The Story

10 Downing Street is a rabbit warren of offices in a Georgian townhouse, and the centre of power in Britain. But how much control does it really exert over the rest of government, does it matter who has what job, and should we turn the whole thing into a museum?

The political masterminds discuss how number 10 really works, and Polly explains why her husband thinks Canada is worse than North Korea.

Send questions, comments and voicenotes to [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.

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Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are locked in a tit-for-tat trade war, as both sides refuse to back down from retaliatory tariffs. China was hit with a whopping 125 per cent levy on exports to the US, and has fought back with 84% tariffs on American goods. So who will blink first? 

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: Rana Mitter, ST Lee Chair in US-Asia Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School. 

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Sam Chantarasak.

Clips: Reuters, CBS News. 

Photo: Times Design.

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.

As news unexpectedly emerged that the US and Iran are to hold talks in Oman this weekend, President Trump warned Tehran that it must either cut a deal to cease all nuclear weapons development, or face the very real threat of military strikes. But just as the Trump Administration is divided on whether or not to attack, so Iranian society is split between those who fear war and those who support removal of the regime at any cost.

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: Sanam Vakil, Director of Middle East and North Africa programme, Chatham House and Holly Dagres, Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute. 

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Edith Rousselot.

Further reading: Iran has every incentive to make a nuclear deal with Trump

Clips: Sky News, Fox News, TikTok, Al Jazeera, Straight Arrow News, Reuters.

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.

Britain’s obsessed with chicken - we eat more than a billion birds a year. And to (literally) feed our hunger, many farmers have turned to fast-growing birds. But now, a new initiative is persuading supermarkets and restaurants to try a slower-growing breed. Will it mean higher-welfare birds? 

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: Harry Wallop, Columist and Feature Writer, The Times.

Host: Luke Jones.

Producer: Olivia Case.

Clips: Internet Archive / Prelinger Archives / The Chicken of Tomorrow (1948).

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.

Stock markets around the world have taken a beating since Donald Trump unveiled his new tariffs. And it's not just the president's blue-collar base who'll feel the pain, so will his billionaire backers. As many in the MAGA coalition become more vocal, will Trump back down or hold fast to his 'medicine'?

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: Gerard Baker, columnist, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producers: Edward Drummond and Sam Chantarasak. 

Further reading: Trump tests America’s threshold for pain

Clips: CNN, ABC News, CBS News, Bloomberg, NBC News, CNBC, BBC News, New York Post. 

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.

Last week, President Trump announced sweeping tariffs on nearly all countries, including ones that don't have any human inhabitants. In the process, Trump remade the global economy in a single press conference. But the economic theory that Trump is basing this new world order on might be entirely false.

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: Mehreen Khan, Economics Editor, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Taryn Siegel.

Clips: WSJ News.

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.

This episode was originally published in February.

Having ruled the Chagos Islands since the 1800s, the UK now wants to cede sovereignty of the tiny archipelago in the Indian Ocean to Mauritius. But one island is home to a secretive US military base and, with the growing threat of Chinese influence in the region, America is worried. Yesterday, the Mauritian PM said Sir Keir Starmer intends to “push ahead” with his deal - Whitehall suggested the same. But if it does happen, might it risk the relationship between Donald Trump and the British Prime Minister?

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, Defence Correspondent, The Times. 

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Olivia Case.

Further reading: Trump’s secretary of state warns UK of China’s ‘malign influence.’

Further listening: Bannon vs Musk: The battle for the soul of Donald Trump.

Clips: The Times and The Sunday Times, Reuters, parliamentlive.tv, The Guardian, Reuters.

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.

This week has provided no respite in the saga surrounding Prince Harry's resignation from the charity he founded, as news broke that he he will be in the Court of Appeal next week in his fight for tax funded police protection on UK visits. Plus, an update on the King's diary following his hospital visit and the Queen meets domestic violence campaigners.

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 conviction of France’s far-right leader Marine Le Pen for embezzling European Union funds came as a major blow to her, preventing her from running in the 2027 presidential election race. Her party called the trial a 'witch hunt' and she accused the court of making a “political decision”, a sentiment shared by far-right politicians across the world. So, could Le Pen’s sentence strengthen far-right parties and benefit their leader’s popularity? And could she end up standing as president in any case?

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: Peter Conradi, Europe Editor, The Sunday Times. 

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Edith Rousselot.

Further reading:

• Jordan Bardella: immigrants’ son to French far-right poster boy

Further listening: 

• Young, French and voting hard-right
• How France’s left stopped a far-right surge 

Clips: AFP, France 24, Newsweek, TF1. 

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.

When Maxie Allen complained to his daughter’s primary school about the recruitment process for a new head teacher, he hoped it would result in more openness and transparency. Instead six uniformed officers from Hertfordshire police were sent to arrest Allen and his partner after the school objected to them sending numerous emails and to their criticisms including “disparaging” comments on a parents’ WhatsApp group. So, is this another case of police overreach? And what does it mean for our ability to criticise and communicate privately?

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: 

• Maxie Allen, producer, Times Radio, and
• Fiona Hamilton, Chief Reporter, The Times. 

Host: Manveen Rana. 

Producers: Edward Drummond and Sam Chantarasak.

Further reading:

• Police chief defends arrest of parents in school WhatsApp row
• Met Police smash down door of Quaker meeting house to arrest activists.

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.