The News Agents

Three by-elections and a win each for the three main parties. Labour won with the biggest electoral swing in their history in Selby and Ainsty, the Lib Dems won a huge majority in Somerton and Frome and the Conservatives just about held their seat in Uxbridge.

On the surface, the set of results are better than what the Tories had anticipated. But, better than terrible can still be pretty bad.

And does Labour Mayor of London Sadiq Khan need to rethink his ULEZ zone if Labour want to avoid struggling in next year's inner city campaigning? It sounds like Keir Starmer and Labour think so.

We're joined in News Agents HQ by Labour's Emily Thornberry and Sarah Olney from the Liberal Democrats to pick apart the results, and what this could mean for Tories, Labour and Lib Dems ahead of next year's general election.

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What is really up with Nigel Farage's bank account? We discuss, and hear from the man at the centre of what's quickly become a national banking storm.

And Defence Committee Chair and senior Tory MP Tobias Ellwood published a video earlier this week extolling the virtues of Afghanistan. Sort of forgetting that the country is led by the murderous Taliban regime. He now faces a no confidence vote. Why on earth did he do that?

Tomorrow voters in three English constituencies will head to the polls. Will the good news on inflation and car plants help Rishi Sunak? Will the backlash over child benefits harm Keir Starmer?

Or will none of it make any difference? Has the county already found an inflection point where it's looking for change? We hear from the pollster Lord Andrew Cooper.

And we talk to Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo about Barbie and her fall from paradise.

Defence secretary Ben Wallace has been one of the stalwarts of this government at a time when many cabinet positions have been musical chairs. But last weekend he suddenly announced he was quitting front line politics. In his first interview since the news broke - he tells Jon why and confirms he's heard rumours of a cabinet reshuffle in the coming days.

Later we hear from Jamie Oliver who has been fighting to make Britain’s kids healthier for almost twenty years. Who could forget the infamous turkey twizzler episode - and backlash - as the chef-turned-food campaigner took on the stodgy school dinner.

Today he’s back with a vengeance telling The News Agents Keir Starmer needs to provide free school means for 800,000 children on universal credit - and warning that his refusal to overturn the two child benefit cap will push thousands more into food poverty.

Emily and Jon host a new weekly podcast; giving you everything you need to know about the world of US politics and how it affects you.

Episodes are available every Tuesday exclusively on Global Player and all other platforms every Wednesday.

Find the latest episode of News Agents USA here on Global Player.

What's happening to Keir Starmer's policies? Yesterday he ditched another one, confirming that he would maintain the Conservative austerity policy that saw child benefit scrapped after two children.

Cue major backlash - and today a resignation from a Labour mayor (famously no fan of Starmer) citing too many broken promises from the leader. Meanwhile, Keir is warming to his theme of fiscal prudence. Is it enough to convince people that Labour has a fresh promise?

Later, we look at the resurgence of the morality police in Iran - over women who've ditched their head coverings. Is it a sign of confidence in the draconian regime - or are they losing their grip on the public ?

Shadow Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, grew up in poverty with his single mother on an east London council estate. But if Labour win the next election, he's nailed on to be in the cabinet.

His life story - which includes Christine Keeler, finding his feet at Cambridge and coming out as gay - is something he's kept relatively quiet about until the publication of his memoir: One Boy, Two Bills and a Fry Up.

In this special edition of The News Agents, Lewis speaks to the Labour MP for Ilford North about class, sexuality and religion, and he asks him about his political ambitions

The world's worst kept secret was revealed last night when Huw Edwards was named as the BBC presenter at the centre of the media storm.

In an emotional statement, his wife revealed he was in hospital and in a bad way. The Sun decided not to print further allegations. The BBC's own news teams went ahead with new breaking stories.

Where do we draw the line between HR complaints and investigative reporting?

Former editor of The Sun, David Yelland, is back with us - he asks if the BBC understand the asymmetric war being waged on it by News UK.

And later - has Boris Johnson really forgotten the pin number of his mobile phone?

'I love deadlines ... I love the whooshing sound they make when they go by.'

Monday 4pm was the cut off for Boris Johnson to hand over his phone and Whatsapp messages to the Covid Inquiry. 48 hours later that phone still hasn't reached its end destination.

Johnson says he's cooperating. The phone is with his lawyers. But the inquiry is waiting...

Meanwhile the Cabinet Secretary Simon Case has delivered a shot across the bows to his old boss accusing those who criticise the civil service of 'self-defeating cowardice'.

On today's episode we look at the political fall out and we also ask how an organisation like the BBC should cover a story about itself from the inside.

Another day of stories about a high profile BBC presenter at the centre of a sex scandal and and still no name.

Come 4pm, BBC News announced a second young person had come forward with a complaint about the same presenter.

We explore how privacy laws work in the media, when social media plays such a huge role - is this the Wild West when it comes to keeping a name out of the public domain?