The News Agents

Keir Starmer announced 'Phase 2' of his government on Monday - a reset of his Downing St operation supposed to get Labour gripping the agenda and on the front foot for the year ahead. Just four days on, the PM faces his biggest test yet. Angela Rayner, the deputy PM, housing secretary, and deputy Labour leader resigning after a breach of the ministerial code for not paying the correct tax on the purchase of a flat in Hove. In response, Starmer is undergoing a sweeping reshuffle - only the chancellor Rachel Reeves was told her job was safe ahead of time. What happens now? Could a left-wing candidate cause Starmer a major political headache if they run to replace Rayner as deputy leader? Will Rayner become a lightning rod on the backbenches? Does Starmer risk creating yet more enemies in sacking cabinet ministers? Can Starmer use this moment to bolster his authority - or is it his most destabilising day in office?

Former Super Bowl champion Jason Bell joins Gabby and Mark to talk about the NFL's biggest transfer drama of the summer, which puts the Alexander Isak saga to shame. We're talking about a huge standoff, the highest paid non-quarterback in history and a new Super Bowl favourite. (05:30) Plus we look back at this week on The Sports Agents. Former Premier League striker, Troy Deeney, joined us after deadline day as we asked, should Marc Guehi should have thrown a transfer tantrum like Isak? And with Olympic medallists still owed millions of dollars from Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track - what went wrong? That's with The Athletic's Adam Crafton and agent Paul Doyle. (01:00) 📩 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 Pratsides Producer: Sophie Penney Video Producer: Sam Trudgill, Sam Folayan and Rory Simon Social Media Editor: Calum Scotland Guest Booker: Kirsty Giddings Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global You 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

The morning after Nigel Farage appeared in Washington DC to berate his own country before Congress, the News Agents decamped to a Farage-free zone; his own constituency of Clacton-on-Sea. On Capitol Hill, Farage warned that the UK was turning into "North Korea" due to the restrictions on free speech laws. He urged the US not to follow Britain down this path - even urging Donald Trump to slap sanctions on his own country if it forces big tech companies to follow UK law rather than America's. We’ve been asking people here how they feel about their MP slagging of his - and their - country in America? Does they think he has a point? Or is Reform's leader simply being deeply unpatriotic? 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

Angela Rayner broke cover today - just before PMQs - to give an interview to Sky News in which she admitted she may have made a mistake on the tax she paid for her seaside property. The details are complicated - and involved both her special needs son and her divorce - but was it tax evasion (illegal) or tax avoidance (not illegal)? And will her political future rest on the answer? Later, we’re discussing Graham Linehan , Lucy Connolly, JD Vance and freedom of speech in the 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

Nick Clegg worked intimately alongside Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook/Meta for seven years. He departed Silicon Valley in January and has written a new book - How to Save the Internet - and given his first broadcast interview to The News Agents. Is the world wide web as we know it being dismantled? Does he still see social media as a force for good? Could it impact an election? And how much did Zuckerberg care about the impact the product has on children’s health? We chat AI, British politics, and why he suspended Trump from the platform... 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

Keir Starmer has shaken up his core team in Downing Street today. It's an attempt to grip the agenda, improve the government's messaging and take on Nigel Farage after a difficult first year in office. "Delivery, delivery, delivery" was what the Prime Minister said was the government's priority for the year ahead - but deliver what? There is a debate taking place in the Labour party between those who believe a more progressive case is needed, that you don't beat Farage by apeing his talking points. Others are convinced that it is only by addressing these concerns that you can stop them from splintering off to Reform. Will today's reset get us any closer to revealing which side of that divide the PM is on? Later, what the fevered online speculation about Donald Trump's health this weekend tells us about the White House - has there been a cover up or was it just a campaign by an army of trolls? 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

This is the first part of two special Friday episodes on the way AI promises to transform our politics, economies and societies. Lewis has been in San Francisco, where trillions of dollars of investment in AI is fuelling the 21st century equivalent of the space race. Around half a dozen firms are powering this revolution, largely out of sight or scrutiny. While the political and economic implications are profound, politicians seem unwilling or unable to even conceptualise what might be about to happen to their own voters. In the first of these special episodes, Lewis has been speaking to Jack Clark, one of the founders of Anthropic - one of the big AI firms. These companies don’t speak out that often, but Clark has a sober message for politicians. If politics doesn’t wake up- there could be an economic bloodbath within the next 18 months. 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

