Newscast Are Israel's Allies Turning Against Them?
Today, we discuss the Foreign Secretary suspending trade negotiations with Israel over its 'cruel and indefensible' blockade of Gaza.
The UK, France and Canada previously said they'd 'take further concrete actions' if Israel doesn't stop its latest offensive and allow aid in, as Palestinians face more strikes and starvation. The BBC's international editor Jeremy Bowen joins Adam in the studio.
And after 28 years at the BBC, the legendary Jo Coburn is stepping down from presenting Politics Live. She joins on Adam and Chris to reflect on her 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://discord.gg/m3YPUGv9
New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bit.ly/3ENLcS1
Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Shiler Mahmoudi and Julia Webster. The technical producer was Ben Andrews. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.
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Telegraph
22 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Our politicians are the least serious in history – and that includes you, Nigel
This week an appalling case reminded us just how broken Britain is. We learnt that a 15-year-old boy killed elderly dogwalker Bhim Kohli while a female friend, aged 12, filmed it on her mobile phone. Both were laughing as the beloved grandfather lay dying in the street. How on earth can it have come to this? The case is emblematic of everything that has gone wrong – and continues to go wrong – in our fragmented, seemingly lawless society. We are led by complete incompetents: from police administering two-tier justice right the way up to our Prime Minister. It is little wonder there is a university course running in France on why the UK is such a failure. And Mayor of London Sadiq Khan's answer to our capital's woes, despite knife and other crimes soaring? Decriminalising cannabis. We knew Labour were not fit for purpose before they even took office, but this latest example of idiocy from City Hall really does sum up the problem with having hapless, careerist socialists anywhere near the levers of power. And now Reform UK appears to have imploded. Having abandoned the Conservative Party after an inept 14 years of governance, which left us with higher bills, higher taxes, higher NHS waiting lists and higher immigration, voters had hoped that Nigel Farage and his motley crew might bring the salvation Britain so desperately needs. Reform was meant to represent the alternative to 'uniparty' politics by ripping up the political rule book and restoring good old fashioned common sense. What we have learnt in the past 24 hours, however, is that the one thing uniting all four major parties in the UK (and I'm including the ludicrous Liberal Democrats in this, with their clown of a leader Sir Ed Davey) is just how thoroughly unserious they all are. Westminster currently resembles a cross-party circus act; what has the electorate done to deserve this? Let's take them one by one. We currently cannot believe a word slippery Starmer says after a string of Labour lies on tax, winter fuel, defence spending, relations with the EU, the Chagos Islands, immigration – you name it. They promised 6,500 more teachers with their vindictive VAT raid on private school fees and this week it was revealed teacher numbers are actually down since they took office. Millionaires are leaving, businesses are folding, more tax rises are on the way. We've got an Attorney General who wants to defend terrorists like Osama bin Laden's right-hand man while the justice system imprisons mothers like Lucy Connolly for 'hurty words' on the internet. The Left accuses Reform of being amateurs – and then run the country as if it's a university student union staffed by drop-outs. Yet the Right-wing opposition appears equally as childish. This week, we have had the shadow chancellor Mel Stride denouncing Liz Truss's premiership with some weasel words about the Tories 'never again undermining fiscal credibility by making promises we cannot afford'. The former prime minister – once famously compared to a lettuce – hit back with an excoriating statement on the political playground that is X, accusing Sir Mel of being a 'creature of the system' by siding with 'failed Treasury orthodoxy'. In what world does this blue-on-blue infighting help Kemi Badenoch as she struggles to cut through? Equally infantile was the typically boyish intervention of her former leadership rival Sir James Cleverly with a demand that the Conservatives stick to net zero – despite it being among the main reasons the party is now facing its own climate emergency. He's been invisible for months and then emerges with this sort of unhelpful Ed Milibandesque claptrap? Read the room, for pity's sake. All credit to Robert Jenrick for trying to find some grown-up solutions to some of the country's problems – like fare