The News Agents

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Friday, 30 May 2025 - 43 minutes

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/

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