The Royal Family: Abolish, reform or carry on?

You might think, just days into a major conflict in the Middle East, that Donald Trump and Keir Starmer would be speaking regularly, supporting each other, and coordinating among allies. That's how it normally works in the 'Special Relationship' right?Instead, Trump has taken to The Sun to blast the Prime Minister as "not helpful", accusing him of imperilling the transatlantic alliance, and suggesting that his decision not to join US strikes may have been because he is worried about losing Muslim votes. Keir Starmer, for his part, has also issued veiled criticism of the US approach - telling the Commons that the UK does not believe in regime change "from the skies". It's a remarkable breakdown in relations - does it mark the end of the 'Special Relationship'?Later, a new poll following the Gorton and Denton by-election puts the Greens in second place with Labour languishing on 16%. Why is Starmer so quick to label the Greens extremist when he wouldn't say the same about Reform? And how does Labour address a dual populist threat from the Left and the Right?The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Keir Starmer has agreed to a US request to use British military bases for "defensive" strikes on Iranian missile sites. But the Prime Minister said the UK has learned lessons from the "mistakes of Iraq", and was not involved in the strikes on Iran. So why are we letting the US bomb Iran from our bases if we can’t say whether we support the war or not?The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Iranian state television confirmed this morning that the country's supreme leader had been killed by joint US-Israeli strikes. President Trump addressed the world from his beach resort Mar-a-Lago to declare that "freedom is at hand" for Iran, urging citizens there to rise up against their repressive government.It’s potentially a pivotal moment in the Middle East as we wait to see if a brutal regime, that has slaughtered so many of its own people, falls. But it’s also a moment of high tension - Iran has already hit back across the region with strikes of its own. And, without taking out the entire regime - including the revolutionary guards that support it - it is possible that nothing in Iran changes but the rest of the world is dragged into major conflict.Is this Trump's biggest gamble yet? Does international law matter any more? And how many casualties will ensue from a president who promised an end to "forever wars"?The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

For all Labour's insistence that the Gorton and Denton by-election was a straight fight between them and Reform - the Greens demonstrated in Greater Manchester that they are now a fighting force on the radical Left of British politics, who present a new kind of challenge to Keir Starmer.Hannah Spencer won convincingly, with Labour floundering in third place. Starmer visited the constituency earlier this week - a rare move for a Prime Minister not totally convinced of an imminent victory - so how much of this defeat lays squarely with him? And what does it mean for his party's direction of travel looking forward?Matt Goodwin blamed "sectarianism" for Reform's shortcomings - and Kemi Badenoch accused Labour of creating a "monster of harvesting Muslim community bloc votes...that came back to bite them". That comes amid reports of 'family voting' - what has happened and is there really anything remarkable about religious groups being targeted in our political campaigning? Or is it a tale as old as our democracy?The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

The recent killing of Mexican drug lord ‘El Mencho’ has caused unrest and cartel violence across the country. Guadalajara - one of Mexico’s host cities in this summer’s World Cup - was one of the worst affected. So what state are we left in, just months away from the tournament? Should fans be worried about the threat of cartel violence? And with ICE and President Trump ever present in the U.S. - should more questions be asked of their hosting? Gabby and Mark are joined by The Athletic’s Adam Crafton.Plus, we look back at the best bits from The Sports Agents this week - do England need a makeover after their Six Nations collapse? And how did Netflix's Drive To Survive grow Formula One's fan base by hundreds of millions, where three in four new fans are female? 📩 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/@thesportsagentsInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesportsagents/X - https://x.com/sportsagentspod📥 Email: [email protected] Producer: Adonis PratsidesProducer: Sophie PenneyProducer: George Sexton-KerrVideo Producer: Sam TrudgillSocial Media Editor: Becky ThompsonTom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast networkVicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for GlobalYou 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 Royal family is no stranger to headlines, scandal and existential crisis. But with the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the mood has shifted leaving the future of the Royals more uncertain than ever before. Can the British monarchy be reformed? Or is this the beginning of the end for the Royal family?The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

In a dramatic statement to MPs this morning, Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle revealed that he had felt "duty-bound" to report to the police what he had heard on a recent trip to the British Virgin Islands - that Peter Mandelson was due to head to the island. It was that tip off which led to Mandelson being arrested and questioned by the Met on Monday, and an allegation that has been called "baseless" by our former ambassador to the Washington.Why did Mandelson point the finger at a different parliamentarian for his arrest? Why did ugly scenes at PMQs follow? And is it undermining Labour's campaign in the Gorton and Denton by-election?Later, we speak to justice minister Sarah Sackman about the "courts blitz" announced by the government, that by-election, and Peter Mandelson.The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Late yesterday afternoon Peter Mandelson was led from his London house by two plain clothes police officers with very visible body cameras into an unmarked police car. In the bland euphemism that followed a Met statement told us a 72 year old man had been arrested in Camden. Today we discuss what this move does to Starmer, his party, and the wider reputation of New Labour. And we have insight into Mandelson’s own state of mind at 4 am this morning. He has denied all criminal wrong doing. Later, we speak to education secretary Bridget Philipson about the last 24 hours, the last 12 months and her own reforms to special educational needs.The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Trump is not a happy bunny. It all started on Friday when the Supreme Court declared his tariffs - the backbone of his economic policy - illegal. By this morning it was worse. He’s stomping around threatening the Supreme Court with a lower-case, no caps name (seriously) and warning his tariffs policy is about to get "more obnoxious".Has the ruling delivered a fatal blow to his authority? Can leaders around the world see that? And will they respond by toughening up their own stance on trade?Later, Australia confirms it’s ready to drop Andrew from the line of Royal succession. The first of 14 commonwealth countries that need to give sign off to the act of parliament. Is this a help or a hindrance to Keir Starmer ?The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

The tentacles of Epstein’s billionaire paedophile ring crossed continents, age, political persuasion and profession. That much is all clear from the files. But what we are still piecing together is how Epstein made his millions in the first place. Was it endowed? Stolen? Invested? Or blackmail?This Friday, Jon and Emily speak to American journalist, Anand Giridharadas, about the 'Epstein class' and how it was allowed to flourish. And ask whether it still exists?The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/