The News Agents

This week on The Sports Agents...

A big exclusive ahead of the Euros with two of England's defending champions, Lauren Hemp & Niamh Charles, Gabby goes behind the scenes at Wimbledon (10:30) and after England's historic comeback we ask ex-England bowler Steven Finn if 5-day cricket is too long? (19:30)

You can watch our full episodes on YouTube here.

Got a question for The Sports Agents? Email us at thesportsagents@global.com

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Remember how there was going to be no row back and no change to the government welfare reform bill? Well, now it seems there might be...

Starmer's team are talking about the importance of “conversations with colleagues“ after an amendment signed by 120 Labour MPs showed them how easily they could lose a major vote on Tuesday. Those conversations are code - as is “listening mode“. Are we about to see a climb down? A change of policy?...

The atmosphere here at the NATO summit has been little short of obsequious towards President Trump. Leaders have worked out that if they want US buy-in to NATO they have to commit to Trump’s spending demands, and flatter him into believing he is the only person who can make things happen.

Well, so far it seems to be working. The US has renewed its commitment to defending other NATO countries. And the language has been expletive fre...

We’re at the Nato summit in The Hague where Europe’s leaders were hoping to put defence spending and Ukraine top of the agenda.

That's before Donald Trump derailed things by swearing on the White House lawn. He’s very cross that Israel and Iran aren't listening to him, and his insistence that a ceasefire is underway.

Can he will a war to end just by saying it? Or are we learning how little control Trump really has over world events...

Has Trump now decided he would like to topple Iran’s leadership? He’s let his cabinet tell the world that the only game here was to stop Iran becoming nuclear competent.

Yet, overnight his motivation seems to have changed. Does this change the whole scenario and make an end game much harder? And what kind of conversations is Starmer now having with his inner circle about whether these strikes on Tehran are even legal?

Later, the com...

Trump did it - he attacked Iran. Overnight, US armed forces attacked three of Iran’s nuclear development sites. Trump claims to have obliterated the nascent Iranian nuclear capabilities. Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu is jubilant. European leaders are uneasy. The whole world is holding its breath.

What happens now? Can we even know? What does it mean for the region, for Europe and the world? And what should the British government do...

Chris Patten has done it all. Conservative cabinet minister under Thatcher and Major, our last Governor of British Hong Kong, then back home overseeing policing reform in Northern Ireland, EU Commissioner in Brussels, Chairman of the BBC, Chancellor of Oxford University, you name it, Patten has more chance than anybody of having done it. But his sort of Tory Party is one which increasingly feels consigned to history. What does it m...

This week on The Sports Agents...

Does the government actually have a good reason for the £2.5bn from the Chelsea FC sale not helping millions of children worldwide? And was former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich poisoned? (03:30)

How do you train a horse for Royal Ascot? A full behind the scenes episode from one of Britain's best yards, which trained the late Queen's horses. (13:30)

And what is it like to race for 24 hours in Le Mans?...

Sir Keir Starmer has put his cabinet on alert for a possible US attack on Iran.

Just 24 hours after insisting Donald Trump had given no indication he was about to “get involved” in the conflict between Israel and Iran, the Prime Minister called a COBRA meeting to review how Britain might respond to a major escalation. Would Starmer be able to say no to Trump? What might Trump ask us to do? And how did we get here in under a week?

La...

Later on this episode we’re joined by author of 'Sapiens' and 'Nexus' - Yuval Noah Harari - to talk politics and AI. But we begin with war.

The speed of the escalation between Iran, Israel, and the US has been staggering. Trump is flirting with entering a war he doesn’t want, with an enemy he may not be able to control. At the heart of this conflict are questions over Iran’s ability to make nuclear weapons. Netanyahu believes it’s ...

Louise Casey's report on grooming gangs is incredibly tough reading. She details, over 200 pages, the repeated failings of local authorities, police forces, government departments and indeed the legal system, which treats the victims of the most horrific abuse as somehow culpable.

She was tasked to look into the issue following a clamour for a national inquiry earlier this year. Bundled up in those calls - propelled by Elon Musk - ...

What is Israel's end game in Iran? Does it genuinely believe Iran is making nuclear weapons - or is this about overthrowing the whole regime? Did Trump make Iran more dangerous when he ripped up the diplomatic deal Obama had forged with the country? And will Trump end up dragging America into a brand new Middle East war?

We talk to CNN correspondent and Ex Files host, Christiane Amanpour and ask how Iranians themselves are feeling ...

The last two decades have led to the last 24 hours: Israel, going for broke and launching an all out assault on Iran’s nuclear programme. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu claims he is trying to prevent a “nuclear holocaust.” But why now? And in acting in this way will Israel succeed in halting an Iranian nuclear weapon or guarantee it?

PLUS Lewis talks at length to Zia Yusuf, the former Reform Chairman about that weekend, where he resi...

This week on The Sports Agents...

We hear the secrets behind match fixing from convicted match fixer and former professional footballer, Moses Swaibu. With the Lucas Paqueta trial coming to an end, Swaibu tells us how many people it takes to fix a match, what signs you can look out for, and how to put an end to all of this. (01:00)

Mark heads down to Soccer Aid to chat to a host of sporting stars. What does Joe Hart make of Mancheste...

It's been 3 days since the streets of Ballymena in Northern Ireland went from peaceful protest to full on riots. Since then, 41 police officers have been injured, rioters have hurled petrol bombs, and people have fled their homes as hate-filled mobs set fire to them.

As the tensions builds and the protests turn to racist rioting, is this more of what we saw in Southport last summer, or is this specific to Northern Irish identity?

L...

Today, in a marked change of tone, Rachel Reeves laid out her spending review. The Chancellor set out budgets for government departments, boosting budgets for the NHS and Home Office. But the Tories are calling her approach "spend now, tax later".

So is this the plan too ambitious? And are tax rises inevitable in the Autumn? And can Reeve's spending review help to rebuild her reputation? We speak to the Chief Secretary to the Treas...

Keir Starmer has done his first media round since the u-turn on winter fuel payments, attempting to argue that the country’s finances are now stable and also still reeling from Liz Truss mini budget. 9 million pensioners are now eligible for the benefit. Including many well off couples. Is this really the best use of public money when young families are struggling and child poverty is double the level of pensioner poverty?

Later, t...

Why has Trump sent the National Guard onto the streets of L.A. to deal with protests against his immigration raids? Normally, this would only happen at the invitation of the State's governor. This time, Trump acted without consultation - and the governor, Gavin Newsom, is now threatening to sue him.

Is Trump right to say he needs to assert law and order on a few protestors before it gets out of control? Is this a personal vendetta...

Last night, one of the world's most powerful relationships came to a dramatic end. Over the course of one evening, Elon Musk set fire to his already fracturing partnership with Donald Trump. The bitter feud over Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' spilled out to accusations that the President is in the Epstein files and calls for his impeachment.

As the break up plays out on social media, Jon and Lewis ask is the bromance truly over? Will...