The News Agents
Emily Maitlis, Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall – three of the UK’s top journalists – host an award-winning daily news podcast: The News Agents. They’re not just here to tell you what's happening, but why. Expect astute analysis and explanation of the day's news – and a healthy dose of scepticism and the ability to laugh at it all when needed. Episodes are available every weekday afternoon. You can listen to The News Agents on Alexa, just say "Alexa ask Global Player to play The News Agents" The News Agents is a Global Player Original podcast. For advertising opportunities on this podcast email: dax@global.com And The News Agents now have merch! Click here to buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-news-agents
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Episodes
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Would a wealth tax save Rachel Reeves?
Tuesday, 8 July 2025
The government has studiously avoided ruling out a wealth tax this week. Minister after minister has refused to knock down the suggestion, despite the Chancellor having dismissed the idea as recently as April. So what's changed? Could a levy on wealthy individuals be on the cards for October's budget? Would it even raise any money - or is Rachel Reeves in danger of scaring wealth creators out of Britain? We speak to the incoming director of the IFS, Helen Miller. And later, why the failure to produce an 'Epstein client list' is sending MAGA crazy - and why bad bosses who try and gag their e...
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Does the government want to sack the BBC boss?
Monday, 7 July 2025
Labour used to be the party that leapt to the defence of the BBC. So why was the Culture Secretary this weekend calling for heads to roll, saying she was "exasperated" at the broadcaster, and refusing to express confidence its director general Tim Davie? The BBC has admitted to failings in its Glastonbury coverage, which saw it stream one act chanting "death to the IDF" - despite the corporation later admitting it had deemed them "high risk" before the festival. But those admissions don't appear to have satisfied the government. Is Labour falling out of love with the BBC? And should the BBC...
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Live Q&A: One year of Keir
Friday, 4 July 2025
Twelve months ago, the Conservatives suffered the worst general election result in their near 200 year history and Keir Starmer took up the mantle at Downing Street. It's been turbulent - from riots sweeping the UK, to party divisions and economic uncertainty. This Friday, Jon and Lewis answer your questions about the Prime Minister's first year in office and look back on how his government is doing. The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/
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Weekend Edition: Tour de France - what does it take to conquer the world's toughest race? - The Sports Agents
Friday, 4 July 2025
Welcome to the new-look weekend edition with fresh interviews and content! With the Tour de France starting this weekend Gabby and Mark try to get their heads around the immense physical and mental challenge of winning one of the world's toughest races. They speak to the winner of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes, Kasia Niewiadoma (06:15), ex-pro cyclist, Adam Blythe, and former Team Sky nutritionist, Nigel Mitchell (21:30). You can watch our full episodes on YouTube here!Executive Producer: Adonis PratsidesProducer: Sophie PenneyVideo Producer: Sam TrudgillSocial Media Editor: Calum Scotland...
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Is Rachel Reeves now unsackable?
Thursday, 3 July 2025
Keir Starmer did a round of interviews this morning in a show of support for his Chancellor. And the reason was clear. After she cried in the Commons chamber yesterday the bond markets started to panic. If Rachel Reeves leaves the government, so the theory goes, her fiscal rules, her commitment to economic discipline, could be revisited. So after a bumpy week - for both Reeves and the government - has she proved to be unsackable?And if it is the same Rachel Reeves who is to blame for some of the policy blunders made in the first twelve months of Keir Starmer's premiership - is that a proble...
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Why was Rachel Reeves crying at PMQs?
Wednesday, 2 July 2025
There is much we still don’t know or understand about today. Was Rachel Reeves upset by an altercation with the Speaker? Was the issue something more personal? Was she exhausted after the fruitless and demoralising failure of her welfare reform bill? But the sight of the Chancellor at lunch time today fighting back tears at the PM's side was pretty surreal. She looked wounded, fragile and hurt - and inevitably, it’s started speculation she does not have the Prime Minister's full confidence. The markets are queasy - reflecting a panic that the government is looking less stable. Could the PM ...
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Donald Trump threatens to deport Elon Musk
Tuesday, 1 July 2025
After a lull in the Bro Wars - the sequel. This time Trump is threatening not only to remove Musk's government subsidies but even have him deported. Why? It all goes back to Musk's criticism of Trump's massive spending bill - which gives the wealthy tax cuts and removes Medicaid for 17 million Americans - and would add 3 trillion dollars to America's ballooning deficit. Could Musk start his own party? Will he really prove a political force against Trump? Which speaks louder in America - wealth or executive office? Later, how shit is Britain? Should we accept the declinist narrative of the c...
