The Story

From men wanting to buy her breast milk, to going undercover in the IVF wild west, investigative journalist and author Alev Scott has immersed herself in the murky, and often unregulated world of fertility. What she found was a trillion dollar industry, where the maternal body is a hot commodity. It also raised some serious ethical questions: How much, if anything, should breastmilk cost? Who should be allowed to buy it? And is it right that you can pay more for ‘VIP’ egg donors?

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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: Alev Scott, investigative journalist and author of Cash Cow.
Host: Manveen Rana.
Producer: Dave Creasey.
We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]
Read more: Undercover in Europe’s infertility and surrogacy industry
Photo: Getty Images & Mark Harrison for the Times magazine.

You can buy Cash Cow: How the maternal body became a global commodity – and the hidden costs for women at the Times Bookshop.
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The end of Britain’s political duopoly now looks complete, as Labour suffers a catastrophic by-election defeat to the Greens in Gorton and Denton. Reform comes second, while the Tories lose their deposit with just 2% of the vote. Keir Starmer is now a prisoner of the left, and Britain is undergoing a tectonic realignment of its electoral politics.

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

Hosts:
Steven Swinford, political editor, The Times
Patrick Maguire, chief political commentator, The Times
Gabriel Pogrund, Whitehall editor, The Sunday Times
Producer: Euan Dawtrey.
Executive Producer: Molly Guinness.
We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]
Photo: Getty Images.
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.

Today we're launching The Story's first ever listener survey!

Find it here: The Story survey

And thank you!
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.

After a six-month-long investigation into maternity care in England, the government has published its initial findings. The report reveals a catalog of failures at 12 NHS trusts – from inadequate staffing and poor facilities to racial discrimination. So what do bereaved families make of the findings? And can this broken system be fixed?

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:
Eleanor Hayward, health editor, The Times.
Poppy Koronka, health reporter, The Times.
Host: Luke Jones.
Producer: Micaela Arneson.
We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: NHS ‘incentivised’ to record baby deaths as stillborn
Further listening: Inside England's maternity scandal, part one
Photo: Getty Images.
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.

First Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested, then Peter Mandelson. The fallout has been swift, dramatic, and is still unfolding. Hosts Manveen Rana and Luke Jones answer your biggest questions about the two men and what comes next.

Neither men have been changed and they both deny any wrongdoing. We don’t know what evidence was used in their arrests.

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

Hosts: Manveen Rana & Luke Jones.
Producers: Sophie McNulty & Harry Stott.
We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: Commons Speaker reported Peter Mandelson as flight risk to Met Police
Further listening: Andrew is arrested
Clips: The Times, Parliament TV, Newsweek.
Photo: Getty Images.

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.