Our guest today, Alice Cooper, fought to set up the first ever Women's Rugby World Cup in 1991, along with three other trailblazing women. It took players selling Russian dolls and vodka to pay their way, organising everything over fax, and Alice losing her job - but they did it. Alice tells Gabby and Mark the story of how they paved the way for this year's World Cup. Plus, we look back at the best bits from this week's shows: former Nottingham Forest player David Prutton asked, could Mourinho replace Nuno at Forest?! After dream debuts for 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha and 15-year-old Max Dowman, Max's former coach at Arsenal, Temisan Williams, and The Telegraph's Sam Wallace joined us. And comedian and Grimsby fan, Lloyd Griffith, took the mickey out of Mark after their shock Carabao Cup win over Man United. 📩 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 Pratsides Producer: Sophie Penney Video Producer: Sam Trudgill Social Media Editor: Calum Scotland Guest Booker: Kirsty Giddings Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global You 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

There's news today of a Downing Street shakeup and speculation too about a ministerial reshuffle next week. Parliament returns on Monday, with Labour MPs hoping that the new term will bring with it a chance to rejuvenate a government that has plummeted in the polls and a party that seems almost mutinous. This summer, Nigel Farage has planted himself at the centre of the news agenda - with regular press conference, media stunts and interventions. Labour ministers have been doing the round too - but they seem to have less to say in recent weeks than the Reform leader, Amidst all the talk of a reset, Jon and Lewis break down where Labour's media strategy is going wrong - and what Keir Starmer needs to do to win the messaging war. 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

It's a story that reads like it's jumped out of a thriller novel. Denmark has today summoned America's top diplomat in the country, after reports emerged that figures connected to the Trump administration had infiltrated Greenland to conduct “covert influence operations”. Denmark's national broadcaster has today come out with a jaw-dropping story alleging that three US citizens are suspected of recruiting Greenlanders for a US-sponsored “separatist” movement. Are they rogue operatives - or are they working on behalf of the US State? Jon and Lewis speak to the journalist who broke the story, Later, Labour are on the attack over Nigel Farage's mass deportation plan. The minister in charge of UK-EU relations, Nick Thomas-Symonds, has today been slamming Reform and the Tories for their aversion to closer ties with Europe - as well as branding Farage's migration proposals unrealistic and unworkable. He came in to the News Agents studio. 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

In an airport hangar in Oxfordshire, Nigel Farage unveiled Reform UK's mass deportation plan. Farage pledged to tear up international treaties, build new removal centres, and strike deals with foreign countries in an effort to drive up returns at pace should he become PM. There was a dark message in his speech - that without his radical programme, Britain faces rising anger, even civil disorder. Speaking at length about a political class and a legal class pitted against this action, Farage asked: "Whose side are you on?". It follows a weekend in which Tory politicians have been condemning the British judicial system for convicting Lucy Connolly, who was jailed after calling on people to "set fire" to asylum hotels in the wake of the Southport attack. When did the British Right turn on the British State? How did the conservative movement become so set on tearing down institutions rather than preserving them? Jon and Lewis discuss. 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

Does Putin have something on Trump? Is Trump deliberately deflecting attention from the Epstein saga? Is Starmer's advisor, Morgan McSweeney, overestimated by the media? And what response has Lewis had to his 100% inheritance tax theory...? This Friday, Lewis and Jon answer your questions. 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

As part of a special weekend edition of The Sports Agents - Gabby's been at Twickenham - the home of England rugby - to speak to key members of England's Red Roses squad ahead of the start of the Women's Rugby World Cup! Over 375,000 tickets have already sold for a 32-match home tournament which kicks off on Friday as England bid to avenge their narrow World Cup final defeat to New Zealand back in 2021. Gabby sits down with Mo Hunt and Emily Scarratt, two of England's most decorated players, as well as, former captain-turned-coach Sarah Hunter, for an insight into the mood in the camp, the pressures of hosting the tournament as favourites and the chance to inspire a whole new generation of rugby fans. 📩 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 Pratsides Producer: Sophie Penney Video Producer: Sam Trudgill Social Media Editor: Calum Scotland Guest Booker: Kirsty Giddings Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global You 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

Palestinians have started to flee Gaza City after the IDF commenced its offensive on the largest city in the Strip. The incursion has been condemned by aid agencies, international allies and hostage families. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the move is necessary to "shortening the timelines" to seize "the last terror strongholds" in Gaza from Hamas. What happens now? We speak to Leila Molana-Allen, special correspondent for PBS Newshour. Later, Jon interviews the historian Andrew Lownie about his bombshell new book 'Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York'. 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

