The News Agents

Last night, President Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he was "demanding" allies provided back up in the Strait of Hormuz and send ships to keep the supply of oil flowing.

“If there’s no response or if it’s a negative response", he warned, "I think it will be very bad for the future of Nato."

Keir Starmer’s response this morning was clear - the PM insisting that the UK would not be dragged into a wider war. Instead, he’s working with European allies on a "viable plan" to ease the crisis. Others have used even stronger language. The Germans have said the war has "nothing to do with NATO". Luxembourg's deputy PM has warned his country won't listen to "blackmail". Italy has rejected Trump's request. Others too, are deciding that they no longer need to pander to the man in the White House.

Has Europe reached a fundamental turning point now when it comes to America? Does it see Trump - and his war -as a toxic asset? And how do we navigate lower oil prices in the midst of this geopolitical chaos?

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Just over a year ago, Lewis spoke to Gabriel Pogrund and Patrick Maguire, co-authors of the authoritative account of Keir Starmer's rise to power 'Get In: The Inside Story of Labour under Starmer'.

Their book shone a light on the weird political inertia at the heart of the Starmer project, often lacking in instinct, allies, and any particular ideological belief. Morgan McSweeney was the driving force behind the operation that thrust him into Downing Street - his authority draining the second he picked his cabinet.

McSweeney is now gone. The Mandelson scandal still poses a potentially existential threat to Starmer's premiership. The UK has been sucked into a conflict Starmer did not want to fight. The local elections in two months' time look like they will be brutal.

Gabriel and Patrick have just released the updated paperback edition of their book. Does it take us any closer to understanding who is the real Keir Starmer?

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Playing in front of a record 80,000 fans at Twickenham, captaining your country in a World Cup final and winning World Rugby’s Player of the Year… all in a day's work for Sophie De Goede.

All that despite returning from a huge ACL injury just one month before the World Cup, Canada crowdfunding to get there, and training against teammates' partners to make up the numbers. Sophie joins Gabby and Mark to talk about where women's rugby goes next.

Plus we look back at the best bits from The Sports Agents this week - was it right for Tottenham to sub their goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky after a 17-minute nightmare? And how can Welsh rugby build back to its former glory?

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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney

Producer: George Sexton-Kerr

Video Producer: Sam Trudgill

Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".

👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

The release of the Mandelson files revealed that Keir Starmer pushed on with appointing Peter Mandelson as US ambassador despite warnings over his links to Epstein. The National Security Adviser, Jonathan Powell, called the appointment 'weirdly rushed' and said that Mandelson was ‘always a disaster’. The Prime Minister 'it was me that made the mistake'.

So, was due diligence really followed in the appointment of Mandelson? And how much have we actually learnt from the files?

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Trump has made it clear he thinks it’s time to end the war with Iran. There’s only one problem: Iran is not so sure it wants to. By using cheap, fairly low tech drones it’s managed to strike cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The message it’s sending out is clear: we can disrupt the flow and the price of oil from our waters. The regime today has told the world to brace for the price of a barrel of oil to rocket to $200. It’s the last thing Trump wants to hear. So has Iran got Trump over a barrel (of oil)? And what, if anything, can he do about it?

Later, why Starmer has had his best fortnight in the job - and why Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch seem to have forgotten about the sovereignty they claimed was so important it made Brexit necessary.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

In a zig-zagging, confused and at times weirdly low energy press conference from President Donald Trump last night, a remarkably new tone was struck on the conflict in Iran. Just hours earlier, his defence secretary Pete Hegseth had announced that this stage of the war was "just the beginning". But yesterday evening. Trump declared that the conflict was, in fact, "very complete"; at one point even downplaying the US attacks as "an excursion" rather than a war.

It doesn't take a genius to work out what's behind the volte-face - following his intervention, the price of oil plummeted. Welcome respite for the markets, but where does it leave Trump's war objectives? What does it mean for the Iranian people, who'd been promised regime change? Has Trump bottled it? And does that risk emboldening the regime in Tehran?

Later - why is white genocide being casually discussed on GB News? And why have Kwasi Kwarteng and Nigel Farage teamed up in a crypto venture?

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

For a Prime Minister obsessed with driving down the cost of living, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East is shaping up to be something of a nightmare. Oil prices have surged, the Bank of England is now expected to raise, rather than cut, interest rates, and the AA is telling drivers to consider cutting down on non-essential journeys due to the price of the pumps.

The war has shown no sign of winding up - indeed over the weekend Donald Trump seemed to leave open the idea that it could last more than six weeks. Remarkably, his press secretary failed to rule out a return of the draft, not seen in America since the Vietnam war. Why? Because the desired endgame for the Trump administration is still very difficult to see. A new Supreme Leader has been installed and appears to be as hardline as his predecessor father. Iranian missiles are still raining down on the region. And if gas prices continue to squeeze Americans, could Trump find himself blinking first?

Later, Tony Blair's off the record remarks about Keir Starmer became very much on the record after his criticisms of the current Prime Minister's resistance to joining the US efforts in Iran made their way into the press. Jon and Lewis discuss why Downing Street is unlikely to be losing any sleep from the advice being dished out by its former occupant.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Jon and Lewis are back to mark the end of a momentous week in geopolitics with a special live Q&A taking your questions.

When will we know if the conflict in the Middle East has morphed into World War 3? Why has American politics embraced 'toxic masculinity' and 'big d*ck energy'? And how badly do the local elections need to be for Labour in order for Keir Starmer to be toppled?

Plus, a bit of trivia about the 1924 Winter Olympics thrown in for good measure.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

When the Winter Paralympics get underway this weekend in Italy history will be made. Davy Zyw was diagnosed with motor neurone disease at the age of 30 and given 18 months to live… but he’s now 38 and he’s going to be the first person to compete at a Winter Paralympics with MND.

Defying his degenerating body, Davy will compete on the board for ParalympicsGB, with his five-year-old son watching on. He joins Gabby to tell his inspiring story.

Plus, we look back at the best bits from The Sports Agents this week - will the US-Iran conflict derail President Trump's World Cup? Have England pushed the Six Nations panic button and will it pay off? And what's it like to start a new football team from scratch in America's top league?

📩 Got a question? Send it here: https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7

💭 Tell us your thoughts in our listener survey: https://forms.gle/YMUvajQktqBuimgh6

🖥️ Watch our full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsAgentsPod

📱Follow us on socials:

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thesportsagents

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesportsagents/

X - https://x.com/sportsagentspod

📥 Email: [email protected]

Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney

Producer: George Sexton-Kerr

Video Producer: Sam Trudgill

Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".

👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

Much of the coverage of the Iran conflict this week has been trying to understand the British government’s position on America’s strikes. On Friday, Keir Starmer said that the UK would not allow American fighter jets headed for Iran to use British bases. And yet by Sunday, that position had changed. Why?

New reporting today may shed some light on that. Tim Shipman at the Spectator claims that Keir Starmer faced resistance, particularly from Ed Miliband and Yvette Cooper, when the National Security Council met late last week.

Was Keir Starmer effectively strong-armed into a diplomatic spat with Donald Trump by his own cabinet ministers? What does that say about his authority in the face of a major national - and international - crisis? And with criticism from allies including Cyprus about the sluggish reaction and deployment of British forces in the wake of Iranian aggression, has the past week been embarrassing for Britain on the world stage?

Plus, nearly a week on from Trump’s decision to strike at the heart of Iran and decapitate the regime in Tehran, are we actually any clearer on what his objectives are? We speak to Virginia Senator and vice-chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Mark Warner.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/