Labour's disappearing £28bn... and Nadine resigns

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/EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal -> https://nordvpn.com/thenewsagents Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee

27 Kesä 42min

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 brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal -> https://nordvpn.com/thenewsagents Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee

26 Kesä 31min

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 historian, Peter Frankopan, author of Silk RoadsThe News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal -> https://nordvpn.com/thenewsagents Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee

25 Kesä 35min

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/EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal -> https://nordvpn.com/thenewsagents Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee

24 Kesä 36min

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 Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal -> https://nordvpn.com/thenewsagents Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee

23 Kesä 43min

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 by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal -> https://nordvpn.com/thenewsagents Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee

22 Kesä 29min

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 discuss a remarkable career in national and international politics. He talks the future of China, the Iran conflict, Starmer’s handling of Trump and how Farage is Britain’s biggest pub bore.The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal -> https://nordvpn.com/thenewsagents Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee

20 Kesä 38min

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 said: “The Government is determined to see the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine, following Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion. We are deeply frustrated that it has not been possible to reach agreement on this with Mr Abramovich so far. While the door for negotiations will remain open, we are fully prepared to pursue this through the courts if required, to ensure people suffering in Ukraine can benefit from these proceeds as soon as possible.”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.

20 Kesä 25min