee/thenewsagents

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The News Agents"

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

https://store.global.com/collections/the-news-agents

Will the second Trump assassination attempt change the US election? Sep 16, 2024

Show notes

It's the second attempt on Donald Trump's life in just two months, once again calling into to question the security services and the state of gun violence in America. But will this change the course of the US elections?

And, why did JD Vance just admit to making up the story about immigrants eating cats and dogs in Springfield, Ohio?

Editor: Tom Hughes

Producer: Natalie Indge

Digital Editor: Michaela Walters

Social Media Editor: Georgia Foxwell

Video Production: Rory Symon, Shane Fennelly & Arvind Badewal

Digital Journalists: Michael Baggs & Jacob Paul

Don’t forget you can also subscribe to our other News Agents podcasts via the link below:

https://linktr.ee/thenewsagents

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The News Agents"

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

https://store.global.com/collections/the-news-agents