The Fourcast

Addressing the UN General Assembly in New York, Prime Minister Andy Burnham warned of an "insidious campaign" of hostile foreign interference aimed at stoking domestic division and eroding democratic trust. 
To combat the threat, Burnham announced the creation of the National Centre for Information Defence.
In this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by disinformation expert and author Nina Jankowicz, the Chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament, Lord Beamish, as well as the Conservative MP Alicia Kearns.
They discuss the threat posed by Russia to the UK, the role of tech platforms and whether the new unit could risk the censoring of free speech.

Can Andy Burnham turn the UK economy around?
With just a few weeks to go until his first Budget, the new prime minister is facing a difficult economic outlook, as he deals with sluggish growth, the rising cost of living and a war in Iran which threatens to send inflation soaring.
In this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy speaks to the former chief economist of the Bank of England Andy Haldane and Channel 4’s Economics Editor Helia Ebrahimi.
They discuss cuts to welfare, the pensions triple lock and Britain’s problem with young NEETS: those not in education, employment or training.

The EU President Ursula Von der Leyen has offered Canada ‘associate membership of the EU’, a move which Donald Trump called ‘laughable’ - but still threatened ‘serious sanctions’ as punishment.  
 
In this episode of the Fourcast, we ask what Canada’s closer ties with the EU could mean - from tighter trade and defence to what Mark Carney calls 'a beacon for other democracies.' But with the far right rising in Europe, is the Canadian Prime Minister trying to join a club that could soon fall apart?  
 
Leslie Vinjamuri, the President and CEO of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs says Carney is playing a long-game when it comes to the US, picking up support on both sides of the border by standing up to Trump, and that his decision to move closer to the EU is a ‘declaration of independence from King Trump’.  While Dr. Linn Selle, head of the Europe division of the German Council on Foreign Relations, argues that the EU is chasing Carney’s star power to help revive its appeal.

Ed Sheeran has found himself embroiled in a huge row after the rapper Macklemore was dropped as a support act from his tour, after he made comments in support of Palestine. 
The Suffolk singer has said he is "not complicit" and that the decision to drop Macklemore was not his. Since then, all the other support acts have pulled out of the tour in support of the rapper. 
On this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy speaks with singer Paloma Faith who has publicly supported Macklemore, calling him ‘my hero’ on social media. 
They discuss the pressure put on if musicians by business interests, whether music can ever stay out of politics and if musicians can ever truly sit on the fence when it comes to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Is British politics becoming more like America, dominated by billionaires, huge donations and increasingly polarised media? 
Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by journalist and broadcaster Mehdi Hasan, who has returned to the UK to launch Zeteo UK. 
They discuss Reform UK’s £72 million in donations from two crypto billionaires, what wealthy political donors might expect in return, Britain’s changing relationship with Israel, Donald Trump and the threat to journalism in America - and whether independent media can rebuild the trust lost by traditional news organisations. 
Hasan also discusses the war in Gaza, which he describes as a 'genocide' - Israel strongly rejects allegations of genocide and denies committing war crimes, saying its military operations are conducted in accordance with international law.