This Is Why

Taking a hot shower, heating your home, cooking dinner – all things we take for granted. All at risk.

Britain’s gas storage levels are at a decade-low, while the UK’s largest storage facility faces closure as its stockpiles near empty.

Wars in the Middle East and Ukraine continue to constrain supplies and push up prices. And what if Donald Trump goes through with his threat to put "America first" and stop the flow of fuel abroad?

Niall Paterson is joined by Sky's economics and data editor Ed Conway, who was given exclusive access to a previously unseen emergency planning exercise – revealing what would happen if the country runs out of gas.

You can watch Ed’s full investigation here.

Have you got a question for Niall? Email us: [email protected]

Imagine being tear-gassed and targeted with stun grenades – all for complaining about timetables, absent teachers and crumbling classrooms.

That’s the experience of thousands of French students, whose initial demonstrations over high school conditions have evolved into a wider national protest across 40 towns and cities.

Parents, teachers and a sympathetic public have all joined pupils on the barricades. But far-right groups have accused those on the left of politicising the movement.

And while the use of stun grenades has now been suspended in France, the response from the police and government has been heavy-handed and heavily criticised – just months before a general election.

Niall Paterson is joined by NBC News chief foreign correspondent and co-host of The World podcast, Richard Engel – and Ruby Celemenski, a 17-year-old student in Lyon who has witnessed the police response first-hand.

Cheat Sheet - all the news you need to know in 10 minutes.

On today’s episode, Wilfred Frost and Lucy McDaid discuss whether there could be a “Badenoch bounce” following the Tory leader’s party conference speech later.

Meanwhile, a death row inmate is said to be “conscious and speaking” after surviving a failed execution attempt.

Wilf and Lucy also discuss the student protests in France, the death of a Russian lab worker from suspected pneumonic plague, and England’s win over the Czech Republic in the Nations League.

In the 14th Century, the Black Death wiped out up to half the population of Europe. So, no wonder world leaders, including Donald Trump, are keeping a careful watch on a plague scare in Eastern Russia.

One laboratory worker from a plague research facility in Siberia has died, with fears they may have been exposed to pneumonic plague – the most virulent and dangerous form of the disease. A further 200 people were placed in quarantine.

With the Covid pandemic still fresh in people’s minds, what is pneumonic plague and how worried should we be about a potential outbreak?

Niall Paterson speaks to Sky’s science and medical correspondent Thomas Moore.

Have you got a question for Niall? Email us: [email protected]

Green party members have backed a motion that “Zionism is racism” at their party conference.

It has exposed deep divisions within the party’s membership - with many long-time members saying they are considering leaving - and within the leadership. Four of the party's five MPs opposed it, and leader Zack Polanski put forward amendments to the motion that were later rejected.

Israel has responded by banning Polanski, who is himself Jewish, from entering the country.

Niall Paterson spoke to the chair of Jewish Greens and long-time party member Vivien Lichtenstein, who has marched against the Gaza war but is now weighing up leaving. He was also joined by Sky News political correspondent Alexandra Rogers, who was at the Green Party conference this weekend.

Have you got a question for Niall? Email the show – [email protected]

The sister-in-law of the 82-year-old explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes travelled from her home abroad to check into a care home where his friends believed he was staying. She managed to meet him and told Sky News how delighted he was to see her.

It was a rare visit as his friends and family continue to raise concerns that they are being blocked from seeing him. Cheshire Police though have said "no immediate safeguarding concerns have been identified at this time".

Niall Paterson spoke to Arabella Pepper, who is the sister of Sir Ranulph's first wife, about that visit last year. He also spoke to friend and fellow explorer Sir David Hempleman-Adams about Sir Ranulph's achievements.

Have you got a question for Niall? Email the show – [email protected]

Guilty. The damning verdict in favour of the Premier League against one of its most successful clubs – Manchester City.

The case concerned more than a hundred charges – from disguised funding to misleading accounts – with possible consequences ranging from points deductions to expulsion from the Premier League.

But rather than backing down, the club has come out fighting – insisting an independent commission got it wrong and vowing to appeal.

With City standing firm and the punishment still undecided, there could be a long way to go before the final whistle.

Niall Paterson is joined by Sky’s sports correspondent Rob Harris, who has been following the case and putting questions to the club’s most senior figures for more than a decade.

Have you got a question for Niall? Email us: [email protected]

Since the fall of Saddam Hussein more than two decades ago, the US has had a near-continuous military presence in Iraq... until now.

The last troops have been withdrawn, ending a process started by Joe Biden and endorsed by Donald Trump. But the timing of the departure has been questioned - with the US still at war with Iran.

According to Iraqi security experts, the withdrawal could give Tehran and its proxies free rein, while also risking a comeback from the Islamic State terror group.

So, why have Americans decided to leave Iraq now? And what will it mean for the future of the country - and stability of the wider region?

Niall Paterson is joined by Sky's military analyst Robert Clark, who served in the British military in Iraq and Afghanistan.

There is more exclusive analysis and content on the conflict in the Middle East on the new Sky News Defence Insider app.

Sky News Defence Insider is a subscription app designed for audiences seeking deeper insight into defence, security and global affairs.

Download and subscribe here.

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It’s long been seen as politically untouchable – but Andy Burnham has finally fired the starting gun on reforms to the state pension triple lock.

First brought in by David Cameron’s coalition government, the measure of increasing pension payments by the higher of inflation, average wage rises or 2.5% a year was introduced to offset years of underfunding.

But the new prime minister has used his first party conference speech as Labour leader to put the triple lock on the negotiating table – against the wishes of the unions, opposition parties and plenty of his own supporters.

So, how does the triple lock work and what could take its place? What is the cost to the country and is reforming the system as straightforward as it appears?

Niall Paterson is joined by Claire Moffat, a pension and tax expert at Royal London.

Have you got a question for Niall? Email us: [email protected]

Who are you more likely to believe, Donald Trump or a farmer from the Cotswolds?

Five UK nationals have been arrested on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offences after a major incident was declared at an RAF airbase in Gloucestershire over the weekend.

But they were later released on bail, as counter-terror police remain “open-minded” about whether the incident is linked to a foreign state such as Iran.

So, why did the US president claim the group had been “under investigation” for a long time – while a local resident insists she was the one who alerted the police after spotting a group of masked men?

What do we know about this investigation? And what does it tell us about how the UK is being targeted by proxies?

Niall Paterson is joined by Sky’s home affairs editor Jason Farrell.

Have you got a question for Niall? Email us: [email protected]