Shadow Chancellor Mel Unshelled on the Spring Statement

Today, Laura, Paddy and Henry discuss Justin Welby’s first interview since resigning as Archbishop of Canterbury last year. He said he forgave the serial abuser John Smyth who was at the heart of the scandal that led to his resignation. In 2024 a damning review found that Welby "could and should" have done more to bring Smyth to justice.Plus, we take a look at the week ahead for the economy, as bills are set to rise across the country and tariffs from President Trump may come into force. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://discord.gg/m3YPUGv9New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bit.ly/3ENLcS1 Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O’Connell. It was made by Chris Gray with Nancy Geddes. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.

Laura's full interview with the former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. In November, he became the first Archbishop to quit as a result of a scandal in the Church in more than 1,000 years, after a damning independent review found he did not follow up rigorously enough on reports about John Smyth, a serial abuser of children and young men.Advice and support is available at bbc.co.uk/actionlineYou can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.You can join our Newscast online community here: https://discord.gg/m3YPUGv9New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bit.ly/3ENLcS1

Today, Laura and Paddy speak to Mark Lowen, the BBC journalist who was deported from Turkey after being arrested in Istanbul. Mark had been there for several days to report on the ongoing protests that were sparked by the Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu's arrest last week. He tells about what happened to him and the political situation in the country. And Laura tells us about her interview with Justin Welby. In November, he became the first Archbishop to quit as a result of a scandal in the Church in more than 1,000 years, after a damning independent review found he did not follow up rigorously enough on reports about John Smyth, a serial abuser of children and young men.You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://discord.gg/m3YPUGv9New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bit.ly/3ENLcS1 Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O’Connell. It was made by Chris Gray with Nancy Geddes. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.

Adam, Chris, Alex and Faisal discuss the impact of President Trump’s new 25% tariff on cars, whether Labour’s proposed welfare changes are more about balancing the budget than reforms, and Baroness Sue Gray has issued a warning in her maiden speech in the House of Lords about the language used around cuts to the civil service.You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.You can join our Newscast online community here: https://discord.gg/NbuxWnmYNew episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bit.ly/3ENLcS1Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Adam Fleming. It was made by Chris Gray with Anna Harris. The technical producer was Rohan Madison. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, Adam is joined by Jeremy Bowen to discuss the summit taking place in Paris, where Europe’s leaders have united behind support for Ukraine and further sanctions against Russia.Plus, Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride is in the studio to give Adam and Chris his verdict on yesterday’s Spring Statement. And, it wouldn’t be Mel Stride on Newscast without a political sporting metaphors quiz. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://discord.gg/NbuxWnmYNew episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bit.ly/3ENLcS1 Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Adam Fleming. It was made by Miranda Slade with Shiler Mahmoudi and Nancy Geddes. The technical producer was Rohan Madison. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a set of measures aimed at restoring her fiscal headroom.Adam and Chris are joined by Faisal Islam and Dharshini David to unpack everything the Chancellor revealed today, including cuts to welfare spending. Plus we dive into the Office for Budget Responsibility’s forecast - and their many, many, charts. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.You can join our Newscast online community here: https://discord.gg/m3YPUGv9New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bit.ly/3ENLcS1Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Adam Fleming. It was made by Miranda Slade with Anna Harris, Shiler Mahmoudi and Julia Webster. The technical producer was Rohan Madison. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, we look at the fall out after a journalist revealed that he had been mistakenly added to a groupchat where US security leaders were discussing air strikes in Yemen. Many of the security officials on the Signal app chat have been testifying at a worldwide threat assessment hearing in the Senate.Adam is joined by BBC chief presenter in Washington Caitríona Perry and former Pentagon top US government security official Celeste Wallander.Plus, a lawyer investigating former Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe has found "credible evidence" he and his staff mistreated two female team members. He denies the allegations. Chris is on to explain what’s happening.You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://discord.gg/m3YPUGv9New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bit.ly/3ENLcS1 Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Adam Fleming. It was made by Chris Flynn with Anna Harris and Shiler Mahmoudi. The technical producer was Ricardo McCarthy. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, delegates from the US and Russia are meeting for another round of talks on the war in Ukraine. The meeting follows Witkoff’s comments on Tucker Carson’s podcast over the weekend where he said President Putin is “not a bad guy” and questioned Ukraine’s claims to parts of its own country.Adam is joined by North America editor Sarah Smith and diplomatic correspondent James Landale.Plus, David Dimbleby tells Adam all about the free market revolution ahead of the release of his new podcast ‘Invisible Hands’. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://discord.gg/m3YPUGv9New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bit.ly/3ENLcS1 Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Adam Fleming. It was made by Chris Flynn with Shiler Mahmoudi and Anna Harris. The technical producer was Stephen Bailey. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.

What could the Spring Statement mean for the UK?Today, Laura, Paddy and Henry discuss Laura’s interview with chancellor Rachel Reeves about proposed cuts to the civil service and welfare system.You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.You can join our Newscast online community here: https://discord.gg/m3YPUGv9New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bit.ly/3ENLcS1Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O’Connell. It was made by Adam Chowdhury. Digital production by Sophie Millward. The technical producer was Rohan Madison. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, Laura and Paddy look ahead to the Spring Statement after Rachel Reeves ruled out "tax and spend" policies, signalling that she will neither raise taxes nor government budgets.The chancellor has been speaking to Laura for a BBC documentary called ‘The Making of a Chancellor, which you can listen to on BBC Sounds: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00298hqAlso Paddy tries out a new metaphor.You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.You can join our Newscast online community here: https://discord.gg/m3YPUGv9New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bit.ly/3ENLcS1Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O’Connell . It was made by Lewis Vickers with Adam Chowdhury. Digital production by Sophie Millward. The technical producer was Rohan Madison. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.