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Does anyone know what the Starmer plan is?
Monday, 30 June 2025
Tomorrow, Labour MPs will be asked to vote on the rejigged welfare reform bill. Senior Labour politicians Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham still don’t think it’s worth the paper it’s written on. But the whole debacle has thrown up a bigger question about Starmer's leadership and authority. Does anyone really understand what’s in the PM's mind or what he is trying to achieve? We speak to the Starmer whisperer, Tom Baldwin. Later, Glastonbury, Bob Vylan and the BBC. And how has Wimbledon now become a symbol of Britain's decline?The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/
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How to catch a terrorist
Friday, 27 June 2025
This Friday, Lewis is joined in the studio by the newest members of the 'agents' family. Neil Basu is former head of Counter Terrorism Policing and Andy Hughes is an investigative journalist who's been covering crime for two decades. They look back on 2017, a year which the UK experienced a series of devastating terrorist attacks, to talk about what it takes to catch a terrorist, and why some slip through the net. You can listen to The Crime Agents here: https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42L4DG/ The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/
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Weekend Edition: Euros exclusive, Wimbledon's 66,000 tennis balls & is 5-day cricket too long? - The Sports Agents
Friday, 27 June 2025
This week on The Sports Agents...A big exclusive ahead of the Euros with two of England's defending champions, Lauren Hemp & Niamh Charles, Gabby goes behind the scenes at Wimbledon (10:30) and after England's historic comeback we ask ex-England bowler Steven Finn if 5-day cricket is too long? (19:30)You can watch our full episodes on YouTube here. Got a question for The Sports Agents? Email us at thesportsagents@global.comNew episodes every Tuesday and Thursday.
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Is Keir Starmer losing control of his party?
Thursday, 26 June 2025
Remember how there was going to be no row back and no change to the government welfare reform bill? Well, now it seems there might be...Starmer's team are talking about the importance of “conversations with colleagues“ after an amendment signed by 120 Labour MPs showed them how easily they could lose a major vote on Tuesday. Those conversations are code - as is “listening mode“. Are we about to see a climb down? A change of policy? Or watch the whole bill disappear? We talk to Douglas Alexander about the direction of the bill, the party and our trade deal with Trump. The News Agents is brou...
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Why is NATO’s Secretary-General calling Trump “DADDY"?
Wednesday, 25 June 2025
The atmosphere here at the NATO summit has been little short of obsequious towards President Trump. Leaders have worked out that if they want US buy-in to NATO they have to commit to Trump’s spending demands, and flatter him into believing he is the only person who can make things happen. Well, so far it seems to be working. The US has renewed its commitment to defending other NATO countries. And the language has been expletive free. But why are NATO leaders refusing to mention Russian aggression? Will they just end up looking scared? We talk to Estonia's defence secretary and the global hi...
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Trump: Israel and Iran "don't know what the f*** they're doing"
Tuesday, 24 June 2025
We’re at the Nato summit in The Hague where Europe’s leaders were hoping to put defence spending and Ukraine top of the agenda. That's before Donald Trump derailed things by swearing on the White House lawn. He’s very cross that Israel and Iran aren't listening to him, and his insistence that a ceasefire is underway. Can he will a war to end just by saying it? Or are we learning how little control Trump really has over world events?The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/
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Does Trump want to topple Iran’s government?
Monday, 23 June 2025
Has Trump now decided he would like to topple Iran’s leadership? He’s let his cabinet tell the world that the only game here was to stop Iran becoming nuclear competent. Yet, overnight his motivation seems to have changed. Does this change the whole scenario and make an end game much harder? And what kind of conversations is Starmer now having with his inner circle about whether these strikes on Tehran are even legal?Later, the complicated response of Iranian people as their cities are being bombed. Do they welcome the chance to see the regime fall. Or will they rally to the flag?The News A...
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Special Episode: Trump strikes Iran
Sunday, 22 June 2025
Trump did it - he attacked Iran. Overnight, US armed forces attacked three of Iran’s nuclear development sites. Trump claims to have obliterated the nascent Iranian nuclear capabilities. Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu is jubilant. European leaders are uneasy. The whole world is holding its breath.What happens now? Can we even know? What does it mean for the region, for Europe and the world? And what should the British government do? Lewis and Jon discuss in a special Sunday episode, on a day when an already volatile world seemed to get that bit less certain.The News Agents is brought to you...
