Why Robert Jenrick wants to see more 'white faces'

Former Deputy Tory Chair Lee Anderson was suspended from the Conservative party this weekend after accusing the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan of 'giving the capital city away to his (Islamist) mates.' In Sadiq Khan's first extended interview, he tells the News Agents that Anderson 'practices the politics of hate' and the Tory party has shown a tacit approval for it. We also chat Rochdale and whether the SNP should get a second chance from the Speaker to hold their Meaningful Vote on a ceasefire.Editor: Tom HughesSenior Producer: Gabriel RadusSocial Media Editor: Georgia FoxwellVideo Production: Rory Symon & Shane FennellyClips:Lee Anderson with Chris Hope on GB News on FridayRishi Sunak on BBC Radio York this morningMark Harper on Nick Ferrari on LBC this morningSky News doorstep of Mr. Anderson this afternoonYou 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/EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal -> https://nordvpn.com/thenewsagents Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guaranteeAnd, The News Agents now have merch! To get yours, head to: https://store.global.com/collections/the-news-agents

26 Feb 202431min

Joe Lycett is one of the biggest comedians in Britain today. He has also, over time, become more and more political. He’s had a new show on Channel 4 this week, Joe Lycett vs Sewage, where he has tried to expose and understand one of the biggest public policy scandals of our time. In this extended conversation with Lewis, he talks about what drives him, his slow politicisation, and why arguments about “woke” comedy, leave him cold.Editor: Tom HughesSenior Producer: Gabriel RadusProducer: Laura FitzPatrickSocial Media Editor: Georgia FoxwellVideo Production: Rory Symon & Shane Fennelly 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/EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal -> https://nordvpn.com/thenewsagents Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guaranteeAnd, The News Agents now have merch! To get yours, head to: https://store.global.com/collections/the-news-agents

23 Feb 202435min

Sir Paul Marshall is a Tory donor, hedge fund millionaire, co-owner of GB News and - according to his anonymous Twitter account - amplifier of far right conspiracy theories and extremist views on the Great Replacement Theory. In today’s episode, Hope Not Hate has worked with The News Agents to ask why a front runner bidding to buy the Telegraph has been engaging with anti Muslim statements by Britain First - and has - since we first approached him - deleted hundreds of likes and retweets from his now empty account. Sir Paul has said they are not aligned with his views and represent 'a small proportion’ of his social media posts. Will the government find him a fit and proper person to own media in the UK? Later, chaos in the Commons. What did last night’s ruckus really mean? Will the Speaker survive? Are our MPs safe ?Editor: Tom HughesSenior Producer: Gabriel RadusProducer: Laura FitzPatrickSocial Media Editor: Georgia FoxwellVideo Production: Rory Symon & Shane Fennelly 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/EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal -> https://nordvpn.com/thenewsagents Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guaranteeAnd, The News Agents now have merch! To get yours, head to: https://store.global.com/collections/the-news-agents

22 Feb 202450min

Why did Kemi Badenoch accuse a whistleblower of lying - in a row over compensation payouts to Post office victims?And why isn't the Prime Minister prepared to investigate what was actually said? Today, Keir Starmer put those questions to the government in the tone of a barrister preparing a quiet but devastating court case. Is Kemi sure she's right, even though the sacked chairman of the Post Office is fighting back? And what happens to her - the darling of the Tory right and leadership front runner - if she's proved wrong. Later, how much power does Sue Gray wield in the Labour party? We talk to Keir Starmer's biographer Tom Baldwin.Editor: Tom HughesSenior Producer: Gabriel RadusProducer: Laura FitzPatrickSocial Media Editor: Georgia FoxwellVideo Production: Shane Fennelly & Arvind BadewalYou 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/EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal -> https://nordvpn.com/thenewsagents Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guaranteeAnd, The News Agents now have merch! To get yours, head to: https://store.global.com/collections/the-news-agents

21 Feb 202444min

Prince William has expressed his deep concern about the terrible human cost of the middle east conflict and expressed his desire to see an end to the fighting as soon as possible. There's lots of head scratching going on right now: is the heir to the throne calling for a ceasefire? Is this the governments line or just the monarchy's position? Did this come from the Foreign Office? And should he be getting involved at all? Meanwhile, as Labour finally find a way of demanding an immediate ceasefire, we talk to the SNP's Stephen Flynn who says it wouldn't have happened without pressure from them. Later, why is Rishi Sunak quoting Eisenhower to talk to the NFU? And what is happening to England's rural vote...?Editor: Tom HughesSenior Producer: Gabriel RadusProducer: Laura FitzPatrickSocial Media Editor: Rory SymonVideo Production: Shane Fennelly & Arvind BadewalYou 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/EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal -> https://nordvpn.com/thenewsagents Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guaranteeAnd, The News Agents now have merch! To get yours, head to: https://store.global.com/collections/the-news-agents

20 Feb 202442min

Alexei Navalny's widow Yulia has laid the blame for her husband's murder directly with Putin. Few world leaders seem to disagree. There is much grave talk of 'consequences' and 'action'. But what does that really mean? Short of Putin losing the Ukraine war, what would really hurt him enough to stop him murdering?We talk to hugely influential Putin critic Bill Browder who tells us who the 'next Navalny' will be if we don't act now. Later, why is Kemi Badenoch calling the former chairman of the Post Office a liar? Henry Staunton has stood by his allegations that the government was dragging its feet on Post Office compensation payouts ahead of the election. Is she really going to go to war over this?Editor: Tom HughesSenior Producer: Gabriel RadusProducer: Laura FitzPatrickSocial Media Editor: Rory SymonVideo Production: Shane Fennelly & Arvind BadewalYou 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/EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal -> https://nordvpn.com/thenewsagents Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guaranteeAnd, The News Agents now have merch! To get yours, head to: https://store.global.com/collections/the-news-agents

19 Feb 202437min

Two more Labour wins in two more by-elections. Kingswood and Wellingborough were very safe Conservative seats, but now they've turned red. The Conservatives have now suffered the most by-election defeats of any government since the 1960s - so what does this mean in a General Election year?Later, we reflect on the life of Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, who has died in a Russian prison.Editor: Tom HughesSenior Producer: Gabriel RadusProducer: Laura FitzPatrickSocial Media Editor: Georgia FoxwellVideo Production: Shane Fennelly & Arvind BadewalYou 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/EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal -> https://nordvpn.com/thenewsagents Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guaranteeAnd, The News Agents now have merch! To get yours, head to: https://store.global.com/collections/the-news-agents

16 Feb 202439min

The UK is in recession - which means the economy has been shrinking for most of the last year.What does that do to our standard of living? And what are the political choices that have to be made?The Tories are still talking about tax cuts - even if that means more cuts to public services. Labour has ditched its mega promise of borrowing 28 billion to invest in the economy. So what's the way out? Later, as Putin confesses he found Tucker Carlson a bit of a soft interviewer, we discuss how you do accountable interviewing in an age where 'facts dont matter'.

15 Feb 202439min