Newscast

It’s double episode Newscast kind of day! Rishi Sunak has made a surprise statement in Downing Street.

He said democracy is being targeted by extremists, and there are forces that are "trying to tear us apart". Adam speaks to deputy political editor Vicky Young to discuss why Rishi Sunak made this speech today and what message he was trying to get across.

And Newsnight Political Editor Nicholas Watt gives us an insight into why Rochdale by-election winner George Galloway is so controversial.

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Today, we look at the result from the by-election in Rochdale.

George Galloway from the Workers Party of Britain won with a resounding majority. Independent candidate David Tully came second as Labour and the Conservatives only received just over a quarter of the vote put together to come third and fourth. Is this a clear rejection of Keir Starmer’s position on Gaza?

Adam is in the studio, Chris is in a bumpy car, and they are joined by pollster, Scarlett Maguire, and North West Tonight Political Editor, Annabel Tiffin.

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Today, we look at the missed opportunities to stop Sarah Everard’s killer Wayne Couzens.

An independent review has found Police "repeatedly failed" to spot warning signs about Couzens’ unsuitability to be an officer. Couzens abducted, raped and murdered Ms Everard while off duty in March 2021. The review also calls for a radical overhaul of police vetting and recruitment. Adam and Chris speak to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. They also discuss with Mayor Khan islamophobia and the comments of Lee Anderson.

You can join our Newscast online community here: https://tinyurl.com/newscastcommunityhere

Today's Newscast was presented by Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Gemma Roper and Sam McLaren. The assistant editor was Chris Gray. The senior news editor was Jonathan Aspinwall.

Today, we look at the government announcement of £31m for MPs’ security with politicians from both sides of the house.

Labour MP Kim Leadbeater speaks to Adam about the threats she faces, how she deals with them, and what’s changed in the years since the murder of her sister Jo Cox in 2016.

Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood joins Adam and Chris to give his view on the new security measures, following protestors recently targeting his family home.

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Today, we look at the financial crisis at Birmingham City Council, which has led to the “largest” budget cut in local authority history + How is IVF impacting the US Presidential Race?

The council is attempting to fill a £300m budget shortfall over the next two years after effectively declaring itself bankrupt in September. Plans to tackle the deficit over the next two years were signed off by the cabinet on Tuesday ahead of being voted on by the full council on 5 March. Adam speaks to BBC political correspondent Alex Forsyth and Jane Haynes politics editor at Birmingham Live.

Plus, as Alabama’s supreme court defines frozen embryos as children, many IVF clinics stop their work. To find out more about the reproductive rights debate which is splitting the US Republican party Adam speaks to US special correspondent Katty Kay and chief election & campaign correspondent for CBS News, Robert Costa.

Today, we look at the continued row over Lee Anderson’s refusal to apologise for comments aimed at Sadiq Khan. The Ashfield MP has said his words were “clumsy”, but said saying sorry “would be a sign of weakness”. Rishi Sunak says the comments by Mr Anderson were “wrong” but fell short of describing them as Islamophobic.

Plus Adam and Chris are joined by leader of the SNP in the House of Commons, Stephen Flynn who says the Speaker Lindsay Hoyle is “pulling parliament into disrepute”.

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Today we look at the Conservative party’s response to Lee Anderson’s comments about the London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

Laura’s been talking to the Deputy PM Oliver Dowden. Paddy’s interviewed the former justice secretary Robert Buckland.

Newsnight political editor Nick Watt is also in the Newscast studio for analysis on the politics of it all, and he helps us get to the bottom of the row over whether the Speaker was threatened before his key Commons decision.

Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O’Connell. It was made by Chris Flynn with Catherine Fusillo. The technical producer was Jonny Baker. The assistant editor is Chris Gray and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

Today, we look at the reasons behind Lee Anderson’s suspension from the Tory party after "refusing to apologise" for comments aimed at Sadiq Khan. The London Mayor has accused Anderson of racism.

Laura and Paddy also speak to Vadym Prystaiko, former Ukrainian ambassador to the UK, about the two year anniversary of the Russian full scale invasion of Ukraine, and about his sacking by Volodymyr Zelensky.

You can join our Newscast online community here: https://tinyurl.com/newscastcommunityhere

Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O’Connell. It was made by Chris Flynn with Catherine Fusillo and Samuel McLaren. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Chris Gray and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

Today, we look at Shamima Begum losing her latest bid to regain UK citizenship, and the upcoming release of Keir Starmer’s political biography.

Begum has lost an appeal against a decision to revoke her UK citizenship. The 24 year old travelled to Syria aged 15 to join Islamic State Group, with the government revoking her citizenship in 2019. Is this the end of her legal options? Adam is joined by Joshua Baker, creator of ‘I’m Not A Monster, The Shamima Begum Story’.

To hear the full story, listen on BBC Sounds here - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p08yblkf

And, who is the real Keir Starmer? Adam speaks to his biographer Tom Baldwin about Starmer’s upbringing, his career before Westminster and claims he is “boring”.

Today we look at the pressure building on Sir Lindsay Hoyle, and ask whether he could be replaced as speaker of the House of Commons?

Rishi Sunak says Sir Lindsay Hoyle's decision to break with convention on a Gaza ceasefire vote is "very concerning". More than 60 MPs now say they have no confidence in Hoyle, who has apologised twice for making the "wrong decision". Adam speaks to defence secretary Grant Shapps about that, the anniversary of the war in Ukraine and the failed Trident missile launch.

You can join our Newscast online community here: https://tinyurl.com/newscastcommunityhere

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 Gemma Roper. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.