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Chris Patten on Israel, Iran and Nigel Farage the pub bore
Friday, 20 June 2025
Chris Patten has done it all. Conservative cabinet minister under Thatcher and Major, our last Governor of British Hong Kong, then back home overseeing policing reform in Northern Ireland, EU Commissioner in Brussels, Chairman of the BBC, Chancellor of Oxford University, you name it, Patten has more chance than anybody of having done it. But his sort of Tory Party is one which increasingly feels consigned to history. What does it mean for Britain’s future if there are no successors to the sort of politics he embodied? Now in his 80th year, Lewis went to Patten’s salubrious Barnes home, to d...
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Weekend Edition: Poison, Chelsea's frozen £2.5bn & training Ascot winners - The Sports Agents
Friday, 20 June 2025
This week on The Sports Agents...Does the government actually have a good reason for the £2.5bn from the Chelsea FC sale not helping millions of children worldwide? And was former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich poisoned? (03:30)How do you train a horse for Royal Ascot? A full behind the scenes episode from one of Britain's best yards, which trained the late Queen's horses. (13:30)And what is it like to race for 24 hours in Le Mans? How do you stay awake for the night driving? (20:30)In response to the comments made in this podcast Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Foreign Secretary David Lammy s...
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Will Britain go to war with Iran?
Thursday, 19 June 2025
Sir Keir Starmer has put his cabinet on alert for a possible US attack on Iran. Just 24 hours after insisting Donald Trump had given no indication he was about to “get involved” in the conflict between Israel and Iran, the Prime Minister called a COBRA meeting to review how Britain might respond to a major escalation. Would Starmer be able to say no to Trump? What might Trump ask us to do? And how did we get here in under a week?Later, we are joined by the Hungarian deputy foreign minister to discuss their welcome of Netanyahu, NATO, Ukraine and whether Hungarians are falling out of love wi...
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Is Iran really making a nuclear bomb?
Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Later on this episode we’re joined by author of 'Sapiens' and 'Nexus' - Yuval Noah Harari - to talk politics and AI. But we begin with war. The speed of the escalation between Iran, Israel, and the US has been staggering. Trump is flirting with entering a war he doesn’t want, with an enemy he may not be able to control. At the heart of this conflict are questions over Iran’s ability to make nuclear weapons. Netanyahu believes it’s an imminent threat. Trump’s own administration didn’t believe this back in March. So what’s actually changed? And is Iran actually nuclear ready? We discuss with ...
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Why are politicians weaponising grooming gang survivors?
Tuesday, 17 June 2025
Louise Casey's report on grooming gangs is incredibly tough reading. She details, over 200 pages, the repeated failings of local authorities, police forces, government departments and indeed the legal system, which treats the victims of the most horrific abuse as somehow culpable. She was tasked to look into the issue following a clamour for a national inquiry earlier this year. Bundled up in those calls - propelled by Elon Musk - was the claim that Pakistani men were responsible for the vast majority of "group-based" child sexual exploitation offences. Baroness Casey has looked at that cla...
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Will Trump drag America into war with Iran?
Monday, 16 June 2025
What is Israel's end game in Iran? Does it genuinely believe Iran is making nuclear weapons - or is this about overthrowing the whole regime? Did Trump make Iran more dangerous when he ripped up the diplomatic deal Obama had forged with the country? And will Trump end up dragging America into a brand new Middle East war? We talk to CNN correspondent and Ex Files host, Christiane Amanpour and ask how Iranians themselves are feeling about the prospect of their own leaders being toppled. Later, why is abortion still technically illegal in England and Wales. And does the law need to change? Tom...
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Israel vs Iran: a nuclear showdown
Friday, 13 June 2025
The last two decades have led to the last 24 hours: Israel, going for broke and launching an all out assault on Iran’s nuclear programme. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu claims he is trying to prevent a “nuclear holocaust.” But why now? And in acting in this way will Israel succeed in halting an Iranian nuclear weapon or guarantee it?PLUS Lewis talks at length to Zia Yusuf, the former Reform Chairman about that weekend, where he resigned and unresigned in the space of 72 hours. Is Reform really about to storm Westminster, or rather is it its best disguised joke?The News Agents is brought to y...
