Newscast

Today, intense and historic wildfires continue to burn in parts of Europe with more than 300,000 people having now been evacuated across France and Spain. Adam is joined by Climate and Wildfire Scientist Theodore Keeping and Aitor Hernandez-Morales - Senior Reporter for Politico to discuss why these wildfires are so hard to control and what the political reaction to them has been. Plus, in a recent interview with Laura, Andy Burnham claimed the ‘NHS will collapse’ if social care is not reformed. Henry joins Adam to unpack these comments and discuss why social care reform is so i...

What kind of prime minister will Andy Burnham be? Laura Kuenssberg has been behind the scenes with him during his first week in power. In his first major broadcast interview since taking office, she asks about his plans - and the challenges ahead.You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscordGet in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co...

Today, Andy Burnham says he would be prepared to call out Donald Trump to defend Britain's "national interest before anything else" if it is the right thing to do, in his first major interview as prime minister.Speaking exclusively to the Laura for the BBC, Burnham said he had had a good first exchange with Trump, finding him to be "really warm".Adam and Laura dissect what the Prime Minister said. You’ll be able to hear that interview in full tomorrow in the newscast feed. You can now listen to Ne...

Today, we start the first of six Old Newscasts looking at the story of 30 years of British Politics through six votes. We start in 1997, when the Prime Minister John Major called an election, hoping to extend 18 years of Conservative rule, and beat Labour’s Tony Blair .To help us, we have two BBC legends who were there at the time. Jeremy Vine was and political reporter and Kirsty Wark was presenting Newsnight.In this, the first of two 1997 election episodes, we look at what contributed to Blair’s landslide.You can now...

Today, we start the first of six Old Newscasts looking at the story of 30 years of British Politics through six votes. We start in 1997, when the Prime Minister John Major called an election, hoping to extend 18 years of Conservative rule, and beat Labour’s Tony Blair .To help us, we have two BBC legends who were there at the time. Jeremy Vine was and political reporter and Kirsty Wark was presenting Newsnight.In this, the first of two 1997 election episodes, we look at the lay of the land in the run up to th...

Today, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has officially opened up the doors to Number 10 North which he has described as the ‘best day of my life’. Adam is joined by Lucy Fisher - Whitehall editor at the Financial Times and Patrick Maguire Chief Political Commentator at the Times, and they discuss how No 10 North is shaping up and whether it will be more than just a gimmick. Plus, they look back at Andy Burnham’s announcements in his first week in office and whether it sets a precedent for how he will run Government. You ca...

Today, Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced ‘no prisoners will be let out’ under early release scheme until he has conducted an ‘urgent review’. The announcement comes after the widow of PC Andrew Harper described the possible early release of prisoners as ‘deplorable’, following reports that two of his killers could be freed early. Adam is joined by Dominic Casciani, home and legal correspondent, to discuss what this means for the prison system. Plus, in his third policy announcement in as many days, Andy Burnham announced a 20% cut to business rates for pubs, clubs and live music venues...

Today, Andy Burnham has announced the return of the £2 bus fare cap in most of England - taking effect from January 2027. Bus fares had initially been capped at £2 in 2023 by the Conservatives, and was later increased to £3 by Keir Starmer. Andy Burnham has reversed the Starmer policy, but how will it be funded?And, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, one of the first and most senior Labour politicians to pubilicly call for Keir Starmer to go, is expected to join Andy Burnham's government. He’ll be joining fellow Starmer dissenters Wes Streeting and John Healey in th...

Today, on the first full day of his premiership Prime Minister Andy Burnham has laid out plans for scrapping VAT on household electricity bills and has claimed he wants a ‘cost of living government’. Burnham said he would scrap VAT on household electricity bills in October, saving a typical household about £45 a year. This will be paid for by scrapping Keir Starmer's digital ID scheme, No 10 says, but ex-minister Darren Jones argues the ID scheme was "unfunded". Adam, Alex and Faisal discuss.You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to li...

