Newscast

Today, Keir Starmer says it's "staggering" he was not told Lord Mandelson had failed security vetting for his appointment as US ambassador.
Speaking from a summit in France, the prime minister says he's "absolutely furious" and will update MPs in Parliament on Monday. Opposition leaders are calling on Starmer to resign, accusing him of "catastrophically poor judgement" and of being "incompetent, gullible or a liar. Adam and Chris go through the details and discuss how damaging this could be.
And, we take a deep dive into the Scottish Parliament elections, with cost of living, immigration and energy top of the agenda.Adam is joined by Alex Forsyth, James Cook and pollster and director of More in Common, Luke Tryl to look at what the parties are promising as they go head to head in their first debates.
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New 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://bbc.in/4guXgXd

Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren and Anna Harris with Shiler Mahmoudi. The social producer was Grace Braddock. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, the Prime Minister has denied knowing that Lord Mandelson failed security vetting for the role of US ambassador until earlier this week.
Sir Keir Starmer has faced calls to resign over allegations he misled Parliament and MPs when he claimed "full due process" was followed during the appointment.
It came after the Guardian newspaper reported, external that Lord Mandelson was initially denied security clearance in late January 2025 but this was overruled by the Foreign Office to ensure the peer could take up the post.
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://bbc.in/newscastdiscord
Get in touch with Newscast by emailing [email protected] or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.
New 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://bbc.in/4guXgXd

Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Joe Wilkinson. The social producer was Gabriel Purcell-Davis. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, an undercover BBC investigation has found evidence of law firms and legal advisors helping migrants pretend to be gay to get asylum.
Migrants were advised to take staged photos at nightclubs, attend LGBT events and to go to GPs pretending to be depressed to obtain medical evidence to support their cases. Adam and Chris are joined by BBC politics investigation correspondent Billy Kenber, who uncovered the story.
In response to our findings, the Home Office said: "Anyone found trying to exploit the system will face the full force of the law, including removal from the UK."
Plus, Adam also checks in with Faisal, who’s in the US at the IMF’s annual conference. He fills us in on the indirect war of words between Rachel Reeves and her US counterpart, Scott Bessent.
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://bbc.in/newscastdiscord
Get in touch with Newscast by emailing [email protected] or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.
New 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://bbc.in/4guXgXd

Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Anna Harris with Shiler Mahmoudi. The social producer was Joe Wilkinson. The technical producer was Jonathan Greer. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, a former Nato chief has said that the UK's security and safety is "in peril" and Sir Keir Starmer's government has shown "corrosive complacency" towards defence.
In a directly political intervention, Lord Robertson - who is now a key government adviser - says "We cannot defend Britain with an ever-expanding welfare budget."

It comes on the day the IMF has warned the energy shock from the Iran war will hit the UK the hardest of the world's advanced economies.

Adam and Chris are joined by Ben Chu from BBC Verify and Helen Miller from the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
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://bbc.in/newscastdiscord
Get in touch with Newscast by emailing [email protected] or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.
New 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://bbc.in/4guXgXd

Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Shiler Mahmoudi and Anna Harris. The social producer was Gabriel Purcell-Davis. The technical producer was Jonathan Greer . The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, an inquiry has found the Southport murders “could have been prevented” if the killer’s parents and authorities had done more in the years leading up to the attack.
The inquiry’s report lists factors such as a "misunderstanding of autism" and “failure in information sharing” as examples of the “systematic failures”. Adam is joined by Judith Moritz, special correspondent and Daniel Sandford home Affairs correspondent who have been covering the story.
Adam also catches up with Americast host and North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher after President Trump announcing a blockade of Iranian ports after the talks in Pakistan didn’t end up in a deal. This comes as President Trump has been publicly arguing with an unusual opponent… the Pope.
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://bbc.in/newscastdiscord
Get in touch with Newscast by emailing [email protected] or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.
New 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://bbc.in/4guXgXd

Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Shiler Mahmoudi and Anna Harris. The social producer was Gabriel Purcell-Davis and Joe Wilkinson. The technical producer was Gareth Evans. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.