dodging, notwithstanding the self-serving nature of his attention-grabbing social media endeavours. Badenoch is trying her best to be a serious politician, with thoughtful rather than knee-jerk interventions on issues like our membership of the ECHR – only to have MPs in her ranks like Kit Malthouse spreading anti-Israel slanders like his declaration this week that Gaza is 'an abattoir where starving people are lured out through combat zones to be shot at'. Along with other Tories, he's also been calling for the Prime Minister to recognise a Palestinian state. Harebrained student politics are clearly not just confined to the Labour Party. We had hoped Reform, led by streetwise Nigel Farage, a man of political wisdom and experience, might rise above all this. But even he has been dogged by infantilism. If Rupert Lowe's 'more people watch my X videos than Nigel's' bravado wasn't bad enough, Reform now has been badly damaged by the similarly petulant flouncing out of party chairman Zia Yusuf. I like Zia and think he deserves credit for all the hard work he has put into professionalising the party over the past 11 months. But what on earth was there to be gained from such a public tantrum? Just leave quietly, don't blow the whole thing up with spiteful talk of working to get the party elected 'no longer being a good use of my time'. Similarly juvenile was the language he used to describe Reform MP Sarah Pochin's Commons call to ban the burka (which provoked laughter from the front bench: that's the state of public discourse in this country, folks). Responding to Katie Hopkins, of all people, on X, he wrote: 'Nothing to do with me. Had no idea about the question nor that it wasn't policy. Busy with other stuff. I do think it's dumb for a party to ask the PM if they would do something the party itself wouldn't do.' At the age of 38 and having worked at Goldman Sachs and established his own hugely successful business, he should know this is not the way to behave in the public eye. Reform remains a party that cannot even govern itself, let alone the country. This simply isn't good enough. The Government is useless, the Tories are a busted flush; if Reform seriously wants to break the doom loom of despair then it cannot be part of the problem. The party must get its act together – and fast.
Daily Mail
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
The bombers Ukraine destroyed with their brilliantly audacious Operation Spiderweb helped Putin blow up babies in their cots. So why hasn't Labour issued one word of celebration or congratulation?
It is now a week since the Ukrainians launched the most audacious raid since The Dambusters – an operation that was all the more stunning for being completely unassisted by the UK or any other western power. The Ukrainians have spent the last 18 months preparing Operation Spiderweb in total secrecy, and it has taken a few days to grasp the sheer brilliance of what they did. We now know that they mysteriously assembled the 117 drones in Russia itself, and then packed them in specially designed lorries.
BBC News
35 minutes ago
- BBC News
'Protect public from vehicle theft epidemic', says Lib Dem leader
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has called on the government to "protect" the public from the "epidemic" of vehicle thefts by ruling out policing budget Office statistics show that nearly 2,500 cases of vehicle thefts were reported in the Thames Valley last year, with fewer than 3% of those resulting in Ed made the comments whilst on a visit to a bicycle repair shop in Thame, Oxfordshire, alongside the Lib Dem MP for Henley and Thame Freddie van BBC has contacted the Home Office for a response to Sir Ed's comments. Speaking at Thame Cycle, where he and van Mierlo went for a ride of their own, Sir Ed said: "Freddie and I may be the ones on our bikes today, but it is thieves who are taking people for a ride as they steal cars and get away with it.""It is a crime that is immensely damaging to victims, yet few criminals are ever held accountable for their actions. Our police need back up from this government." Van Mierlo added that there was a car theft "epidemic plaguing Oxfordshire"."Thames Valley Police do incredible work, but they're stretched after years of cuts from successive governments," he Ed said the government needed to "get a grip" on the crime, adding: "We need our forces around the country to be supported and well-resourced."During the visit, he also called on chancellor Rachel Reeves to "back up" the police by ruling out any budget cuts in the upcoming Spending Review."Our police must have the resources they need so they can tackle this problem," van Mierlo added. The BBC has contacted the Home Office for a response to the comments, whilst the Treasury said it would not comment on "speculation" regarding the Spending Review. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
