The Fourcast

Peter Mandelson's appointment as ambassador by Sir Keir Starmer to the US was a rush-job, carried out under an 'atmosphere of pressure' from 10 Downing Street and a 'dismissive attitude' to security vetting. 
That's the claim of Sir Olly Robbins, the sacked head of the foreign office as he was grilled by parliament's foreign affairs committee. 
So, is it now clear what happened behind the scenes? 
No 10 denies Robbins’ characterisation of events, but could this still be damning for Starmer's premiership or has the PM's decision to sack his senior mandarin been vindicated?
On this episode of the Fourcast, Paul McNamara was joined by Labour MP Preet Kour Gill and also by one of Olly Robbins predecessors as head of the foreign office Lord Ricketts and former Labour advisor and political commentator Sonia Sodha.

In a world facing overlapping crises - from Sudan, to Lebanon to the wider issues in the Middle East - the demand for humanitarian aid has never been greater. But as needs grow, the global response is struggling to keep up.
In this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy speaks to Tom Fletcher, the United Nations’ Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, about the immense challenges of delivering life-saving support in today’s fractured world. How does the UN prioritise when everything is urgent?
With funding shortfalls, political barriers, and growing risks to civilians and aid workers, can the humanitarian system cope - and what happens if it can’t?

Peter Mandelson, the problem that won’t go away. Keir Starmer is once again fighting to save his political career, after saying he was not told Mandelson had failed security vetting ahead of his appointment as US ambassador.
So what really happened? Is this a failure of leadership or does it point to a deeper rot inside Westminster? And either way, can Starmer survive it? 
On this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy was joined by Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee and Conservative MP Alicia Kearns, former chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. 
A Downing Street spokesman told Channel 4 News: “The Foreign Office have run this vetting process, and at no point, at any point in any part of this process was anyone in Number 10, PM or otherwise, informed by the Foreign Office that the recommendation of UK Security Vetting was for him not to pass his developed vetting.”

The ceasefire between the US and Iran is holding - for now. But beneath the surface, the signals tell a more uncertain story.
In this episode of The Fourcast Indicators, Matt Frei is joined by defence analyst Mark Urban and International Editor Lindsey Hilsum to examine the key signs shaping what happens next. From US military build-up in the region to Iran’s strategic use of the Strait of Hormuz, the question is whether this fragile pause is the start of a settlement, or simply a prelude to further conflict.
They explore the shifting balance of power, the role of regional players like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, and the growing pressure on Israel as the war’s dynamics evolve. There is also a deeper question at play: what this conflict reveals about the limits of American power, and the future of global trade routes.

Donald Trump’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has come into force, but ships are reportedly still getting through, including a Chinese linked tanker.
So, what is actually going on right now? How long could this blockade last and what happens if American forces try to seize a Chinese linked vessel? 
On this episode of the Fourcast, Alex Thomson is joined by retired US Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery and Times columnist and contributing editor Cindy Yu.