Anti-migrant protesters are celebrating today, with The Bell Hotel in Epping set to close its doors to asylum seekers after becoming a battleground over the summer on the issue. A High Court ruling ordered The Bell to stop housing migrants on a planning technicality. It did not receive the proper permission to switch its use from short-term stays to people living there for more than 30-day stretches, despite having run as such without incident for more than five years. A failed last-minute attempt by the Home Office to get the case dismissed laid out the department's concerns. The government barrister warned that any injunction could lead to other councils following suit, a development "that would aggravate the pressures on the asylum estate." He also warned that granting the injunction would “"run the risk of acting as an impetus for further violent protests". Those appeals were unsuccessful. And now the government is having to work out where those asylum seekers will now live. If other councils follow suit - and succeed - it could become a major political crisis. Despite all the noise around this issue, are politicians giving any serious thought to alternatives? Later, more gloomy news on the economy for Labour - is there any way for Rachel Reeves to wriggle out of the fiscal straightjacket she now finds herself in? Get the latest news and analysis on our website: https://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

There is a growing chorus of opinion - both inside the Labour party and out - which is increasingly uneasy about the recent mass arrests of demonstrators who have been showing their support for the now proscribed group Palestine Action. Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, banned the direct action group under terrorism legislation in July - but since then hundreds of people have been detained for expressing solidarity with the body and its aims. But that decision has been questioned, with Labour members opposed to the move, Labour MPs critical, and even the author Sally Rooney pledging to fund the organisation. Could the government rethink its strategy? Or does it need to do more to explain why it took the action it did? We speak to Lib Dem leader, Sir Ed Davey, about why he is now calling for a review of the terrorism legislation following the Palestine Action arrests. Later, as Donald Trump floats security guarantees "by air" for Ukraine on Fox News (where else?), Jon and Lewis take stock on where we are now the morning after the night before that dramatic evening in the White House. You can visit our website here 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

In a tone entirely different from Zelenksyy’s last visit to Washington in February, this evening saw Trump praising the Ukrainian president. Zelenksyy was on the charm offensive. And it seemed to work. Trump bestowed his other European guests with compliments and promised that America would play a key part in the security guarantees if there is a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. It was in some ways a remarkable event, with European leaders sat around the roundtable kissing the ring of President Trump. But will it amount to anything? Can the US really guarantee the security of Ukraine? Will it? And where does this leave peace talks now? You can visit our website here 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

There's plenty about the build up to this Trump-Zelenskyy summit which tells you that it is no normal meeting. The questions over whether President Zelenskyy will wear a suit and tie. The video from the plane where Keir Starmer pleads with Trump to secure a "just peace". And the Truth Social posts from President Trump, just hours ahead of their talks, where he pre-emptively told the world that NATO membership was off the cards for Ukraine, as was the prospect of Crimea being returned. Why is Trump seemingly setting pre-conditions for Ukraine which look very much like Kremlin objectives? Can European leaders convince Trump to stand by Ukraine if the conflict continues? Or could we be set for a repeat of the ugly scenes we saw in the White House in February - where Trump and JD Vance openly berated their guest, accused him of disrespect, and told him he held none of the cards? You can visit our website here 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

President Zelenksyy is on his way to Washington to meet with President Trump. He's followed by several European leaders, including Keir Starmer. Rarely is international diplomacy carried out under these circumstances. So, what would a deal look like? Why are those European leaders choosing to go to with Zelenkyy? And is this Europe's final stand against Putin? You can visit our website here 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

From coast to coast, America’s towns and cities have been besieged by an opioid epidemic, a crisis which has wrought misery and wielded political consequence. Deep in the Nevada desert, Las Vegas - a city renowned for its seedy underbelly, has some 1,500 people living in its 600 miles of flash flood tunnels - many addicted to fentanyl. Lewis meets some of the tunnels’ residents to find out how this years-long epidemic is still wreaking havoc and claiming lives. Despite being insulated from the crisis for so long, British treatment services are sounding the alarm bell. Nitazenes, a family of extremely powerful synthetic opioids, are spiking the drug market with dealers carrying out dangerous experiments on their clients causing overdose after overdose on the streets of Britain. Has the opioid epidemic, once thought of as a uniquely American problem, now landed in the 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