Did the homelessness minister evict her own tenants for profit?

Labour politicians are upping their attacks on Nigel Farage and Reform UK in Liverpool. Rachel Reeves took to the conference stage to brand Farage "the single greatest threat to our way of life". And over the weekend, Keir Starmer levelled the accusation that Reform's policy on deporting migrants with indefinite leave to remain was "racist". The shift in tone is not without risk - with the tabloids already accusing the PM of labelling voters more generally who are concerned about migration as racist. But so far at party conference, cabinet ministers appear to be more comfortable defining themselves against their enemies and making the moral case for Labour in government.Is that what the party activists, and the public, need to hear? And are there still inherent contradictions with that Labour is saying about its plan in office?Later, Lewis and Jon speak to Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary also vying to be deputy leader of the party. She had a major announcement today about bringing back maintenance grants to some working class university students - and she came over to the News Agents stand to talk about that, Nigel Farage, Andy Burnham and the case she's making for deputy. Visit our new website for more analysis and interviews from the team: https://www.thenewsagents.co.uk/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

29 Sep 37min

Cast your mind back to last year in Liverpool and it's hard to imagine much more of a contrasting picture to this year's Labour party conference. Then, party members were still basking in the glow of the election victory, Keir Starmer applauded as the leader who'd defied the odds and returned Labour to power. Now? Leadership jockeying is well underway, a deputy leadership battle could further divide the party, and there is widespread dismay at the speed with which Labour's honeymoon period in office ended - if it ever existed at all. Is this crunch time for Keir Starmer to reassert his vision as PM and give party activists something to feel good about? Why are some senior figures now openly questioning whether he can lead the party into the next election? Has Burnham made his play too early? And could a new message on Reform and Farage be part of Labour's comeback strategy?Lewis and LBC's political correspondent Aggie Chambre have your conference preview from Liverpool.

28 Sep 40min

In many ways, Leo Varadkar was a historic Taoiseach. The youngest Irish PM, the first from an ethnic minority, and the first openly gay head of government. His time at the top of Irish politics was also historic - he grappled with Trump's first term, the Brexit years, and the Covid pandemic. At just 44 years of age, he walked away from politics. But he is still fascinated - even obsessed - by the political arena. He's written a memoir, 'Speaking My Mind', about his rise to power and his time at the seat of government. He came into The News Agents studio to speak to Lewis about the populist surge and where Starmer is failing in his efforts to curb it here, what it's like dealing with Donald Trump up close and personal, and why he found Boris Johnson easier to deal with than Theresa May - even though he couldn't trust him.

26 Sep 50min

Gabby is joined by Ruby Tui - the nation has fallen in love with this World Cup winner and Olympic medallist over this Women's Rugby World Cup. She tells her story, from calling King Charles "bruv", to escaping domestic abuse, and getting 40,000 fans to sing a Maori folk song after winning a home World Cup. Ahead of Saturday's final, Ruby says it's an honour to witness this moment in sporting history. England haven't lost since the last World Cup Final... no pressure then! If you have been a victim of domestic abuse, help is available from charities like Refuge: https://refuge.org.uk/📩 Got a question? Send it here: https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7💭 Tell us your thoughts in our listener survey: https://forms.gle/YMUvajQktqBuimgh6 🖥️ Watch our full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsAgentsPod 📱Follow us on socials:TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thesportsagents Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesportsagents/ X - https://x.com/sportsagentspod📥 Email: thesportsagents@global.com Executive Producer: Adonis PratsidesProducer: Sophie PenneyVideo Producer: Sam Trudgill Social Media Editor: Calum ScotlandGuest Booker: Kirsty GiddingsTom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast networkVicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for GlobalYou can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

26 Sep 24min

It feels like Andy Burnham is everywhere right now. Interviews in the New Statesman and The Telegraph have propelled the question of his leadership ambitions into Keir Starmer’s face. Does he have a really chance of challenging the PM? And what is his vision for Labour if so? Later, we interview comedian and director of The Producers, Patrick Marber, about Nazi satire, Jimmy Kimmel and Tommy Robinson's march.Visit our new website for more analysis and interviews from the team: https://www.thenewsagents.co.uk/ 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

25 Sep 39min

Ed Davey closed the Lib Dem conference with a warning not to let Trump’s America become Farage's Britain. What might have sounded hyperbolic 24 hours ago sounded prescient by 8 am this morning - after Farage went on LBC and refused to distance himself from Trump's Tylenol conspiracy and then segued neatly into a discussion about immigrants eating swans (the Royal Park’s police deny all knowledge of this). Opinion polls suggest the Brits are not big fans of Trump. Has Ed Davey spotted political opportunity in exploiting this fully? And is Farage going off the boil? Later, we sit down with novelist Ian McEwan to discuss memory, metaphysical gloom and modern Britain - which he gets to grips with in his new book 'What We Can Know'.Visit our new website for more analysis and interviews from the team: https://www.thenewsagents.co.uk/ 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 Sep 41min

The US president is pushing his health secretary’s latest conspiracy theory from the White House. This one links a paracetamol painkiller with autism in pregnant women - a claim which has been discredited by numerous large scale studies and scientists. But is the damage already done? Today our own health secretary took to the television to warn women not to listen to the US president. How damaging will Trump’s words be? And is it all part of a larger movement to discredit science and expertise? Later, Reform UK are being told their "numbers don’t add up" on their latest plans for mass deportation. Is that the only push back the government has to offer? Have they ceded the argument by merely talking about the maths? And lastly, why is America having to bail out Argentina when they’ve all been praising President Milei's immense cost cutting capabilities? Visit our new website for more analysis and interviews from the team: https://www.thenewsagents.co.uk/ 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 Sep 42min

The PM's recognition of a nominal state or Palestine has provoked a furious response from the right flank of the Israeli government - several members of which are openly calling on their own government to now seize the occupied West Bank in retaliation. Israel says this is a reward for Hamas and that Keir Starmer is concerned with his own party management - is there any truth to any of that? Why is Netanyahu unable to see the part he himself has played in bringing this historical move about? Will any of the rhetoric bring salvation to starving people in Gaza or the hostages in their midst? And is this move a tacit admission from the British government that it is powerless to change the situation there?Later, what does the memorial for Charlie Kirk tell us about Christian nationalism and the MAGA movement?Visit our new website for more analysis and interviews from the team: https://www.thenewsagents.co.uk/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 Sep 37min