Today, in this extra helping of Newscast, we look at Andy Burnham’s cabinet - who's been called up and who's been sacked - as he assembles his team on his first day as prime minister.Amongst the announcements, Adam and Chris discuss the surprise appointment of John Healey as chancellor – as well as Shabana Mahmood keeping her role at the Home Office and Ed Miliband moving to foreign secretary. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on mos...

Today, Andy Burnham has officially become Prime Minister, after meeting with King Charles this morning. In a speech outside Downing Street, Andy Burnham pledged to end rough sleeping and offer cost of living support as well as a new political and economic model. He promised to soon set out a ten year plan for the country and said politicians needed to be better. Adam is in Downing Street with Chris, Faisal and Laura to unpack the speech. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just...

Today we look at what Number 10 has in store for Andy Burnham ahead of his first day as prime minister with two insiders who’ve been there with former prime ministers.Lord Stewart Wood was an advisor to Gordon Brown and Lucia Hodgson was Boris Johnson’s deputy dire of communications.They explain what the first day is like, what they expect from the new PM, and the unexpected quirks of the job.We also look at plans to drop government-issued digital ID for all British adults and what he’ll do with Thames...

Today we look at how Andy Burnham is preparing for government on the weekend before he’s due to move into Number 10.He’s still to make decisions around his cabinet public, but we reveal how he’s actually keeping a lot of Starmer’s staff.Laura, Paddy and Hennry Zeffman discuss his plans for oil and gas after the BBC is told he’s planning to announce new drilling off the coast of Scotland and ask, does that give us a clue as to who the chancellor will be?You can now listen to...

Today, Andy Burnham is set to become Prime Minister - but who is he? And, how did he get here?Adam and Chris are joined by special correspondent Judith Moritz and Burnham’s close friend Steve Rotheram, Liverpool City Region Mayor, to look back at his life and career.You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscordGet in touch with...

Today, Adam is joined by legendary broadcaster Andrew Marr, who is one of the very few people to have interviewed Andy Burnham before he goes into number 10.As Burnham prepares to take the reins of government, some things remain unclear about what he will do when he gets there. Who will be in his cabinet? And how will he tackle the economic challenges that faced Keir Starmer’s premiership? You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most...

Today, Keir Starmer delivered his final performance at Prime Ministers’ Questions before his time as PM officially draws to a close on Monday. Adam, Alex and Chris unpack what his last exchanges with MPs tells us about the end of his premiership. Plus, the team look ahead to the handover of power and what we know, and what we don’t, about Andy Burnham’s plans for his new top team. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on...

Today, the Covid inquiry has found that the lives of NHS staff and patients were put at risk in the pandemic because of a lack of adequate PPE. The inquiry’s chair, Baroness Hallett described “vast” waste, with almost £10 billion of taxpayers money wasted in the scramble to buy more. Health reporter and Coronavirus Newscast alumnus, Jim Reed joins Adam to look at how things went so wrong.Plus, President Trump reverses his threat to impose a 20% fee on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz but presses ahead with Iranian ports blockade. Adam is join...

Today, counter terrorism police are now leading the investigation into Ann Widdecombe’s death. A 28-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of murder has been re-arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.The investigation was previously being handled by Devon and Cornwall police who had previously said there was "nothing to suggest" the murder was politically motivated. Counter terrorism Policing South East said the change had come after “new information and evidence has come to light during what has been a dynamic and complex investigation”.Adam, Chris and Danny Shaw, policing and cri...

Today, after speaking to Rachel Reeves in what’s likely to be her final interview as chancellor, Laura speaks to Paddy about what we might get from the new administration.Andy Burnham has talked about “room within [the Labour] manifesto for movement on tax."What does that mean in practice?We’ve got some clues from Labour insiders.You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.You can join our...

Rachel Reeves has given Laura what is likely to be her last interview as chancellor.She looks back on two years in her dream job, reflects on what she feels she got right, and is pushed on what she got wrong.This is the full interview as a bonus in your Newscast feed. A regular episode with Laura and Paddy is on the way later.