The Story

After weeks of trailing, flip-flopping, and media briefings, the government finally unveiled its budget. And while there were no real surprises, questions– both practical and existential– remain. Has Rachel Reeves done enough to save her and Keir Starmer’s jobs? And what will it mean for you, the listener? 

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guests: 

• Aubrey Allegretti, chief political correspondent, The Times, and 
• Rachel Mortimer, deputy money editor, The Times and The Sunday Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.   

Producer: Micaela Arneson. 

Read more: This budget may end up dooming Labour’s election chances

What does the budget mean for you?

Further listening: The Business

Clips: BBC News, Channel 4 News, ITV News, Sky News, Parliament.

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected]

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Of the thirteen sub-postmasters thought to have taken their own lives because of the Post Office scandal, only two have been named publicly. Michael Mann was one of them. Our reporter has spoken to his family, former partner and ex-colleagues to tell his story for the first time. 

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Hugo Daniel, news reporter, the Sunday Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producers: Edward Drummond and Shabnam Grewal.

Read more: The forgotten postmaster ‘hounded to death’ by investigators 

Further listening: The Post Office scandal: How a TV drama delivered justice

Clips: ITV, Channel 4 News, ITV News, Horizon Inquiry. 

Get in touch: [email protected]

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The prospect of peace in Ukraine may be edging closer, after the leak of a controversial 28-point plan to end the war prompted Ukrainian and Western officials to meet for ‘productive’ talks in Geneva. Is this the beginning of the end? And how does the latest proposal ensure that Russia will not invade again?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Mark Galeotti, Russia expert, writer, The Sunday Times. 

Host: Manveen Rana. 

Producer: Harry Stott, Micaela Arneson. 

Read more: Why Trump’s 28-point peace plan may just be a trap for Ukraine

Further listening: The girl who was kidnapped by Russia - the Sunday Story

Clips: Bloomberg, NBC, BBC, AP, Tucker Carlson / YouTube, Laura Logan / YouTube, Africanews. 

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected]

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A recent survey revealed that more than half of 16 to 34-year-olds have taken part in strangulation during sex, despite the risks of a loss of consciousness and stroke. Many feel a rise in choking in pornography is to blame, a practice the UK government is set to ban. Baroness Gabby Bertin has led an independent review which prompted the change in law.

This programme contains descriptions of strangulation during sex. 

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guests: 

• Helen Puttick, reporter, The Times,
• Samantha Browne, campaigner and former adult performer and,
• Baroness Gabby Bertin, Conservative peer.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Alula Hart.

Read more: 

Half of young adults have been choked during sex, survey finds 

Why the woman outlawing violent porn is just getting started 

Photo: Andrew Farrar for The Sunday Times.

Get in touch: [email protected]

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Across the Deep South, women raised to believe marriage was their destiny are now walking out, challenging the religious, cultural and political pressures that have shaped their lives. Meanwhile, the booming 'trad wife' movement, championed by conservative powerhouses like the late Trump supporter Charlie Kirk, is attracting a whole new generation of young women to embrace home and hearth and marry young. So, why are more marriages ending in divorce in the deep south than they are across liberal America? Could it mean the trad wife tradition will end in divorce?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Louise Callaghan, US correspondent, The Sunday Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Dave Creasey.

Read more: Meet the Deep South divorcees escaping life as trad wives

Clips: NBC, esteecwilliams.

Photo: Corey Arnold, The Times Magazine.

Get in touch: [email protected].

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tilly Norwood, the world's first 'AI actress' has rocked Hollywood, sparking union protests and denounced by actors such as Whoopi Goldberg, George Clooney and Emily Blunt. For some she's a threat to the artform, for others an inevitability. She'll never forget her lines, turn up late or fall drunk out of a bar. Tilly can appear in multiple films at once and even change her appearance at will. But what does her creator say? Is she the future of cinema? Eline Van der Velden tells her side of the story, from the A-list backlash, to developing Tilly's personality.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Host: Tom Whipple, science correspondent, The Times.

Producer: Dave Creasey.

Read more: I invented the AI actress Tilly Norwood. She’s no threat to Hollywood

Clips: NBC, CBS, Fox News, Particle6.

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected].

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The findings of the report into the political governance and decision making during the pandemic are damning about Boris Johnson’s government’s attempts to protect the public from the virus. Who was responsible for a “toxic and sexist culture” and who misled Downing Street?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Eleanor Hayward, health editor, The Times.

Host: Luke Jones.

Producer: Harry Stott.

Read more: Covid inquiry: eight key takeaways from the report

Clips: UK Covid-19 Inquiry.

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected]

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Trump has bowed to pressure from US lawmakers, including those in his own Republican party, to release files related to the investigation into the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. As leading MAGA figures start to rebel, we ask whether Trump has lost control over his base? 

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: George Grylls, Washington correspondent, The Times. 

Host: Luke Jones. 

Producers: Micaela Arneson, Olivia Case. 

Read more: Marjorie Taylor Greene: Americans won’t tolerate Trump’s Epstein files ‘bulls***’

Further listening: The new Epstein emails about Trump

Clips: BBC, Sky, PBS, MS Now / YouTube, Democrats / Facebook, Fox. 

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected]

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In an attempt to court the favour of the post-Assad regime in Syria, western countries have recently de-proscribed former terrorist groups. What does that mean for those who were deprived of their citizenship for allegedly associating with those groups, back when the West banned them?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Anthony Loyd, special correspondent, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Taryn Siegel.

Read more: Rabies, Russians and a return to scene of my kidnap, 11 years ago.

Further listening: Palmyra: Syria's past, present and future.

Clips: The Guardian, CNN, The Times, France 24.

Photo: Anthony Loyd for The Times.

Get in touch: [email protected].

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Home secretary Shabana Mahmood announced sweeping changes to the asylum rules yesterday; the largest overhaul since the Second World War. The changes have apparently been inspired by Denmark but will they work or are they - as one Labour MP said - ‘repugnant’?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guests: 

• Ben Clathworthy, Whitehall editor, The Times.
• Fraser Nelson, columnist, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producers: Olivia Case, Micaela Arneson, Harry Stott. 

Read more: Shabana Mahmood speech: Asylum policy to cope with ‘volatile’ world

Further listening: Doomed to fail? Labour’s asylum u-turn

Clips: Sky, Times Radio, parliamentlive.tv.

Photo: Andrew Fox for The Sunday Times.

Get in touch: [email protected] 

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.