The Crisis Room

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...

Weeks after Trump's triumphant trip to the Middle East to celebrate what he called a "historic" peace deal - his plan for long-term peace in Gaza is still yet to move from Phase 1 to Phase 2. So what's behind the delay in assembling an International Stabilisation Force? What are Arab nations saying about the idea of being a part of such a Force? And is the US still involved in negotiations, or has the issue already lost the Preside...

What does it say about the UK's police and the country more generally that Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were banned from attending their match against Aston Villa? Amber and Mark break down why the authorities reached the wrong decision - and Marc P explains why the story has made news in America as part of this week's Q&A episode.

Amber also reveals how a massive emergency service response is co-ordinated at an incident like the Manch...

It's been another week where Amber's old department, the Home Office, has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. So is breaking up the Home Office and creating a separate Department of Immigration the solution? Amber explains what will have gone on behind the scenes of government this week as the Hadush Kebatu saga has lurched from one crisis to another - and why dividing up the Home Office isn't the silver bullet that so...

In the latest Q&A episode, the team tackle your questions on a variety of crises. Amber analyses what has been achieved through stripping Prince Andrew of his titles, while Marc P gives us an update on when we might finally see the Epstein Files published. Meanwhile, Amber and Mark discuss whether it's fair to say that Nigel Farage and Brexit are largely responsible for the small boats issue about which Farage and Reform UK are...

From British colonial rule to Osama Bin Laden, Al-Qaeda, and the Taliban, tensions have run high on the Durand Line - the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan - since it was first drawn over 100 years ago. And with fighting having once again recently broken out between the two sides, in this episode Mark takes us through the history of what has become known as one of the world's most dangerous borders - and tells the story of wh...

Amber, Mark and Marc P are answering your questions in this first ever Q&A episode of The Crisis Room! Mark and Marc analyse how damaging it could be for Russia if Trump gives Ukraine Tomahawk missiles - and they also break down why Hamas' violent reprisals against rivals in Gaza is such an obstacle to the peace plan continuing into phase two.

Amber gives her verdict on the political purpose of the UN - and whether this year's ...

Today, the MI5 boss has spoken out about his 'frustration' at the recent collapse of the China spy trial. But how will he really be feeling about this saga which has caused so much controversy for Keir Starmer and in national security circles? Amber reveals what Ken McCallum said when she saw the spy chief this week - and why the security services will be furious that the case has fallen apart.

Mark also explains why there is so mu...

How do you handle President Trump? Is China a national security threat to the UK - and should it be allowed its new 'Super Embassy' in central London? And could a future government potentially strike a migrant returns deal with the Taliban? These are just some of the questions Amber, Mark, and Marc put to Mark Sedwill - the UK's former National Security Adviser and Ambassador to Afghanistan - in a rare and wide-ranging interview.

H...

Yesterday's terror attack at a synagogue in Manchester left three people dead, several more injured, and an entire community shaken. But what happens in the immediate aftermath of such an incident? Amber calls on her experience of responding to five terror attacks as Home Secretary in 2017 to explain what happens at COBRA, and what the security services do next to try and prevent any further attacks.

Plus Mark gives his personal re...