The Crisis Room

• Omnishambles at the Home Office: what next?

  It's been another week where Amber's old department, the Home Office, has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. So is breaking up the Home Office and creating a separate Department of Immigration the solution? Amber explains what will have gone on behind the scenes of government this week as the Hadush Kebatu saga has lurched from one crisis to another - and why dividing up the Home Office isn't the silver bullet that some are claiming it would be.Later, the team break down Donald Trump's announcement that the US will restart its nuclear weapons testing programme - and whether this means we are entering a new kind of Cold War. Plus, as season two of The Diplomat hits our screens, Amber, Mark and Marc P reveal which TV series offer the most accurate depictions of politics and diplomacy - and Mark does his Jacques Chirac impression. Follow us on social media: @crisisroompod

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• Q&A: Prince Andrew's titles & is Brexit to blame for the small boats crisis?

  In the latest Q&A episode, the team tackle your questions on a variety of crises. Amber analyses what has been achieved through stripping Prince Andrew of his titles, while Marc P gives us an update on when we might finally see the Epstein Files published. Meanwhile, Amber and Mark discuss whether it's fair to say that Nigel Farage and Brexit are largely responsible for the small boats issue about which Farage and Reform UK are so unhappy. Plus Mark explains the challenges facing journalists in a world where generative AI and misinformation are so prevalent, and Marc P tries to work out what is influencing Trump's attitude towards Putin and the war in Ukraine, as the US President veers from one position to another with every passing week. Have a question for a future Q&A episode? Send it by email to [email protected] us on social media: @crisisroompod

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• The reality of the world’s most dangerous border

  From British colonial rule to Osama Bin Laden, Al-Qaeda, and the Taliban, tensions have run high on the Durand Line - the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan - since it was first drawn over 100 years ago. And with fighting having once again recently broken out between the two sides, in this episode Mark takes us through the history of what has become known as one of the world's most dangerous borders - and tells the story of when he was thrown in jail for attempting to cross it while embedded with the Soviet Army.Marc P tells his own stories of running US bases in the region during his time in the CIA - and Amber tries to explain the delicate diplomatic calculations that Western governments will be making as they wait to see if the current ceasefire holds.Amber also reveals the surprising safeword she was assigned when she visited Pakistan as Home Secretary - and Marc P recounts what it was like to witness the anti-Trump 'No Kings' protests firsthand last weekend. Follow us on social media: @crisisroompodHave a question for a Q&A episode? Send it on email to [email protected]

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• Q&A: Can Tomahawk missiles win the war for Ukraine?

  Amber, Mark and Marc P are answering your questions in this first ever Q&A episode of The Crisis Room! Mark and Marc analyse how damaging it could be for Russia if Trump gives Ukraine Tomahawk missiles - and they also break down why Hamas' violent reprisals against rivals in Gaza is such an obstacle to the peace plan continuing into phase two. Amber gives her verdict on the political purpose of the UN - and whether this year's General Assembly played a key role in bringing about the Middle East ceasefire - and the team are also asked about how great a threat China and climate change pose to national security. Have a question for a future episode? Email [email protected] follow us on social media and leave a question there: @crisisroompod

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• What does the MI5 boss really think about the collapse of the China spy trial?

  Today, the MI5 boss has spoken out about his 'frustration' at the recent collapse of the China spy trial. But how will he really be feeling about this saga which has caused so much controversy for Keir Starmer and in national security circles? Amber reveals what Ken McCallum said when she saw the spy chief this week - and why the security services will be furious that the case has fallen apart. Mark also explains why there is so much risk attached to any trial involving spying and national security - and what he learned about the scale of Chinese espionage from his trip to FBI HQ 20 years ago. Plus Marc P gives his forthright view on whether Hamas can be persuaded to give up their weapons - and on whether Gaza's Arab neighbours really have the 'cojones' to provide a stabilising force to keep the peace in Gaza. Later: why is Trump talking openly about the CIA's supposedly covert action in Venezuela? Is the US heading for war with the Latin American nation? Follow us on social media: @crisisroompod

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