The Crisis Room

In this, the final regular episode of The Crisis Room, Amber, Mark, and Marc P recap an unprecedented last twelve months in geopolitics - and look ahead to which other crises are coming down the track in the year ahead.

From the tensions between Turkey and Israel, from Iran to Greenland, and the question of what the future holds for Venezuela, the team predict which situations pose the most problems for the world in 2026, and discus...

In this week's Q&A, Mark & Amber assess whether the US decision to mobilise troops in the Alaskan Airborne Division is a sign that Trump is still eyeing up a military takeover of Greenland.

They also explain why MI6 officers speak publicly so rarely - and whether that should change. Plus, Mark looks at whether Jeffrey Epstein's geopolitical connections should be more closely examined, while Amber gives her verdict on whether...

After a week of high drama in Davos, where leaders from Donald Trump to Mark Carney and Emanuel Macron traded blows and the whole western alliance appeared to be on the brink of collapse, Mark & Amber analyse whether there really is a new world order as the dust starts to settle.

They're joined by George Robertson, the former Defence Secretary and Secretary General of NATO who triggered Article 5 after 9/11, to discuss the futu...

In this week's Q&A episode, the team looks at whether Vice President JD Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio is winning the battle for supremacy in the Republican Party - and how each of them might approach the role of Commander in Chief if they succeed Trump and become the next President of the United States.

Amber, Mark, and Marc also break down how the state of the UK's finances became so dire that there is no more money f...

Over the past few weeks Iran has been thrust into one of the most consequential crises of its time. Protests against the regime have swept the country, and security forces have cracked down with lethal force. Trump is warning of ‘very strong action’. But what help is really on the way? Because with Iran in crisis, and Washington is as unpredictable as ever, the region is deep in tension.

Marc P also shares his experiences with 'Hava...

Former Defence Secretary Sir Ben Wallace joins The Crisis Room to dissect the events of the past week, and to look ahead to what the next few months might hold. He speaks candidly about the reality of what the US leaving NATO would mean for the alliance and the security of the West, and whether Keir Starmer is right to pledge to send troops to Ukraine if Putin ever agrees to a ceasefire. Ben also reveals what it's like to have lunc...

It's rare that the head of MI6 and the head of the Armed Forces both speak publicly in the same week. But that's what's happened in the past few days, with both warning of the imminent threat the UK faces from Russia. In this episode, The Crisis Room asks: is it time for the UK - and the West as a whole - to admit that we are at war with Russia?

Amber explains the conversations she was involved in about how to deal with Russia durin...

In this Q&A episode, Mark explains what is happening to civilians currently in Russian occupied Ukraine and what lies in store for them in the future.

Amber replies to claims that she has said it is now safe for Afghan refugees to return back home.

Mark, Amber and Marc P all discuss the use of anti-migrant rhetoric and immigration in both US and UK elections.

Have a question for a future Q&A episode? Send it to thecrisisroom@g...

After a week where Trump has left Europe wondering if it faces a future where it can't rely on America to protect it - The Crisis Room debates whether Britain will come good on Keir Starmer's promise to massively increase defence spending, and what it will mean if he fails to hit his own targets.

Philip Hammond, the former Foreign Secretary and Chancellor, joins the podcast for an exclusive interview - and questions whether the gov...

In this Q&A episode, Mark opens up about his personal dealings and interviews with former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, before the 2018 Salisbury poisonings. Meanwhile Amber explains why Theresa May was confident in blaming Russia for the attacks so soon afterwards.

Marc P speaks about the role that US and UK governments play in protecting and rescuing citizens when at risk from terrorism overseas.

Plus - Amb...

Vladimir Putin is 'morally responsible' for the death of Dawn Sturgess - the British woman killed by Novichok poisoning back in 2018. That was the key finding of a public inquiry which was published today - and in this episode, Mark and Amber give their reactions to the report.

Could and should the government have done anything differently in response to the initial poisonings back in 2018? Should Wiltshire Police really have been ...

In this Q&A episode, Amber gives her reaction for the first time to the new Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's controversial immigration reforms - and the possibility of the UK leaving the ECHR. Are these reforms too harsh? Or is it exactly what the UK needs to stop the far-right from gaining traction?

Marc P has his say on issues over in the US in light of a major row over military personnel ignoring potential unlawful orders. P...

In this special episode, The Crisis Room takes you back to March 2018 and Russia's extraordinary attempt to assassinate a former spy on British soil. Not only did the Novichok attack in Salisbury kill Dawn Sturgess, but the incident left dozens of other innocent civilians injured and prompted an international backlash against Putin and his regime.

Amber was Home Secretary at the time and led the UK's response to this crisis - and in...

Al Carns isn't your average Member of Parliament. After more than twenty years of decorated service in the Royal Marines, last year he became an MP, and days later, he became part of the government. Now the Armed Forces Minister, in this exclusive and extended interview, he opens up to The Crisis Room about what he learned from two decades of special operations and the strategic challenges facing the UK in 2025.

Plus, as more and mo...

With Russia and the US reportedly coming up with a 28 point plan to bring an end to the War in Ukraine, The Crisis Room team dissects whether this plan has any chance of leading to a just and lasting peace - or if, in reality, it's simply a surrender.

The team reveals how backchannel negotiations work: why intelligence bosses can sometimes be more effective negotiators than diplomats, and why this so-called peace plan fails on seve...

After a week where the BBC has dominated the headlines for all the wrong reasons, Mark draws on his 35 years of working for the Corporation to assess what's gone wrong - and whether this latest scandal will damage its brand for good. He also gives his verdict on whether the BBC is to blame for the mess it finds itself in, and assesses how much merit there is to the theory that Director General Tim Davie was the victim of a right-wi...

In this Q&A episode, Marc P opens up to Mark and Amber for the first time about his experience with Havana Syndrome - a serious health issue also known as Anomalous Health Incidents. He reveals why his experience in a Moscow hotel room ultimately led to a premature end to his CIA career - and explains why he believes that a major US government cover-up on Havana Syndrome will soon be brought to light.

The team are also asked ab...