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Weekend Edition: The secret world of match-fixing & can Habana still race a cheetah? - The Sports Agents
Friday, 13 June 2025
This week on The Sports Agents...We hear the secrets behind match fixing from convicted match fixer and former professional footballer, Moses Swaibu. With the Lucas Paqueta trial coming to an end, Swaibu tells us how many people it takes to fix a match, what signs you can look out for, and how to put an end to all of this. (01:00)Mark heads down to Soccer Aid to chat to a host of sporting stars. What does Joe Hart make of Manchester City's transfer business? How does Bryan Habana rate the Lions' chances on tour? And can he still race a cheetah? (14:45)Got a question for The Sports Agents? E...
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“A petrol bomb away from death". What’s happening on the streets of the UK?
Thursday, 12 June 2025
It's been 3 days since the streets of Ballymena in Northern Ireland went from peaceful protest to full on riots. Since then, 41 police officers have been injured, rioters have hurled petrol bombs, and people have fled their homes as hate-filled mobs set fire to them. As the tensions builds and the protests turn to racist rioting, is this more of what we saw in Southport last summer, or is this specific to Northern Irish identity? Later, Jon sits down with Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and Jamie Oliver to talk about his latest campaign on how the education system leaves children wit...
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Are tax rises inevitable?
Wednesday, 11 June 2025
Today, in a marked change of tone, Rachel Reeves laid out her spending review. The Chancellor set out budgets for government departments, boosting budgets for the NHS and Home Office. But the Tories are calling her approach "spend now, tax later". So is this the plan too ambitious? And are tax rises inevitable in the Autumn? And can Reeve's spending review help to rebuild her reputation? We speak to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Darren Jones. The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/
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Are pensioners now untouchable in British politics?
Tuesday, 10 June 2025
Keir Starmer has done his first media round since the u-turn on winter fuel payments, attempting to argue that the country’s finances are now stable and also still reeling from Liz Truss mini budget. 9 million pensioners are now eligible for the benefit. Including many well off couples. Is this really the best use of public money when young families are struggling and child poverty is double the level of pensioner poverty? Later, the SNPs Stephen Flynn joins us in the studio to talk about Gaza, Reform, the SNPs record in government, and that Hamilton by-election result. The News Agents is b...
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"They spit, we hit" - Trump sends the troops into L.A.
Monday, 9 June 2025
Why has Trump sent the National Guard onto the streets of L.A. to deal with protests against his immigration raids? Normally, this would only happen at the invitation of the State's governor. This time, Trump acted without consultation - and the governor, Gavin Newsom, is now threatening to sue him. Is Trump right to say he needs to assert law and order on a few protestors before it gets out of control? Is this a personal vendetta against Newsom? Or might it be for more sinister reasons - a dress rehearsal for a President working out how to use emergency powers to seize control of local op...
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Elon Musk suggests Donald Trump is a paedophile
Friday, 6 June 2025
Last night, one of the world's most powerful relationships came to a dramatic end. Over the course of one evening, Elon Musk set fire to his already fracturing partnership with Donald Trump. The bitter feud over Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' spilled out to accusations that the President is in the Epstein files and calls for his impeachment. As the break up plays out on social media, Jon and Lewis ask is the bromance truly over? Will Trump sell his Tesla? Will Musk be deported? And is there any coming back from this war of words? Later - does Zia Yusuf's departure as Reform chairman derail Ni...
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Weekend Edition - The Sports Agents
Friday, 6 June 2025
This week on The Sports Agents...With the NBA Finals starting, Gabby and Mark chat about Michael Jordan returning to our screens and why the NBA hasn't taken off in the UK with host of The Athletic’s NBA Daily podcast, Dave DuFour. (03:30)Comedian Lee Mack joined us for a laugh ahead of Soccer Aid, spilling the secrets from playing with some of the world's most famous footballers. (09:30)Former Chelsea and Nigeria player John Obi Mikel came into the studio to chat about the upcoming Club World Cup and whether players really stop playing football when they're on holiday. (14:45)Is PSG winnin...
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Has the Conservative Party had enough of Liz Truss?
Thursday, 5 June 2025
The Tory leadership - in the form of shadow chancellor Mel Stride - is setting out to remind voters how dangerous their own Liz Truss was. He's pledged in a speech this morning that their party will never again risk the economy with unfunded tax cuts, and admitted the credibility of the UK economic framework was undermined by her misplaced policies. Why is this coming now? And what does it say about the current Tory leadership difficulties and their challenge with Labour's narrative? We talk to former chancellor Jeremy Hunt, author of a new book, 'Can We Be Great Again?' and we bring you th...
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The News Agents
Would a wealth tax save Rachel Reeves?