Newscast

Today, Adam joined Laura and Paddy to chew over the latest news from Iran, Scotland, and Downing Street. Ahead of the Prime Minister’s appearance in parliament, they discuss what we’ve learned today about what Sir Keir Starmer knew, or did not know, about the Lord Mandelson’s vetting by the foreign office. Laura spoke to cabinet minister Liz Kendall, who backed the PM and said that Starmer would have blocked the appointment of Lord Mandelson as US ambassador had he known he failed security vetting.
Elsewhere, negotiations continue between the US and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz. But is it actually currently open or closed? Has the ceasefire been breached? And what happens next? Paddy has been putting those questions to Lyse Doucet in Tehran.
Plus, Laura has been in Scotland speaking to voters and the party leaders about how those issues and others will affect which way voters go in the May elections.
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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 presenters were Laura Kuenssberg, Paddy O'Connell, and Adam Fleming. It was made by Rufus Gray with Adam Chowdhury. The social producer was Sophie Millward. The technical producer was Jonny Hall. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Laura and Paddy are back! Today, they’re discussing the key questions facing Sir Keir Starmer over the latest revelations about Lord Mandelson
Sir Olly Robbins, the former chief Foreign Office official, was ousted by Starmer on Thursday after it was revealed that Mandelson had failed the foreign office vetting programme. The key questions are still to be answered formally over who knew what, and when.
The PM is set to appear in the Commons on Monday, and Olly Robbins is expected to be grilled by MPs on Tuesday. But how exactly did we get here? What are the key questions Starmer and Robbins need to answer? And could this be the final nail in the coffin for Keir Starmer’s premiership?
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 presenters were Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O'Connell. It was made by Rufus Gray with Kris Jalowiecki. The social producer was Sophie Millward. The technical producer was Rohan Madison. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

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.
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 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.